Fence sitting

Even more than Jon vs Kate or Jennifer vs Angelina, the H1N1 vaccine has turned mild mannered people into angry, volatile masses. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. It doesn't seem to matter which stance you take, several "well informed" individuals will jump down your throat and inform you, in their expert opinion, as to why you have just made an incorrect decision. Public health is swamped and will not answer their phone or return calls. It's a mess, really. Despite the fact that the first priority, in Manitoba, goes to those with underlying health conditions, the setup for mass vaccination makes it almost impossible for these people to get vaccinated whether they want it or not.

Truthfully, I'm still on the fence, and it's not a comfy place to be.....I'm pretty sure it's one of those black painted, pokey, wrought iron numbers. Poised precariously, unsure of which side of the fence to fall, I have spent hours researching and deliberating. My younger kids have never been vaccinated for anything. While I'm not against childhood immunization, we decided to follow a delayed vaccination schedule. It was a decision that seemed right for our family. Then life (read:Batten disease) got in the way and we never did have the younger two vaccinated. Now, I'm seriously unsure of what to do. While I have some reservations regarding the H1N1 vaccine, I have no doubt that if Tatyanna were to contract the flu, at the very least it would cause a significant regression in her condition. On Friday I thought I had my mind made up. I headed over to the husband's place of employment which was hosting a vaccine clinic at 1pm. Even before noon the line was out the door and down the street. When Trent inquired as to whether he could sneak Tatyanna in sooner (yah, i know...but you can't blame us for trying...right?)) he was given a resounding "No" from the public health nurses. Truthfully, I can understand that decision, I really can. The part that begins to irritate me is the fact that the same nurses, who demanded that my 6 year old child with a degenerative neurological condition and inability to maintain her body temperature wait for over an hour in the cold, were perfectly willing to vaccinate my husband early. My husband who does not, in any way, fit into the top priority category but simply happens to work in the business holding the flu shot clinic. Hmmm, can anyone see the logic here as it seems to have eluded me. And so, I am back on the fence again.