Gardasil

Teenager is hospitalised and sedated EVERY time she has her period after HPV jab 'made her vomit up to 10 times a day'

By KATE PICKLES FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 10:23, 4 July 2016 | UPDATED: 15:31, 4 July 2016

 

A mother says her teenage daughter vomits so severely every time she has her period that she has to be hospitalised – and doctors have no idea why.

Vicky Oakley, 44, said it is heartbreaking to watch her daughter Holly, 15, battle nausea and exhaustion so chronic that it leaves her unable to lift her head from her pillow.

Though doctors are yet to officially make the link, Mrs Oakley, of Bedlington in Northumberland, believes the trigger was an HPV vaccine given to her daughter when she was at school.

'Holly was unstoppable, full of energy and very high achieving – then she had the vaccine. Now, it's like we've lost our daughter for the meantime,' she said.

Holly Oakley is regularly in hospital after suffering from bouts of vomiting. It became so bad she would spend the first two days of her period under sedation. But then she started getting symptoms at other time of the month, leading doctors to diagnose her with cyclical vomiting syndrom

'Whenever I say I believe it was down to the jab, I'm seen as an anti-vaccine extremist, but I'm not. My kids have had all their vaccines.

'I'm not saying no child should have the HPV vaccine, but I want people to equip themselves with all the facts.

'All I can go on is my side of the story, and I'm convinced Holly's health problems are a reaction to the jab.'

Prior to her dramatic decline, Holly was a fit and healthy, playing netball, rugby, rounders and football.

She was a high-achieving student and dreamt of being a doctor.

But everything came to a grinding halt in May 2014, when she received the last of a course of three Gardasil vaccinations to protect her from HPV, as part of the national cervical cancer screening programme.

Within a month, she began to vomit without reason, her mother said.

'The first time it happened she was in the middle of trying out to join a local football club. She threw up on the pitch and carried on playing,' said Mrs Oakley, who has recently left her job as a finance director to be her full-time carer.

'We put it down to a one off, but as the months rolled on the vomiting got worse and worse.'

Her family say she was very sporty and a fit and healthy teenager before having the HPV jab in 2014

 

Holly, pictured with her big sister Danielle before she had the vaccine, has changed from being a fit and active girl to largely bedbound with no energy, her family say

 

Her mother Vicky (middle) says she is not against vaccines but believes the HPV immunisation, designed to protect against cervical cancers, has left Holly (right) with a weakened immune system

 

Holly loved sport and had even had trials at Newcastle United before she started being sick up to 10 times a day. Now her family say she is so exhausted she often can't speak

Worried, she took Holly to her GP, but at first medics thought it was just a stomach bug.

Eventually, however, Mrs Oakley noticed her daughter's health was particularly bad around the time of her period, leading her to believe the problem was hormone related.

After reporting this pattern to the doctor, she was put on the contraceptive pill and anti-nausea drugs often given to cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.

As time progressed with little sign of improvement, doctors decided to stop her periods by giving her the contraceptive injection every 12 weeks but Mrs Oakley said it had catastrophic effects.

WHAT IS CYCLICAL VOMITING SYNDROME?

Cyclical vomiting syndrome (CVS) is a rare disorder most commonly seen in children, although it can affect adults too.

Someone with CVS will frequently feel very sick and will vomit for hours, or even days, at a time.

They will then recover from the episode and feel perfectly well, before experiencing another a month or so later.

These attacks are not explained by an infection or other illness.

CVS can affect a person for months, years or even decades. 

Symptoms can be so severe that some sufferers may need to stay in bed and be treated in hospital during an episode.

It can be a frightening condition that affects everyday life, but the cycle is possible to manage with lifestyle changes and medication.

Source: NHS Choices 

'It was possibly the worst three months ever,' she said. 'Holly was in an episode the entire time. We were in and out of hospital because she was so poorly.

'She was constantly nauseous and couldn't get out of bed because she was so exhausted. Some days she couldn't even speak.

'She was tested for a lot of things, and it was even suggested she may be bulimic but I knew that wasn't the case. I knew it was hormonal.'

At her lowest ebb, she was vomiting up to ten times a day and her fatigue was so severe that she couldn't even speak.

Meanwhile, doctors decided she should be hospitalised for two days at the beginning of her period so she could be sedated and have her body pumped full of anti-sickness fluids.

'After two days, she'd wake up and it was like her body reset. She would seem absolutely fine.'

For six months, Holly was routinely hospitalised during her period. Then, her symptoms slowly began to emerge at other times of the month too.

Simple illnesses like a cold or sore throat would leave her completely drained of energy.

In September 2014, doctors told her she had cyclical vomiting syndrome.

Though medics were unable to explain why, her mother still believes that the HPV vaccination was to blame.

By Christmas 2015, she was forced to give up playing sport, something she previously loved.

Now, Holly's family including her father Trevor, 47 and sister Danielle, 18, try and get her out the house as much as possible, but she is virtually bed bound.

As her immune system is so weakened, a minor illness can see her hospitalised.

Despite having undergone a string of tests at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, doctors are still unsure as to exactly what's causing her devastating symptoms.

'Our lives are on hold. We're desperate for answers. 

'The hospital have really looked after her, but we've hit a brick wall,' said Mrs Oakley.


The 15-year-old, pictured in hospital in May, has been hospitalised every month since developing cyclical vomiting syndrome which would be particularly bad around the time of her period

Sedating Holly in hospital worked well for a while but then her symptoms started occurring at different times of the month. Her energy levels are so low, she has missed a lot of school and will have to re-sit year 10

'Recently, we've been looking into homoeopathic medication. Holly is just beginning a detox, and we're praying we see some results.'

Holly has been off school since January and can only manage four hours of home tutoring a week as mental stimulation tires her out so much.

As a result of falling behind, she will have to repeat year 10 – meaning her friends will progress through school without her.

Mrs Oakley has been finding support from The UK Association of HPV Vaccine Injured Daughters - an online group of other parents who also claim their children have had severe reactions to the jab.

She is sharing her story in the hope that it will raise awareness and push for a better understanding of potential side effects of the vaccine.

'I want to see proper discussion in government about whether this vaccine is safe, somebody needs to stand up and not to be scared to talk,' she said.

'Somebody needs to do a coordinated st



Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3673366/Teenager-hospitalised-sedated-time-period-HPV-jab-vomit-10-times-day.html#ixzz4ESKzbA00 
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