Post-Gardasil Syndrome: Kaitlyn from Ontario

Story written by her mother, Yvonne

Kaitlyn was a healthy, active, vibrant young girl prior to her experience with Gardasil in 2010. She danced competitively 20 hours a week, played rep soccer, and ran cross country and track and field. Loved sports and keeping fit.  She always had a smile on her face and was so willing to help a friend with whatever problem they had.

That all changed in October 2010 when she received her first shot of Gardasil.  Right after that shot she complained of back pain….something she never had before.  Considering her active lifestyle, the back pain was chalked up to overuse and all her activities. Then came January 2011, time for her second shot. Immediately following this one she complained of pain in her back and knees.  Again not even considering the vaccine, we figured her continued back aches and now knee pain was a combination of growing pains, hormones and strained and overworked joints and muscles.  She begins taking Tylenol and Advil hoping it would help but not really.

In April 2011 she received the final dose of Gardasil. For her that was the straw that broke the camel’s back.  Her back and knee pain became so severe she cried from the pain. Dancing, running and soccer became extremely painful and difficult for her.

A visit to the family doctor’s has her being diagnosed with overused joints and muscles. The doctor prescribes an anti-inflammatory.  She begins weekly visits to a chiropractor who specializes in sports injuries as well as a massage therapist.  Her knees and back get taped on a weekly basis.  Her only relief is lying on the ground packed in ice.  As summer progresses, the pain creeps into her hips.  Yet the only activity she is doing is soccer, we wonder how can her pain be getting worse instead of better if she isn’t straining herself as much??

September rolls around and she starts grade 9.  Walking is becoming more and more difficult. Her pain continues to migrate to other parts of her body. She now has pain in her knees, hips, back, wrists, elbows and shoulders.   The pain persists through the fall and other symptoms start occurring. She begins to get rashes on her arms; she develops swollen lymph nodes in her neck and shoulders and has persistent yeast infections on the corners of her mouth.   Another visit to the doctor has her being sent for x-rays and ultra sound, he advises he thinks it’s just swollen lymph nodes as the x-rays and ultra sound don’t show anything.  He gives her a cream for her mouth and tells us to return if she doesn’t get better. Fall continues to pass and now December arrives and she is worse instead of better. The family doctor realizes it’s above his area of expertise so she is referred to a rheumatologist.

The rheumatologist orders a whole batch of tests and from that we learn that she does not have Juvenile Arthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Celiac Disease, Cancer, Lupus, or Lyme disease. We do learn that her iron is low, her vitamin D is very low (which makes no sense as she is on 5000 iu/day) and her potassium is low.  She prescribes a much stronger anti-inflammatory and orders an MRI. So we wait.  Kaitlyn by this point has quit all her activities as she is in too much pain. Her pain persists 24/7, she has trouble sleeping, walking has become very difficult….yet she muddles through with a smile on her face, however she used to smile through her eyes, now her eyes are heavy and full of pain.

Jump ahead to February while we wait for the MRI, a friend suggests a naturopath.  At this point as a concerned parent who feels helpless I figure why not we have nothing to lose.  Our appointment with the naturopath enlightens us to the ingredients of the HPV vaccine. Little did I know that it contained an aluminum adjuvant. I felt sick to my stomach hearing this information. Kaitlyn had a pre-existing metal allergy. I was never told the ingredients of the vaccine, nor was I told the scope of individuals that should not receive it. She needed to start the process of detoxing her body, which most people know is a very long slow process.

In the meantime, a nurse friend of mine informed me of a medical doctor who practices natural medicine in downtown Toronto, about 45 minutes from our home. This doctor does a procedure called chelation.  So in March 2012 we started seeing Dr. Jaconello and she began weekly vitamin push treatments with him.  We have learned that it is believed the vaccine has caused an auto-immune response in her body attacking her joints. This explains the swollen lymph nodes, the yeast infections, the skin rashes and the all over joint pain.

In May, 2012 she started chelation via injections and IVs.  To put it into perspective, prior to her first injection, the aluminum level in her urine was 0.10 mg; 6 hours after chelation it was measured again and 210mg came out. Chelation was and is her miracle.  She was scheduled for 10 treatments but after only 6 treatments, she is almost back to her old self. The smile has returned to her eyes. She is back to running and playing soccer at the competitive level. She still has pain in her knees, back and hips but it is bearable. It used to always be a 9/10 or a 10/10 today it is a 3 or 4/10. She is about 85% back to her old self. Her strength and agility is returning.  She is very determined both mentally and physically.  Words like “Can’t” and “No” are not in her vocabulary.  In 3 week’s time she will be heading to France and Switzerland with her high school soccer team to play.

Gardasil has stolen a good 18months of her life and we have no guarantees about what it will do to her long term. However, we have faith that the worst is behind us.  We have turned this negative into a positive.

I have become an advocate against this vaccine. I go around and present her story to the various school boards in my region, asking them to question this vaccine and its program since it is given in grade 8 at school. I request that they send home more information about what is in it and what the possible adverse reactions are.  Parents need to be informed about the possibilities.

If you are a parent with a child who is suffering…..don’t give up. You are your child’s best advocate.  Five doctor’s told us medically she was fine and to just live with the pain.  I refused to listen and accept that as an answer.  SaneVax is a great organization with great support. You are not alone, so don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for advice or help no matter where you are in the world.

Norma and Freda have become great cyber-friends for me and I am grateful for all that they do.

If you’d like to reach me, I have a blog on Facebook  “Kaitlyn’s journey to fight back against PGS-post Gardasil Syndrome”

Yvonne