Don't see Dr. Aldrich at DE Valley ID Associates for travel immunization. I needed a Hep. A shot for travel to one country. Hep. B wasn't required but I thought, ""Better safe then sorry, I've been in bloody car accidents while traveling before"" (sad, but true). So I decided to get both Hep A&B instead of just Hep A after she told me the shots/risks were ""the same"". HOWEVER, when I got the Hep A&B shot the person giving me the shot said ""OK, see you in a month"". Now, hmm...a month from that day I'd be out of the country, I was leaving in three weeks. Dr. Aldrich saw me again and said, not a problem, you can come back a week from now, get the second shot, and then get a third shot either beore you leave or right when you come back. Now, another wrinkle, I'm 4 months pregnant!! I had weighed all risks assciated with each shot I was going to get vary carefully. She didn't tell me that one of my shots required two or three more for the series (Hep A &B) to be covered. Had I known this, my decision would have been totally different, and I just would have received Hep A (one shot before leaving). Now I am worried about the risk of multiple vaccinations for the baby, worried that if I don't go back my Hep A immunity won't last while I am abroad. Dr. Aldrich really had a severe lapse in judgement by not outlining the difference between the two shots. She even tried to blame me. This is not the level of care that I expect from a travel doctor. Dr. Aldrich didn't even check my chart to realize that I was leaving in a month before saying I could the HepA&B vaccine...I was the one that had to tell her I wouldn't be here. Having to go back again and again to complete the series is a huge inconvenice, not to mention I have other domestic travel which will make returning a challenge. I should have picked just the Hep A vaccine and feel that I was not given enough information to make and informed consent decision.
Pros: No wait either time I was there
Cons: low level of confidence in the doctor's decisions
more