A Nurse is Mercury Poisoned from Hepatitis B Vaccines and Amalgams

by Susan Kreider, RN, CPC

I grew up in the Philadelphia area. From my vantage point, primarily Philadelphia and its suburbs, I saw the fertile soil of Lancaster County, PA farms being parceled for spiraling housing development, and the Amish exploited for tourism. My parents were from Lancaster County and we visited my grandparents there.

I have a strong family history of autoimmune disease: a female cousin with multiple sclerosis and another female cousin with autism. Autism was rare (estimated incidence of 1 in 10,000) in the 1960s when my cousin was diagnosed, and it is 5 times more common in males than females.

In the 1990s 'Home Fields' became a residence for autistic adults. The home was established in Lancaster by my maternal-side aunt and uncle, with much assistance from various agencies and individuals.

Despite the family history I had managed to be relatively naïve about autism. I attended public schools in the 1960s and 1970s, tolerating the requisite inoculations. I presume I am among the 98 million Americans infected with Simian Virus 40 (SV40), known to have contaminated the polio vaccines of the late 1950s through early 1960s. Now this virus is even showing up in malignancy in offspring of the vaccinated (http://www.ouralexander.org)

At age 33 years old, healthy and with an advanced degree in the martial arts, I enrolled at Abington Memorial Hospital School of Nursing. My physical examination was all "WNL" (within normal limits) with a minimal past medical history except as related to general dentistry, and orthodontics; this included the fairly common extraction of bicuspids and wisdom teeth, and another minor oral surgical procedure that involved harnessing the root of an incisor.

In September 1990 I had relocated and terminated employment, so I was forced by the School of Nursing to receive an influenza vaccine, tetanus booster and hepatitis B series. Within days of my third hepatitis B shot on March 18, 1991, I was crippled and started developing progressive glove and stocking distribution parasthesias (numbness and tingling), first in my right hand, along with Raynaud's phenomenon (dusky, mottled color in my hands and feet). Twice during the post-vaccinal period I experienced large, atraumatic olecranal hemarthrosis (spontaneous pooling of blood in my elbow) that resolved in a couple of weeks with ice, elevation and compression by ACE wrap.

I reported to the Rheumatology Clinic on April 1, 1991 and serologic evidence confirmed massively elevated anti-nuclear antibodies (ANA), leading to a diagnosis of 'undifferentiated (unknown cause) connective tissue disease.' In the spring I accepted part-time employment as a nurse extern at Chestnut Hill Hospital where I received inoculation with the MMR series May and June of 1991. These shots were recommended by the occupational medicine nurse, despite my reporting autoimmunity (i.e. the massively elevated ANA indicated that my immune system had gone awry, launching an attack against the nucleus of my own cells). Following I developed daily explosive bowel movements for several years.

Fall 1993 I became acutely ill, beginning with a lesion on my tonsil and an upper respiratory infection, moving on to my gastrointestinal tract. Aside from persistent vomiting with black tongue, I was anorexic and lost 10 pounds (8% BW). I missed 2 weeks of work. By the remarkably icy East Coast Winter of 1993-94 my balance was tenuous and I was ambulating with an occasional assist.

A battery of medical and surgical procedures ensued, including: a brain and cervical spine MRI to rule out multiple sclerosis, a thoracotomy to remove a giant lymph node from the base of my lung, a minor salivary gland biopsy to rule out Sjogren's Disease, and a sural nerve biopsy. There were numerous electromyographic studies (EMG) to evaluate sensory and motor nerve function. To no avail, I tried a course of high-dose steroids. Later at age 36 years old I was unwilling to try methotrexate, a powerful chemotherapy drug that can cause grossly malformed offspring if taken during pregnancy.

I was diagnosed with 'undifferentiated connective tissue disease' and an "extremely rare" 'idiopathic pure sensory peripheral neuronopathy,' +/- vasculitis. By year 2000, with telangiectasia (tiny diffuse capillary wall weakness, presenting as red spots on the skin, a change from rheumatology evaluation in 1994 "No telangiectasia").

At Eagleville Hospital where I was a staff nurse, an administrator -noting my progressive sensory ataxia -encouraged me to speak with our dental hygienist because "She walks like you do. She believes she was injured by the hepatitis B vaccine."

The petite dental hygienist had acute reactions to both her first and second shots. Within 24 hours of her first hepatitis B shot she lost bowel and bladder control. With the second shot she became numb from the waist down and was diagnosed with transverse myelitis. Her physician is among the few that file an adverse event report with the federal Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS.) The FDA-estimates that 90-99% of physicians fail to report vaccine injuries.

