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What is the longest amount of time you would wait in the cold weather to get your kid an immunization?

Picture it: 50 degrees outside, damp air, wet ground, bone-chilling wind. This is the best chance you have to get your kid a vaccination for a contagious disease (or you'll have to wait weeks or months for it). I thought about this after sitting outdoors like this for 5+ hours today wrapped in blankets. I wonder how far I would've taken it if I hypothetically had to?

What's the absolute MAXIMUM amount of time you'd sit in the cold, damp weather in line for a vaccination?

(PS - your kid doesn't have to be with you, you're alone, and you can pack ahead in preparation)
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raerae2
raerae2
Marked as Best! October 30, 2009 05:44 AM
Max 2 hours. I don't handle the cold well. As it is, it's 50-some-odd degrees outside and I'm bundled up and thinking about turning on my space heater like it's freezing or something - pathetic, I know, but I really HATE any temp below 65 degrees. My nose starts to run and I don't move as easily, then I start shivering and am very uncomfortable.

Immunization is necessary, but not at the risk of getting sick in order to get it. I certainly wouldn't put my child in that position, though I do understand your position (better to wait and get it now rather than risk going another month or longer without it). Plus, it's not like it was below freezing or anything, just generally uncomfortable.

Bear in mind, though, that the vaccine does not start working immediately after getting it. It takes a while to take affect. True, the sooner you get it, the quicker you start building up immunity, but there's still a risk that you'll contract the illness before it takes affect.

With all this in mind, I still wouldn't wait more than 2 hours for an immunization if I could control it, especially not knowing whether or not they'd still have vaccines left once they got to me.
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gno
gno
October 30, 2009 01:58 PM
Yeah, keep in mind I left my kiddo at the babysitter's for the duration. The babysitter brought her by at the last minute. That part worked out well, she had a ball!
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dtvrivera
dtvrivera
October 30, 2009 03:14 AM
I have to tell you that I likely would not have waited 5 hours outdoors in the cold with my child, even if I had warm clothes and a blanket readily available and the reassurance that we would be receiving a vital vaccine. The rate at which the H1N1 vaccines are trickling in are already slower than initially anticipated and in the meantime most families are taking other types of precautions to avoid infection (i.e. proper hand washing, covering coughs and sneezes, etc). If I had to wait the extra few weeks or another month, I think I would opt for that rather than exposing my child (and myself) to the cold weather for extended periods of time. Being in the cold causes the body to work overtime to keep itself warm, thus lowering its immune response while doing so. With lowered immunity, my child (or I) could become more susceptible to contracting viruses present in the environment, including the H1N1 (which could be present in the immunization clinic or among the population awaiting vaccination for a child or other at risk individual). Overall, I think the maximum time I would stand outside and keep my child in the cold would be less than 30 minutes.
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gno
gno
October 30, 2009 02:02 PM
Again, I should've emphasized more in the question, my kid WASN'T with me. It was just self-sacrifice only. The kiddo was at a babysitters the whole time, snuggly warm and playing happily with toys. She thought yesterday was great and we should do it every day! Ugh.
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