The Swine Flu Shot a Waste of Time!

[OakLeaf]

How can they NOT tell you how many sick days you get and how can they fire you for being sick?

From today's NYT:

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 39 percent of private-sector workers do not receive paid sick leave....

A survey last year by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago found that 68 percent of those not eligible for paid sick days said they had gone to work with a contagious illness like the flu, while 53 percent eligible for paid sick days said they had done so.

That survey found that 11 percent of respondents said that they had lost a job for taking off for an illness for themselves or a family member, and 13 percent said they had been told they would be fired or suspended if they missed work because of personal or family illness.

[Biciclista]

hm, the flu shot IS a waste of time. People who work at my company were invited to the cafeteria for shots yesterday; so people went. THose that showed up discovered that there were no shots there; so they did NOT get their shots. (some problem with the supply, again)

[NbyNW]

Knot, hope you feel better soon!

It seems that it was incredibly ambitious to try to make so much vaccine available all at once. Here in Alberta the vaccination clinics were open to anyone last week, but I heard there were long waits. Today they have announced that for the time being priority will go to pregnant women, young children, and people under 65 with "chronic health conditions."

It's unclear how you prove that you have a chronic health condition. I'm unclear whether I qualify, with asthma and not yet having an Alberta Health Services card. They did let me get a seasonal flu shot a few weeks ago, but there wasn't a supply issue for that.

[badger]

With no immune system to speak of - the leukemia & the chemo, chances are the h1n1 shot is not going to be effective for your father and he didn't build up immunity to it.

If you have the chance to get the vaccine & the normal flu vaccine, I'd suggest you might want to do it - just because it'd suck if you gave him the flu. I know my father's oncologist recommended the entire family get it when he was on chemo.

My dad and I were both wondering about that, but his oncologist still told him to get it, so he did.

[Becky]

It's unclear how you prove that you have a chronic health condition. I'm unclear whether I qualify, with asthma and not yet having an Alberta Health Services card. They did let me get a seasonal flu shot a few weeks ago, but there wasn't a supply issue for that.

A letter from my GP or endocrinologist stating that I'm in their care for diabetes has been enough to get me a seasonal flu shot. I imagine that it depends a little on the jurisdiction.

[KnottedYet]

Harrumph. Was just on the phone a couple hours ago with my doc, telling 'em I didn't have a fever and wanted to be cleared to go back to work... and now I have a fever.

Poopy.

[Zen]

My dad and I were both wondering about that, but his oncologist still told him to get it, so he did.

He might should get a pneumonia shot.

[Trek420]

Harrumph. Was just on the phone a couple hours ago with my doc, telling 'em I didn't have a fever and wanted to be cleared to go back to work... and now I have a fever.

Poopy.

See, that's how you catch this thing: by talking to your PCP.

[OakLeaf]

Really, I know that correlation is not causation.

So much so that two years ago, the last time my arthritis flared (lasting 6-8 months), I didn't even connect it to the flu shot I'd just had.

Now, the psychological pull becomes a bit stronger.

[KnottedYet]

Really, I know that correlation is not causation.

So much so that two years ago, the last time my arthritis flared (lasting 6-8 months), I didn't even connect it to the flu shot I'd just had.

Now, the psychological pull becomes a bit stronger.

That's why I get the flu mist. Two generations of my family have an arthritis-like reaction to the flu shots that lasts about a year. (best guess is it's related to an ingredient, not the virus itself) We all have goofy autoimmune issues, so who knows what is really the cause of the reaction.

I've never had a flu injection, so no idea if I'd have the same reaction or not. But the flu mist is no problem.

[OakLeaf]

That's why I get the flu mist. Two generations of my family have an arthritis-like reaction to the flu shots that lasts about a year. (best guess is it's related to an ingredient, not the virus itself) We all have goofy autoimmune issues, so who knows what is really the cause of the reaction.

I've never had a flu injection, so no idea if I'd have the same reaction or not. But the flu mist is no problem.

Oh, wonderful. I'd be eligible for the mist today if it were available to me (which it's not), but as of tomorrow I won't be any more.

I wonder if a healthy 50-year-old can beg and wheedle her PCP for the mist.


ETA: but maybe since the H1N1 shot is non-adjuvanted in the USA, it won't aggravate what I already have? I can hope anyway.

[Jolt]

That's why I get the flu mist. Two generations of my family have an arthritis-like reaction to the flu shots that lasts about a year. (best guess is it's related to an ingredient, not the virus itself) We all have goofy autoimmune issues, so who knows what is really the cause of the reaction.

I've never had a flu injection, so no idea if I'd have the same reaction or not. But the flu mist is no problem.

Interesting. I have been hearing stuff lately about some of the ingredients in the injected vaccine (particularly the H1N1) and am not sure what to believe but it is starting to make me nervous. I already had the injected seasonal flu shot this year as I have for the past few years, but have been struggling with the decision to get or not get the H1N1 b/c I am a health care worker and would not want to give the bug to my patients but also don't want to end up with a problem from stuff in the vaccine. I think I'll get the nasal H1N1 vaccine since both will (supposedly) be available at the free clinic where I volunteer (they're giving it to health care workers first). Probably better immunity anyway--it's a live attenuated rather than an inactivated virus and it's using the same portal of entry that the actual flu would. Plus I won't have to deal with a sore arm (the flu shot for me is worse than the tetanus shot as far as that reaction goes) .

[badger]

He might should get a pneumonia shot.

yeah, he'll get one soon. He didn't want to get 3 shots (seasonal, H1N1, AND pneumonia). Good thing he didn't as he did have a fever after the 2 shots, who knows what the 3rd shot would've done.

A co-worker of mine got 2 shots in one day also and she also didn't do very well. Ended up taking 2 days off as she had a slight fever and was achey all over.

[Dogmama]

" Oh it's OK. It's just allergies..."

Grrrr

I'm one of those who cannot get a flu shot. I have lupus & my rheumatologist has forbidden it. Alive, killed or barely breathing - no flu shot. So I really get p.o'ed with people who show up places sick. I want to say, "Why do you think you're so important that you MUST be here??"

So, I'm just really careful. I carry hand sanitizer, I watch that I don't touch my face in public, wash my hands a lot, blah blah. I don't want to be one of those OCD people on Intervention though

[ny biker]

" Oh it's OK. It's just allergies..."

Grrrr

I'm one of those who cannot get a flu shot. I have lupus & my rheumatologist has forbidden it. Alive, killed or barely breathing - no flu shot. So I really get p.o'ed with people who show up places sick. I want to say, "Why do you think you're so important that you MUST be here??"

So, I'm just really careful. I carry hand sanitizer, I watch that I don't touch my face in public, wash my hands a lot, blah blah. I don't want to be one of those OCD people on Intervention though

I know what you mean. Someone I work with was home two days last week taking care of her sick children. Despite the fact that she can work from home whenever it's necessary, she came in to the office on Friday. And she hacked and coughed and sniffled the whole day. I had work to do with her but I stayed away instead. There was absolutely no reason why she couldn't have stayed home with her germs.

I'm at the point where I use hand sanitizer every time I go into the office kitchen. Lord only knows whose germs are on the refrigerator handle, microwave and drawer handles.