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 https://www.empowher.com/condition/cervical-cancer.
For more information about HPV, click here http://www.thehpvtest.com/default.html?LanguageCheck=1&WT.mc_id=EmpowHER0110.
For more information about Gardasil, visit their website here http://www.gardasil.com/.
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As a nurse? As a nurse, I know that correlation does not imply causation, and that anecdote does not equal scientific proof.
I appreciate your passion, but that does not mean I have to agree with your conclusions until I see impartial science backing it up.
Good luck to you.
April 19, 2010 - 7:07amThis Comment
See, this is the kind of thing that is frustrating. You link to the CDC website and copy and paste THEIR statistics. Yes, there have been 28 million doses of Gardasil administered. Do you know how many of those doses were in a complete 3 part series? 22%! That means that 78 percent didn't get more than one or two for some reason...how about adverse reactions to the first? Yes, there are 15,829 reported adverse events registered with VAERS. Even the CDC will tell you that only 1 to 10% of adverse reactions are reported. So multiply that by 90, just to be generous, that's over 14 million. I am in the loop of parents dealing with this vaccine. There are 61 deaths, and when VAERS is reporting seizures as "non serious" I have a problem with that. If you visit the website that I provided in the comment above you, there are charts of the actual VAERS reports, and you can see for yourself what they are classifying as "non serious" side effects. My daughter has been hospitalized and continues to vomit every day. How long would you think a young body can last with that happening? She also has PID, which is known to cause her to be at a high risk for tubal pregnancies, IF she isn't sterilized from it. These are classified as "non serious". I live with it, and I'm telling you it's VERY serious! Please read the stories on the website. Please open your mind to what is happening to the PEOPLE that are having the problems. I was never a person that has opposed vaccines. This one is different. My daughter had too many things wrong for her to have been considered a candidate for this vaccine. NOW Merck is doing clinical studies for girls with immune problems! I'm thinking they should study the ones that have already been given the shot!! I have personally contacted them several times to ask them to please study my daughter and see why she is still so sick. "We'll make a note and pass that message on, ma'am." You are in a position to save a life. You now have information that is being withheld from the general public for nothing more than monetary greed. Believe me, I didn't even know how to use a computer when my daughter got sick. Now I'm on it every day looking for answers, and trying to keep someone else from going through what we are dealing with. It's this kind of trust that they depend on for their Billion dollar growth. Please learn to think for yourself!
April 18, 2010 - 4:49pmThis Comment
I am in no way anti-vaccine. If I were, I would not have allowed my daughter to receive this and my daughter would not be disabled. Research for yourself. Gardasil is the most reported vaccine in the VAERS database. There are now 67 deaths reported in VAERS and over 17,000 reports of adverse effects.
I wish someone had taken the time to "scare" me. If so, my daughter would not be "ONE LESS" because of Gardasil.
The true facts and analysis of the VAERS database can be found at WWW.TRUTHABOUTGARDASIL.ORG. They were researched and analyzed and presented to the FDA on March 12, 2010 (http://www.foxbusiness.com/story/little-women-big-voices-expose-hpv-vaccine-dangers/).
Know the #'s before you take a chance with your life or the life of your child.
April 18, 2010 - 4:45pmThis Comment
These 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 - 4:15pmThis Comment
Actually, there are 67 deaths associated with gardasil and 28 million doses have been distributed, not administered, there is a difference. Also, why have the majority of those that started this series of three vaccines, not finished it?
April 19, 2010 - 7:39pmThis Comment
Hi Marian
If you read the statistics, you will see 67 deaths were not confirmed related to vaccine or even confirmed deaths. Just reported deaths, which is not the same. A person can report a death even if they heard a rumor about it. They then investigate to find if there really was a death, and investigate further to see if the death was in any way related to the vaccine.
VAERS/NIH show 28 confirmed as I quoted in my comment yesterday.
April 20, 2010 - 7:48amThis Comment
If 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 - 6:34pmThis Comment
ignorance 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 - 1:28amThis Comment
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 - 3:49pmThis Comment
Let 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 - 3:42pmThis Comment