COVID Vaccine. Would it do more harm than good to my mom?

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COVID Vaccine. Would it do more harm than good to my mom?

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I have read through this string with interest. I am going to throw in another consideration to the mix.

My husband is on Hospice, totally bed ridden and without any ADL's.He is in a board and care facility. He has been on Hospice for a year. I cannot take care of him as he is too big and totally unable to help. I was concerned with the issue a week or so ago and did some research but didn't find anything in relation to Hospice and COVID. I called his Hospice Nurse. She informed me that they don't give flue shots to Hospice patients and at that point didn't recommend this for him.

I am not concerned re side effects and if the situation were different would not question getting him the vaccine but there are other ethical questions involved. It will not help him. He has no quality of life and I do not want to make this harder.

I have discussed this with family and feel strongly that it would be better to give his doses to someone who needs it.

Last evening I got an email from his care facility saying that they were working with Wallgreens to get the shots. I am going to talk to Hospice again today and then email the home. At some point they may insist he have it for the safety of the others, which I understand.

This is such a dilemma - and I am so tired of making these awful decisions.
Hugs to all of you -- this is so hard.

Sandy L

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This is a question for your mother's doctor. However, if it was may mother I would look at it this way. Yes she is bed ridden and on medication but she still can breathe, communicate and hopefully remains relatively pain free. If she gets the disease she could suffer horrible symptoms including being unable to breathe which is terrifying and painful. I don't believe in heroic measures to prolong a suffering life, which is why we have a DNR directive, but I also don't believe in leaving an individual exposed to additional suffering. As hard as it is to make this decision, I would say "yes" to the shot.

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To be very frank, we are at a point where all we can do is make tough choices. What you really need to do is leverage the time she has left and her quality of life without the vaccine against the detriments of being isolated in a facility because she is not vaccinated. At some point, we are not vaccinating to extend their life, we are vaccinating so people aren't dying of loneliness.

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The vaccines have not been fully approved by the FDA. They are only conditionally approved for emergency use. During vaccine trials, Modern and Pfizer vaccinated a total of 43,000 people. Of those, more than 15 developed Bell's Palsy, a type of nerve damage seen in vaccines for other viruses. Other types of nerve damage syndromes are also associated with vaccines for other viruses. My mother's facility is not requiring the COVID vaccine, so I'm not giving permission for now. I've spent about 12 hours the past 3 days reading news articles, scientific journals, hospital Q&A's, and FDA and CDC reports. Then I have to factor in my mother's situation--age 82 and in pretty good health, she already had COVID back in June. She and everyone else in her building had a surprisingly mild case, all the same week, possibly because everyone in the building was exposed daily to a bit of virus for 4 months, before they became symptomatic in June. Their daily exposure to the virus for 4 months probably stimulated some level of antibodies, T cells, and B cells, so that when they were exposed to someone with a case of the virus in June, they developed only mild symptoms. For everyone here facing the same decisions, I feel your pain. I'm mentally and emotionally exhausted. I know I would have doubts and misgivings no matter what I decide.

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Best answer yet! Research, consult your Doctor or Pharmacist (they know all about the current vaccination research and protocol) and make up your OWN mind.

(2)

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My mother is 88 and in much the same situation as your mother. My mother had Covid in October. She survived but in the last week 2 residents in the same NH have died and another 8 are positive. They have had several staff since this summer test positive. My mother was the first resident to get it. I am not hesitating in authorizing her to get the vaccine. Sure it probably won’t save her if reinfected but it may prevent others for suffering with this infection. As many of us as possible need to take this vaccine to prevent the spread. Just imagine if when the Salk vaccine was developed for Polio if people refused it because it wasn’t tested as much as they thought it should be. Millions of lives were saved from death and disability by taking that vaccine. We have the same opportunity to save people with this vaccine.

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In the 1950's my husband was in school when the Salk vaccine was tested on school kids. Half the students got a water shot the other half got the vaccine. He was one of the lucky ones, his two friends were not. Both contracted polio and were impacted the rest of their lives. Vaccines work. God bless.

(5)

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Please. Stop with the not tested or mainstream media conspiracy crap. Sorry to be so blunt. If my loved one was in a nursing home, I wouldn't hesitate to have them get the vaccine. You give them the shingles vaccine, the pneumonia vaccine, the flu vaccine, more than likely they've had a polio vaccine, your kids have gotten the measles, mumps, rubella vaccine. So according to the poster below, 15 out of 43,000 people came down with bells palsy. That's .0003488372 or 35 one thousandths of a percent. The odds of your loved one getting bells palsy is practically nil. Do you want your elderly loved one to die ALONE of a deadly virus? It's NOT the flu.

