Hi Feisty,

I'm not sure if the tetanus shot has thimerasol (mercury)and aluminium in it but I wouldn't be surprised. I know that the flu vaccinations have thimerasol in them and I believe you are very wise to avoid them. It occurs to me fiesty that you may be on to something. Have you had an allergy test for thimerasol and other metals. I had the True Patch Test done on me and the only one that came back positive was nickel. I do believe that nickel may co-react with other metals and I believe it is what made me so sick. Metals can be doing damage even if your allergy test is negative as this happened to me on the first nickel patch test I had. After longterm exposure it came back positive but it had already done a lot of damage. Dental implants, crowns, caps and filling have been implicated in causing MS and other autoimmune diseases. Also other implants such as hip or knee replacements or pins. Some tatoos have metal in them as well. Mine was a stainless steel (all stainless steel has nickle in it) biopsy marker.

You may be one of the lucky ones and have just discovered what is making you ill, if you can call us lucky.

I would like to see research on thimerasol. That is very interesting. I do know that I caught Influenza A 2 years ago and it was like death. So, I am not sure which would be worse? Getting sick and having to suffer thru it or the the side effects and/or an allergic reaction from a vaccination? I do know however, they say it is safe to get a flu and pneumonia shot as they are not live viruses.

I have been allergic to Nickel all my life and have never had an adverse reaction to any vaccinations.

Interesting topic...I will try to research this and see what i can come up with.

I have gotten a flu shot every yr for so many years I quit counting.
I have had them while on Beta, Copaxone and Rebif. I have never had any allergic reaction to the vaccine.
I am also allergic to Nickel.
But the one time I did get the flu, I was major sick and it wrecked havoc on my MS.

I've gotten a flu shot every year for many, many years. When I was teaching I got every freckin' thing a kid had so my doctor suggested the shot. Work well. And now being my immune system is wacky I get one. So far, so good. S.T.

I'm not actually talking about an allergic reaction...I am talking about the immune response after the vaccine . I appreciate the answers so far. Am I just not getting it?

I have never had any adverse reaction to the vaccine. I never even know I get it.
Not even a sore arm. Nothing Nada Zip

I dont know Feisty. (Uneducated opinion) But I would think that it would be similar to those reactions with taking Interferon. Maybe it is like a pseudo-attack... not a real MS attack?????

just an opinion...I will let you know if I find any additional info online.

ok I found a really good article.

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/429479_print

here is the last part...

Conclusion
In most cases, the consequences of a vaccine-preventable illness are far greater than the risk of MS relapse. Nevertheless, patients should be informed that vaccination can, on rare occasion, trigger an MS relapse but that the risk of an infectious illness poses a far greater threat. In patients with MS who exhibit evidence of active disease as manifested by rapidly evolving neurologic deficits or in those who show active disease by MRI criteria, vaccination should be withheld until the disease activity can be brought under control with appropriate immunomodulating therapy.

I had a MAJOR relapse following a flu-shot by a couple of weeks. I was flat on my back for 3 months and never fully recovered. I will no longer take any kind of vaccine.

Yes, it was after a tetanus shot last summer and I must have had my blonde wig on because I didn't even realize it could have been from that. I wouldn't get a flu shot either, I don't want to come down with the flu if I really don't have to. My grandmom got very sick after one of these.

What's with the blonde joke, toots?

http://www.melisa.org/ms-multiple-sclerosis.php

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is caused by the erosion of myelin, a substance which helps the brain send messages to the body. Metal particles entering the body can bind to myelin. For those who are hypersensitive, this new structure can come under attack from the immune system. In such cases, the progression of MS may be halted by stopping exposure to the metal.

The role of myelin is one of the few facts which those who study MS agree on. It is not known why the myelin is attacked - and what, if anything, can be done to stop this attack.

The MELISA Foundation has developed what we believe is a breakthrough in understanding MS; the link between metal allergy and the erosion of myelin.

Allergy causes autoimmunity

Hypersensitive reactions are triggered by metal particles entering the body of someone allergic to the metal in question. These particles then bind to the myelin, slightly changing its protein structure. In hypersensitive people, the new structure is falsely identified as a foreign invader and is attacked. This, the body attacking itself, is known as autoimmunity.

Scientific evidence

A study published in 2004 examines the health impact of amalgam replacement in mercury-allergic patients with autoimmunity. The patients, who suffered from different autoimmune diseases, were selected on the basis of an existing allergy to mercury (diagnosed with MELISA testing) and also that they had amalgam fillings as the single restorative material in their teeth. The amalgam was replaced with composites and ceramic materials. Half a year later, MELISA was re-done to see if there had been any change in the original positive response. Also, the heath status was measured by objective tests and the patient's gave a subjective opinion on whether their health had improved. Download the full article (pdf).

The results showed that the in vitro reactivity after the replacement of amalgam decreased significantly to inorganic mercury, silver, organic mercury and lead. Out of 35 patients, 71% showed improvement of health. The remaining patients exhibited either unchanged health or worsening of symptoms. Interestingly enough, their responses to mercury didn't decrease - which suggests that there exists a different source of exposure than amalgam. Patients with multiple sclerosis observed the highest rate of improvement while the lowest rate was noted in patients with eczema.

We do not suggest that metal allergy is the only cause of MS. But anyone with MS can take a MELISA test to see if hypersensitivity to metals may be contributing to their symptoms. Please remember that the use of steroids or anti-inflammatory medication may affect the test results as MELISA measures the response of the immune system.

Already, we have seen MS patients make a partial and, in some cases, full recovery by removing the source of metal they were reacting to - often dental fillings. The MELISA Foundation is keen to work with any MS charity which would like to test what we believe is a breakthrough.

I have tried taking the flu shot and not taking it. I worry about it because I really feel my exacerbations are directly tied into getting a certain virus. From my very limited experiences it seems the exacerbations have been worse when I had the flu without having had the flu shot first. But it seems we are stuck either way. Avoiding the tetenus shot is kind of scary. I would rather have any MS than get lock jaw.

As far as being crazy? I don't think so. You are the only one who knows you and what you go through.

When I started taking my EMT classes, it was required to get the Hep B vaccine. That was when all my symptoms first began. I felt horrible but thought I had flu then I took the second shot in the series! I was unable to walk for nearly two months normally. No one could figure out what had happened. Four years later, when finally dx'd with MS, I began researching the Hep B vaccine with MS. I was concerned the vaccine had given me MS. Everything I found stated it is like asking which came first, the chicken or the egg. I work as a nurse but avoid the flu vaccine every year. Good handwashing keeps me at work.

Thanks so much everyone. I will continue to go with my gut about minor vaccines. I follow careful handwashing practices and avoid touching my face. My husband gets vaccinated and I try to avoid children (kidding). I never really get little bugs, or if I do my system deals with them quickly. I just have to prepare myself for the tetanus...it's coming up soon.-Jen