Kristen Nicole Young

[Mia404]

My 23 year old daughter passed away from complications from H1N1, 10 years ago. She was hospitalized in a medically induced coma for 2 months, seemed to be recovering, then passed away from a blood clot that travelled to her lung. She had not been vaccinated.

I wish people would realize how serious the flu can be. Even if the vaccine is not 100% effective, it usually lessens the severity of the symptoms if you do get sick with a different virus. 

One of my own stepdaughters is an anti-vaxxer, and the other is a nurse who was annoyed she was required to get a flu shot when working with cancer patients. Both of them were close to my daughter, and watched her suffer for months, but still don't believe in vaccinating their own kids.

 

 

[QuiverFullofBooks]

10 minutes ago, Mia404 said:

My 23 year old daughter passed away from complications from H1N1, 10 years ago. She was hospitalized in a medically induced coma for 2 months, seemed to be recovering, then passed away from a blood clot that travelled to her lung. She had not been vaccinated.

I wish people would realize how serious the flu can be. Even if the vaccine is not 100% effective, it usually lessens the severity of the symptoms if you do get sick with a different virus. 

One of my own stepdaughters is an anti-vaxxer, and the other is a nurse who was annoyed she was required to get a flu shot when working with cancer patients. Both of them were close to my daughter, and watched her suffer for months, but still don't believe in vaccinating their own kids.

 

 

I’m torn between “heart,” “sad,” and “what the fuck?!”

[AussieKrissy]

On 1/23/2020 at 6:15 AM, Alisamer said:

I am generally not really very fearful of the flu, but I live in the US - this year I have no health insurance, and I have no paid sick leave and only 10 days vacation. I got a flu shot last fall when I did have insurance to pay for it, and probably will pay out of pocket for it next fall as well. The flu would mean a week of no pay, combined with medical bills that would, especially with medicine, basically wipe out nearly another week's pay.

Insurance is very expensive, healthcare is also very expensive, and much insurance doesn't actually cover anything non-preventative until after you've paid a few thousand dollars yourself ($8,000, for the insurance I was considering, plus the $2400+ it cost for the year, which is why I decided to take my chances without). Also, my doctor has moved, and is no longer on the very short list of doctors covered by the insurance that was available to me. Essentially, I'd end up out $10,400+ dollars (insurance plus deductible) before the insurance actually began to cover anything at all. At that point I'd be considering bankruptcy, so I figured I'd just go without and use that $200 each month I'd be spending on insurance to join a gym, build some savings, and things like that. The end result would be the same whether I had insurance or not, financially. 

Holy shit. 
good luck, sending you some “don’t get sick ju ju.” 
I have never ever had to think like that. I can’t imagine the stress it may cause you.  

 

[WiseGirl]

21 minutes ago, AussieKrissy said:

Holy shit. 
good luck, sending you some “don’t get sick ju ju.” 
I have never ever had to think like that. I can’t imagine the stress it may cause you.  

 

Welcome to healthcare in America. It's great */sarcasm

Seriously I have some fabulous people who work as tutors in our schools. The pay is crap but they take the job because they get health insurance.  This has to change. It feels like one is always one health crisis away from bankruptcy. 

[The Mother Dust]

On 1/21/2020 at 10:46 PM, Pandora Spocks said:

Elderberry syrup - fine. But belladonna??!? Use herbal remedies if you must, but at least do some basic research on them first!  You are supposed to hydrate when you have the flu -- not take something made with the plant that brings you atropine and scopolamine. Ugh. Stoopid, stoopid fundies.

Right?? I saw Belladonna and was like.......??????? !!   In NYC the Cloisters museum has a garden of medieval poisons, and I distinctly remember seeing it there.  

[AliceInFundyland]

I should start saving the bits from job descriptions that basically say "don't apply for this position if you tend to use your sick days."

🙄

Although it's helpful to know, so I don't waste my time.

[Sullie06]

We all always get the flu shots, my husband works in a hospital, one kid in school, one in daycare, I'm in public service so we are exposed to a lot of crap. Two years ago I missed the clinic at work to get the shot because I was changing jobs and in the craziness of the job change/holiday season I totally forgot to get it from my doctor and I got the damn flu. And it was the worst thing I've ever experience. However, thankfully my husband and kids were remained healthy. 

