Bad reaction to flu shot

[Eden]

Just had my first flu shot ever, but I'm going to work in a children's hospital so I think it was probably a good idea, for me and for them. I don't generally have any bad reactions to vaccines, but if I do I'll let you know.
It was a dead virus vaccine - there was even a notice on the web site that if you'd had a live virus vaccination they could ask you to not come to work for a period of time!

[emily_in_nc]

Just had my first flu shot ever, but I'm going to work in a children's hospital so I think it was probably a good idea, for me and for them. I don't generally have any bad reactions to vaccines, but if I do I'll let you know.
It was a dead virus vaccine - there was even a notice on the web site that if you'd had a live virus vaccination they could ask you to not come to work for a period of time!

Oh, mine was killed virus too -- I didn't even know there were any other kind! Hope you don't have any side effects. Most people don't (other than a sore arm). Guess I'm one of the lucky ones. Turns out my mom has bad reactions to them too (and is also not allergic to any of the ingredients that she is aware of). She stopped getting them years ago when she retired from teaching.

Emily

[margo49]

Yeah mine had "INACTIVATED" written in big letters like that on it. Sheesh, I would hate to see the activated one

(sorry about the "Sheesh"" It must be from the Andy Griffiths YouTube that Zen linked on TD/Australia)

[OakLeaf]

If I'm not mistaken, all the shots are killed virus. The nasal spray is modified live virus.

[margo49]

Well mine was playing possum!
Call it a "reaction" , you Nobel Prize-winning, white-coated *&^%'s... but
I am SICK, I tell you.

[Eden]

This is how it was explained to me yesterday, that if you get sick one of several things may have occured.
you can be allergic to some component of the vaccine (eggs - the preservative)
you may have already been exposed to the flu without knowing it - generally symptoms don't appear for 24 hours or so after you've been exposed
you may contract another strain - the flu vaccine usually only protects against 3 of the most common ones
you may contract one of many "flu like" illnesses
but you can't possibly get the flu from a flu shot, since there is no live virus in it (looks like Oakleaf is totally correct - the nasal spray is what has the live attenuated virus in it).

I'm feeling lucky, I feel perfectly fine. I can't recall ever having a bad reaction to a vaccination before ever though. I might have to do the hepatitis series though...

[margo49]

All seem remarkably plausible explanations
Thank you, Eden
Btw, what is with the eggs?

[Tuckervill]

I like to think our medical/scientific community does its dead level best to verify these things, and that this is all accurate information.

However, I am reminded of how many things change in science and medicine and I still don't see a good reason for me, personally, to get a flu shot, although there are plenty of good reasons for others to. I'm reminded of ulcers, which conventional wisdom said were always caused by stress--until that one guy drank glass full of Helicobactor pylori himself because no one would believe him that ulcers could be caused by a bacteria. He was right.

I have two sons with relatively rare and poorly understood neurological disorders (Tourette Syndrome and Raynaud's phenomenon). No one can prove these were a result of vaccines...and no one can prove that they weren't. That's why I draw a line and rarely cross it.

Karen

This is how it was explained to me yesterday, that if you get sick one of several things may have occured.
you can be allergic to some component of the vaccine (eggs - the preservative)
you may have already been exposed to the flu without knowing it - generally symptoms don't appear for 24 hours or so after you've been exposed
you may contract another strain - the flu vaccine usually only protects against 3 of the most common ones
you may contract one of many "flu like" illnesses
but you can't possibly get the flu from a flu shot, since there is no live virus in it (looks like Oakleaf is totally correct - the nasal spray is what has the live attenuated virus in it).

I'm feeling lucky, I feel perfectly fine. I can't recall ever having a bad reaction to a vaccination before ever though. I might have to do the hepatitis series though...

[OakLeaf]

Well mine was playing possum!
Call it a "reaction" , you Nobel Prize-winning, white-coated *&^%'s... but
I am SICK, I tell you.

Easy, girlfriend. Read over my other posts, in this thread and the last one. I don't doubt you're sick and I'm not one of the ones telling you your shot didn't cause it. KV can make you very sick. But your immune reaction has more to do with your system than it does with whether the vaccine was KV or MLV.

[Bklynmom]

I was definitely a bit dizzy and chilled the day after my shot - DH too. That said, I never got sick last winter with more than a nasal cold. it's worth it and it doesn't even hurt that much!

[margo49]

Easy, girlfriend.

I think I have returned to myself.
I was distraught
I get that way often, not just when I am sick, but I do recover

I think what Knotted said was very clever too.
I will print that post and put it above my kitchen sink bench.