Comments on One Crafty Mother: What You DON'T Know about HPV and Oral Cancer Coul...

Oddly enough, we got our February issue of Consume...

2012-01-04T12:21:23.385-05:00

Oddly enough, we got our February issue of Consumer Reports yesterday, and it included an article on HPV and oral cancer. I went from having never heard of the connection (despite years of doing research down the hall from a HPV-focused laboratory) to hearing about it twice in one day.
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/2012/02/how-can-you-get-hpv/index.htm

Thank you! My sons are10 and 12 and I assumed the ...

2012-01-01T21:13:58.780-05:00

Thank you! My sons are10 and 12 and I assumed the vaccine was for boys only! I think of you often and your in my prayers!

Becky

Thank you so much for this, and I will be passing ...

2011-12-31T10:40:36.974-05:00

Thank you so much for this, and I will be passing along your post to friends who have children--both sons AND daughters--in the relevant age groups. This is all news to me (the cancer/HPV connection), and I can't believe I didn't know about it before. My older son is about to turn 7, and I'll be sure to talk to his pediatrician about it a couple of years down the road.

Thanks for the info, Ellie. Stuff no one wants to ...

2011-12-31T08:45:20.207-05:00

Thanks for the info, Ellie. Stuff no one wants to think about but that we all should think about ... and act on.

How remarkable you are. In the midst of your own f...

2011-12-31T07:34:52.094-05:00

How remarkable you are. In the midst of your own fight you write an important message to the world at large.
How are you holding up? My thoughts and prayers are with you every single day. Lots of love.

Thank you for sharing. I had a hysterectomy at ag...

2011-12-30T20:23:12.467-05:00

Thank you for sharing. I had a hysterectomy at age 37 due to cancerous changes caused by HPV. HPV is a very confusing and complicated virus. While the hysterectomy got rid of the cells that had changed, I assume that I still have HPV in a dormant state. I got my daughter vaccinated as soon as possible and will have my son vaccinated too. I hope and pray that they come out with a vaccine or treatment for people who already have the virus. On another note, you are an inspiration in both sobriety and how you are facing this scary time with courage and grace. Thank you.

Thank you for the information, Ellie. I have a dau...

2011-12-30T14:46:58.582-05:00

Thank you for the information, Ellie. I have a daughter and a son and I really thought the vaccine was only for girls too. I'll definitely talk to our pediatrician about it. I hope you are doing well through treatments!!

While my cervical cancer was due to my being a DES...

2011-12-30T10:27:37.698-05:00

While my cervical cancer was due to my being a DES daughter (diagnosed as a teen, recurrances through my teens and first part of my twenties, cancer free for over ten years now!), I became well aware of the risk of cancer with HPV before there was even a vaccine. My boys are vaccinated- just as soon as it was recommended for males. The vaccine may sound scary to some parents, and we all know that our children get a LOT of vaccines, but as a cervical cancer survivor, I can tell you that it is a small risk, compared to the risks associated with treating the cancers that arise with the most virulent strains of HPV! Thank you for talking about this on your blog-- it's something that I feel very strongly about, and I'm glad to see others talking about it as well.

Thank you for sharing this, Ellie. I had both of ...

2011-12-30T09:38:58.515-05:00

Thank you for sharing this, Ellie. I had both of my sons vaccinated two years ago and our health insurance covered the cost completely. Both my sister and sister-in-law think I'm crazy and refuse to have their daughters vaccinated. I'm going to forward this post to them now.

I hope you're holding up with your treatments. My thoughts are with you.

I had my daughters vaccinated for it two years ago...

2011-12-29T23:15:16.731-05:00

I had my daughters vaccinated for it two years ago through their school. Had no idea though that boys (like my son) should be vaccinated for it too though. Thank you, will bring it up with my doctor.

Good information. There is one silver lining in th...

2011-12-29T21:52:13.111-05:00

Good information. There is one silver lining in this dark HPV cloud - as I understand it, prognosis for successful cure of HPV+ oral cancer is better than non HPV oral cancer. In fact, prognosis for complete recovery is quite high.

I am definitely vaccine-hesitant. My daughter is e...

2011-12-29T21:37:19.064-05:00

I am definitely vaccine-hesitant. My daughter is eight, and I just recently started looking into this one, realizing we will have to make a decision about it soon.

Although I knew how easy HPV could be passed (and how condoms don't really do much to prevent it - at least not nearly as much as they do for other STDs - and that it doesn't actually take the act of intercourse to pass it along) I did not know about the connection to oral cancer.

You have given me some new thought directions with this. Thank you for that.

I'm praying for you!

I must admit it has been a tough thing for me to a...

2011-12-29T20:59:46.699-05:00

I must admit it has been a tough thing for me to adjust to also. But, I want my kids to be safe. I am so sorry that you are having to endure this trial.

Wow. Thank you Ellie!!

2011-12-29T15:25:42.466-05:00

Wow. Thank you Ellie!!

Also, it is worth noting that many health insuranc...

2011-12-29T15:17:28.344-05:00

Also, it is worth noting that many health insurance plans now cover the HPV vaccine as a regular childhood immunization.

Well said Ellie. I learned something from you toda...

2011-12-29T15:06:03.202-05:00

Well said Ellie. I learned something from you today.

thank you for writing this (in easy to read terms)...

2011-12-29T14:30:24.710-05:00

thank you for writing this (in easy to read terms). I will pass this along to everyone I know...thank you!

Please also remember that the HPV vaccine does not...

2011-12-29T14:21:22.098-05:00

Please also remember that the HPV vaccine does not protect against all type of HPV. Even vaccinated, you are still at risk for cancer caused by HPV.

Nicole - You bring up a really good point, which i...

2011-12-29T13:59:55.756-05:00

Nicole - You bring up a really good point, which is that the vaccine is fairly new and the long term effectiveness (or potential downsides) of the vaccine are not fully known. This is why it is SO important to talk to a doctor to get more information.

-Ellie

The more you are learning, the more you are sharin...

2011-12-29T13:54:44.844-05:00

The more you are learning, the more you are sharing. Ellie, you are a miracle on two legs !~!

Know you are being held up to Universal Healing Power as you travel this path of treatment.

Thanks for taking the time to write this. I still ...

2011-12-29T13:51:27.487-05:00

Thanks for taking the time to write this. I still have concerns about the vaccine. I am especially concerned about how it might affect the reproductive health of my girls (and boys). It still seems so new and I wonder what will come about in the future. But, I was not aware of the later in life implications of HPV for boys and girls and young adults. So thank you for at least getting me thinking about it. I wll definitely be speaking to doctors about it.

I had no idea...Thank you. Thank you.

2011-12-29T13:42:41.004-05:00

I had no idea...Thank you. Thank you.