obsessive thoughts :-(

Missy07 · Post by **Missy07** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 2:05 am

I received the gardasil vaccine about a year ago. If you are unfamiliar, it is a vaccine for HPV that causes cervical cancer... It is pretty new and was just released about a year or two ago. The center for disease control and the food and drug adminstration claim it to be safe, but if you google it you read that it can cause infertility, cancer, and other long term serious affects. Because it was not tested over 20-30-40-50 years, I am afraid it will harm me and kill me later on in life. I cannot stop this thought... Has anyone received the shot? Has anyone heard good things about this vaccine from a doctor or read about it online from a trusted website? Please help me

mikedsing28 · Post by **mikedsing28** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 8:52 am

Hey if you have anxiety..You are using this logical thought to distract yourself from something you dont want to deal with.I use to use the most logical thought that i could be gay and that is possible?But no it scared me!Ask a doctor if you are that concerned,but i bet even if you do you will still use that thought to distract you.It will take some time to convence yourself that it is only a thoughtand a distraction.So use your skills in the program to work every thing out. tc

bevhembree · Post by **bevhembree** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 10:55 am

I'm too old to take the shot, but I asked about it for my college aged daughter. My doc highly recommended it. I trust him completely.
The thing with some of this stuff, like I just aked my doc why Vioxx for arthritis, came off the market when it worked so well, it that a million people can take it and if one has a complication, it has to be listed as a side effect and it inevitable that that one case will be on a lawyer's desk, which is fine. But then you get a lot of people jumping on board with a class action lawsuit. Then the others the drug helped have it taken away when it didn't affect them in a bad way. Malpractice insurance co.'s don't want the docs to write the prescriptions for it. Anyway, that's what he said- not my own opinion- so please, no one take offense. Lots of good lawyers out there and legitimate lawsuits.
Anyway, I do take HRT, estrogen and progesterone, which CAN cause some cancers and I don't know what else. But I'm just reconciled that the benefits outway the risks for me.
My son was in the hospital with a high power antibiotic. I wasn't familiar with the med at all and went home to shower and googled it. Lawsuit after lawsuit came up. I was terrified. The doc dismissed my concerns so I got in touch with a family member who was in pharmacy and he guided me about being knowledgeable about it, to make sure they checked his blood every day and what signs to look for for those side effects. I really did work myself up in that case for nothing. Everything was fine.
Talk to your doctor frankly and tell him your concerns. I'm sure he/she will be glad to put you at ease.

Faith_TX · Post by **Faith_TX** » Sun Aug 10, 2008 1:04 pm

Something that comes to my mind is something I read in "Freedom from Fear."

I tend to "what if" and worry to like I am sure a lot of you do. . . and what he says in his book is "never answer a what if question."

When those questions pop up you simply say "I will handle it." Because, the truth is, if by some rare chance this vaccine could cause a slight increase in your chances of cancer. . . you'd never really know if it was the vaccine or genetics anyway. You just keep on getting your annual exams and stay as healthy as you can. Which, is a great idea anyway, right?

I have a pretty elevated risk of cancer in my family. The only thing I can do is try to stay healthy and stay away from things that are known to increase breast cancer. Other than that I can't worry about it. If/when it happens "I will handle it."

That really hit home with me because it's true. . .anything that comes up you "handle" right? You just do the best you can with the good and bad in your life. It's rarely as likely or as horrible as our imaginations can come up with.

By the way, Google anything and you can scare yourself. I'm the queen of that!! I'm trying to do that less these days.

Also, mikedsing28 has a point about trying to distract yourself. I generally find that to be true for myself as well.