[lizzybee]

In 2017 when I was pregnant with my second son, my dad gifted us all with the flu on Thanksgiving. I'd been offered last minute at my OB appointment a couple of weeks prior to get a flu shot, but I was really wanting to leave and was like "Oh, I'll get it next time." Famous last words. We were all so sick. It could have been a scary thing for that pregnancy but we caught it in my oldest son before I could fully come down with it and we all were armed to the teeth with Tamiflu (which works super well for us with no side effects). That whole debacle happened over our oldest's first birthday. I made him a cake that we sadly named the flu cake because obviously no one on planet earth wanted a piece of that cake but us. The only "good" thing about every single one of us being sick was that we didn't have to worry about contaminating each other. 

Since then I've been a real stickler about flu shots for all of us. I know they don't prevent all flu, but it's something I can do to protect us, and I'm more than happy to do what I can. I also give the kids some elderberry gummies and myself the occasional Emergen-C gummy just for good measure because it makes me feel like I'm doing something. 

[Bad Wolf]

Belladonna is also called deadly nightshade. That should be a good indication not to take it. As a kid, roaming the fields in England, we all knew not to eat the berries. We were smarter at 7 than some of these crazy fundies. We also had parents smart enough to vaccinate as soon as they were available. The first shot I got was for polio. There weren't any for MMR, etc.

[NonSOTDRT Teacher]

I’m a teacher that got the flu shot, yet here I am laying in bed with the flu.

 

And I’m glad I got it because it minimized all the side affects!

[Snarkasarus Rex]

2 hours ago, NonSOTDRT Teacher said:

I’m a teacher that got the flu shot, yet here I am laying in bed with the flu.

 

And I’m glad I got it because it minimized all the side affects!

This has happened to my daughter twice...for some reason she is more susceptible to it than the rest of us.  But she was back to normal within a week both times, which I attribute to her being vaxxed.

 

[mpheels]

 

6 hours ago, Bad Wolf said:

Belladonna is also called deadly nightshade. That should be a good indication not to take it. As a kid, roaming the fields in England, we all knew not to eat the berries. We were smarter at 7 than some of these crazy fundies. We also had parents smart enough to vaccinate as soon as they were available. The first shot I got was for polio. There weren't any for MMR, etc.

I assume she’s using some homeopathic Belladonna crap, so it’s water that once passed through a pipe adjacent to a garden that used to grow the plant.

[Pibblesmiles]

I took my daughters to the Fred Meyer pharmacy back in November.  As he was preparing to shoot me in the arm, the pharmacist thanked me for contributing to the herd immunity.

Me: My grandfather's brother died of The Flu.  He was only 25 years old and healthy.  My great-grandfather was on an iron lung for the rest of his life.

Pharmacist (curious): When was this?

Me: 1919

Pharmacist: Oh.  The Flu.

 

[The Mother Dust]

On 1/23/2020 at 10:17 PM, AliceInFundyland said:

I should start saving the bits from job descriptions that basically say "don't apply for this position if you tend to use your sick days."

🙄

Although it's helpful to know, so I don't waste my time.

I really really hate this.  I've been lucky, but my sister has had some shit jobs where that was basically the case.  It's so confusing to me, like....  WHY GIVE THAT BANK OF SICK DAYS IF PEOPLE CANT USE THEM.  Just don't make that # of sick days available then!  /rant

[Maggie Mae]

On 1/22/2020 at 11:07 PM, indianabones said:

...Lucky you?

The cost of healthcare isn't really something we have control over, apart from voting for Democrats.

Voting for Progressive Democrats, not just any garden variety Dem. 

[FluffySnowball]

On 1/23/2020 at 2:13 AM, Not that josh's mom said:

I had no sick days at all. If you were gone more than 3 days, besides no wages, you were required to have a doctor's permission slip to return to work. So I was out wages and the cost of a doctor's appointment too. I didnt have small children at the time, but I would also have lost wages to stay home with them. Plus I would have had to pay the daycare even though they weren't there.

This is so sad! I can only imagine the stress people feel under such circumstances. 

This, by the way, is what happens with rampant capitalism. A dose of socialism - democratic, of course - would make such system much more humane. There are ways employers simply shouldn’t be allowed to treat their employees. Making mothers return to work mere days after giving birth, essentially punishing parents for staying home with their ill children, only granting a small amount of sick days... That’s cruel! A social government (like we have in Germany, for example) would be so much better. Don’t get me wrong, our system is far from perfect! But it isn’t as tough and radically capitalist as the one in the US. 

On 1/24/2020 at 3:38 AM, The Mother Dust said:

Right?? I saw Belladonna and was like.......??????? !!   In NYC the Cloisters museum has a garden of medieval poisons, and I distinctly remember seeing it there.  

