HPV vaccine - Page 3

More Ideas on Gardasil Toxicity and the Thiamine Connection

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I am in constant touch with the mother of the Gardasil treated daughter whose personal research suggested that her daughter had beriberi after she received the HPV vaccine.  As has been previously posted on this web site, thiamine deficiency, the basic cause of beriberi, was proved in this girl by a blood test called transketolase. It led to the test being done on two other girls and a boy, all of whom had been Gardasil vaccinated. All proved to have thiamine deficiency through this test.  Each of these young people, who have had the HPV vaccination and have succumbed to prolonged illness, have a variety of symptoms that have defied diagnosis and treatment.

As the original post on this subject pointed out, Postural Orthostatic Hypotension Syndrome (POTS), an apparently common post Gardasil illness, is a form of dysautonomia [damage to the autonomic nervous system] as is beriberi in its early stages. More recently, cerebellar ataxia has also been reported as a post Gardasil phenomenon. I have already pointed out on a previous post that the first case of thiamine dependency to be reported was in a six year old boy who suffered repeated attacks of cerebellar ataxia (see below for reference). Thus, thiamine plays a vital part in the brain.

As an analogy, the effect of its deficiency can roughly be compared with a defective spark plug in the engine of a car, thus killing the engine. It has been difficult for a number of Gardasil affected families to accept this proven fact because it seems so simple. It is not at all simple, for thiamine deficiency is a very serious problem in the brain. Believe it or not, it is capable of explaining all the symptoms that have been described to me.

The mother, whose research had led to the belief that beriberi was the cause of her daughter’s illness, has notified me of a number of symptoms that have been the subject of many questions from other mothers of Gardasil affected individuals. For example, one of the most classical signs of beriberi is swelling of tissues from fluid under the skin. This is called edema, a phenomenon that occurs in what is generally known as “wet” beriberi.  In dealing with a complex subject where technical knowledge is required, it was one of the observations in her daughter that convinced the mother that this was in fact beriberi.

Puzzling Symptoms Post HPV Vaccine

One of the puzzles that the mothers have discussed is that the vaccination seems to pick off the brightest and the best students who are usually also excellent athletes.  Another puzzle they have discussed is that symptoms seem to get worse when there is an abrupt change in the weather. Severe reactions to food and histamine related skin problems seem to be common to many of these affected individuals. Naturally, these have been passed on to me to try to provide an explanation, based on the proof that has been shown by the transketolase test.

Oxidative Metabolism 

We all understand that our lives depend upon the consumption of oxygen.  The brain uses 20% of the oxygen that you intake with every breath. This is because the metabolism in nervous tissue and the brain is very rapid. The same is true for the heart and that is why beriberi predominantly affects the nervous system, the brain and the heart. Thiamine “ignites” (spark plug) the fuel (glucose) by causing the glucose to combine with oxygen (combustion). This is what is called oxidative metabolism and why I refer to thiamine as “the spark of life”.  It is how we generate energy in every one of our 70 to 100 trillion cells that enable them to function.

Thiamine and the Brain

The lower part of the brain is highly sensitive to thiamine deficiency, interrupting the normal course of oxidative metabolism. If this part of the brain (the computer) is made to be inefficient from mild to moderate thiamine deficiency, it becomes irritable. If the deficiency persists or is more severe, structural damage begins and is irreversible. When the brain is healthy, all the physical and mental stimuli that we encounter on a daily basis are passed into the computer through our senses.

With the aid of the “thinking brain”, a decision is made as to how we will respond to the input stimulus, including our emotional responses which are generated in the limbic system and modified by the upper “thinking brain”. This is how we continuously adapt to both the mental and physical “stress factors” that we encounter in our daily lives.  But if the computer is made irritable, it will over-react to a stimulus and create an exaggerated response. For example, a normal response to an insult would be anger.

An exaggerated response might be associated with violence because the thinking brain has not suppressed or modified the reflex.  It is the limbic system (computer) that generates the fight-or-flight reflex. When it is made to be irritable this reflex may be initiated without there being a reason for it. It is then called a panic attack. Or, with a trivial stimulus, it might send a signal to the cells which release histamine, the reaction being initiated by something as simple as perception of a quick change in the weather.

Like a high powered car that requires more energy, so a high IQ is more demanding of oxidative metabolism, thus perhaps explaining why superior students are at greater risk. When we put food into the stomach, it automatically sends a signal into the computer. As we fill the stomach, these signals gradually crescendo, finally telling us that we have had enough to eat.  If, however, the computer has been made to be more sensitive, a severe reaction to the food may be generated and we call it food allergy. We can begin to see that the action is in the brain, not in the stomach.

How Could Gardasil Induce Thiamine Deficiency?

The primary answer to this difficult question is – we don’t know.  For example, we do not know whether a person has an abnormal transketolase before the vaccine is given.  We know that thiamine metabolism is related to the intake of sugar in the diet.  Beriberi has been reported in Japanese students ingesting carbonated beverages, a common worldwide activity associated with social groups, particularly adolescents. We know also that our present food supply does not contain the kind of concentration of vitamins and minerals required for perfect health, again suggesting the greater risk of a high IQ in relation to the quality of diet. The only direct connection between thiamine deficiency and the action of the Gardasil vaccine is that it is a yeast based vaccine. The yeast used in its preparation contains an enzyme called thiaminase. This naturally occurring enzyme breaks thiamine into its component parts and destroys its biologic action. Thiaminase disease has been reported in Japan.

Could Any Vaccine or Medication be a Stress Factor Sufficient to Induce Thiamine Deficiency?

