Hi! My name is Shad, when I was two months old I was very healthy in every way. Now I am twenty one months old and just learning to roll over.

Early in December 1996 my mommy took me in for my first immunizations. She had complete faith in my pediatrician and never thought to question how safe (or how necessary) these shots are. I was on antibiotics for an ear infection, but my doctor, and the nurses at the court house where I had my shots all told mommy it was safe to have me immunized. They were wrong.

At first there was no drastic reaction. I just simply quit developing then slowly began to regress. Christmas day was the last time I smiled. Looking back my family can remember jerky stiff movements beginning mid December. However, I wasn't diagnosed with seizures until January 19, 1997, I was three months old.

The first tonic clonic (grand mal) seizure that my mommy noticed lasted 45 minutes. It was 2:00AM and I was alone in my bedroom. I'm lucky my mommy checks on me at night even when she thinks I am sleeping peacefully. Now she wonders how many seizures she slept through.

The next evening I had a bad cluster of infantile spasms (west syndrome). Mommy called my doctor at home and described the jackknife movement, he assured her that it was nothing to worry about and was unrelated to the seizure from the night before. Later that night I had another tonic clonic seizure. Mommy again called my doctor who said he would meet us at the emergency room. When we arrived the nurse had to call the doctor and ask him to come in. So, an hour after my seizure began I was finally given valium which took another 15 minutes to work. Then I was transferred to another hospital.

The following day I was diagnosed with epilepsy, more specifically, infantile spasms. Immediately I began ACTH shots (steroids). While on the ACTH I still had hundreds of seizures a day. Then the doctors added Klonapin. This helped some, but its not a drug that you can stay on for very long, so my neurologist suggested Sabril (vigabatrin). My parents had this shipped from London, England, because it's not yet approved in the United States. Sabril works well and the side effects are not as bad as the ACTH. However, my EEG still shows constant seizure activity and even on a good day mommy can see 30 or more seizures.

The last half of January, and all of February my body was twisted and arched. I lost all the strength in my neck and arms. I had a very hard time nursing and my mommy had to give up breast-feeding. Some days I couldn't even nurse a bottle. My hands were fisted so tightly that my knuckles were white. Grandma knitted little hand grips for me so my fingernails wouldn't dig into my palms. I cried constantly and the only time mommy or I slept was while she was holding me.

Medical schools are now teaching alternative medicine and I'm so lucky my parents were open minded when a friend suggested this. Now I see a lady who does reflexology, massage therapy, touch for health, shiatsu, polarity, and cranial sacral therapy for me. My body is no longer twisted, my hands are open, and I am very calm and relaxed. I sleep and eat well now, but have not regained the strength in my neck. I can not hold my head up and must be handled like a newborn.

I also see a medical doctor who studied acupuncture and herbs in China. She performs laser acupuncture on me and mixes herbs for my specific needs. Since she's been working on my seizures there has been a significant decrease. When my Neurologist started me on another type of steroid (prednizone), the acupuncturist gave me herbs to help protect my liver. My parents hope they have found the right balance between old medicine and new.

I should also tell you that my pediatrician and my neurologist both say that my seizures starting after the immunizations was just a coincidence. However, they have no other answers, and the acupuncturist, alternative health therapist, and my chiropractor all believe it was the vaccines. The same dose is given to a two month old that a five year old receives. You wouldn't do that with any other medicine, would you? I suppose it's also just a coincidence that SIDS peaks at 2 months, 4 months, and 6 months. If after educating yourself you feel that you must have your child immunized, please wait until their bodies are large enough to handle it, and only do one at a time.