Gardasil

[jRuntlets]

Hey all,
I was just wondering what everyone thought of the new Guardasil vaccine? I went for my first one yesterday. I think it's important to take every precaution espically when it's been proven that this vaccine can prevent four of the forms of HPV that cause cervical cancer.

The vaccine has been tested/proven on women ages 9-26. You should definately ask your doctor if you are interested, even if you are out of the age range.

[ColonelSpecial]

While I think it is a wonderful advancement of medicine, I don't agree with the parent company (Merck) trying to legislate it into law. I don't think that it will make girls more promiscuous or anything like that, I just don't think enough research has gone into the lasting effects/results to make it law that everyone must get it. If we do end up having it legislated, it will basically mean we are enacting a monopoly. Nope, I will just wait.

[jRuntlets]

I wasn't talking about the legislation so much, but the general importance. I agree it shouldn't be put into law. At the same time I believe if there is a chance of preventing cancer we should all take it.

What makes cancer prevention more contraversial than preventing the chicken pox? Chicken pox is a vaccine that all children need to go to school, thus more or less being law... However, I think Guardasil is more contraversial just because it deals specifically with women's health. That shows the sad state of affairs that our country is in.

[cadre]

I've gotten both my first and second shots of guardasil. The second one hurt like heck though (I think it's cause I didn't use that arm enough or something). My younger sister (my only sister that is unmarried) also got it, but that was my mother's doing.

I think that it is a great thing and I don't see anything wrong with young girls getting it (even if they don't understand what it is necessarily). I don't think that it's right that the governor or texas passed the bill for it to be required but I don't think that it should be frowned upon either. I really doubt it will change anything about how young girls go about their sexual endeavours. Besides, we all know how well abstinence education works.

[luckystar819]

I plan on getting the vaccine myself due to having abnormal PAP tests come back. I do believe that this is no less important than any other vaccine that has been mandated. I see it as no different than getting your Hep B vaccine! They have been studying this vaccine against HPV for a while now, and while we may not know the lasting effects of this I see nothing putting our nation in danger! I think that if you are okay with all of the other maditory vaccinations that they have made for all children to have, you should realize that they arent doing this to take any power away from you as a parent and being able to make a decision for your child. If we do not make this a mandatory vaccine, the under privelaged, under educated (about sex, and sexual infections) will infact suffer. They should be given a thought in all of this. Let's save some lives. People are always complaining that the medical professionals arent coming up with any answers to our big problems, but as soon as they do come up with something that can prevent something like cervical canger, we automatically doubt them. All we can do is trust. Trust that the medical professionals arent leading us astray, and trust that our governments job is to protect us and provide, and that is what they are trying to do.

[cadre]

Just for the heads up for people looking to get the vaccine. Last I heard the company was having trouble keeping up with the demand because of the Texas thing. I did get my second shot just fine but I don't know for sure if everyone will have it.

[JustJess]

YES, get the vaccine if you can. Those four strains of HPV account for 70% of all cervical cancer cases. Jesus, we can vaccinate against cervical cancer for fuck's sake. GET IT.

As for legislation.. well, how do you think the gov't becomes able to provide the vaccine at low or no cost? By requiring it. If they require we go to school, and school requires HPV vaccine... then they have to provide it, no?

And don't be fooled - parents can sign off on not giving chicken pox, measles/mumps/rubella vaccine too, even tho they're dumbasses for not doing it. How do you think measles became extinct in western civilization? Assholes.

[little_tippler]

I think all women should take it. The vaccine doesn't prevent against cervical cancer, but against strains of HPV which are considered to be one of the main causes of cervical cancer. Even if you already have HPV, you will probably only have caught one particular strain, and the vaccine will protect you against others. Some strains of HPV are unrelated to cervical cancer. So in a sense if you have harmless strain of HPV, you can get the vaccine and still be safe from getting the other, cancer-related strains.

I think the vaccine is a good thing and women everywhere should get it.

[*Nikki*]

I think it is a good thing also. If I were not married and planning on having more partners, I would get it.

[Sultana]

Originally Posted by *Nikki*

I think it is a good thing also. If I were not married and planning on having more partners, I would get it.

I am married and not planning on more partners, and I'm gonna get it anyways. No reason not to, eh? You just never know.

Did you know that HPV can be dormant for many years? Uggg. Tons of people have it and don't even know it. I wonder if it will do anything for women in that position.

[cadre]

When I read the study reports on Guardasil, they said that it protected you from not only some of the strains that cause cervical cancer but a couple of the ones that cause warts too. So if you get it, it's almost like two birds with one stone (except that there are like 90 other strains).