In a previous post I told the story of how workers in factories succumbed to their first symptoms of beriberi as a result of their exposure to sunlight. What this implies is that you can have a marginal thiamine deficiency which is asymptomatic. Some kind of stress factor such as a simple viral illness, an injury, or even an inoculation can initiate symptoms. There are many examples of this in the medical literature, where a marginal metabolic situation that affects the brain is activated in this manner. Evidence provided by an abnormal transketolase is but a beginning, providing a scientific clue that should, in a sane world, initiate further research.

Additional Reference

Lonsdale D, Faulkner W R, Price J W, and Smeby R R. Intermittent cerebellar ataxia associated with hyperpyruvic acidemia, hyperalaninemia, and hyperalaninuria. Pediatrics 1969;43:1025-34.

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Hormones MatterTM is conducting research on the side effects and adverse events associated with Gardasil and its counterpart Cervarix. If you or your daughter has had either HPV vaccine (we hope to launch the male version soon), please take this important survey. The Gardasil Cervarix HPV Vaccine Survey.

To take one of our other surveys, click here.

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Cerebellar Ataxia and the HPV Vaccine – Connection and Treatment

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Anecdotal evidence points to a connection between Gardasil and Cervarix, the HPV vaccines, and cerebellar injury. Here, from the journal Neuropediatrics comes the first published report linking the HPV vaccine to cerebellar ataxia: Association of Acute Cerebellar Ataxia and Human Papilloma Virus Vaccine: A Case Study.

I should note, from our research we’re also seeing cases of cerebellar ataxia post fluoroquinolone reaction and related to Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. The cerebellum appears to be particularly sensitive to insult from environmental toxins – to functional mitochondrial injuries, perhaps because it collects the millions of peripheral nerves coming from the body that control sensation and movement, as they pass to higher brain centers. As such, the cerebellum demands high levels of oxygen and nutrients.

For those of our readers new to neuroanatomy, the cerebellum is the cauliflower looking section at the base of the brain that controls motor coordination – the ability to perform coordinated tasks such as walking, focusing on a visual stimuli and reaching for objects in space. The walking and balance disturbances associated with cerebellar damage or degeneration have a very distinct look, a wide gait, with an inability to walk heal to toe – very much like a drunken sailor. Videos of cerebellar ataxia can be seen here.

The Case Details: Acute Cerebellar Ataxia Post HPV Vaccine

Approximately, two weeks after receiving the HPV vacccine, Cervarix, a previously healthy 12.5 year old girl developed nausea and dizziness with severe cerebellar ataxia, tremors and nystagmus. Initial tests came back normal and she was hospitalized on day 20 post HPV vaccine. Though she could sit on her own, she could not stand or walk unaided and the nystagmus prevented her from focusing on TV, reading or other activities. She had no fever. Heel-knee-shin and finger-nose tests indicated ataxia with terminal intention tremor and dysmetria (see videos: horizontal nystagmus or here for multiple types of nystagmus, heel-knee-shin test, finger-nose test).

All blood tests, cerebral spinal fluid tests and imaging tests were normal, with the exception of testing positive for IgG and varicella zoster virus – chicken pox and shingles – indicating earlier exposure. Tumors, paraneoplastic disease, cardiovascular disease, metabolic conditions and labyrinthitis (inner ear disturbance) were all ruled out. Her symptoms did not remit as was expected with acute cerebellar ataxia.

Treatment Options for Acute Cerebellar Ataxia

Beginning on day 25 post HPV vaccine, pulsed IV methylprednisone (1000mg/d) was administered for three days. Her symptoms persisted. On day 44 post HPV vaccine, IV immunoglobulin (IVIG) at 400mg/kg was initiated and run for 5 days. Her symptoms persisted.

At day 65 post vaccine, with no indication of improvement, immunoadsorption plasmapharesis was begun at a rate of seven times per month. The physicians report a gradual improvement of the nystagmus after two treatments with a full resolution of symptoms after 19 courses of treatment (day 134 post HPV vaccine). The improvement was short-lived, however, and beginning at day 220 post HPV vaccine, the symptoms began to return, gradually at first with nystagmus, and then completely. Immunoadsorption plasmapharesis was begun anew on day 332 post HPV vaccine. After five courses of treatment, the patient’s symptoms again remitted.

Immunoglobulin G (IgG) and Cerebellar Ataxia Symptoms

Of interest, symptom severity corresponded to IgG levels. Her initial IgG levels were not reported, but after 19 treatments, when symptoms disappeared completely for the first time, her IgG levels were 354 mg/dL (day 134). When the symptoms appeared again (day 332) her IgG levels were elevated at 899 mg/dL. Upon treatment, her IgG levels dropped to 503 mg/dL as the nystagmus abated and then to 354 mg/dL upon complete remission, for the second time, at day 332 post HPV vaccine.

HPV16L and Post HPV Vaccine Reactions and Death

The researchers from this study, speculate a connection between the IgG response, and an as of yet, undetermined antibody. Testing for a variety of known antibodies were negative. Since the HPV16L is molecularly  similar to certain cell adhesion molecules, enzymes, transcription factors and neural antigens, it is possible that the HPV16L particles triggered the response.

In separate studies, autopsies of girls who died suddenly post HPV vaccine have found non-degrading HPV16L particles linked to the deaths. In the first case, researchers performed secondary postmortem immunochemistry of two girls who died suddenly after receiving Gardasil. They found evidence of cerebral vasculitis linked to the HPV16L particles throughout the cerebral vasculature.

