Vaccine Debate

It's been over a month since I posted anything! Time has flown by while Nate is in Iraq. I'm balancing a lot of plates in the air and learning a new job, so I will probably drop off the face of blogging for a while again...but I thought it was worth coming back for a quick post. Suddenly the air is full of rumors about the H1N1 vaccine, and I wanted to provide some good information for those of you who are concerned. I have been chatting with family about the issue and thought I'd share my thoughts with you guys too.

I'll start by saying I share some reservations about vaccines, particularly in the number of doses of vaccine given to children at the same time. So while I am not against vaccines in general, I would prefer to use my own schedule. However, I question anyone who is avidly against ALL vaccines. The people who are fervently anti-vaccine rarely will discuss the great public health benefits vaccines have provided the world, such as eradicating polio (which my grandmother's sister died of as a child, imagine if that were still a problem!). Many of the anti-vaccine groups (such as Jenny McCarthy's team and National Vacccine Information Center) are run by mothers of children who died or were diagnosed with autism. It is important to note that no peer-reviewed scientific article has ever noted a connection between vaccines and autism. I certainly feel for these parents who lost children. Speaking as a mother who's child has had bad reactions to vaccines (once she had a fever of 103 for 3 days, it was scary), I can understand the fear and reservation to trusting doctors or government organizations with blind faith. Researching, reading, and doing your own due diligence are essential.

If there's one piece of true information I can pass along that I hope you take note of, it is that pregnant women are both more likely to contract flu and suffer complications because of it. A pregnant woman's immune system is weakened as the body's way to ensure it does not reject the fetus, which is the reason they are more likely to contract it. Once they have flu, they are 3-5 times more likely to have secondary infections, the worst of which is pneumonia. This is due to multiple reasons, one of which is that their lung capacity is reduced, another is that doctors are less likely to prescribe medications that would treat the problem but could harm the baby. A pregnant woman should get the flu shot (not a live virus) as opposed to flu mist (live virus). I did get my flu shot when I was 20 weeks pregnant.

A second piece of information is that the vast majority of H1N1 vaccines DO NOT contain mercury. This is an absolute fact. With mercury being the reason most moms are worried about vaccine, you would think this would assuage the fears of most, but the problem is that correct information is being blasted tenfold by misinformation, half-truths, or lies. I am sure you are careful about what you read and take note of, but just to reiterate, please think seriously about the credentials of the person speaking and the motivation for talking. There is a YouTube video I've seen from the organization above (NVIC) that has taken comments and spliced them into pieces, so you can't even tell if the person started by saying "vaccines are very controversial" but then followed it with "but I recommend them wholeheartedly to my patients." Also, NVIC is a private company with its own agenda; I am skeptical of any company that pays doctors to make a statement.

The last thing I'll say about the vaccine controversy is that many people believe pharmaceutical companies are behind the push to vaccinate the US against H1N1. This couldn't be further from the truth. In actual fact, vaccine manufacturers will probably barely break even...there has been talk that this could be a problem in the future. Because we rely on for-profit companies to make vaccine, we will be in serious danger if they stop making it, which they could do at any time if they stop making some kind of profit.

I congratulate you if you have already gotten the vaccine. Especially if you're like my cousin Jonna in Georgia--I've heard from my mom that everyone and their brother has an opinion there (including people around her in the grocery line) , and many people there appear to be against getting the vaccine. Kind of ironic being that CDC is there, but they haven't always gotten their messages out well to Atlantans for some reason.

Questions? Comments? I would really love to hear what you have to say. If you've heard something that contradicts anything I've said, please let me know WHERE you heard it when you reply. I will pass the information along at work.

Good luck and stay healthy and safe! Wash your hands, cover your cough, stay home if you're sick, and stay informed: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/vaccination/

Triathlete!