[Lady Sage]

I am damn near married and I am going to get it anyway... I wont cheat on Pan, but who is to say I wont get raped in the future? Not a pleasant thought, but a possibility none the less.

How much is the series of shots and where do they put them? Does it have to go in the muscle or can it go in the hip?

[eileenbunny]

I think it's a tough call. I am not eligible for the vaccine because I'm too old, but I'm not sure if I'd get it if I could. I asked my oncologist about it recently and this is what she told me.

First, there is currently a study to find out if Gardasil is causing some people to get Guillain-Barré syndrome which is an auto-immune disease. There is no conclusive evidence to suggest that Gardasil actually does do this, but my doctor wouldn't be surprised if it did since Guillain-Barré syndrome is linked to other vaccinations.

Next she talked about cervical cancer. She explained that cervical cancer is among the slowest growing cancer out there. There are almost always pre-cancerous cells present and detectible well in advance of cancer development. What this means is that no woman should ever have to die of cervical cancer. My oncologist explained to me that every single case of advanced cervical cancer she had ever seen was in a woman who had not been for a routine gynecology appointment in more than 2 years.

Of course, I'm sure there are cases out there where cervical cancer developed more rapidly, but these are extremely rare. As long as it is caught early cervical cancer or the pre-cancerous cells that can turn into cervical cancer are easily treatable. So, regardless of whether or not you decide to get the vaccine or not, please remember how incredibly important it is to see your gynecologist least once a year!

Also, apparently they have no idea how long this vaccine actually lasts. They have a guess, an educated one at that, but really they don't know. That begs the question, do you need to be re-vaccinated and if so, how often?

At $360, it is a pretty pricey vaccine and if Merck gets government agencies to put it on the required list they will not be liable for anything that goes wrong with the people who get it. As a company Merck scares me a little. They certainly are marketing geniuses though.

On the other hand, I've already had cancer three times and I know what it is like to go through treatment for that. It wasn't cervical cancer, but treatment for cancer is treatment for cancer. It's scary and draining. I might consider anything that would help to keep me from having to do that again.

[jRuntlets]

They say the maximum protection of the vaccine is 5 years, and after that they believe you'll need a booster. This shouldn't be a shock, most vaccines need a booster and we get them without a thought.

From what I've heard you can get the vaccine even if you're beyond the "suggested" age. If you want it, find a doctor that will give it to you.

Lady Sage:
The shots are generally in the $360-380 range, lots of insurances are actually covering them so have your doctor's office call yours. They give the shots intramuscularly (IM), I had mine in the bicep. They make you wait 15 minutes after your first shot to make sure there is no reaction. Oddly enough I didn't have a reaction to the shot but to the band-aid they used on me. It's been almost a week and I still have a solid red band-aid outline on my arm.

[cadre]

Originally Posted by jRuntlets

The shots are generally in the $360-380 range, lots of insurances are actually covering them so have your doctor's office call yours. They give the shots intramuscularly (IM), I had mine in the bicep. They make you wait 15 minutes after your first shot to make sure there is no reaction. Oddly enough I didn't have a reaction to the shot but to the band-aid they used on me. It's been almost a week and I still have a solid red band-aid outline on my arm.

This is what I know Lady Sage, I hope it helps.
I think my insurance covered most of the expense for the shots but I don't deal with that stuff at the moment so don't take my word for it. I was told you're supposed to get the shot in muscle but you can opt to do it in your butt rather than your arm. My sister did that for some reason and didn't complain of anything out of the ordinary. I would ask them if you'd like to get it somewhere other than that, they may be able to do it. They made me wait around after my first shot too but not for my second one (which caused more soreness than the first one).
I take off the bandaids almost as soon as I get out of the office but I never have any problems with bleeding so if you do you'll want to leave the bandaid.

Also, the risk of actually getting hpv is next to nothing because the vaccine does not use the virus but rather a different substance which produces the same response from a person's immune system.

[luckystar819]

Although it may be one of the slowest growing cancers, i still wouldnt risk it! And on top of that, i have some friends that dont have any medical insurance. Which means, they may or may not be able to afford to see a gyno every year to get their pap done. So its one of those things that can kina be a little bit of a back up for some women! I know that there are free clinics out there, but sometimes women also forget that fact and just go untested. Its sad, but if they could get the vaccine they might have a fighting chance!