Similarly, a postmortem exam of another girl who died from the HPV vaccine, found HPV16L DNA particles in the blood and spleen.  The researcher reported that the DNA fragments were found in the macrophages, and protected from degradation because of the tight binding of the HPV16L gene fragments to the aluminum adjuvant. The fragments underwent a conformational change rendering them more ‘stable’ and resistant to degredation, perhaps explaining their presence in the blood and spleen six months post vaccine. This has been contended.

Methods in both of the above studies have been controversial and questioned and should be interpreted with caution. However, researchers from Italy compared HPV16 proteome in the vaccine to the human to proteome and found 84 identical proteins involved in cell differentiation and neurosensory regulation. According to these researchers, the homology between the vaccine and the human proteome, bound to aluminum adjuvant

“make the occurrence of side autoimmune cross-reactions in the human host following HPV16-based vaccination almost unavoidable”.

Whatever the exact culprit, in this case the cerebellar ataxia was acute and temporally related to the HPV vaccine. The favorable response to immunoadsorption and consequent reduction in IgG levels, indicates an auto-immune response.

Mitochondrial Injury, Thyroid, Thiamine and Cerebellar Ataxia

With a more slowly developing cerebellar ataxia and related symptoms, it is possible a medication induced mitochondrial injury, related to a depletion of thiamine is present. Thiamine is critical for mitochondrial function. Similarly, patients have reported cerebellar ataxias related to Hashimoto’s. Generally, when testing for both thiamine deficiency and Hashimoto’s is undertaken, both are confirmed.

Final Thoughts

This report represents one of the first clear linkages between the HPV vaccine and acute cerebellar ataxia. More importantly, it suggests a treatment opportunity when caught early. With so little data available, it is not clear whether immunoadsorption would work for more chronic cases. However, there is evidence of its success in Guillian Barre, Myasthenia Gravis and other autoimmune conditions. When combined with the early data pointing to Hashimoto’s and thiamine deficiency, paths forward post injury are emerging.

Participate in Research

Hormones MatterTM is conducting research on the side effects and adverse events associated with Gardasil and its counterpart Cervarix. If you or your daughter has had either HPV vaccine, please take this important survey. The Gardasil Cervarix HPV Vaccine Survey.

We are also conducting research adverse reactions associated with the fluoroquinolone antibiotics, Cipro, Levaquin and Avelox: The Fluoroquinolone Antibiotics Side Effects Study.

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My Son’s Gardasil Story and Thiamine Deficiency

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On June 16th 2012 my son complained of ear pain, so I took him to his doctor thinking he had an ear infection. He had no infection but his doctor suggested doing a physical exam since he had not been in for a couple of years. My son had just turned 18 years old three weeks prior and just graduated from high school. He was happy, healthy, and active. After the exam I was called into the room. His doctor said he was in good health and observed no problems, but since he would be going off to college in the fall, he recommended that he should receive the meningococcal vaccine along with the Gardasil vaccine. In his words, “HPV is rampant in colleges and he should have this vaccine.” This had been my son’s physician since birth, and having no prior knowledge of the Gardasil vaccine controversy, I trusted him and agreed to these two vaccines that day.

There was absolutely no discussion of possible harmful side effects.

My son did not have any immediate reactions that I can remember, but on July 30th 2012 that all changed. We were out to lunch and when his food arrived he looked at me with a very strange look on his face and said that he just didn’t feel right, something was wrong. He could not eat that day even though he was hungry just prior. He would complain of severe stomach pain that came and went over the next few weeks.

On August 7th 2012 he received the second dose of Gardasil. His stomach pain increased in severity, but we still did not make the Gardasil connection. Who would think that a vaccine for HPV would cause stomach aches?

Just nine days after that second injection, he felt he needed to go in and see his doctor. The pain was becoming unbearable. The doctor prescribed antacids but this only made his problem worse, so he then suggested an endoscopy. The endoscopy came back completely normal. At this point his doctor felt that his stomach pain was due to stress and anxiety because he was going off to college. The doctor suggested that he should “go talk to someone.” I knew for a fact that the pain was not in his head or simply due to stress. It was real. Now, almost a year later, and with the knowledge of the possible side effects of the Gardasil vaccine, I am very angry that his doctor did not recognize “severe stomach aches” as being one of the Gardasil side effects. How did he not connect those dots, especially given the fact that my son was in his office just nine days after receiving the second dose complaining of that very thing? This recognition would have prevented him from getting that dreadful final dose.

My son left for college and soon after began developing other symptoms, mainly extreme fatigue and brain fog. He made it through the quarter and came home for Winter break. On December 27th he received the 3rd and final dose of Gardasil. The very next evening he became extremely sick. All the symptoms he had been experiencing along with many others became instantly worse. I was finally able to make the Gardasil connection. Since then he has had more symptoms than I can list, sinus headaches, pain at the base of his skull, fever, chills, hair loss, vision changes, gallbladder pain/gallstones, sleep disturbances, tingling, numbness, no appetite, weight loss, anxiety, excessive thirst, salt cravings, kidney issues, liver issues, heart palpitations, slow heartbeat, fast heartbeat, dizzy, rashes, mouth sores, yeast issues, low stomach acid… the list goes on. To this day he still suffers from many of these symptoms.

What has followed are many doctors and  many, many tests; most of which have come back normal with the exception of his most recent test. After reading Dr. Lonsdale’s article on thiamine deficiency and his recommendation for Gardasil injured to have a red cell transketolase blood test,  I immediately requested one for my son. I researched the symptoms of thiamine deficiency and he pretty much had every single one. The test came back strongly positive. He was severely thiamine deficient.

