NEED A FLU SHOT? READ THIS FIRST!

Submitted by: BobJen

VACCINATION INFO

HSI eAlert  (EXCERPT) Dear Reader, A 22-year-old woman walked out of a military hospital with a gruesome shoulder injury. Her rotator cuff was torn. Her tendons were damaged. There was a deep contusion on her bone. She didn't suffer the wound in combat or even during a training exercise. It came from her annual flu shot. She's one of thousands of Americans left with heavy-duty pain meds, weeks of physical therapy, and even surgery after being injured by routine vaccines. The government has known about the condition for years. They've even given it the code name "SIRVA." So why are they making sure you never hear about it at your next vaccine appointment? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The walking wounded ---------------------------------------------------------------------- It's been five long years since the HHS Advisory Committee on Childhood Vaccines (ACCV) met to acknowledge that vaccines were causing a "whole bunch of shoulder injuries." For the first time they gave the growing epidemic a name -- SIRVA, for "shoulder injuries related to vaccine administration." Carelessly given shots can damage tendons and even bone with misplaced vaccine needles. And shots given too high on the deltoid muscle (the muscle that gives the shoulder its rounded look) can puncture the bursa. Your bursa provides cushioning between your bones. When you fill it with the contents of a vaccine syringe, it will trigger the worst pain and inflammation of your life. Just ask Joan from Carson City, CA. She says that seven months after getting her flu shot, she still can't blow dry her hair. Even after two cortisone injections. The ACCV promised to get a handle on the problem. But after five years it's clear they put a lid on it instead. The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) has thousands of complaints of shoulder injuries linked to vaccines for everything from flu to tetanus. But doctors are still not required to discuss SIRVA risks before giving you a vaccine -- and you won't find SIRVA mentioned on vaccine warning labels or on that release form you sign. The reason is simple. Our government wants you to get your vaccines and they'll withhold any information that could make you change your mind. Even if that means sentencing you to months of serious pain. When a nationally syndicated radio show recently asked listeners whether they'd ever suffered a shoulder injury from a vaccine, they were flooded with responses. They heard from a nurse practitioner who was still suffering from arm pain and weakness eight weeks after a mandatory shot. And from a man in Texas who can't sleep through the night because of his crippling shoulder pain. Others said that they have shooting pains down their arm into their fingers or can't lift their arm to the side or front. And months after a vaccine they're still "counting the hours" until they can take another pain med. One SIRVA victim, Sarah, wondered why she was "not told that this could happen." The problem with SIRVA is only going to get worse. Because of all the hysteria over flu, shingles and other shots, just about anyone and their uncle is allowed to give a vaccine -- and often not very well. The first step to avoiding SIRVA is keep our sleeves rolled down and say "No" to all these unnecessary vaccines. And if you do find yourself in true medical need of one, here are some tips:

• A shot should be given at least two finger widths down from the knobby end of your shoulder. You can tell where the needle is going to be poked by where the alcohol swab is rubbed.
• Try to be at the same level as the person giving you the shot. For example, if you're sitting, they should be sitting as well. If they're standing and you're sitting, chances are the shot will be given too high on your arm.
• Go for experience. A doctor or nurse will have more practice in giving injections than a pharmacist who only does it once in a while.
• If you think they're aiming too high with the needle, say something! It's better to risk a moment of embarrassment than months, maybe years, of agony.