Trust me. My husband is an epidemiologist who has worked in public health his whole career. My son is a physician in a large metropolitan hospital. You do not want to see what he has seen. He would get that vaccine in his eye if he could. The heartache of these dedicated and exhausted healthcare workers is overwhelming. Just vaccinating the nursing home workers is NOT enough. Every resident and visitor needs to be vaccinated. As a 2-time cancer survivor, I would get vaccinated tomorrow if it was available to me. Science is science. Trust it. All of you who are clapping and praising the front line Healthcare workers, then refusing to get your elderly loved one or yourself vaccinated, are just basically saying to them "FU". Again, sorry to be blunt, but this is a PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS. My physician son goes home at night and cries when he has to tell family members there just isn't anymore that could have been done. The anguish is daunting. Nurses holding up phones or tablets to their unconscious patients on ventilators so their family can say goodbye is agonizing. For all that is holy, get your loved one the vaccine.

Stop with the "mainstream media" crap. Stop getting your "news" from social media. If your not watching "main" stream media, what media are you watching? "Extreme" stream media? 300,000 Americans will have died this year of COVID-related symptoms alone. How many could have been saved by just wearing a simple mask? This isn't politics; it's science, plain and simple.

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THANK YOU!!! BEST ANSWER ON THE WHOLE PAGE!

Yes, it is a health situation! It’s called a PANDEMIC!

It has NEVER been about RELIGION or POLITICS!

(3)

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The question is for YOUR MOTHER'S DOCTOR. No one on this board is a doctor, pharmacist, or virologist and NO ONE knows the short term or long term effects of the COVID19 Vaccine. Period.

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Imho, as I do not profess to be a medical professional, I cannot nor will not tell your elder to get or not get the Novel Coronavirus vaccine.

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I have a doctor in my family who just had the vaccine yesterday, the follow up shot will be in 3 weeks. She is a Respirologist who works in a hospital. She has seen first hand the impacts of Covid. She has also had the impact of patients dying of other causes, without family at their bedside and had to make the phone call.

She is the person I will consult when the vaccine is more widely available. I for one will encourage Mum to get it, but after consulting the family member.

It is not likely that I will be eligible for the vaccine until the summer. I am content to wait, but I plan to take it when I can.

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I have a doctor in MY family, too. She is on the Chicago Board of SARS COVID Vaccination Protocol - representing her Pharmaceutical Company, of which she is the Director of 43 stores throughout the state. She is privy to all the research materials from all the companies currently manufacturing the CVAC as well as info shared with some of her close collegues at Northwestern University who are Virologists. I think she is WELL qualified to speak to everything related to the SARC & the VAC. I hope sharing some of this information helps - #1 The CVAC is NOT a cure. #2 The Virus can and will mutate - Just like the Influenza (A&B) does EVERY year. #3 Knowing how the CVAC works inside your body is critical information. Unlike the "Flu Shot" A protein is injected that "mimics" the SARSCOVID and "instructs" your body to attack it, thus, in essence,, "trains" your defense system. When/if your body actually comes in contact with the Virus (hopefully before it mutates) your body's defense system is "trained" to attack it. #4 NO Doctor/Virologist/Researcher knows all the Long Term Effects on the human body from the Covid or the Vaccination. There is suspicions that there may be nefarious long term side effects on some people, but I'm not at liberty to discuss that in this forum. #5 Check with your Doctor BEFORE getting the Vaccination to make sure you and your doctor are both on the same page. #6 Washing your hands frequently, sanitizing your household surfaces (all surfaces in kitchens and bathrooms, door knobs, light switches and don't forget your computer keyboards and cell phone screens) helps break down the outer "shell" surrounding the SARSCOVID Virus and thus removes its defenses so your cells can attack it. The mask and social distancing debate is still ongoing. #7 Most importantly - try to live your life as best you can and don't fret about the possibility of catching this. Your mental health is just as important as your physical health, they are intertwined. Best to All.

(2)

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The vaccine does not actually prevent people from catching and spreading the virus. But you knew that, right?