This is where we are today. We started immediate supplementation with oral alliathiamine and we are looking into possible IV supplementation, for perhaps, a quicker, more thorough improvement. I sincerely hope that this discovery might be the key to my son finally being well again and that this devastating nightmare may finally come to an end.

Participate in Research

Hormones MatterTM is conducting research on the side effects and adverse events associated with Gardasil and its counterpart Cervarix. If you or your daughter has had either HPV vaccine (we hope to launch the male version soon), please take this important survey. The Gardasil Cervarix HPV Vaccine Survey.

To take one of our other Real Women. Real Data.TM surveys, click here.

To sign up for our newsletter and receive weekly updates on the latest research news and research participation opportunities click here.

To share your health story with our community, click here.

If you think what we do at Hormones Matter is worthwhile, contribute to our research programs and our continued health research reporting. Hormones Matter is totally unfunded and can use your help to continue operations. Crowdfund Hormones Matter – Buy an Unsubscription.

 

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Marketing the HPV Vaccines to Prevent Cervical Cancer

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HPV vaccines have been promoted to the public as a ‘vaccine to prevent cervical cancer’ (a non-infectious disease) yet these vaccines have never been demonstrated to prevent any cervical cancer. Six years after the HPV vaccine was implemented globally, Ian Frazer, the Australian inventor of the vaccine, stated ‘HPV vaccines may prevent cervical cancer.’ This is why the health department only refers to this vaccine as an ‘HPV vaccine’. In 2007 when the vaccine was approved for all women in many countries it was also known that there were 15 plus high-risk HPV strains that were associated with causing cervical cancer. Yet the HPV vaccine, Gardasil®, only covered 2 strains that were associated with cervical cancer – HPV 16 and 18 – the other 2 strains in the vaccine were associated with causing genital warts. This means there are 13 other high-risk HPV strains that are not covered in the Gardasil® vaccine and this is why vaccinated women will still require regular Pap screening.

Low Risk for Cancer

Women were also not informed that an infection with HPV is harmless and does not cause disease – cancer or warts – unless other co-factors are also present. These co-factors are not prevalent in developed countries. This is why Ian Frazer stated in 2005 ‘80-90% of cervical cancer occurs in the developing countries’. Not countries like Australia, Europe and the US. These countries have a low risk of cervical cancer. In Australia the death rate to cervical cancer when the vaccine was introduced in 2007 was 1.7 women /100,000. Pap screening combined with surgery is effective (9 out of 10 cancers) in detecting and preventing cervical cancer – and Pap screening will still be needed by vaccinated women. This means that it is not cost-effective for governments to be subsidizing the HPV vaccine when we already have an effective detection and prevention (surgery) in place that is virtually risk free.

HPV is Common

HPV is a common infection in all women. 80% of healthy women will have an HPV infection during their lifetime but this is harmless unless the co-factors are present that are necessary for the development of disease. In a developed country the risk of dying from cervical cancer is 0.25% but in developing countries it is 1.5%. Whilst the pharmaceutically funded marketing campaign informed women of the high incidence of HPV infection (80%) in women it did not inform women that the majority of these women are not at risk of developing cervical cancer or warts. The Australian Government states that the majority of women with an HPV infection are not at risk of cervical cancer.

This means that a drug has been recommended to all women but the majority of these women are not at risk of disease. However, many are now at risk from the side-effects of the vaccine. The government has not reduced the risk of disease with this policy but possibly increased the risk – at great expense. HPV vaccines are the most expensive vaccine on the market – $Au450 – yet the risks and benefits of this vaccine are still undetermined. The clinical trials had not been completed when the vaccine was approved for the market by the FDA in 2006. The safety of this vaccine has never been established.

The HPV vaccine had not been tested using an inert placebo in the unvaccinated group. The Merck funded clinical trial used aluminium adjuvant as the placebo in the unvaccinated group – this is a substance that is linked to causing autoimmune diseases and hypersensitivity. Comparing the vaccinated group to a group that is given aluminium adjuvant does not provide information on the harm this vaccine will cause in healthy people. The most frequent adverse reactions caused by this vaccine are neurological reactions such as seizures, convulsions, paralysis, tics, encephalopathy and thyroiditis. Many deaths have also been linked to the vaccine.

There were 21,265 adverse events reported to the US FDA and CDC alone up to September 2012. Many of these included permanent chronic illness and death. In 2013 the governments of India and Japan are no longer recommending this vaccine to the community.

This vaccine has only been trialled by the manufacturer of the vaccine, Merck, and it was promoted to the public by a campaign that was designed and funded by the manufacturer of the vaccine. In 2006 Merck won the ‘Brand of the Year’ for Gardasil® for creating a market out of thin air for this vaccine.

For the full report published in Infectious Agents and Cancer: HPV vaccination programs have not been shown to be cost-effective in countries with comprehensive Pap screening and surgery. Judy Wilyman’s research is being presented at the University of Wollongong, Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts, School of Social Sciences, Media and Communication.

Participate in Research

Hormones MatterTM is conducting research on the side effects and adverse events associated with Gardasil and its counterpart Cervarix. If you or your daughter has had either HPV vaccine, please take this important survey. The Gardasil Cervarix HPV Vaccine Survey.

To take one of our other Real Women. Real Data.TM surveys, click here.

To sign up for our newsletter and receive weekly updates on the latest research news, click here.

