how do you feel now that you have superautism? ^/s

For real now, congrats! How many shots did you need in total?

Six shots today. I'm going to have to go back for a couple more rounds this year.

One suggestion - keep the muscles in your arms moving a bit here and there. Just a bit of arm rotation, 'raise the roof' etc. for a few hours after you get the shots. Not constantly, just a minute or so every hour or so. It really helps with the soreness at the injection site.

Congrats on getting the shots, hope you have a long, healthy life!

Thanks for the suggestion and encouragement!

Do your parents have a specific reason they never had you vaccinated?

They read about the autism thing and didn't trust vaccines after that.

Also religion.

Im curious about this as well. She said her brother got whooping cough and they STILL didn't vaccinate her?

Yep.

Are you going to tell your parents that you got them? How is your relationship with them overall?

My mom and I are actually pretty close.

I just told her about an hour ago. She mentioned how she knows I am old enough to make these choices now, and then started to ask about:

Side effects

How many I got in a single day

Which ones I received

What the doctor said

Allergies

I kept my answers short and sweet. She realizes she can't change my mind, and fighting it will only cause distance between us. This is not the only thing we disagree on, and she knows I will stick up for myself.

My dad and I barely talk. He doesn't know, and I don't feel a need to bring it up. My mom and dad do not communicate now, so that's a non-issue.

Your mom asked mom questions. She very obviously loves you and was just mistaken. That makes me happy.

That's SO true.

Is your dad also anti-vaccine? I know this is bias and wrong, but If I’m being honest I’ve never thought about a father (or any guy) also being anti-vaxx, it just always seemed like a mom thing.

Not really saying it's one way or another but I don't remember my dad ever being passionate about it like my mom, just agreeing with it.

When did you realize that being unvaccinated wasnt normal?

The first time I had roommates, I mentioned it in passing that I wasn't vaccinated and got a HUGE speech on how that wasn't okay and how I should look into getting vaccinated.

I put it off for a few more years because I was worried about an allergic reaction.

Have you ever been treated differently by others because you aren't vaccinated?

As a kid, no. Most of my parents' friends were also anti-vaxxers. That, or they just never talked to their friends about it. I don't know. It wasn't an issue then.

As a teen some of my friends got weird about it, but I just figured they were raised a lot "differently" than I was. I learned not to talk about it with many people... but when I did, it was typically followed with shock. That started to lead to serious questioning on my part.

Lately a few people getting mad/very worried.

I'm glad it lead to questioning. I feel like some people overly freak out over the whole thing, and I'm not saying it isn't warranted to be worried but freaking out in general is a great way to push people who haven't been vaccinated away from talking with people who have been.

Grats on being vaccinated, welcome to herd immunity!

Thanks! :)

What made you decide to finally get vaccinated?

I actually would like to start a family soon, and I don't want the kids or myself to be compromised by carrying any diseases.

This is something I have wanted to do since I realized how abnormal/unhealthy/unsafe it was, but I was afraid because of my allergies developing so rapidly as a young adult. Starting a family was the last push to get me to do it.

Why are your parents antivax and what made you realise they were wrong?

My mom believes she has seen it happen (referring to a friend's child who has autism and the onset started "after" being vaccinated), so I always just believed her.

I realized they were wrong after seeing the huge push online and having many of my friends talk about it (knowing or not that I wasn't vaccinated) and giving scientific evidence.

Thennnnnn.... researched it to confirm over the last year-ish.

What age did you first ask your parents to get you vaccinated?

When the doctor asked if I was going to get the HPV vaccine at age 12. The doctor and my mom got into a bit of a disagreement over that, and I was confused by it. So we talked.

Did your parents get vaccinated as children?

I believe so, but it never came up.

Now that you are no longer a danger to society, how do you feel?

Feels pretty damn good!

Mah man fist bump

shhhh..... OP ^{is female...}

fist bumps ...but in female

As a public health professional (who used to work in vaccine access in developing countries), I'm so happy for you! It's really frustrating to see how the anti vax movement has led to dramatic declines in vaccine coverage, and at the same time I've always been fascinated how vaccine coverage is usually very high in communist countries.

Do your parents still believe that vaccines cause autism? What was their reaction to Andrew Wakefield being debunked?

My mom definitely does still think they cause autism, she thinks he was right.... not sure about dad

What was your parents justification for being anti-vax, and how did you come to decide they were wrong? Did they do anything in substitution for vaccination?

Some of those answers are in other questions --- but the last one is vitamins and essential oils.

