thinking about my vaccinations, again

[redbird]

In addition to the disappointing test for covid antibodies, last fall my neurologist ordered a bunch of liver-related blood tests. Those came back that my liver enzymes were fine, but also told us that I had no antibodies against hepatitis B, despite having had three doses of that vaccine eight or nine years earlier.

I asked my primary doctor for a referral to get another dose of the hepatitis B vaccine, because maybe it would help, but I suspect that I'm not immune to anything I was vaccinated against in the last 22 years, since I started on the various anti-MS drugs. That's covid, hepatitis A and B, shingles, pneumonia, and the last couple of decades of flu vaccines.

I should probably keep wearing at least medical masks during flu season, if not year-round, for however many more years I'm taking any of the MS disease-modifying agents (as distinct from the things I'm taking to deal with the symptoms).

(I don't specifically expect to be exposed to any of those things except the respiratory viruses, i.e., influenza and the pneumonia they vaccinate older people for.)

Comments

[rezendi]

Data point: I too got the three-dose Hep B regimen some years ago, tested negative for Hep B antibodies, got a fourth dose, and continued to test negative. (And as you know, but to be clear for readers, I don't have MS and at the time was on no medications at all.) My doctor in Quebec told me a) that this is not uncommon for Hep B in particular b) that even though my blood tests didn't show antibodies against Hep B, she strongly suspected that I was actually at least semi-protected against it, despite the test's sensitivity levels being insufficient to show this.

[rezendi]

A cite: "Approximately 15% of patients will not respond to an initial series of [Hepatitis B] vaccination."

[gatheringrivers]

Oh, that's interesting, I'll have to see about having my titers checked...

[redbird]

This is somewhat reassuring, in that maybe I also have some level of protection despite the test not finding those antibodies.