Last I heard she is divorced, living with her parents, totally disabled in a wheelchair, with multiple sclerosis. Vaccines can trigger a cascade of autoimmune problems and may take months to fully develop.

By 1995 I needed hand controls to drive; I was unable to locate my feet to discern the location of the accelerator from the break due to the loss of lower extremity proprioception. My deep tendon reflexes were deemed "absent." Parasthesias have taken over my lower extremities. Neurotransmission is challenged; there is no longer fluidity to my movements. I have a positive Romberg's sign (cannot stand in the dark) because I am dependent upon visual cues to orientation. I get little to no feedback from my peripheral sensory nerves, except for an acute sense of temperature and hyperacute contact reflexes (as evaluated by a chiropractor, in response to environmental stimuli). Unlike many diabetics with peripheral neuropathy an appropriate response to painful stimuli is intact and is especially important to somebody who lacks proprioception.

With the support of my family practitioner, Elizabeth Carroll, DO, also on staff at Eagleville Hospital, I filed a claim with the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) shortly thereafter. The National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (NVICP) was established by the Congressional Childhood Injury Act of 1986. Despite babies receiving the shot within hours of their birth since 1991- the recombinant hepatitis B vaccine wasn't even under the umbrella of vaccines included in the NVICP until August 1997. In her May 18, 1999 Congressional Testimony, cell biologist Bonnie S. Dunbar, Ph.D. of Baylor College of Medicine stated that medical students respond on their Board Examinations (to achieve the "correct" response) that this synthetic vaccine is "the safest ever." As a researcher and vaccine developer, she objected to the rote response: there are no long-term studies to prove this claim.

Abington Memorial Hospital had failed to document any lot numbers; of five vaccines only one manufacturer is indicated. The 'Immunization Record' reveals 'Engerix' brand. Their (AMH) 'Consent Form' had not been updated since the older serum-derived vaccine, referring specifically to "Heptavax." Healthcare providers poorly accepted the serum-derived Heptavax. There are concerns and speculation that mass hepatitis B vaccination of gay populations in San Francisco in the 1980s spawned the epidemic of acquired immune deficiency disease (G. Lanctot, The Medical Mafia).

By the time I became a patient of Harold E. Buttram, MD, FAAEM at the beginning of the millennium, I had acquired a computer and learned that vaccines contained toxic heavy metals, including mercury and aluminum. With Dr. Buttram's specialized testing I learned that I am highly reactive to heavy metals including mercury, phenol and formaldehyde (used as preservative, adjuvant or antimicrobials in vaccines.)

In May 2000 at significant personal expense, I had 43 years of dental amalgam removed, following dietary supplementation and following holistic dentistry (Huggins) protocol. I conservatively estimate in the dental work there was at least 6 grams of mercury in the 6 multi-surface fillings and underneath 6 porcelain crowns, but I defer to experts in the field of dentistry and oral surgeons. Because various amalgams had been placed over the years, juxtaposed dissimilar metals with their (+) and (-) charges created galvanism; I was not particularly aware of experiencing this phenomenon, the 'battery effect.'

April 2001 I had cavitation surgery to remove 'silent' infection in my jawbone; especially in the area of wisdom teeth and other 4 prior extractions. A chunk of amalgam was retrieved from the area of my extracted bicuspid some 25 years prior. Chronic osteomylitis (infection) and osteonecrosis (cell death) of the jawbone and extreme toxicity were confirmed by in vitro samples at two different laboratories.

I now suffer from multiple chemical sensitivities and eczema. I have acquired renal cysts. 1994 a CT-scan revealed a 5cm simple cyst on the inferior pole of my right kidney. "Don't worry," I was told. "They're very common. Most people have them." Dr. Buttram ordered another CT-scan in May 2001. The renal cyst of the right inferior pole had grown to 8.7 cm. There was now a small lesion of the left kidney, inferior pole. Again it was confirmed to be a possible neoplasm, enhancing 24 Hounsfield Units (HU) by CT-scan. It likewise 'enhanced' with gadolinium when evaluated by MRI. It was suspicious for renal cystic adenocarcinoma, according to multiple reports prepared by radiologists at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

Since the late 1990s I have experienced intermittent left-sided lumbar muscle spasms, lasting for days, I am able to associate with acute exposures to mercury and formaldehyde. They have decreased in frequency and intensity since the amalgam removal and avoidance of seafood, especially shellfish, known to contain mercury. On MRI June 2002 and 2003 the lesions on my left kidney no longer enhance or look suspicious of cancer.

