Flu shot - Anybody get any side effects this year?

[riu girl]

DD8 had the flu shot late Monday afternoon.

She wakes up Tuesday morning with a couple of odd marks (looks like misq bites). She also tells me she has just killed a misq in her bathroom).

Tues afternoon I get a call form the school. She is covered in a terrible itchy rash and I have to pick her up. It looks freaky. She has never had a rash so I go the pharmacist and get Benedryl, lanaca and oatmeal bath.

Wednesday morning see doctor - it is hives (head to toes and in her mouth and ears) but it is diminishing. He also does a throat culture suspecting strep throat since tonsils are enlarged and RED

Wednesday afternoon - she has the worst flu you have ever seen (cough, vomiting, high fever, chills etc.)
Thursday - stil very ill with all symptoms.

I call the local health unit and am told that a different company is making the flu shot this year and that there may be different componds in it and it is like getting a flu shot for the first time.

Friday - flu is over, the throat culture comes back negative
Friday afternoon - DD is 100% again

DD has been getting the flu shot for a few years with no reaction whatsover. Then again the flu she had may have had nothing to do with the flu shot, she might have actually had a flu virus. Just odd no one else in the family got it from her, makes me think it might have been a reaction from the flu shot.

Anybody else having any difficulties this year witht he flu shot?
Suzy V

 

[Miandrea]

This was my first year getting a flu shot and I was fine. Haven't heard about anyone else getting sick.

Andrea

 

[SplashMom]

DH, DS, DD and I all received the flu shot--no problems at all. Glad to hear that your daughter is feeling better. Is it possible that she came in contact with something else? The rash makes it sound like an allergy more than flu.

 

[riu girl]

About the hives - I have given this a lot of thought wondering if it could have been a reaction to something.
The hives started Monday night/early Tuesday morning,
on the Saturday night before we toured Kawartha Downs in Peterborough (a horse race track) and walked through a horse barn and pet a couple of horses.
On Sunday she spent about an hour climbing crab apple trees.

Other then that I can't think of anything else.
I wonder if one of these activities could have caused the hives? I have never seen hives before and especially not like this, she was completely covered in them.

 

[dandee00]

Hi
Maybe she is allergic to something in the flu shot. I think there may be egg in it...And an allergic reaction can cause you to be sick to your stomach.
Glad to hear everything is fine now.

 

[SaraMc]

I only got a mild bump on my arm that went away. Other than that Im fine.

S

 

[damo]

DH had no reaction.

 

[ChisJo]

Other then the huge bruise I received, no reactions noted here. My neices got a really bad flu after, but that is normal, I guess.

Jo

 

[marylou]

Since the hives were all over I would suspect something systemic. Either something she ate or something that would affect the whole body (like the flu shot).
The doctor or who ever gave the flu shot should have asked you if there were any allergies to things like eggs, themerisol (in contacts cleaning fluid), or other preservatives. Flu vaccine is cultured in eggs and preserved with the others.
Sometimes you can get a slight "cold like' symptoms but not usually anything that severe.
Who ever gave the flu shot should be filling in an adverse reaction form so please let him know or (if your doctor) he can rule out any thing else. They track these things.
The flu shot is dead virus so you can not catch the flu from it. Since this is the season for nasty colds and it is norwalk season so that may be what it was

 

[digskat]

The four of us had ours on Thursday. DH has some cold symptoms but I think he may have already been coming down with something.Otherwise not a problem. I tend to believe what the previous poster said. I would check with your md to see if it possible that the hives were caused from the flu shot. Once I was put on Bactrim like many times before (and had no reactions) and ended up covered in hives...apparently I am now allergic to Sulpha. I certainly would be informing you md prior to her recieving the flu shot next year. Glad to here she's feeling better. Kat

 

[Lisa Anne Colling]

This was our third year getting flu shot and third year ending up with flu like symptoms within about a week of getting the shot. Who knows if there is a connection or just three times lucky that we get a flu bug around the time of the shot! My oldest two also ended up with a hive like rash immediately following shot. my neice did as well. My BIL saw some where that a rash can be a side effect of this flu shot.
Lisa

 

[marylou]

We now have our 1st case of influenza reported in Waterloo region. Reported on the 7th. so flu season is here!
Wash wash wash your hands

 

[mickeyfan2]

I got it and had only one problem. Need to use my asthma inhaler a few times (but this usually happens). Sorry to hear how sick you DD got.

 

[BitsnBearsMom]

We can't get it here as it's cultured in egg and my youngest is allergic to egg. We usually only get the flu once every 3 or 4 years anyway and my kids just both finished going through a week long fever (one right after the other of course!!) so we should be good for a while!!lol

 

[princess pooh]

I got so sick from the shot last year that I didn't do it again. I felt like hell for two weeks and missed a lot of work so there was no point in getting the shot anyways.

 

[riu girl]

Thank you so much everybody for all the input on this topic. Its funny looking at her today, she looks so healthy, its hard to imagine how ill she was a week ago.
Thanks again, you guys are just so great.
Suzy V

 

[laura001]

I work with the public in a medical setting and see so many people that become ill from the flu shot it is amazing to me. Years ago, we started to keep track on our own how many patients became ill after the shot, you would not believe it.

You have to remember that you are putting a non-virulent virus into your body so that it builds an antibody to the virus.....or so you hope

 

[dandee00]

Suzy,
Glad to hear she's doing better.

 

[mom_rules]

DD got the flu shot and sure enough was sicker than a dog a week later. Still has some of the after effects of flu now.
The year we had the shot was the year we got sick. Haven't had one since and we've been (knock wood) just fine.