Yeah, Kristen’s approach (no vaccinations but shady (pun intended) homeopathic crap) is ridiculous! This garden sounds amazing, though... a garden of medieval poisons just asks to be included in some amazing, dark, suspenseful novel, doesn’t it? 

[monkeyrocks71]

Blarney Castle in Ireland has a poison garden. It helpfully tells you how all the various plants growing there will kill you. 

[freethemall]

I recently went on a Kristen deep dive so this thread is timely. The main thing im trying to figure out: what is the deal with the alcoholic husband? What exactly happened that got him fired from the taco place? What do they consider heavy drinking? Because I imagine it's less than I drink per week.

Also,  was she raised fundie? Or is she similar to Sierra, and thus besties?

The Fundie Snark reddit recently discussed her too since Jill Dill copied her ugly wall basket decor. 

[indianabones]

6 hours ago, freethemall said:

I recently went on a Kristen deep dive so this thread is timely. The main thing im trying to figure out: what is the deal with the alcoholic husband? What exactly happened that got him fired from the taco place? What do they consider heavy drinking? Because I imagine it's less than I drink per week.

Also,  was she raised fundie? Or is she similar to Sierra, and thus besties?

The Fundie Snark reddit recently discussed her too since Jill Dill copied her ugly wall basket decor. 

As far as I can tell, Kristen was raised in a conservative Christian family. But she was a cheerleader in high school and college.

Justin was fired for his alcoholism, so it must have been impacting his work. I imagine he was drinking pretty heavily for that to happen. He quit drinking when he lost his job.

[Arkfundy]

I met her parents a few times, her mother was a huge homeschool advocate, I’m surprised she was involved in cheer honestly.

Her father is the former pastor of a large church in the town where Ben Seewald grew up. 

Edited January 26, 2020 by Arkfundy

[AreYouThereGothard?]

I effing love me some vaccines. I understand that the flu vaccine may not work perfectly, but if it means it can lessen the effects of another strain, count me in. I’m a researcher at a children’s hospital, even if I’m not in the “vulnerable” age range, I’m around a highly vulnerable population, so it’s happening.

Why is it that this population (extra religious, home school, somewhat removed from society) is against vaccines and conventional medicine? My best friend’s mom is a devout Baptist, but also a nurse at the health department, who hauled the kids to the HD to get their vaccines every year (only protesting was from the kids). Best friend has also mentioned that some of the ugliest things her husband has said were about anti-vaxxers (both devout Baptists as well). I wonder where the disconnect is between their religious views regarding vaccines. 

What I find really interesting is that the stuff they’re touting about natural remedies is commonly found in non-religious and, forgive the term, hippie-dippie communities. I practice yoga and Reiki (Japanese energy healing technique), and while I advocate for the merits of both, many in the yoga community believe in crap like how essential oils can cure diseases and favor “natural” remedies over vaccines and medicine. I‘m wondering what commonalities are between the fundies and the natural lifestyle (I need a better term) folks, when it seems their views would conflict

 

Edited January 26, 2020 by AreYouThereGothard?
Clarity

[JermajestyDuggar]

12 minutes ago, AreYouThereGothard? said:

I effing love me some vaccines. I understand that the flu vaccine may not work perfectly, but if it means it can lessen the effects of another strain, count me in. I’m a researcher at a children’s hospital, even if I’m not in the “vulnerable” age range, I’m around a highly vulnerable population, so it’s happening.

Why is it that this population (extra religious, home school, somewhat removed from society) is against vaccines and conventional medicine? My best friend’s mom is a devout Baptist, but also a nurse at the health department, who hauled the kids to the HD to get their vaccines every year (only protesting was from the kids). Best friend has also mentioned that some of the ugliest things her husband has said were about anti-vaxxers (both devout Baptists as well). I wonder where the disconnect is between their religious views regarding vaccines. 

What I find really interesting is that the stuff they’re touting about natural remedies is commonly found in non-religious and, forgive the term, hippie-dippie communities. I practice yoga and Reiki (Japanese energy healing technique), and while I advocate for the merits of both, many in the yoga community believe in crap like how essential oils can cure diseases and favor “natural” remedies over vaccines and medicine. I‘m wondering what commonalities are between the fundies and the natural lifestyle (I need a better term) folks, when it seems their views would conflict

 

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. The extreme far left types and the extreme far right types have antivaxing in common. They may disagree on everything else. But they agree on the antivax stuff. And a lot of the other stuff that goes with it (essential oils, homebirth, etc). These two groups are used to being outside the mainstream. They just happen to be on the opposite sides of the spectrum. 

