Have you had your flu shot?

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I have a healthy dose of suspicion about any drugs and medications foisted upon us public. I used to get flu shots and never noticed any difference in the amount of flus I got or didn't get. Haven't had them for several years in a row and still no noticeable difference in the illnesses I do or don't get. Flu shots only protect from the strains of current flus they are formulated for each year- they offer no protection from the majority of flus going around at any given time, and certainly don't protect from colds at all.
The heck with them- flu shots carry their own set of risks, and I'll just say no.

[Kano]

Haven't done it yet this year -- I plan to. When there are shortages, I leave them for the more at-risk folk and dread the possibilities. I haven't been good at taking the care of myself I should to prevent stuff. I haven't been good at changing that "habit" over the years, and I never want that crap again, so I get a flu shot when there are enough around. 13 years ago, it knocked me out for an entire winter due all the secondary infections that developed that I couldn't clear up on my own. To this day, I live with repercussions of that winter's illness.

Karen in Boise

[Blueberry]

Are you allergic to eggs? The vaccine is produced from virus that is grown in eggs, so you may be having a reaction to the egg by products.

Nope. I *heart* eggs - and probably eat them more than I should for my health (though I have it down to once or twice a week now )

Good thought, though

[Aggie_Ama]

Interesting thought X, maybe you can give me advice I will use or ignore. My husband's immune system is *supposedly* compromised by his Crohn's therapy, they keep telling him to get a flu shot but should I be the one getting one? Funny thing about him is I have been sick twice this year and he has not but he has the compromised immune system.

I have never had a flu shot and *knock on wood* never had the flu.

[Flybye]

My husband is an ultra conservative pharmacist and is lovingly insistent that we get our flu shots yearly.

He and I get the shots, while the kiddos get the flu mist version (nasal spray).

For us it is a risk v benefit scenario-

True flu (not throwing up kind, but upper resperiatory kind) is accompanied with weeks of recovery and generally leads to a secondary infection which often requires antibiotics which contributes to mrsa problems we are now experiencing.

Can lead to death. Hospitalization is WWAAYY more expensive than a $25 - $30 flu shot.

CDC not some camp of shot pushers, but educated minds of caring humans who went to school so that they could work to better the lives of others. We aren't conspiracy theorists, can you tell?


Risks:
Feeling a little crappy.
Tiny ouchie poke.
Sore arm for a few days.
No reaction risk for us.
Shot might not be for the "right virus", as they do mutate.
We pad the pharmaceutical companies pockets who produce the shot for a little better health on our end.
Hospitalization.
Time off.
Lotsa $$$ spent on cold remedies if we don't get the shot and become ill, which inevitably pads pharmaceutical companies' pockets anyhow.
Passing it on to others and letting them enjoy the "risk" list.

Just my $ .02
Someone asked!

[jusdooit]

They start offering them at work this week. I went years without the vaccine, then got the flu 3 years running. Now I always get the shot, even though I still got the flu a couple of years ago. I just think the odds work better in my favor with the shot.

[sandra]

I worked for years in a hospital in the home care and hospice division. ALL employees were required to get a flu shot and a TB test every year. After I retired from that, I continued my flu shots. I've been very healthy though, so who knows.

We got ours today and they did not hurt! My arm is not even sore.

[slmdunc]

I have a healthy dose of suspicion about any drugs and medications foisted upon us public. I used to get flu shots and never noticed any difference in the amount of flus I got or didn't get. Haven't had them for several years in a row and still no noticeable difference in the illnesses I do or don't get. Flu shots only protect from the strains of current flus they are formulated for each year- they offer no protection from the majority of flus going around at any given time, and certainly don't protect from colds at all.
The heck with them- flu shots carry their own set of risks, and I'll just say no.

Amen. Nuff said!

[KnottedYet]

My work offers them for free. Like I said earlier, both my mom and brother had big bad reactions to them: autoimmune, almost like an allergy but it attacked their joints. Took my mom about a year to recover and her doc put the kibosh on further flu shots. My brother had the same reaction, and had a longer recovery time. (both of them had terrible hand joint problems which affected their work)

I discussed the situation with my boss, and she cleared me to skip the shot (we don't work with sick folks, and send them home if they are sick, and WE stay home if we're sick).

I'm just afraid my body would do the same thing as my mom and brother. Otherwise I would get the shot. Flu is no fun, and I don't want it again.

[latelatebloomer]

The physicians at my clinic do not recommend the flu vaccine ( or most other vaccines) because of mercury used in preservation. They feel that it can be the cause of serious neurological problems later on. Both the flu & hepatitis B vaccines are pushed heavily at my job, and I had to sign a refusal over the hep B shot, even though the issue at work is hep C. Instead of the flu shot, the clinic focuses on immune system supports.

[BikeDutchess]

The physicians at my clinic do not recommend the flu vaccine ( or most other vaccines) because of mercury used in preservation.

There is thimerosal preservative-free flu vaccine available now per the CDC, albeit in limited quantities: Thimerosal in Seasonal Influenza Vaccine Q&A

I did get my flu-shot, as did my DH and kids. Flu season is hitting Utah early this year. I got the flu a couple of years ago and felt like I'd been run over by a truck. Took weeks to fully recover. I gladly take advantage of the free flu-shots at DH's work. I know it's not a 100% guarantee, but it does reduce my chances of getting the flu, and all the misery it brings with it. In addition this year my elderly MIL will be staying with us for a month, so I want to reduce the risk of exposing her as well.

If I had the kind of serious reactions described by KnottedYet, I would probably decline, but for me that is not an issue. I totally agree with Flybye that it's a risk v. benefits issue. For me the benefits outweigh the risks.

[coyote]

Interesting thought X, maybe you can give me advice I will use or ignore. My husband's immune system is *supposedly* compromised by his Crohn's therapy, they keep telling him to get a flu shot but should I be the one getting one? Funny thing about him is I have been sick twice this year and he has not but he has the compromised immune system.

I have never had a flu shot and *knock on wood* never had the flu.

My SO has Lupus. She used to get the flu shot and end up sick the entire winter. We found some info on a Lupus website...the flu shot can trigger a Lupus episode. She does not get them anymore and she has had some pretty health winters.

I should get them but I've got a really strong immune system. I'm sure I may as I get older.

[Zen]

I rarely get sick.
No flu shot for me, just lots of hand washing and a tin-foil hat.

[emily_in_nc]

I signed up for a free flu shot in Nov. through work. I debated -- I've had one only once before -- but since I have asthma, my doc wants me to get them. I decided to because it's free and because we're traveling for my DH's birthday in early Dec. and I'd hate to get the flu. So many folks at work come in no matter how sick they are, and most of them have children (I don't), so I worry about catching illnesses from my co-workers more than anything. I do think my arm was a bit sore after my one flu shot but no more serious reaction than that. Hope nothing worse this time either. Reading about all the possible side effects (short- and long-term) is a bit frightening.

My DH is not going to get one because he's retired, at home a lot more and thus exposed to a lot less sick folks than I am being out in the working world.

Emily

[slmdunc]

My SO has Lupus. She used to get the flu shot and end up sick the entire winter. We found some info on a Lupus website...the flu shot can trigger a Lupus episode. She does not get them anymore and she has had some pretty health winters.

That's interesting, Coyote. My mother has Lupus and gets a flu shot each year and I've been wondering whether or not it was wise. Do you have that website handy??