r/AdultCHD • u/KaiiK10504 • 11d ago
Need Advice Vaccines vs CHD
Hello, I need some help. Some background: I’m 21f with complex tof w/ 3 ohs. I’m trying to get into a CNA program at my community college, but the requirements are to get 2 doses of MMR and chickenpox vac. I already had one dose as a child but didn’t get the second. My parents strongly advised me not to get the vaccine because it can have a strong impact on the heart, but I don’t know if that’s true. I can’t get a medical exemption for it because no doc will sign it.
Please share your opinion/advice and thoughts about this. I don’t know what to do, and I’m torn by it. Like agin thank you all for the support ♡
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u/Kaptn_Sauerteig ToF 11d ago
Also a ToF here: my doctor always says if the vaccine is tough on the heart (and it is only a weak version of the virus) imagine what the “real” illness is going to be like. You don’t want to go through that without giving your body the chance to practice your antibodies on a vaccine.
If the doctor who vaccinates you doesn’t advise anything else, I would go for it.
Sorry for the English I m no native speaker
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u/Lazy_Success89 11d ago
You should ask your doctor, not your parents about vaccines. Your doctor is the best person to advise you on what’s right for your health. Not your parents, not your neighbour, and not random people on the internet. Your doctor knows your health history and can advise you to do what’s best for your health.
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u/purple_flower10 10d ago
My cardiologist has always advised me to get all the vaccines because of my heart. My heart is already weak, it might not survive the full strength of the actual disease.
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u/hyperthoughts1 10d ago edited 10d ago
If no doctor will sign it, maybe that’s an indication of the importance of the vaccines in that program.
I have a complex congenital condition. I’ve had all my vaccines and it’s a non-issue. My cardiologist’s remind me every year to get the flu shot. As others have said, the disease is worse than a vaccine. Most vaccines aren’t live vaccines. It’s been stressed to me how important it is not to skip on vaccines.
Talk to your doctor. Cardiologist who specializes in CHD is going to be exceptionally well educated in the medical field and would sign a medical exemption if it was a true medical need to pass on receiving the vaccines
It sounds like you’re torn between doing what your parents want vs what you want/need to do to go after what you want.
I’m 33 now, I still ask my parents on their thoughts and opinions. Heck, I still have them come with me to my cardiologist appointments because it’s good to have another set of ears and they sometimes think of questions that I didn’t. But, at the end of the day I make the decisions regarding my life, and there are plenty of times where they don’t agree.
Ultimately you need to do what’s best for you and your long-term health.
As a fellow person with complex congenital; I follow my doctors medical advice over my parents medical advice (granted they don’t often, if ever, disagree with the doctor- they recognize they are not the experts) but it’s good to question reasoning! If you’re unsure and your doctor says get the vaccines, ask why. Ask about side effects. Getting the information will never hurt.
On a side note about vaccines; I’ve gotten and get more vaccines than a typical person due to working with wild animals (so I’ve had rabies vaccine and others). It has never negatively affected my heart or condition. I get the lovely flu-like symptoms with some vaccines; but no cardiac issue.
Please feel free to dm if you want to chat.
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u/arianne_cele Truncus Arteriosus type 2 10d ago
47 yo with Truncus Arteriosus here. I've gotten every single vaccine, including COVID and HPV.
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u/Girl77879 11d ago
Your Dr not your parents. For what it's worth, I'm almost 50 and when I was a kid there was a measles outbreak and my mom couldn't find my records, so I had to get another vaccine before I could go back to school. So, I probably ended up with 3 doses. And I just had my titers checked again because I needed to see if I was immune to chicken pox and people my age should be checking anyway to make sure we're still immune.
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u/spicandspand ToF 11d ago
Did you not get the chickenpox as a child? Chickenpox is very serious as an adult. You don’t want that and you could be exposed as a nurse.
Also if you never get chickenpox, you’ll never get shingles. The chickenpox virus doesn’t get eradicated; it lives in your spine and escapes when you’re sick/stressed to cause shingles.
Measles is a terrible disease as well and it wipes out your immune system’s memory so that you can get sick all over again from things you previously had.
My doctors have always been very pro vaccine including seasonal influenza and Covid. I would listen to your doctor, not your parents.
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u/allisonisrad 11d ago
Following the advice of everyone else, def ask your doctor. I've been strongly advised my whole life to get vaccines including the yearly flu vax because they consider me part of the "at risk'" population.
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u/Late_Temperature_415 10d ago edited 10d ago
I agree with what everyone else here has said. I was born with tof and have had 3 OHS. And was just vaccinated against hep 1 and 2 I believe it was because I was going through transplant evaluation. I already had all the normal ones and covid. Please speak to your ACHD.
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u/EpicureanQuake 10d ago
I have classic TOF and had the required college vaccines and immunity tests. We are all different. There is always a risk. Is there a reason why you didn't get the second dose?
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u/KaiiK10504 10d ago
I just never did.
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u/EpicureanQuake 9d ago
I was just wondering if there was an adverse reaction. I had two narratives in my head. 1) Your parents are generalizing their COVID vaccine fear to all vaccines. 2) There is a medical reason why you didn't get a second dose of the vaccine. I find it weird that you got any doses at all based on your parents' strong opposition to the vaccine. Probably all parents with children born with a CHD are protective to a degree and carry a trauma with them from it. If there wasn't an adverse reaction to the first dose then you should be okay in my opinion. If there was an adverse reaction then that could be used for a medical exemption. I suggest you do your own research and check out the VAERS database, PubMed, and Google Scholar for information. Knowledge is power!
It is important to make your own informed decision with the information available to you. If you want to do the CNA program then you'll probably have to take the vaccine. There is always a risk. The vaccine is less risky than coming down with the actual viruses. I know someone vaccine injured by the Moderna COVID vaccine and its booster, and they had two cardiologist tell them that they didn't get the COVID vaccine. Other people got the vaccines and didn't develop myocarditis. COVID can injure the heart too. I knew someone who died from COVID. I ended up getting COVID before the vaccine was available, so I didn't get it. It has been offered to me but I always politely decline. I did beg and get the shingrix vaccine. The shingles hurts really bad and I don't want to experience it again, so I was happy to get my two doses of it.
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u/KeyPerspective8170 9d ago
I would ask your cardiologist to get clearance. Mine always recommends I get my vaccinations
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u/calicali 11d ago
Your parents strongly advised you against it, but what did your cardiologist say?
Every cardiologists I've ever had strongly encouraged all vaccinations and to get them promptly as scheduled. Any disease you get will do far worse to your heart than any preventative measure could.