[cadre]

Originally Posted by luckystar819

Although it may be one of the slowest growing cancers, i still wouldnt risk it! And on top of that, i have some friends that dont have any medical insurance. Which means, they may or may not be able to afford to see a gyno every year to get their pap done. So its one of those things that can kina be a little bit of a back up for some women! I know that there are free clinics out there, but sometimes women also forget that fact and just go untested. Its sad, but if they could get the vaccine they might have a fighting chance!

This is very true, I know a lot of women (both young and old) who do not get check ups as often as they should. Slow growing cancer or not, you don't want to have to deal with cancer period.

[ShaniFaye]

Nope, absolutely not, the study is not enough to satisfy me that its not going to cause long term harm in my child (Im WAY out of the age range but even if I wasnt I wouldnt do it anyway) they dont even know how long the vaccination will last.

Im not into my child being a guinea pig

**edit I would like to add this to the person that said whats the dif between this and the Hep B vaccine....the answer? 27 years of study. The Hep B vaccine was introduced in 1980 so the long term effects are vastly more documented than this new thing.

And to JustJess....respectfully as always to you....The chicken pox vaccine became available the year my daughter was born...I totally denied it....sorry, again, not enough study to ease my mind. If that makes me an asshole so be it.

[eileenbunny]

Originally Posted by cadre

This is very true, I know a lot of women (both young and old) who do not get check ups as often as they should. Slow growing cancer or not, you don't want to have to deal with cancer period.

See, this is what bothers me about the whole idea. I'm not against a vaccine, but it even says in the vaccine's brochure that it isn't a replacement for exams. It might help, but it won't completely prevent you from getting cancer. If you don't want to have to deal with cancer period, then do what you can to make sure you don't get it. That list includes going to the doctors on a regular basis.

I've had cancer 3 times in my short life and I would not have caught it as early as I did had I not gone to the doctor. It's more important than a vaccine. Cervical cancer isn't the only type of cancer you can get, and Gardasil doesn't even prevent all types of cervical cancer. If you don't want cancer, then going to the gynecologist once a year should be as important as Christmas or your birthday or whatever your favorite day of celebration is.

On an unrelated note, when did they come up with a vaccine for chickenpox? I missed this one. Did chickenpox suddenly become really horrible anyway? I'm not against getting rid of the virus completely, I was just curious.

[ShaniFaye]

The chicken pox vaccine was invented in the 80's and released to the public in 95 (by Merk)

It is not a mandatory vaccine, but its available to those parents that want their children to have it. It doesnt necessarily keep kids from getting it, supposedly it just makes it a lesser case if they do come down with it

[serlindsipity]

Thank you Shani, you reminded me that not only do i need to do the HPV vaccine, but i need my chic pox one too....

Mandate? No, the christian wont play well with that. SHould they do it to be safe? yes.

question - does planned parenthood offer it? i think they should. i can see a lot of girls getting it on their own volition without mommy and daddy beating them with a bible if they knew....

[ShaniFaye]

Originally Posted by ShaniFaye

Nope, absolutely not, the study is not enough to satisfy me that its not going to cause long term harm in my child (Im WAY out of the age range but even if I wasnt I wouldnt do it anyway) they dont even know how long the vaccination will last.

Im not into my child being a guinea pig

**edit I would like to add this to the person that said whats the dif between this and the Hep B vaccine....the answer? 27 years of study. The Hep B vaccine was introduced in 1980 so the long term effects are vastly more documented than this new thing.

For those that want information on the ongoing problems with this vaccine (and deaths related to it) I thought I would pass this along for you to read, the link includes pdf's of the reports of adverse effects of this vaccine.

Almost a year later, I am STILL saying there is no way in hell I am letting my child get this. When she turns 18 she can decide for her self, I am not making a decision that could potentially kill her, or ruin the rest of her life because of the adverse reactions that are possible

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/ar...TICLE_ID=58004

http://www.judicialwatch.org/archive...ERSReports.pdf

[Kaimi]

Regardless, the vaccine still covers 70% of cervical cancers and 90% of warts that are transmittable. The truth is they do not yet know for certain how long the vaccine will remain effective. I have seen 4 years, and 5 years listed on some sites but the evidence is inconclusive yet. Currently they are pushing the vaccine forward to also be given to males and expanding the age population it is given to.

[genuinegirly]

I'm probably not going to get the vaccine, unless a physician flat-out tells me to, and it's free of cost. I'm in a monogomous relationship with no risk of contracting HPV.

About the chicken pox vaccine:
I can see how a chicken pox vaccine is a good thing for people who never got it as a kid. Considering that there's a 50% death rate among adults who contract chicken pox, I'd say the vaccine is a good thing. To be imposed on everyone? Not necessarily a good idea.