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Knitting for Victory against Gardasil

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It wasn’t too long ago that you read the story about my daughter Alisa Duckworth and how her life was dramatically disabled from the Gardasil vaccine series, see Gardasil Injured. What I didn’t tell you about Alisa, is how loving, caring, and compassionate she is about helping others. Alisa has made it her mission to knit hats to help the other victims of the vaccine. She has even shipped internationally.

Knitting

The story begins during her first paralysis; I would sit by her hospital bed and knit for hours – just knitting without being aware of the time. I finished the first hat and put it on Alisa. She wore it her entire stay in the hospital. She called it her security hat.

I taught Alisa how to knit a few years ago to help keep her mind off the intense pain. She struggled to learn, as the pain would take away her concentration. It was extremely frustrating, but she was determined. Soon she got into the rhythm of the stitches and knitting became easy for her. She would focus on the project she was working on and found it very relaxing.

Pay it Forward

Alisa has taken her knitting and is now “paying it forward”, so they say. She finds that knitting helps with her pain control. She knows how her security hat made her feel better and is now knitting hats for the others injured from the vaccine. She finds comfort in making them a hat in a pattern and color of their choice. She then mails out the hats to them.

You Can Help

With her medical care bills already out of control, I found it was getting really expensive to buy the yarn and pay for the shipping too. I spoke to her about options so she could continue knitting for the injured and knitting for her pain control. We came to the conclusion of using her Allie Designs on Facebook. She sells her hats to customers and uses the money to purchase more yarn. We also have a Paypal account where she accepts donations to use for yarn and shipping. The PayPal account is steven.duckworth@gmail.com.

Educate before you vaccinate.

Allie’s Designs

Sarah Meyers wearing one of Allie's DesignsAlexis Wolf wearing one of Allie's DesigsMickayla Dussault wearing one of Allie's Designs

 

Participate in Research

Hormones MatterTM is conducting research on the side effects and adverse events associated with Gardasil and its counterpart Cervarix. If you or your daughter has had either HPV vaccine, please take this important survey. The Gardasil Cervarix HPV Vaccine Survey.

To take one of our other Real Women. Real Data.TM surveys, click here.

To sign up for our newsletter and receive weekly updates on the latest research news, click here.

 

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Five Years After Gardasil

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My name is Ashley Adair and I am suffering the side effects of something I thought would help me.  I received the Gardasil vaccine because the people and doctors all around me kept telling me “OH! This vaccine is the best thing to happen to the medical industry!” Of course my mom and I fell for it like many girls have. I want to let people know about the dark side of the Gardasil vaccine.

My Life Before Gardasil

Before the HPV Vaccine, I was the most energetic child. I went to school for 8 hours, then went to 3 hours of gymnastics practice, finishing with homework at night. My weekends were filled with gymnastics meets. After gymnastics I went straight into competition cheerleading, which were the same hours. I basically lived in the gym and loved every second of it. I was blessed. Overall I was a healthy child.

After the First Gardasil Injection

I received my first injection in April, 2008. My injection did hurt more than a normal injection. I had mild soreness and redness after. At the time, I didn’t recognize the symptoms I was having. I had slight fatigue, and I would occasionally have a very sore throat. I could not stick my tongue out and I just threw it off as an allergic reaction to chlorine because I was swimming a lot.

After the Second Gardasil Injection

The nightmare began in June, 2008. I received the second shot and I noticed it hurt a bit more than the first. I almost cried a bit, which is very much unlike me. I got a little lightheaded at the checkout line. After 30 minutes, I was fine. The very next night I told my mom I was very sick. I was crying in pain with my pelvis and legs absolutely killing me. I was running a fever and I was very nauseous. So like any parent would, she took me to the emergency room. Of course, the doctors only listen to one symptom and told me I had a stomach virus and that they couldn’t do anything for me. They sent me home.

The next day I was so exhausted and slept till about 3 o’clock. My mom came home from work.  I went outside and noticed I had some kind of rash all over my body. It looked like someone took a fine point purple permanent marker and dotted it all over me. My mom immediately took me to my regular pediatrician and he could not figure out what was on me. He ran a lot of blood work and we went home until we could receive the blood work news. My mom received a phone call around 9 o’clock; one of the scariest phone calls she has ever received. My doctor told her I needed to get back to the ER ASAP. He told her that my blood work was CRITICAL, and the rash on me was called a petechial rash.

Petechiae rashMy red blood cells and white blood cells were completely wiped out. They told me if I were to do a handstand my gums would start bleeding and I would bleed to death. If I caught a common cold my body would not be able to fight it off and I would die. Over the next six weeks I went through so many different rashes, EXTREME fatigue, joint pains, leg pains, shoulder pains, dizziness, and low blood pressure. I finally went to an infectious disease specialist and he told me not to get the third shot or I wouldn’t be here.

I finally started getting better. At the age of 15 I still had not received my menstrual cycle. I went to an OBGYN and he put me on birth control to start my period. That should have been a sign then but we didn’t think about it. I never gained my energy back. My senior year things started acting up again. I got a hemangioma on my lip.

This was very strange because it is mostly babies that will get a hemangioma, not adults. After that happened, I started getting very sick. I missed weeks of school at a time. I kept getting severe bronchitis and I just couldn’t shake it off. I also had to go to the doctor because I was very depressed. I was then put on Zoloft. Luckily my teachers worked with me and I graduated with A’s and B’s.

Ashley Adair Hemangioma post Gardasil
The hemangioma that developed on my lip.