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Beekee, the purpose of the vaccine is to prevent a person from getting the disease, Getting the disease means that the patient's body is serving as a host for the virus, and the virus is replicating (reproducing) inside the person's body, so new viral particles are created which then are breathed, coughed, etc. outside the body to infect additional people. If one is effectively vaccinated, any viral particles the person inhales or otherwise gets into the body will be stopped from reproducing (and thus the person won't "catch" the disease or suffer from any symptoms of the disease) and thus the patient won't be able to spread it to anyone else. Therefore, being successfully vaccinated is different from being infected but remaining asymptomatic.

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This is a Q&A info from a hospital. Reviewed by Paul A. Offit, MD on December 15, 2020. Paul A. Offit, MD, is the Director of the Vaccine Education Center and an attending physician in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
Areas of Expertise: Vaccines
Dr. Paul Offit is a member of the FDA panel that recommended releasing the vaccines to the public under emergency authorization.
https://www.chop.edu/centers-programs/vaccine-education-center/making-vaccines/prevent-covid?fbclid=IwAR3eDi1FXSUcGYNU_3lEQDnO3ZfKGbAAJQGrE4WVtCgLQb7jl7R4O1EXTs4

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Here is a bit of important info from the Q&A linked above: "We do not yet know if the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines prevent infection or if they only prevent disease. Disease means people experience symptoms of illness.
Infection means that a virus can infect a person’s cells and reproduce, but the person may or may not have symptoms or be contagious."

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Yes all vaccines are bad for elderly, if they do or do not have alzheimer's vaccines causes brain deterioration, leads to AD.

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And where is your scientifically and clinically vetted proof of this?

(6)

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Believing in freedom of speech as I do, in spite of having no constitutional right to it myself, I am not going to report this last post below.

No matter how tempting it might be.

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I commend you on your self-control in not screaming in print to the post saying vaccines cause AD. Distressingly, this fear is shared by a large demographic.

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"RosieT,"

Although I didn't comment to your question directly, on Dec. 16th, I replied to JennaRose's post about my concern with my mom.

As of late last evening, I now find myself in the same exact position as you and I have to make the decision apparently by Monday.

My mom had COVID (per a POSITIVE test result) in April and although she survived she has been under hospice care until they discharged her yesterday telling me she will never walk again.

The email from her ALF's Administrator said there will be a Walgreen's Clinic administering "a" vaccine on Dec. 28th and that she will be contacting me Monday for either an "accept" or "decline" response. The email said they don't know "which" vaccine it will be and sent two attachments of information. One from the CDC and one from Walgreen's with what looks like a side effects etc. sheet (as I need to sit down and read each one thoroughly).

I guess I'm just upset that 1)I have to make a quick decision 2) I don't know which one she would be getting and 3) How does it work with someone who already has had COVID - is it necessary?

Currently, my husband is trying to do as much research as possible - I just don't want anything to go wrong after all we've been through to get her to this point!

I'm curious as whether or not after all the responses you've received, if you've been able to make any decision or at least come closer to making a decision as to how to handle it with your mom (my mom will be 96 in Feb.)?

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Thanks for posting. I appreciate it. I’m leaning towards having my Mom get the vaccine. If my Mom recovers from having COVID and her doctor tells me she can still get it then I will have her get it. We’re taking it one day at a time at this point. Since she tested positive for COVID her symptoms have been next to none thank God. She only has a low grade fever. I’m really hoping her symptoms remain that way and she recovers. She’s in such a fragile state that anything recommended to help and protect her I will agree with. I hope you’re able to find some clarity and to help make your own decisions in your situation.

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I am leaning on getting the vaccine for mom and me. The other family members usually go along with what I do, but it will be their decision and not mine. Her urologist will be getting it, one doctor told me her patient and entire family got it. They highly recommend the vaccine.

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Even without the vaccine, a second case of coronavirus is extremely unlikely. Remember in New York City when 10s of thousands of people caught the virus in March and April? If second cases were common, New York City would've seen a surge of second cases in September and October--but they didn't. There are 200 documented second cases around the world--even that number is not an absolute because some researchers were defining a true "second case" in different ways.

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There’s really been very little testing to see if the vaccine is harmful to elders. During the trials the vaccine companies neglected to include elders. So really it’s anyone’s guess if the vaccine is safe for your mom. My mom is 72, retired nurse, and is not getting the vaccine because she doesn’t feel it’s safe for her.

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Cali,

Is this because of her recent cancer diagnosis or would she not get it anyway?

How is your mom doing?

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COVID Vaccine. Would it do more harm than good to my mom?

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