Wait they don’t believe in vaccines but vitamins is fine?

Yep.

Hooraaaaay...question mark? Did/do you do have to pay a lot out of pocket?

p.s I'm more of a Mr. Peanutbutter fan myself.

Nope. Insurance paid for it. :)

TeamTodd

Why did they deny you vaccinations? What was their logic? I've never understood why people would think that vaccinations cause things like autism.

Religion. Autism. "You can never be sure of what else is in the shot."

[deleted]

RIP in Peace, me.

How old are you now?

mid-twenties

How were you able to attend school without proof of vaccinations?

I was homeschooled.

^{^}

When you made it past 3yo did you hear a doctor audibly gasp from the corner of the room lurking in the shadows with a syringe ready to pounce?

.....nnnnnyes

/joking, of course not

What was the doctors response to your background?

Throughout my life doctors were always shocked and always double checked to make sure my mom was serious. A few small mother/doctor arguments.

Today, this doctor was also pretty shocked. Asked a lot of questions on if I had any of those illnesses or other major ones.

Were you effected by any of the diseases you weren't vaccinated for? Did your parents shelter you more to avoid you coming into contact with these diseases? At what age were you able to take this into your own hands?

Congratulations and good job by the way!

1.) The flu every year and a mild case of chickenpox 2.) Yes. I was homeschooled (not charter schooled), until college. My mom and dad were my only educators. 3.) Probably around 20 I could have, but I delayed out of fear. I am in my mid twenties now.

Did the doctor give you a lollipop? It makes the shots 10x better.

No? Did I get scammed??

I'm so sorry for your loss. You get one for every shot. Two if you're adorable and give the doctor or nurse a pouty lip!

I have a wonderful pouty lip! Oh no!

Do they believe in mlm stuff?

I remember this coming up once actually

Did you ever believe those ideas that vaccinations cause autism? If so how did you change that belief?

Yes. My mom always told me that, and I was a kid.... I thought she knew everything.

Researching. Science is science. I like facts. :)

That’s really great! Good job on getting then done! I have a few questions for you!

Did you get dozens of shots or only a few with a mix of vaccines?

And when you do all these shots at once, is it recommended to take some time off from work or not? By that I mean to ask whether you have more chances to get high fever or other effects than when you only one or a few shots at once.

And last question: how much did it cost where you live?

I got six vaccines today. I have to go in a few more times.

My day off from work was appreciated. I am sore, but idk if everyone would be. Free with my insurance. :)

How did you know you were never vaccinated? Did your parents tell you once you turned 18 or they are hard core antivaxers?

My parents were proud of our unvaxxed status, they thought it made us healthier. I thought it was normal. They never kept it from me, because it wasn't a thing I felt shame about.

Were there any adverse effects of having so many inoculations done at once?

Yes. Muscle tightness, mild headache, and a little bruising on the injection sites. I'm a bit out of it.

I know you said in another comment that your mum was understanding about you getting them.

My questions is, do you think that if she had another child now she would give them vaccines or not?

She would not. Still against.

You've made it this far. What are your plans for the future?

GO TO DISNEYWORLD

I mean, that would be cool.

Whats the worst illness in your opinion that you got?

I once had the flu for three months. That.

whats the afterlife like?

My arms hurt. So.... that's a thing church didn't warn me about.

Did it hurt?

HPV one hurt. It felt they injected me with a big rock.

The others were fine.

do you have any siblings? if so, did they take your route or continue without vaccinations ?

One is vaccinated (and specified never the flu shot) and the other is not.

Favorite type of cheese?

Pepperjack

Will you vaccinate your children if you have any?

Yes.

How’s your arm?

Feels like golfball sized bruises

Hey its the reborn anti-vax kid from r/pics!

What made you feel the need to do an AMA?

There is really only one question on all of our minds...

How did you live past 3 years old?

Haha soooo many people asked me to make one

Being cute

How’s your health? Do you feel any physically different?

I only got the shots today, so I feel no different.

My arms are sore though. Lol

How painful was 6 shots in a row? I’m getting blood drawn tomorrow and am already freaking out about the needle

Its not nearly as bad as you think. You're going to do great!

Are there some you can't get because you're older now? Have you had chicken pox or any other issues as a result of being unvaccinated?

I could get all of them.

A few issues, especially with the flu.

You said that your parents don’t communicate anymore. Why? Are they still as religious as they were?

One is more religious than they were when I was younger, the other is less.... yes. They divorced.