Immunization question answered here! : )

This question was very nicely asked in my comments section and I was going to respond there but #1, my reply was so long, lol, I was thinking it was overly long to put in the comments section. And #2, I thought if I put it here, maybe it could help someone else as well, who knows! So That's why I am putting it here instead! : )

Here's how the thing with the doc went down and why I do the US immunizations (it wasn't an intentional thing you'll see it just sorta happened that way : ). Branden was born in Hawaii (the US) and we lived in the US until B was about 10 month's old. We had insurance obviously when he was born and afterwards so he was immunized in America first and for 10 month's of his life. Then we moved to Japan and I was given the great big blue English Health Handbook. I had every intention of just switching Branden over to getting him immunized in Japan. No big deal, I thought. Immunizations are immunizations shouldn't matter in the least. It'll be okay I thought, piece of cake. But as I wrote/marked what he had in the health book. Branden had more then he was supposed to have in Japan and some not even listed in the Japan book at all. And I soon realized/found since B was being immunized for the first 10 month's in the US, totally made him getting immunizations in Japan a bit more complicated. I was asked by a Japanese pediatrician in Japan what type DTAP vaccination was given??? My answer, well it came out of a needle, trying hard not to come out sounding smart ass but seriously transferring what he had in the US to be understandable to Japanese docs was starting to become an absolute freakin headache for Noboru and I. Each type of immunizations has actual #'s on them as they do in the US. To be more specific, what batch did the immunizations come from? The system and how I had been doing the immunizations for the past 10 month's was totally different in Japan. I wondered what I would do to be honest with ya!

On one of my trips back home to Denver. And funny how weird things happen for a reason. But I saw a bulletin board thing and it had a paper for "low cost vaccinations" Now again...by now with living in Japan we didn't have insurance in America anymore obviously. I called them fully expected nothing, and for it to be a total dead end! And the person on the other end of the phone was very polite. She said it's at Jefferson county health center and each shot costs just $15.00. These are mostly geared for poor people living in the US but however they are indeed available for anyone to get, if you're American. I happened to have Branden's immunizations papers/records when I went to Denver anyway and I went and got my then 1 year old Branden fully immunized for under $60.00!!! I didn't know what to expect or what kind of people would be there. But would you believe a woman living in Germany (an American woman by the way) took her daughter in there to get immunized same time as me. She had the same wonderful and smart idea! Sarah, I immunized Branden, every visit I went home from that point on and I paid just $15.00 each shot! I went home 3 times a year anyway so it wasn't a big deal to get them done. He was 100% caught up with his immunization and always has been, even when I checked in July 2006 he was caught up still. Most people never think about doing this, but the service is available and its out there! It's an expats best friend, I tell ya!

Now Guam, they have a public place to do free immunizations there. I went there last year. They are a bunch of assholes, sorry to say it, but it's true! They stop giving shots at 3:30 pm and it's just once a week. Flights from Japan don't even land until 2:30 pm. I ran off the plane with 2 kids, zipping through US customs, hopped into my rental car driving down the road like a bat out of hell, I was like 5 minutes early, my god, Noboru and I even said in the parking lot..."we made it, we made it" yet, they said we were too late because the clock was a bit fast in the facility! Noboru and I were so pissed smoke was coming from our ears, mouth's and wherever else! These were free shots. And by the way...I specifically asked the woman on the phone when I called from Japan, "I am actually flying there from Japan....what if I am a minute late due to a delay in flight", she said no problem and yet when we got there, they were jerks! I went to my dad's condo and told my dad, he was so pissed. However my dad has a pediatrician's office just down the road from him and my dad actually went there himself. Told them the whole story and the next day they gave Noah all his shots. Price? Just $20.00 bucks, each shot and this is full price I am paying. It's a private pediatricians office, not a low cost thing. They're nice, polite. The chicken pox shot was $60.00 for Noah in Guam last July. The price sucked, especially considering Branden got his varicella shot for just 15 bucks in Denver. But I figured the 60 bucks was better then Noah getting scars from any possible chicken pox scabs that could fall off. So, I guess for us it was worth it.

Also, they always ask me, if I have any questions. It's my big chance to ask an American nurse or doctor in my native English language and speak normal speed and they understand me and my question. It's very reassuring for me. They also measure and weigh them and give them little physicals as well, it's great.

I do totally go to Japanese doctors if the kids get sick, I am by no means against Japanese doctors at all. I have found many good docs in Japan. But at the same token I find many Japanese docs don't wanna be asked questions. And I miss that sorta relationship sometimes with a good American pediatrician. I do mass health check ups and whatnot in Japan totally. But for me, since they are so affordable to get immunized in the US, why not. And that way I don't need my hubby to translate anything for me even though I can pudder around in my own Japanese ability well enough. I don't gotta say..."can you ask them such and such" I can ask them directly myself!

Also and I really hate bringing this up. But I had one old western girlfriend of mine. And she had the same language problem like many of us do. She never knew when the immunization times were and her kids were very greatly under-immunized. Her kids were actually like a good year and a half behind the Japanese immunization table. Her husband worked a lot and so he often forgot to remind her when to go to the doctors for immunizations. And if a letter came in the mail, she certainly couldn't read it and same here. Now if you're a western mommy and you can read it, then obviously you wouldn't have this problem. But I understood her feeling because I can't read Japanese either, so I was in the same boat as her. Everything her kids caught, she'd tell me "Gina it's because they're not immunized", lol!!! Hey at least she had a sense of humor about it. But yes I told her many times...do it in the US girl. : )

If it was expensive or something just a handful of people could get, I wouldn't even bother mentioning it on my blog because it wouldn't be fair. But seriously it's something absolutely everyone can be getting if they want to for their kids. Now granted if you don't wanna it's fine and if you don't immunize at all that's fine too, to each their own. But the option is always there. If you're an American, whatever city you are from, when you go home for a visit ask where the free or low cost vaccinations are given and go and bring your Japanese health book though so they can see what your child has and what your child needs though. You gotta show proof! I hope this can help someone, even if it just helped one other family, then it would have been worth it, for me taking out the time and typing this information up! I do seriously hope this helps someone : )