wait! do I even exist?!

[Anonymous]

I got into a graduate program in the fall. I'm in my mid 30's. Since I'll be covered by student health, they want copies of my health records, including immunization records. Yes, from when I was 2. And not just dates, the actual records.

I'm not having a lot of luck tracking these down. So far:

my undergrad college destroys them after 10 years

my pediatrician retired

hospital I was born in-closed

hospital that took its place--closing at the end of this month, but they're looking

health dept. where I was born--stuck on voicemail. Maybe they're all out sick

So, yeah. If I can't get records, they have to do a titer (?) which is an expensive blood test, to prove I'm immunized, or, according to them, "you could get reimmunized"

Well, yes, I could, except NO WAY!

[Anonymous]

Just a thought.  I know for a fact that your childhood immunization records are included in your cumulative elementary school record.  Contact the school district for the records.

 Hope this helps you.

[MidnightVoice]

I still have my daughter's!!

[cantretire]

I was 34 when I went back to school.  I just found it easier to get the Titer test and a new tenus shot.  Who knows where all my records are by now!?!

[Anonymous]

Most elementary and high schools discard these records after three years.

I know this because I tried to track them down this way.

I was re-vaccinated for the MMR due to the loss of records in a fire. It was my third round of MMR. As the military makes you get a second round regardless of shot history. So I figured it couldn't hurt.

[Anonymous]

I'm still trying to get in touch with the health department, and I'll try the county school board.

My appointment is next Saturday, so if I don't have any luck this week, its titers or shots--probably whichever is cheaper!

[haulingthescoreup]

DD#1 is off to med school in August, and even with all her shot records, she had to get titers for MMR, varicella (chicken pox), tetanus/ diphtheria, and hep B. (Childhood vaccinations can lose their oomph.) She can argue that what with Katrina work, she's been exposed to a lot a communicable diseases, so we threw every "exposure to" diagnostic code on the lab orders that we could think of.

She did go to our county Health Department to get her shot records, even though she got some vaccinations through them, and some through her pediatrician. (In our area, the private providers are supposed to forward vax info to the Health Department, although it doesn't always happen.) So there's another possible place you could check. Hope you didn't move around a lot as a child.

The lab filed with our insurance, but I'm fully resigned to having to pay for these things. Can't wait to find out how expensive THESE are!

[Anonymous]

Called my high school, she had to go look "in a little room down the hall" but they have them!

Then she says, "You'll have to come pick them up in person."

Oh.

I live in Tokyo. Where my high school is not.

We compromised with me faxing permission to send them out.

I still may need some extras, depending on what I was actually immunized for. And yeah, hauling, I have NO idea if my insurance will cover this or not. I can't decide whether to ask before I go, or just send the form in and cross my fingers. I will have to pay cash first, though, its just a question of whether I get reimbursed.

[atlastontheroad]

In January, I started a second Master's degree and they too required all immunization records.

My pediatrician (in Illinois) retired, the records are warehoused somewhere in NC and they can't find mine.  I live in New York.  Not being able to find the records, I went and got reimmunized.  Then I found my original 40 year old records in the garage.

The university wouldn't accept the original records FROM ME, so I had to take them to my MD who wrote a note with the dates from the originals on it.  Ridiculous, but it worked.

atlast....over 40 and finally organized

[Anonymous]

Miss a couple of credit card payments, and someone will find out whether you exist or not.