share: HPV, Cervical Cancer and Gardasil
I recently was informed that a dear friend of mine was diagnosed with cervical cancer and is currently pending a full hysterectomy. She later advised me that she was diagnosed with the human papillomavirus (HPV) more then 10 years ago.
There is a lot of information on HPV and the risks of cervical cancer in women on the Internet, in the news and it seems everywhere. There is also a vaccine that has been available to young women to protect against 4 types of HPV viruses although there are more then 30 types.
After hearing about my friend, I was curious as a 33 year old women, if this vaccine is available to already sexually active individuals. I went to the Gardasil website to find such information. The scary thing I read is every minute in the United States there is a new case of HPV diagnosed. WOW!
I wanted to write about this since there is a chance that many of us, already sexually active, can benefit from the vaccine. You must talk to your health care provider to see if Gardasil is right for you. Many of us may already have one of the 30 types of HPV that may never show up as genital warts or the cancerous type and if you happen to be one of the lucky ones that do not have HPV, you can still be protected against the 4 types that cause cervical cancer.
I am curious if there are any women out there that was administered Gardasil? Is there anything you can share about your experience including your age.
For more information about cervical cancer, click here http://www.empowher.com/condition/cervical-cancer.
For more information about HPV, click here http://www.thehpvtest.com/default.html?LanguageCheck=1&WT.mc_id=EmpowHER....
For more information about Gardasil, visit their website here http://www.gardasil.com/.
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I am 26 years old but had Gardasil when I was 25. It triggered an auto immune condition that I have been sick with ever since. I do not believe it has been tested on a vast population including people with different genetic backgrounds and predispositions. That is why girls are falling so ill and some have died. I wouldn't reccomend the shot to anyone. 92% of people can get cervical cancer cured but most auto immunes have no cure.
April 18, 2010 - 3:20pmThis Comment
Which auto-immune "condition" did you get?
There, in the pampered U.S. and elsewhere in First World, most women have access to modern medical testing and trained medical professionals and sterile labs to obtain test results and interpretations from. We also have access to very good care if something nasty turns up on our PAP smear. ("92% of people can get cervical cancer cured")
Why do you assume that this holds true for everyone in the world? ("I wouldn't reccomend the shot to anyone.") Women in developing nations (Third world, if you prefer) do NOT have access to these things and are dying in huge numbers. For them this vaccine is truly a life-saving medicine.
Or is your vision so narrow that you don't care about them, even after I posted that map about where women were dying from cervical cancer?
April 20, 2010 - 10:38pmMy 12 year old was recommended Gardasil by her pediatrician. Within weeks of administering the 3rd and final dose, my daughter went from being a very healthy young girl to a disabled child who could no longer attend school. We soon begin spending our time going from doctor to doctor. The bills were in the thousands of dollars. I didn't know if she would live or die.
The thought behind the HPV vaccine is good, but I do not believe the research and development was properly performed and it is not ready for the public market yet. I believe this vaccine will be pulled from the market in the future as the death and injury toll continues to rise.
Because so many young girls and women have fallen ill after Gardasil, a group of mothers have created a website to warn others of what can happen after Gardasil. Go to http://truthaboutgardasil.org/ and read the stories of death and injury that has occured.
I read just last week that Gardasil was pulled off the market due to deaths. Please investigate before you vaccinate. I wish I had.
April 18, 2010 - 3:37pmLet me clarify this statement. I read just last week that Gardasil was pulled off the market due to deaths. Please investigate before you vaccinate. I wish I had.
It was pulled off the market in India, not the United States pending a full investigation of the deaths that have occured.
April 18, 2010 - 3:42pmThat's horrific, that it was pulled from India ... Congratulations, your hysterical screaming to the media has payed off. Now some of the poorest women on the planet are going to die, horribly, of cancer. You must be so proud of accomplishing that. Well done.
April 20, 2010 - 10:41pmBecause of Gardasil a higher number women will be made seriously, chronically ill (if they don't die) than the number of women that will die from cervical cancer.
May 16, 2010 - 12:15pmThe only thing that is horrific is that people like you refuse to open your eyes to what's really happening. Do some research research before you act smart and smug. I am one of the girls who had the Gardasil shots, and no, knowing that you're dying isn't fun.
Argue with the girls that have had to watch their lives get ripped from them, or their mothers who have to watch them dying before you say things like that.