Five Years Post Gardasil

Over the five years after I received the shot I always slept, never had energy, and kept getting what I thought was growing pains. In June of 2012 my growing pains were getting worse in my knees/legs. So my mom took me to the doctor and they couldn’t really figure out what was wrong. They put me in a knee brace and gave me medicine and sent me off. I also just did not feel good at all and my doctor ran some more blood work on me. We then found out I had hypothyroidism, I am now on medicine for that.

From June 2012 until now (August 2013), I face every day with severe pain. My pain is in my lower back, pelvic, hips, back of leg, and knee. I had eight epidurals for the pain. Nothing worked. My legs will also turn a dark purple almost black and it will travel all the way down to my feet.  No one seems to know what causes this.

Ashley Adair post Gardasil blood pooling
My leg turning purple.

I had an MRI for my back and found out that I am missing an ovary and have a mass on my uterus. Of course, when I went to the OBGYN for it, he did a sonogram and could find neither the mass nor my ovary. He threw me off like it was no big deal. I am now lost on whether I have an ovary or a mass.

I have discovered in this situation that doctors really will not try to help you. They just don’t believe you or throw you off to another doctor if they can’t figure it out. I also have lost family members because of this problem. Not everyone will believe you or know what you are going through, but I am here to get my word out so no girl or boy will have to go through the misery that I am going through. I want to create something good out of something terrible.

Participate in Research

Hormones MatterTM is conducting research on the side effects and adverse events associated with Gardasil and its counterpart Cervarix. If you or your daughter has had either HPV vaccine, please take this important survey. The Gardasil Cervarix HPV Vaccine Survey.

To take one of our other Real Women. Real Data.TM surveys, click here.

To sign up for our newsletter and receive weekly updates on the latest research news, click here.

 

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Before and After Gardasil

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On January 29th, 2011, I went to a gynecological appointment with my fiancé to discuss birth control pills and get my first set of HPV Gardasil vaccinations. I believed the vaccine was important. I personally had never taken the time to research vaccinations or Gardasil. I believed it was a part of the ‘healthcare’ system.  I had seen the commercials and wanted to be ‘one less girl’ affected by cervical cancer. I didn’t know the ingredients, the real statistics on HPV, cervical cancer, or even how long it had been studied and tested. I knew nothing about the vaccine but trusted my doctors.

My Health before Gardasil

Prior to that visit, I had been dealing with spine issues and pain since I was a teenager. In October of 2010 I had another injury that put me out of work and aggravated my spine issues. I was prescribed heavy doses of muscle relaxers.  I had been taking those medications for the six months prior, but had weaned myself off a couple weeks before my Ob/Gyn checkup. The muscle relaxers were causing gastrointestinal (GI) complications in my body, exacerbating GI issues I already had. I thought this appointment would be beneficial and I was happy I had weaned off muscle relaxers two weeks prior. I was hoping to keep what small progress I had going.

My First Gardasil Injection

Within the first few days and for the week after the Gardasil shot, I was bedridden and sick with what we thought was a bad flu. It was also possible I was having a reaction from the muscle relaxer withdrawal or the side effects of my newly prescribed birth control pills. I stopped taking the birth control pills after eight days and my symptoms worsened.

My mother and fiancé remember the physical changes when I wasn’t feeling well, but those few days after Gardasil have blurred together for me. I was so sick. The next days, weeks and months to come, I experienced the worst nausea, weakness and most severe pain in every crevice of my stomach and body that I have ever felt in my life. Even the other stomach sensitivities and spine/back issues I had experienced previously paled in comparison to what happened to me after getting Gardasil.

The Doctors

We went to every doctor appointment and tested everything we possibly could. The tests kept coming back ‘fine’. (Ironically, they never tested for heavy metal poisoning, which we found later I had. If any doctor would have known those symptoms, I had nearly all of them, perhaps I wouldn’t have suffered for so long.) None of the doctors said there could be any connection with Gardasil, but we suspected otherwise. In fact, most told us just the opposite; that my symptoms were definitely not caused by Gardasil. It was not until blood tests taken outside of my doctor’s office nine months later that we discovered the toxic stress, heavy metal poisoning and other toxins were filtering through my bloodstream. (Gardasil ingredients included; we finally connected it with certainty here.)

The Pain and Nausea

During this period of many months, for twenty four hours a day, every moment of my life, I was nauseas, sick to my stomach and alternating puking. I could not drink water or eat anything without getting sick. Digesting anything was extremely painful. It hurt to move, to walk or to do anything. I could not even wear jeans around my waist for seven months because of how painful my stomach felt. I discovered new levels of dizziness. I was losing weight rapidly, up to 15 pounds a month, with limited activity.

Nicole Alexandra Before and After Gardasil
Left: me in December 2010, one month before Gardasil. Right: a year and a half later, July 2012 after the extreme weight loss post Gardasil.

I tried to focus and meditate healing into my body to counteract what was happening. I lost 100 pounds within that first year and a half. My diastolic blood pressure dropped to the 50’s/40’s. It used to be consistently around 120’s/60-70’s. My hair fell out at the rate of my weight loss – quickly. Even my tongue turned a grey black color in the center, and my eyes turned a slight yellow.

The most challenging and embarrassing issues were the gastrointestinal problems, which were each horrifying on their own. Every time I had to use the restroom, it made me more ill than I already felt, and the pain I experienced is something I will never forget. The pain in my stomach and body was disorientating. It physically hurt everywhere. I struggled focusing, verbalizing my anxiety or frustrations because I was feeling so toxic in my own body. I was in more pain, more exhausted and more fatigued than I had ever felt. It was often overwhelming and uncomfortable, especially trying to sleep with comfort or ease. Meanwhile through all of this, I was told by my doctors that I had Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and to go on a whole grain diet. That was the only advice they had for us, after all my symptoms, IBS. We knew we needed other help and resources.

