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glatt · 01-16-2011, 04:13 PM

I'm not sure what the point of me posting this is, other than it's another data point.

I just heard that one of my son's old pre-school friends has come down with a serious health problem. We haven't seen this kid since the summer, because now that they are both in 3rd grade, they go to different schools.

In December, this 9 year old boy had a minor cold with no fever, and went to the pediatricians office for a reason that's unknown to me. Maybe for the cold, maybe a wellness visit. While at the pediatricians, he was given the nasal flu vaccine. The nurses administering the vaccine knew he had a cold, but since he had no fever, they said that giving him the FluMist vaccine was fine. Beginning the next morning, and over the following 24 hours, his personality had completely changed. He couldn't find a pair of pants that he would wear, because they all felt funny on him. He said they were too loose, and that his skin was too loose to. He was crying in the corner and was almost inconsolable. His parent's finally found one pair of pants in the dirty hamper that he was willing to wear. He came home from school, that first day, and immediately stripped naked and hid in his room. Saying that he felt really weird and wanted to die it was so bad. The parents kept calling their pediatricians, and it sounds like they weren't very helpful. They finally were willing to make an appointment with the boy, but also suggested that the parents make a psych appointment too.

At the pediatricians office, about a week or so later, they had no idea what was wrong, and suggested the parents take him to a mental hospital and check him in there. Meanwhile, the parents had done some research and learned that there is a really rare condition where people who have a strep infection and get this vaccine can get really fucked up. So they asked for a strep test. The test came back positive, even though the kid had never had a fever. They were somehow able to determine that he had the strep infection back when he got the vaccine.

So they put him on an aggressive course of antibiotics, and things are improving slightly. He has stopped saying that he wants to die. But he still has all sorts of compulsive behavior, and he still strips off his clothes as soon as he gets home from school because they drive him nuts against his skin. He hides naked in his room.

The parents have been looking for a doctor who knows about this "PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Strep)" and is able to diagnose their son. The pediatricians they have been dealing with are clueless, and don't feel qualified to make any diagnosis. They found a doctor and have an appointment, but haven't been yet.

So there's no official diagnosis yet, but they know the boy's personality changed dramatically within a day or two of getting the FluMist vaccine while he was infected with strep. This used to be a normal kid. Even though they are just acquaintances now, these guys used to be good friends of ours, and this sucks for them.

01-16-2011, 04:13 PM	#724
glatt ™ Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Arlington, VA Posts: 27,717	I'm not sure what the point of me posting this is, other than it's another data point. I just heard that one of my son's old pre-school friends has come down with a serious health problem. We haven't seen this kid since the summer, because now that they are both in 3rd grade, they go to different schools. In December, this 9 year old boy had a minor cold with no fever, and went to the pediatricians office for a reason that's unknown to me. Maybe for the cold, maybe a wellness visit. While at the pediatricians, he was given the nasal flu vaccine. The nurses administering the vaccine knew he had a cold, but since he had no fever, they said that giving him the FluMist vaccine was fine. Beginning the next morning, and over the following 24 hours, his personality had completely changed. He couldn't find a pair of pants that he would wear, because they all felt funny on him. He said they were too loose, and that his skin was too loose to. He was crying in the corner and was almost inconsolable. His parent's finally found one pair of pants in the dirty hamper that he was willing to wear. He came home from school, that first day, and immediately stripped naked and hid in his room. Saying that he felt really weird and wanted to die it was so bad. The parents kept calling their pediatricians, and it sounds like they weren't very helpful. They finally were willing to make an appointment with the boy, but also suggested that the parents make a psych appointment too. At the pediatricians office, about a week or so later, they had no idea what was wrong, and suggested the parents take him to a mental hospital and check him in there. Meanwhile, the parents had done some research and learned that there is a really rare condition where people who have a strep infection and get this vaccine can get really fucked up. So they asked for a strep test. The test came back positive, even though the kid had never had a fever. They were somehow able to determine that he had the strep infection back when he got the vaccine. So they put him on an aggressive course of antibiotics, and things are improving slightly. He has stopped saying that he wants to die. But he still has all sorts of compulsive behavior, and he still strips off his clothes as soon as he gets home from school because they drive him nuts against his skin. He hides naked in his room. The parents have been looking for a doctor who knows about this "PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Strep)" and is able to diagnose their son. The pediatricians they have been dealing with are clueless, and don't feel qualified to make any diagnosis. They found a doctor and have an appointment, but haven't been yet. So there's no official diagnosis yet, but they know the boy's personality changed dramatically within a day or two of getting the FluMist vaccine while he was infected with strep. This used to be a normal kid. Even though they are just acquaintances now, these guys used to be good friends of ours, and this sucks for them.