I can't believe it's been over a month since I posted! Needless to say, it was difficult to keep up with everything during my last month of training. But I had fun doing the practice open water swims and long bike rides, all of which culminated in the Nation's Triathlon last Sunday. It went VERY well. You can see my results online. I was surprised that I barely felt sore the next day, so I was more prepared than I thought.
My day started at 4:00am, when I woke and drove to DC. I arrived in the transition area at 5am and had to wait over two hours for the swim to begin. I was jumping out of my skin to have so much time to think (not to mention rearrange my transition space, relace my shoes, count my goo and "chomps", etc.). 2.5 hours and lots of stretching and pee breaks later, I was lining up to do the swim. Luckily I ran into a coworker who was in my swim wave, so we chatted a lot, which relaxed me a lot. For those who live in DC, the swim course entrace was between the tidal basin and Memorial bridge, and then we swam under the bridge past the Lincoln Memorial and back again. Yes, in the Potomac River...it wasn't actually as gross as I thought it would be. It took me about 45 minutes to swim a mile in practice, but when I jumped in the water at the race, my right goggle filled up with water. As if I wasn't already panicked enough! So I had to tread water while dodging swimmers to fix them, and it ended up taking me 49 minutes in the race. Once I was out of the water, I was ecstatic because I knew I could relax for the remaining events. Most of the 40k bike course was on the Clara Barton Parkway, and it was beautiful and cool out. It took a little over 1.5 hours to complete the bike, which was long--but it was the most fun event because it was my biggest training achievement. I was tired when I got to the run, but I was able to keep up a 10:00/mi split for the 10k distance. I felt like I was moving so slowly compared to my usual pace, but I was passing people left and right, which gave me a great energy boost. Because I was wearing my Team in Training uniform, people cheered me on during the whole race. So even though Nate couldn't be there to watch, I still had a huge audience!
My final thoughts...I would encourage anyone who is thinking of taking up cycling to do it now! I am one of the most clumsy people I know, so if I can do it so can you. Hell, I even broke my elbow while training, but I still managed to do the race. I am now confident enough to bike-commute to DC and back in the same day, which is an ego boost, great way to get in lots of exercise, and so pleasant to spend so much time outdoors instead of on a train or in a car stuck in traffic. As for the swim, if you are able to move forward in the water, I think you can train for a triathlon swim. The coaches for Team in Training are very patient and good at what they do. It takes a lot of practice, but you'll be amazed at the results. I'm still not a great swimmer, but I go at my own slow pace doing my imperfect strokes and somehow manage to get there.
Will I do another triathlon? Probably, but maybe not very soon. My immediate thought as I was finishing the run was that the event was kind of like natural childbirth--it was an empowering and gratifying experience, but I could definitely go another 2 years without doing it again.

Video: Playing on the stairs

Like Mother, Like Daughter

Genevieve is a girl after my own heart. Her favorite activity is what I call "Nee-nah." She loves bags or boxes that she can collect toys and little objects in. Then she takes them out and puts them back in, and she likes to sing the Barney clean-up song while she does it. Her version sounds like "Nee nah, nee nah." Right now in her shoe box that she carries with her there's a sock, puzzle piece, half a plastic egg, a toy car, and a sippy cup. Other favorites: she loves it when I imitate her movements, and she giggles hysterically when I pretend to lose her. She is so much fun now that she can interact, and her personality is really showing. She is so good natured--I had to take her home early from day care because she has a fever (hope she's not getting the flu), but she was still laughing. That picture was taken over a month ago now, but it captures her smile so well...minus a few new teeth.

Very cute video won't load, it's late and I'm tired...will add it later. But it was so perfect for this post! Grr, technology.

Yearning for the Endless Sea…

I’ve been asked by friends and family to comment on the health care reform bill, and I have taken my time responding…partly because I’ve been busy, but I am also unsure of what to write. I’m not sure whether I should respond to the controversy or let it pass by. For me, the subject of this bill is not only part of my daily work, but as many of you know it’s also my labor of love. I know what I wish had been added to the bill, my favorite parts, and the things I don’t like. I could create a post just about those three items, and I think I will do that soon. But…then there are the pundits and the spin. I could spend an entire post responding to the controversy, both discussing the misrepresentations and truths. What to say?

I am intrigued by the party lines people draw when making their decision, both for and against. Nate would call me naïve for believing people will keep an open mind. Change is difficult, and health care reform is no different. Our country’s history weighs in heavily on reform. The issue is also complicated by each individual’s current health, wealth, and health care status (insurance or lack thereof). After spending some time pondering, I’ve decided it’s only natural that in a time of change, people sometimes return to public figures they trust—even the Rush Limbaughs or Jon Stewarts. This is a problem. Pundits know nothing about health care reform. What we need is a health care guru, someone Americans on both sides of the aisle can turn to and trust to give it to them straight. While President Obama is attempting to be that person, in name alone he represents ideas outside of health reform that muddle his argument. So, where do we go from here?