My daughter was just about to turn 15 when I was finally able to get her on insurance and get her in to see a doctor for her irregular menstrual cycle. She had a complete physical and a pap and was given a clean bill of health. We were discussing the birth control that she would take to help her get regulated when the doctor suggested the Gardasil vaccine. I told the doctor that I had not done research on the vaccine and she laughed. I explained that Ashlee had been in remission from Rheumatoid Arthritis for just over a year, but I was afraid that her immune system may still be compromised. I specifically said, that with my daughter's track record, if there was a side effect to be had, then SHE would have it. She told me that the vaccine was completely safe and the the ONLY POSSIBLE side effect was rash and reddening at the injection site. With this information, and her basically telling me that it was my duty as a mother to protect my daughter any way that I could, I relented and allowed her to get the shot. I will regret that day for the rest of my life. Within 20 to 30 minutes of the vaccine, Ash was in bed with flu like symptoms, vomiting, dizziness, numbness in her neck and arm that was given the shot. From that point on, I could write a book about the life threatening illlnesses as well as the opposition of the medical profession that refused to even consider that Gardasil has hurt my daughter who was, prior to the vaccine, a cheer leader, soccer player, straight A student with perfect attendance, happy, funny and just an all around young girl with dreams of a bright future. It has been almost 11 months now and she still vomits every day of her life, has worse periods than before, migraine headaches, PID (pelvic inflammatory disease), gastrointestinal problems and severe depression because of the daily struggle just to feel normal. We have good days. That consists of only vomiting once or twice, so at least some of the nutrician is consumed. This is my biggest concern. During her last hospital stay, the blood work came back showing that she was malnutricianed and depleted of the major nutrients that her body requires to get by. I wish for the days that I only worried that she would get a cavity. Now I worry that one day she may just not wake up at all. This is a horrible way to live, then add the medical field telling you that she is bulimic and I am in denial! Bulimics don't come home from school crying because she didn't make it to the bathroom in time and the entire school saw her throw up. They don't carry a bowl in the car everywhere they go. They don't say, I'd rather be dead than to live another day like this. This vaccine is poison! Our government is corrupt! Recently, March 12,2010, 6 women went before the FDA and gave a powerpoint presentation showing reports from VAERS, the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, accumulated side effects from numerous other countries, showing that the same EXACT "coincidences" were being experienced all over the globe. The proof is undeniable! Yet it's continued to be denied even the smallest investigation. Several months ago, VAERS sent a warning letter to the FDA and the CDC, stating that when Gardasil is given in conjunction with Menactra, the severe side effects are increased by 45%! Yet just over a month ago, the CDC funded a 1.6 million dollar vaccine program for a middle school in Denver Colorado to give 5 vaccines at one time, and their words were, "To see if it works". Two of the five vaccines being given are Gardasil and Menactra! This is more than disreguard for public safety, but an act of child endangerment! It's criminal and should be punishable by the crime! You can access the presentation on truthaboutgardasil.org as well as read the stories of our daughters and you can also report any side effects that your daughter or now son, may be having. Thanks for giving me an opportunity to educate! Laurie Dean-Smith
April 18, 2010 - 3:49pmThese anti-vaccine comments are a bit misleading. 28 million doses of Gardasil have been distributed in the United States, with 28 confirmed vaccine-related deaths as of March 10, 2010. 15,829 reactions out of 28 million doses.
According to the Centers for Disease Control:
"As of January 31, 2010, there were 15,829 VAERS reports of adverse events following Gardasil vaccination in the United States. Of these reports, 92% were reports of events considered to be non-serious, and 8% were reports of events considered serious." (Source: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/vaccines/hpv/gardasil.html)
Any time you put a medication, whether herbal or lab-created, into your body you run the risk of a reaction. Compared to the risk of HPV complications and the risk of cervical cancer, the risk of a reaction to the vaccine are small. Of course, statistics are meaningless if you are the person who has a reaction. But the odds of a serious reaction are extremely small.
Rather than reading scare tactics on the internet, discuss the vaccine and the risk/benefit profile with your health care provider. That way you can make a decision based on factual information and your personal medical history.
April 18, 2010 - 4:15pmIf you have time, please go through at least some of the messages that are flooding this forum and report them as spam - as they all seem to originate with one anti-vaccination organisation and they mercilessly re-post their website.
I have already done so.
Thank you for your rational response to these anti-vaxers!!!!
April 19, 2010 - 6:34pmignorance is bliss. people like you deserve to be one of the THOUSANDS of people affected by this...not the innocent YOUNG women and CHILDREN who have had their lives completely changed because of a company's marketing prowess.
100% of samples acquired by a company called SANE VAX of this vaccine were found to have recombinant DNA in them. As in GENETICALLY ENGINEERED HPV VIRUS. In case you didn't know, genetically engineered DNA can stay in your cells for anywhere from a short time, to your entire life. Unlike the natural HPV virus, which stays in your system for a short time.
If you are going to belittle the people who have experienced the affects of this drug, you should probably do your scientific research first. And FYI, I don't know if you have heard of Big Pharma's deal with US Congress regarding zero liability for vaccine related injuries and deaths, in order to keep them both financially stable, but maybe you should look into it. This drug is an act of big Pharma and Congress keeping people in the dark in order to make money. DO NOT tell people who have physically experienced the results otherwise.
December 14, 2011 - 1:28am