Drs., nurses, PAs, or ANYONE, a question about the flu..

[Mickeyhugger]

Our family is set to sail on the Disney Magic November 19th.

Flu shots are not available in this area until next week. Normally, I'm not so paranoid, but a teacher at DD's school has already had it, as well as an acquaintance (whom I haven't had any close proximity in mos, thank goodness,) so it's already 'going around' in our city, community.

I know there's nothing I can do for what's already happening, but here's the question..

What's the likelihood of catching the flu if both DH and I already had it 8 mos. ago? We were both sick for two weeks. (We managed to do bare minimum then, only taking DD to school, but we spent most of the time bedridden.) Miraculously our DD didn't get it. Last year I didn't have the shot because they weren't available. DH got a shot at work and STILL got it. (I'm hoping that's a rarity.) I intend to call my Dr. Monday morning to ask, but wondered if anyone has any insight here? Is there any truth to what others have told me, 'if you've already had it, you've built an immunity to it and probably won't have it again for a few years,' or is that an old wive's tale?

Thanks!

 

[HeatherH]

The flu strains are DIFFERENT each year, at least in some ways.

Having a flu shot last year, or having the FLU last year, gives you absolutely NO immunity from getting this year's flu.

Get the shot. Even if it's not 100% immunity (as you know) it DOES give you some protection, which is better than none.

Just do it.

 

[Mickeyhugger]

Thanks for your quick reply.

I intend to get the shot as soon as they're in our area. We even went to our local fire department today when they supposedly first became available. They hadn't received the vaccines yet, so we have to wait. I'm hoping and praying we can get them soon. I don't want to have to cancel our cruise.

 

[m&m's mom]

I am only 3 mins from you and all of us got our flu shot 2 weeks ago. We got them from our Family Physician in FM at Churchill Crossing on Cross Timbers by Kroger and Sonic at Dr.Phipps office. I know they also are giving to non-patients of theirs as there were a lot of them when we went.
They had shots left over too so I am sure they have more.
We are non-high risk and have gotten them every year for the last several years in the FM area. PM if you want to know how to get.

I have not heard of any actual cases of the true flu in this area. Yesterday on the news they said there was only 1 confirmed case in Dallas area.

I say get now and you should be fine,

Good Luck!

Edited to add my understanding of what is going around now is more of a stomach "flu" and not the real flu. There definitely is not a "flu problem" in this area so enjoy your cruise and be more worried about Norwalk.

 

[Saphire]

I am not a big believer in the flu shot (though I don't think there is anything wrong with it). The best defense against the flu is to keep your hands clean and away from your mouth. Just because you had the flu eight months ago does not mean you are less likely to get it this year. Get enough rest, eat right, and wash hands frequently during flu season (and especially on the ship) and you should be fine. Enjoy your cruise!

 

[Mickeyhugger]

M&M's mom, I've sent you a PM.

Thank you!

 

[Keli]

I'm afraid that getting the flu last year really isn't going to help prevent you from catching it this year because, as someone else stated, the strain last year will not be the same one going around this year. Sometimes you still get the flu even when vacinated because you are exposed to a different strain than the one the shot was protecting you from.

 

[golfgal]

I am not a big believer in the flu shot (though I don't think there is anything wrong with it). The best defense against the flu is to keep your hands clean and away from your mouth. Just because you had the flu eight months ago does not mean you are less likely to get it this year. Get enough rest, eat right, and wash hands frequently during flu season (and especially on the ship) and you should be fine. Enjoy your cruise!

You've never had the real influenza then, have you?

The other thing for the OP is that it takes several weeks for the full immunity of the shot to kick in, which is probably why your DH got the flu or he had already been exposed to the flu before you got the shot. If you can't get the shot sometime early this week, like tomorrow or the next day, it isn't going to be fully protecting you for your cruise any way. There were some websites out last year where you could check to see where they are giving shots in your area. You can search the web for those. I am surprised that you can't find them in Texas. According the the CDC website, Texas has the most activity so far.

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/usmap.htm