"If you want to build a ship, don't drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea" – Antoine de Saint Exupery

In the absence of a nonpartisan leader, I’d like to start a conversation with you all. First, I’m going to return to my plea of a few months ago. Please make a conscious effort to be open-minded, and I say that with the awareness that it is not easy to do so. Before we start the conversation, let’s all do some homework, which comes down to two words: due diligence. Learn one new thing per day about health care reform. Here’s the catch: you are not allowed to learn that thing from a pundit. Turn off CNN and Fox News. Whether you are for or against this administration, I suggest you give the US Government’s side some reading time. After all, how else can you make an informed judgment? But you don’t have to end there. Many think tanks (e.g. TFAH & Heritage Foundation) and non-profits (e.g. KFF & NACCHO, my own employer) are hard at work analyzing the current plan. Check out what they have to say. If you’re feeling spunky, you can even take a shot at reading the actual Senate and House bills (see NACCHO link above for summaries). I would venture to say reading blogs (see links below) may also help get you going; I wouldn’t leave out anyone who has done some research for you, since I can’t promise ANY document has a completely nonpartisan slant.

Giving you homework doesn’t get me off the hook—I’m not just telling you what you have to do. I try to learn as much as I can EVERY DAY about health care reform. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. I believe health care reform is not just important; it may be MORE important than the war in Iraq or economic reform. If we don’t get our health and our health care in line, we risk losing not only our way of life but our LIVES and, even more importantly (in my mind), our children’s lives. By asking you to educate yourselves, I’m not being sarcastic or hateful. I seriously want nothing more than for you to learn what you want to happen in health care. Don’t tell me what you don’t want to happen; I want to know what YOU would do if you were in charge. It may be cheesy, and I may sound like a public service announcement, but whatever. In the end, they were on to something: knowledge is power.

A few blogs:

The Weiss Report (right-leaning): http://abilitycorner.com/democratic-leaders-block/

The Huffington Post (left-leaning): http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/health-care-reform

Great vacations, tough weekend

My trip to Vogel State Park for my family reunion was great! Vivi loved playing with her cousin Anna, and I had a blast with my family. It was one of the best Vogels ever for sure. The plane ride home was hilarious--she learned how to say "Wow!" and said it constantly during take-off and landing. Passing her around to everyone was very good for her, and she's already doing much better at being left with friends and our babysitter. Babbling is in full swing, and as if it weren't hard enough to understand a toddler, we are trying to figure out if she might be saying some words in Spanish. I've already figured out she can say "agua" and "gato," so I'm betting there's a good 10 more words I'm missing. She loves to read books and will now grab one and climb into your lap to have you read to her. Cutest word ever so far is "thank you," which sounds like "day doo."

I had a tough time this weekend because I had 2 days of anatomy lab, 8 hours per day...YUCK. Plus Nate left today for a week of training (don't ask, you know the drill by now), so I missed seeing him off and am now spending the evening studying more anatomy. I reallly hope this pays off some day. I am still looking forward to nursing school, maybe to start next summer. Our community college does online nursing classes--can you believe that? The hardest scheduling glitch will be my clinic hours. We'll see.

Healthy Lifestyle Tip: Just Do It!

There are quite a few reasons I love my new gym, the YMCA down the street from my office in Farragut Square. The staff is exceptionally friendly, it's clean, it's really easy to get to, and one of the greatest and unexpected things...they send me emails. Normally I cringe to think of a place like a gym sending me spam, but these messages never try to sell me anything, they are just friendly and inspirational. I thought I'd share the one I just got today...

Justine,

We hope you have a wonderful, active and healthy week.

Healthy Lifestyle Tip: Just Do It!
The first few weeks of any exercise program are often the most challenging – after all you aren't just exercising, you are beginning a new lifestyle. You may not feel like coming in, you may be tired, busy or perhaps even a little sore. Remember that it takes time to develop a habit, but if you make the commitment to excersing regularly, the benefits you receive will be amazing.

Exercising regularly will make you feel better and look better. Plus, you will feel good about yourself. The hardest part is making the commitment to change and then sticking with it. Show us that commitment, and we can help you get there!

Let's do this together!

I promise I will update the blog with details about our trip to Europe soon. It was a blast, and my mind is still taking it all in. I haven't had a trip since Kenya that has been so thought-provoking. More on this soon.