Family Support

My family focused all of their efforts into helping me any way they could. I was already seeing an acupuncturist outside of my insurance every week and she was documenting my progressing issues as time went on.

We bought vitamins, herbs, protein powders, digestive enzymes, probiotics, and fiber supplements to treat IBS issues. We began the first of many dramatic diet changes to facilitate gut healing. After months of using these products, they were helping on a small scale by not making things feel worse, with some slight benefits. The nausea and pain were still constant. My back and whole body were amongst the most excruciating pains and because of the pain, my mobility, energy and strength were limited. As the months went by, I became further immobilized. I walked as much as I was able. I tried swimming during the summer, but it exacerbated my pain greatly. My physical therapist told me, “This was as good as I was going to get.” We didn’t stick around with her after that.

Out of Desperation

We were at our tip of desperation after I returned from a two day trip with my fiancé. We went out of town to see friends. It was traveling, something I hadn’t done during this year of many changes. We were trying to make it work even with my health complications. It was wonderful seeing my friends, but my body could not recover from exhaustion after returning. We sought additional help. The physicians we saw during this time had not helped, many would not help and denied my symptoms. It was my acupuncturist, who stuck with us and tried to heal me. She gave me the name of a chiropractor in the area. It was worth a try.

Chiropractic Health

One of our biggest blessings through this chaos was finding chiropractic care and meeting my chiropractor, Dr. McKillican. He recognized the crisis my health and nervous system were in and was the first sincere and genuine doctor that strived to help us. A chiropractor was not on any of my insurance or among the recommendations suggested to me, ever. In fact, I was advised to stay away from them earlier in life. I know with my whole being that chiropractic saved my life, especially during this crucial time of disease and sickness. I have been getting weekly adjustments for nearly two years, beginning seven months after getting Gardasil. Chiropractic adjustments have made significant and dramatic improvements in healing and strengthening my nervous system and body. Regular adjustments work on our nervous system to remove nerve interference within us and to promote the body’s natural ability to heal itself.

 Vital Hematology and Nutrition

Nine months after Gardasil, I worked with a vital hematologist to detoxify my body naturally. We used a focused diet that included: juicing specific veggies, fruits, herbs, multiple vitamins, digestive enzymes, colloidal silver, olive leaf extract, glutathione, aloe vera juice. This regime greatly helped with my unbearable, chronic nausea.  It seems to have reduced the intensity of pain throughout my stomach. I have had significant improvements in GI health.

This past year I also began working with a nutritionist to deal with the continuous mending needed to repair my GI issues, adrenal dysfunction, energy, appetite/food challenges and over all internal damages. I am thankful beyond words for the healing I’ve experienced, and despite the pain and the many challenges I have faced post Gardasil, my body is mending at the rate it can.  I use my energy to focus on this.

Two Years Post Gardasil

The issues I am still working on healing and mending are different two and half years after Gardasil are the autoimmunity changes. These include:  gastrointestinal issues, body pain, appetite dysregulation and the ability to eat enough, malabsorption of nutrients, low blood pressure and dizziness, energy, sensitivity to cold temperature and chemicals.

Food and my appetite can be very overwhelming sometimes.  I often don’t want or have the desire to eat or I get full too quickly. I also get really hungry all at once, often unexpectedly and painfully. The food and appetite issues are a constant work in progress that is still very complex. They have become somewhat easier to work with now than in the years before. I find focusing on ratios of carbs, fats and protein I need helps. I have also eliminated foods with gluten, GMO or that are processed. I no longer eat foods that are spicy or acidic either. I eat raw organic veggies only juiced because my GI tract cannot tolerate the un-juiced vegetables.  I watch my sugar intake, including many fruits, and other foods that I am sensitive to. I eat whole foods, organic vegetables and fruits, good fats (butter and coconut oil have helped immensely here) and as much healthy, grass fed, organic protein and protein shakes as my body needs to be balanced. All this has helped substantially.

My healthy lifestyle is vital to keep my progress going. With nutrition, vitamins, medicinal herbs, supplements, regular chiropractic adjustments, removing as many toxins from my environment, and adding as much movement, exercise, walking or stretching as I can, I am slowly improving. I also use coffee enemas and drink alkalized water (and lots of it). My body now seems to be on the path it needs to recover from the atrocity that Gardasil caused. Every day is different with pain and energy levels, but I focus on the blessings, because I know how much worse it can be.

The Support of My Family

It has taken a substantial amount of money, time and sacrifices from my extraordinary mother and fiancé to care for me post Gardasil. Without them, none of this progress could have been possible. I am more grateful and humbled than ever to be alive and for all the amazing, most abundant love and support of people I’m blessed to share my life with. I could not have come this far without these wonderful people.

Gardasil changed my health, my life, and family’s lives forever; physically, mentally emotionally, financially, and educationally. What I can give and share with others through this experience is the truth, my experiences, and the real facts and statistics regarding Gardasil. I plan to do this until this vaccine exists no more.

Participate in Research

Hormones MatterTM is conducting research on the side effects and adverse events associated with Gardasil and its counterpart Cervarix. If you or your daughter has had either HPV vaccine, please take this important survey. The Gardasil Cervarix HPV Vaccine Survey.

To take one of our other Real Women. Real Data.TM surveys, click here.

To sign up for our newsletter and receive weekly updates on the latest research news, click here.

