I watched a little dustup between Jo and a few other people, and I’m absolutely not surprised that a coterie has lockstepped in their inability to see a different point of view. (I’m also not surprised that Jo’s comments on the original topic disappeared. Pity, that. She had some good informative links in there.)
Not only are there Cancer survivors against the HPV vaccine, but there are also HPV survivors opposed to the vaccine. I know this because I am one.
Way back in the days when dinosaurs roamed the earth, my very first ever sexual partner was…well, to be completely blunt the MAIN reason I chose him was because I was aware of his level of experience. No awkward fumbling on This Special Occasion, ifyouplease. Yes, we used a condom. Guess what? It is not known how much protection condoms provide against HPV, since areas that are not covered by a condom can be exposed to the virus.
I stepped up on the HPV treadmill with my first abnormal pap. Re-pap in six months, colposcopy three months after that, then a normal pap. Re-pap six months after that (abnormal), another colposcopy, cryosurgery. A cone biopsy. After that, my ob/gyn threw up his hands, said “I don’t know what’s wrong” and sent me to a cancer specialist. Said cancer specialist did his own colposcopy, looked at the slide right then and there, and handed me a prescription for what turned out to be a $36 tube of cream. I still had abnormal paps after that. **Please note, this was BEFORE the ASCUS diagnosis existed.** At this point, I said “enough.” I needed a break from the procedures and the worry, and though the pap results did show dysplasia, the stage never got worse. As a matter of fact, as time went on it moved back to the “normal” side of things.
So, having gone through all that, WHY am I opposed to the vaccine for myself and my daughter?
- According to the American Cancer Society
Will I always have the HPV virus?
We do not know. We do know that HPV usually goes away, or cannot be found, within 1 to 2 years. This happens in about 9 out of every 10 women.
Makes the vaccine look rather pointless in that light, doesn’t it? In my case the virus did resolve itself. I kept each and every appointment for repeat paps (every 6 months until I’d had consecutive normal paps).
- The vaccine only covers four of “the most common strains” of HPV. Who determines how “most common” is defined? HOW do they know those four are the most common? Who’s to say that their criteria for “most common strains” isn’t “The strains our researchers are infected with”. Yes, it’s an ugly thought, and unethical to boot. We’re talking about a drug manufacturer, honey. The ones charging $25 PER PILL for a drug that costs $0.05 per *hundred*. Ethics have nothing to do with the corporate bottom line, did you miss that memo?
- My daughter is not interested in the vaccine. (Yes, I’m one of THOSE parents who actually believes that “my body, my choice” is a pretty decent way to live.)
- Two words: Vaccine Injury. (Were you aware that the vast majority of polio cases in the US were CAUSED by the polio vaccine? Or that vaccinating is no guarantee against contracting ANY of the diseases?)
- Where is the vaccine for my boys? *IF* they decide the benefits outweigh the risks and want to be vaccinated, they’re still SOL because there’s NOT ONE (at the time of this writing, anyway.)
- Thought of another one: According to Merck’s Prescribing Information page (pdf link) the dosage is the same for me (5’4″, 200+ lbs) and a 9-year-old girl. I’ll be honest, I don’t know many 9-year-old girls that are my size. Actually, this dosing information is true for ALL vaccines as far as I know. Doesn’t that strike you as a little….off? Seriously, take a look at your Children’s Pain Reliever bottle of choice. The dosage is broken down by age and/or weight, and that’s true of most prescription drugs. Now, knowing that, wouldn’t logic dictate that I am not going to be affected as much by the vaccine as the 9 year old girl?
Do your OWN research. Trust, but verify. Do NOT assume that drug companies generously have your best interests at heart, because they don’t.
This is a great post and thank you for sharing your view on this. The more people from all “sides” that talk about this the more everyone will understand each other.
I just wish more people thought like that. *sigh*
Well, y’know, most people haven’t had the experience of knowing more about a certain medical condition than their family doctor. Hearing the doctor who DELIVERED me say “I don’t know” lit my candle. If a man practicing medicine for 40 years has no clue, it’s time for *me* to get educated (and? change doctors, which I promptly did.)
Just lurking, but found this interesting since my friend and I were talking about it yesterday. (btw, they are currently developing a vaccine for men) I could go off forever about this though. I think it’s great they’re working on cancer vaccines, but I’m very disturbed by the way Merck is trying to market the drug so aggressively. Many don’t know TX gov received money from Merck a few days for trying to make the drug mandatory. It has some horrible side effects (I encourage you to google hpv vaccine extreme pain) and warnings from the WHO. I’m very in favor of vaccinations, but also very skeptical of pharmaceutical companies, especially the one who created Vioxx.
Well, Merck isn’t the only game-player in town, so they’re trying to cement market share through brand-name recognition. Cervarix is manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline, but doesn’t have US FDA approval as of this writing.
The only thing that bothers me more than the market share is the head-in-the-sand “My daughter will NEVER have sex, and when she does, it will be because she married a virgin too” attitude of some parents. But I’m cynical like that….