My 15 month old daughter got a tetanus booster shot at the pediatrician during her physical and 4 days later she still will not put weight on that leg. Has this happened to anyone else? Is this normal? We've been giving her Baby Motrin.
Thank you very much for all the kind responses and good advice. I really appreciate it. We took her to her doctor today. They did a thorough exam as well as xrays and blood work. Everything looks normal so the leg weakness must be due to the tetanus shot. We are hoping she will get her strength back soon.
Those shots can make the leg sore, 4 days is not a problem....give it time. If it seems like too much time passes, call her Dr.
Did you call the doctor? Is the injection site red and swollen? Both of my girls recently had reactions to their immunizations and both ended up on antibiotics.
I don't believe a 15 month old is "milking it". Sounds like she is in a lot of pain. I would definitely call your doc and make sure this is reported to the CDC - adverse reactions are so under reported. That being the case, you might want to look into vaccines a little too though because this certainly isn't unusual. Unfortunately, doctors aren't good at telling patients all the risks involved. I hope your daughter feels better soon.
You may also want to check out the national vaccine Information Center: http://www.nvic.org/
It's not "normal" in the sense of what you want, but unfortunately, this might be a more common problem than doctors think or would lead people to believe. It should be reported to the CDC as an adverse reaction so that they can keep accurate records of the public's adverse reactions to everyday vaccines and injections.
The sad thing is that the doctor will tell you that it is normal and it is not. How can we believe our doctors? They make "millions" of dollars on shots administered every year. Why would they tell you anything different. You need to be your own advocate and fight for what's right. Make sure the reaction is documented with a confirmation of the documentation. Good luck and good health to you and your baby.
S.
All I can say to that is I had a tetanus shot last year and my whole upper arm really hurt for about 5 days - I couldn't really lift it above my shoulder. I am not surprised that a little one wouldn't want to put weight on that leg. If you are concerned I would call the doc.
All I can tell you is that my doctor got me at my last physical and my arm hurt for almost a week I couldn't hold my son on that side it hurt to lift it with even just a pair of socks. I'd say give her some motrin and watch to make sure it doesn't get red you don't want her to develop an infection so for now keep an eye on it she may also be milking it my youngest has been doing that for along time his booboo will be all healed and he will still show it to people and whine about long after its gone.
It is normal. It's a side effect. Side effects are a normal part of the vast majority of medications, not just vaccinations. I still remember how much my booster shot hurt my arm when I was 10; tetanus is a doozy. Still, if you're really concerned, call your doctor and bring her in. As a parent, you're totally right to be concerned about this. Imagine how much more concerned you would be if she got tetanus.
Hi A..
I, too, just had a tetnus booster last week and had a lot of pain for 4 days. It's still ginger but I can finally lift that arm. I'd recommend what my doc told me: warm compresses on the area to help the liquid absorb into the blood stream. The area wil likely feel hot to the touch but your daughter should not have an overall fever. Hope she feels better soon!
S.
This is not normal...it may happen often as a vaccine reaction, but that doesn't make it normal, just common. Doctors will tell you that seizures are a "normal" vaccine reaction - well, seizures are never normal! Just because they happen a lot doesn't make it okay. Same with this. You definitely need to document everything about this. You should report it to your doctor and report it to the VAERS (Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System) system yourself (as most doctors do not report their patients' negative vaccine reactions). You need to keep good paperwork trail on this to cover yourself, in case, God forbid, it gets worse or doesn't get better, because it is very, very difficult to win at vaccine court. You need to file the report with VAERS now to protect yourself and your baby.
This is one of MANY reasons we do not vaccinate...only about 50 people PER YEAR in the whole country get tetanus, and only about 15% have a serious case/die. That's a minute chance, compared to the chance of having a reaction to the shot. Hope your little one is back to herself very soon!!