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A Day in the Life of Alexis Wolf: Six Years After Gardasil

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Alexis is now 20 years old. Six years have passed since her first injection of Gardasil. Life has changed drastically since then. After the Gardasil vaccine, Alexis developed encephalopathy, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and a horrible seizure disorder that has yet to be controlled. Read the first part of Alexis’ Gardasil journey here.

Post Gardasil Brain Injury

Alexis’ brain injury post Gardasil is in the frontal lobe. This part of the brain controls so much of who we are. This has left Alexis with the mental capacity of about an 8 year old. She gets very confused easily and struggles with short term and long term memory so she requires constant supervision with frequent redirection on everyday tasks. Her skill level of preparing meals for herself and daily personal hygiene is almost nonexistent. She can no longer take showers due to the danger of having a seizure and falling. I have to help her take a bath and make sure she gets clean. I have to assist in washing her hair to make sure it gets clean. I also have to get her clothes ready for her. She can usually dress herself with little assistance.

Post Gardasil Bowel and Bladder Problems

Since receiving Gardasil, Alexis progressively lost bladder and bowel control.  She has to wear adult diapers.  Sometimes she will put her fingers inside her anus to try to help herself go #2. Although we have discussed this with all of her doctors and with her, telling her it is very dangerous for her and everyone one else, she cannot control herself. We make her wash her hands OFTEN. I wipe things down with Lysol wipes OFTEN.

Post Gardasil Pain

Alexis has often expressed frustration, depression and suicidal thoughts as to her present life and her future. She can be swift to anger and have great mood swings. She will slam doors, throw things, spit at us and call us a variety of cuss words. She is miserable most of the time. She complains about pain constantly. We have been turned away by three different pain specialist because they review her records and tell me she is “too complex” for them to treat. The only thing she has to help her with the pain is medical marijuana in the form of tinctures and vapors. When her head hurts really badly she will hit her forehead with the palm of her hand and say “brain get better, brain get better…” She also complains about all over body aches, sharp pains in her chest, joint and muscle pain. She will tell us that everything looks scary, strange and unusual even herself. The best description she was able to give us was that it looked like the walls were melting and people looked like cartoons. I had to take her out of high school for the above reasons. Her teachers were not very patient with her and they would push her buttons so one day she hit one of her teachers in the arm. The school called the police so I took her out of school.

Post Gardasil Seizures

Alexis’ speech patterns can often digress to repetitive statements over and over. This occurs without the knowledge that she is engaged in that behavior. Her motivation level is very low due to her brain injury. Getting her to do anything is quite the struggle. Almost every task is labored and takes lots of patience from the person helping her. Often at times she will flat out refuse to move and begs to take a nap. She naps off and on all day every day. We really do not know how long she sleeps at night but we think it is no longer than two hours at a time. The seizures happen all the time and they wake her up while she is sleeping. She is usually unable to fall back to sleep, so she wanders the house and searches for food. She has horrible impulse control and she is not able to tell if she is full or not. We have to keep the fridge and the pantry locked up at all times so she does not eat herself into a coma. If she eats a full meal and then has a seizure she will forget that she has just eaten and she begs for food saying that she is starving. We also lock up her medications because she will forget that she has taken them and try to take more even though I store them in those daily dose medicine boxes. She can have many, many seizures in a day. She takes anti-seizure meds and she also has a device implanted in her chest called a VNS therapy. It is supposed to reduce or stop her seizures but so far we have not really noticed a difference. She has had it for 3 years and soon she will be due for a battery replacement that will require another surgery. The battery should have lasted 5-10 years but the doctors have made so many adjustments on the therapy levels that the battery only has a few months left of power.

Alexis having a Seizure in 2010

Six Years and Counting

In the past six years we have had to deal with many people who do not understand the side-effects of the Gardasil vaccine. We have been accused of horrible things. We have had to endure being investigated by Child Protective Services, Adult Protective Services, police, detectives and more. Family, friends and neighbors have turned their heads and left us behind. Alexis’ father has not spoken to her in two years and all the help he had once offered is nonexistent. The government services that should support Alexis and her brain injury are bogged down so she is on a waiting list of over 40,000 people. I was told she MIGHT get services in 2019 when her name comes up next on the list. The way things have been going it is possible that all money and services may dry up and go away before her name even comes up.

Alexis’ inability to live independently will require lifelong care and assistance. I worry all the time about what will happen to her when I am no longer able to care for her. Every day new challenges arise so I can never put down my guard. I have been told by at least two doctors that I should look into some sort of institutional assisted living facility, but I cannot wrap my mind around that just yet. Life is quite different than it was six years ago, before Gardasil. Six years ago Alexis was a normal 14 year old. Starting to wear make-up and get interested in boys…working hard in school and enjoying honor roll. She had her whole life ahead of her and now she spends every day in a living hell filled with pain and misery, begging to be better, begging everyone to pray for her.

Six years ago, before Gardasil, life was very different.

Alexis Wolf before Gardasil
Alexis Wolf, age 14, before her first Gardasil injection.

 

Alexis Wolf after Gardasil
Alexis Wolf, age 20, six years after Gardasil.

 

Participate in Research

Hormones MatterTM is conducting research on the side effects and adverse events associated with Gardasil and its counterpart Cervarix. If you or your daughter has had either HPV vaccine, please take this important survey. The Gardasil Cervarix HPV Vaccine Survey.

To take one of our other Real Women. Real Data.TM surveys, click here.

To sign up for our newsletter and receive weekly updates on the latest research news, click here.

 

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