Bad reaction to flu shot

[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?

[Eden]

The virus is cultured inside chicken eggs

the nurse also told me that a good number of people can carry the flu without getting symptoms - so you can spread it without being sick! I decided though I've never had the flu, that working with sick kids it would be a good idea, both for them and for me to do it this year.

[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...