Edited January 26, 2020 by JermajestyDuggar

[LittleOwl]

On 1/25/2020 at 2:29 AM, Pibblesmiles said:

I took my daughters to the Fred Meyer pharmacy back in November.  As he was preparing to shoot me in the arm, the pharmacist thanked me for contributing to the herd immunity.

Me: My grandfather's brother died of The Flu.  He was only 25 years old and healthy.  My great-grandfather was on an iron lung for the rest of his life.

Pharmacist (curious): When was this?

Me: 1919

Pharmacist: Oh.  The Flu.

We were actually discussing this at work the other day, about post-modernity.  Once again we are heading into the 20s with possible epidemics of diseases, except this time people are actively not protecting themselves and others through the anti-vax movement.  

My great-great-grandmother died of the Spanish flu and is buried in a sealed coffin.   

[Lgirlrocks]

1 hour ago, AreYouThereGothard? said:

I effing love me some vaccines. I understand that the flu vaccine may not work perfectly, but if it means it can lessen the effects of another strain, count me in. I’m a researcher at a children’s hospital, even if I’m not in the “vulnerable” age range, I’m around a highly vulnerable population, so it’s happening.

Why is it that this population (extra religious, home school, somewhat removed from society) is against vaccines and conventional medicine? My best friend’s mom is a devout Baptist, but also a nurse at the health department, who hauled the kids to the HD to get their vaccines every year (only protesting was from the kids). Best friend has also mentioned that some of the ugliest things her husband has said were about anti-vaxxers (both devout Baptists as well). I wonder where the disconnect is between their religious views regarding vaccines. 

What I find really interesting is that the stuff they’re touting about natural remedies is commonly found in non-religious and, forgive the term, hippie-dippie communities. I practice yoga and Reiki (Japanese energy healing technique), and while I advocate for the merits of both, many in the yoga community believe in crap like how essential oils can cure diseases and favor “natural” remedies over vaccines and medicine. I‘m wondering what commonalities are between the fundies and the natural lifestyle (I need a better term) folks, when it seems their views would conflict

 

TAM is against them because they have aborted babies in them. Her husbands a “doctor”. Some are against it because it “causes” autism and kids to get sick/die. The transformed wife will tell you that the media hype up these diseases that supposedly the vaccinations prevent. So we don’t really need the vaccinations because no one’s going to die from these diseases.The transformed wife will tell you that the media hype up these diseases that supposedly the vaccinations prevent. So we don’t really need the vaccinations because no one’s going to die from these diseases.

[FluffySnowball]

1 hour ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. The extreme far left types and the extreme far right types have antivaxing in common. They may disagree on everything else. But they agree on the antivax stuff. And a lot of the other stuff that goes with it (essential oils, homebirth, etc). These two groups are used to being outside the mainstream. They just happen to be on the opposite sides of the spectrum. 

I get you’re generalizing here (which is fine, we need to do this sometimes to describe a development/general circumstance) but from my anecdotal experiences, there are many far left leaning people who fully endorse modern medicine and all that comes with it, vaccinations included. A trend I am currently witnessing is “average, middle class” people who are on neither extreme of the political spectrum becoming more and more anti vax and anti modern medicine. That’s what’s really concerning to me. 

Regarding home birthing, the inclination to birth at home can SOMETIMES (now I’m the one who’s generalizing) be attributed to the fact that at least in Germany, the medical support women receive during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum is severely lacking. It is - of course - not lacking in the sense that women have a high risk of dying, so that’s a huge plus. However, women are often belittled, procedures are done during birth that the women do not consent to, midwifery care is hard to come by. A midwife friend who works in a hospital told me that she is under orders to frame information differently depending on a woman’s insurance: even perfectly healthy privately insured women apparently ought to be pressured into staying in the hospital at least two days after birth because the hospital gets quite a bit of money for postpartum care. Publicly insured women who would benefit from the option to stay a day or two, on the other hand, get pressured to leave asap cause the hospital can hardly make a buck with them. Also, a natural hospital birth without intervention costs the hospital money, so interventions are actually wanted. Women’s care is focused on financial gain, not the best interest of the women. This is, at least partially, a result of sexism within the medical world and a reason why some people opt out of birthing in hospitals despite not holding politically extreme views. 

Well... I went on a rant here without even realizing but here are my two cents anyways.