Under Dr. Buttram's care I learned of foods that, for me, trigger delayed hypersensitivity (allergic) reactions, particularly soy and tomatoes. I can tolerate some soy, especially "non-GMO soy," but generally try to avoid it, an increasingly difficult task. Several hours following soy ingestion I get bronchiospasms; with coughing and airway constriction. These now only occur rarely. I no longer suffer 'heartburn' which would sometimes include acid reflux, simply by severely limiting tomatoes from my diet. Imagine -an uncomfortable and persistent medical condition successfully treated without a dependency on pharmaceuticals!

Likewise, post-vaccinal eczema that had bothered me several years has been corrected with supplementation with evening primrose oil, an Omega-6 essential fatty acid. My heavy metals detox regimen includes other essential fats, chlorella, vitamins, minerals, and weekly IV-injections of vitamin C followed by glutathione, a naturally occurring substance in the body that is less prevalent with aging. Since red blood cell membrane analysis has consistently, over several years, demonstrated excessive levels of EPA (fish) oils, under Dr. Buttram's supervision I have avoided these dietary and supplementary oils until they are normalize.

It's not just babies and children, our future, who are being impacted. Our nation has a severe nursing shortage. The amount of mercury I received in one day in my requisite vaccines was 75 mcg, or 1,389% of an 'acceptable' amount for somebody my size: 54 kg. This constitutes a massive single toxic exposure, especially in the presence 6 grams (again, my estimate) of mercury in my dental amalgams. Sensory-neural dysfunction is a known effect of mercury toxicity.

Despite claims that severe reactions are infinitesimally rare I know of numerous other medical professionals who were injured following vaccination and had to drop out of their chosen profession. I meet numerous parents or neighbors of kids and adults that had serious post-vaccinal consequences, while I'm just gimping around health food stores or otherwise going about my business. My bumper sticker: "Vaccines make $$ - but no sense" (Vaccination Liberation) is a real conversation-starter.

Since 2000, Medicare has expanded their 'Preventive Care' program to include the hepatitis B vaccine series. These have a high mercury and aluminum hydroxide content. In accordance with strategic business planning, Family Practice News, November 1, 2002 provides a 'Recommended Adult Immunization Schedule' for persons age 19 years and older. Enlistees have fled the armed services in droves as a direct result of vaccine mandates and unexplained conditions such as epidemics of Gulf War Illness even among individuals who were never deployed.

With the help of Dr. Buttram, I learned that vaccine reactions are oftentimes being misdiagnosed as so-called 'Shaken Baby Syndrome' (SBS). A trilogy of symptoms that include cerebral and retinal hemorrhaging and diffuse axonal injury (DAI) are criteria for diagnosing. There is an epidemic of parents being treated as criminals when their babies tragically die, particularly among the lower and middle demographics who are unable to afford adequate counsel. They are accused of losing control, violently shaking their babies at a speed of 70 mph or dropping them from 2nd-story windows. Meanwhile, since 2000 unexplained infant deaths (cot death or SIDS) have reportedly declined. This discussion is beyond the scope of my personal history here, but one such case is that of Alan R. Yurko, exhaustively covered at the website: www.freeyurko.bizland.com.

Dr. Buttram introduced me to SBS-convict Alan Yurko in February 2001. He has served 5-1/2 years of a life sentence (plus 10 years) following the death of his baby Alan Joe Yurko in November 1997, the result of medical malpractice.

With Dr. Buttram and Alan's help and the support of good friends and mentors, I have established my own website geared to lay people, to alert them to facts regarding vaccination about which the government and industry have not been forthcoming. I encourage you to peruse the first draft of my 'Vaccine Ingredients Table' at www.informedchoice.info/cocktail to see just what toxins are allowed in vaccine production. Also see my table at www.informedchoice.info/hepB.html#Bottom where, using myself and Baby Alan Yurko as case studies, calculations show how egregiously the HHS ignores EPA guidelines for 'acceptable' mercury exposure in the creation of our 'schedules.' Note that the CDC hasn't updated their 'Vaccine Information Sheets' since 1998, and that they neglect to mention heavy metals ingredients and their potential hypersensitivity reactions.

It is my hope that by posting my story on the Internet, other dental and medical injuries can be prevented. Following are among my special areas on concern: