Flu Shot...Are you getting one?

[MzDiz]

I'm torn. I have never had a flu shot before, even though I have severe asthma, but last year I was the unlucky recipient of the swine flu. It was the worst two weeks of my life. I'd rather go through the week after spinal surgery again.

 

[bumbershoot]

Nope.

 

[U2_rocks!]

DH is the only person in our household who has ever even had the flu in his lifetime, so we don't think about it too much. I guess it doesn't feel like a big deal to us. The kids and I have strong viral immunity already, naturally.

Having said that, we are going to WDW in 3 weeks, which will expose us to things that aren't going around where we live. I don't know if to get the shot because of that ......

 

[XYSRUS]

I got my flu shot today at work. And, this year's shot includes coverage for H1N1. No problemos. Literally took 10 seconds and if you get it in your dominant arm and use that arm during the day, it won't hurt or be sore.

 

[mickeyboat]

Yes, we all will. We are going to WDW in October, and I refuse to let the flu ruin our trip (at least the strains we are vaccinated for).

 

[I*heart*MickeyMouse]

No. Finland banned flu shots for children.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100824/hl_afp/healthfluvaccinefinland

If I read that article correctly it said that there were 750 cases of side effects and ONE case of narcolepsy --- out of 2.5 million vaccines given. You have more of a chance of being struck by lightening, being attacked by a shark, dying from the flu and dying in a car wreck.

Not to mention the US flu shots are all in one this year. H1N1 was only separate last year because it came on so quickly they didn't have adequate time to test a combined seasonal/h1n1 shot.

Eta - they are halting the h1n1 vaccine -- not the seasonal flu shot. And even though there were six cases of narcolepsy reported, that is in line with how many cases come about every year, even before h1n1.

 

[Aristomommy]

You make my point. Last year's hype surrounding H1N1 was absolutely nothing like the reality of the outbreak. People were going to be dropping like flies, remember? It was the plague times ten.

If people want to get flu shots, that's fine with me. But the media frenzy surrounding the flu shots is pure hype.

No one has a crystal ball when it comes to the kind of flu season we will have. If the CDC had not warned people about the virus, you would probably be one of the "know-it-alls" who would be now blaming them for not protecting the public. So the professionals making the statements can't win with the public, can they?

The problem with H1N1 is that it is still around and is expected to come back this flu season. To what extent, who knows? It was classified as a pandemic and unfortunately many of the people who died from complications were children so not the typical norm of flu. When there is a simple solution such as a vaccine, I will be the first one in line to protect my loved ones.

 

[Aristomommy]

If I read that article correctly it said that there were 750 cases of side effects and ONE case of narcolepsy --- out of 2.5 million vaccines given. You have more of a chance of being struck by lightening, being attacked by a shark, dying from the flu and dying in a car wreck.

Not to mention the US flu shots are all in one this year. H1N1 was only separate last year because it came on so quickly they didn't have adequate time to test a combined seasonal/h1n1 shot.

Eta - they are halting the h1n1 vaccine -- not the seasonal flu shot. And even though there were six cases of narcolepsy reported, that is in line with how many cases come about every year, even before h1n1.

The problem with narcolepsy was with the adjuvant in the vaccine, which is a different way of producing the vaccine than in the United States. Our H1N1 vaccine was produced the same way as seasonal flu (egg based). Out of 90 million doses of this particular type of vaccine given in Europe, Finland has 15 cases and Sweden has 8 unconfirmed cases of narcolepsy in children. I would certainly look into this further in Europe, but this has no significance to United States.

 

[Geoff_M]

I have the oppertunity to get a free flu shot through my work...I work at the airport, and am around a lot of....well lets just say the "Unwashed masses"...and I currently DO NOT have health insurance...I am scared to get the shot because I may get sick from it, and I am worried to NOT get it, as I cannot afford to get the flu...Stuck between a rock and a hard place...

Are you getting one this year?

Yes, get one every year. So do the wife (a teacher) and kids.

 

[Daisy&Max]

yep...got mine today, get it every year and will have my kids get it too.

 

[Pigeon]

No one has a crystal ball when it comes to the kind of flu season we will have. If the CDC had not warned people about the virus, you would probably be one of the "know-it-alls" who would be now blaming them for not protecting the public. So the professionals making the statements can't win with the public, can they?

It's like the terrorist alert system always set on orange.

 

[DisneyKT]

Yes had the swine flu last year only one in the house not to get the shot. My husband and kids had the shot. Worse than the reg flu. I was out of the picture for two weeks. Yuck.

 

[TheBigBadWolf]

DH's employer offers free flu shots every year and we will be getting ours again this year, Sept. 30.

 

[C.Ann]

Yes, we all will. We are going to WDW in October, and I refuse to let the flu ruin our trip (at least the strains we are vaccinated for).

When I was still traveling to Florida, one of my biggest fears (actually the biggest fear) was getting sick with the flu in WDW.. Being so far from my own doctor.. Worrying about not feeling well enough to fly home when I was supposed to.. And spending all that money only to spend the entire time lying in bed wishing someone would just shoot me!!!

I think your plan is an excellent one..

 

[denisenh]

My family all just got the flu shot.
Unless you have had an adverse reaction in the past, or are allergic to eggs (and they always ask about latex too, but I think that's because of the gloves they wear, not because there is latex in the shot), you don't need to worry about the flu shot making you sick. At least not sick with the flu. The shot is not made with live virus, so it is impossible to get the actual flu from the shot.
You can have some symptoms when your immune system reacts to the shot and makes the antibodies that will protect you from the flu, but most people don't experience any thing more than a sore arm. I think often times people think the shot made them sick, when actually they just happened to come down with something at around the same time they got the shot. With schools starting back up, and people spending more time indoors, it's the time of year for bugs to start back up again. The shot also doesn't give you immunity right away, so some people get the flu shortly after getting the shot simply because they were exposed to it before they had immunity, and they then blame it on the shot.
I got the shot a few days after having a baby, and had just gotten the whooping cough vaccine, so my body was worn out and sleep deprived, and I didn't have any symptoms at all.
I'd much rather get a quick shot in the arm than be knocked out with the flu for a few weeks.

good info! just a comment on the latex part, which is confusing to most folks, including some doctors. Usually the latex is in the stopper of the mutidose vials. Many pharmaceutical companies use latex free stoppers nowadays. Healthcare workers wear gloves to protect themselves when giving vaccines/injections (among many other things) and latex free gloves should be available in all healthcare facilities.

Nope, never do.

But I do love the annual flu shot hype, last year's being the best. First there's the big push to get everybody to get the shot. If you don't get the shot, you will drop dead.

Then there's the inevitable shortage. If you are old or a member of specific groups, you must get the shot or drop dead. Everyone else will be fine if they don't get the shot, and they should stop worrying about it.

Then the supply catches up. Now all those people who didn't get the shot should get it immediately or again they will drop dead (even if flu season is over).

heres to another season of "flu shot hype"! I hope you find this years hype as entertaining as last years.

Nope. Never do. I'm allergic to thimersol. DD received it once when she was a year old and 3 days later was in the hospital with RSV. So nobody here gets flu shots.

Thimerosal free vaccines are available. FYI, check labels when purchasing things like eye drops as many contain Thimerosal.

No. Finland banned flu shots for children.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100824/hl_afp/healthfluvaccinefinland

I found the links at the end of the above linked page interesting too
More on Flu

• All pregnant women should get flu shot, say ob-gyns Reuters
• Health Buzz: Flu Shot Linked to Reduced Heart Attack Risk U.S. News & World Report
• Increase in Seizures Seen in Kids With H1N1 Flu HealthDay

...and FYI, this Finland news story seems to be regarding one product "Pandemrix" which I haven't heard of being used in the United States, although I haven't looked into that.

Yes, i will be getting a flu shot this year.

 

[badcramps]

I sure will. I tried to get it at my primary care doctor's last week when I was there anyway but they said they weren't starting to give them for another three days.

My wife and I had what we assume was the swine flu last year at the same time. It was horrible. It was early-mid November I believe and at that point they were still offering vaccines only to high risk people. I did have asthma as a child but haven't had problems in over a decade and I did have pneumonia a few years ago (and was warned that I'd be extra susceptible to respiratory problems from then on). So I probably would have counted as high risk had I really wanted to get the vaccine ASAP. But silly me thought "leave the vaccines for the children and the really high risk people" first.

And then as during the time I had an unending fever for 9 days, could barely manage to get myself food and tissues, and had to get a chest x-ray to make sure I wasn't developing pneumonia I saw stories in the NYTimes about how they had all of these doses of H1N1 vaccine just sitting around with nobody getting them in the upper class areas of Manhattan. I've never resented children more than when in the middle of my misery I thought of all of those kids who had access to the vaccine and didn't get it when I was so miserable and it wasn't clear if I'd have been able to get one when I wanted one because they were being reserved for the kids.

We also had no idea how we got it. My wife was working from home and taking one course at the time and no one else in her class appeared to have gotten it. I was a graduate student, was not teaching, and was really only routinely around the other grad students and faculty whom I ran in my department. None of them had any flu like symptoms either. We did not know *anyone* who we could have caught it from, but we got it all the same. So yeah, no way, no how am I not getting a flu shot this year. No way would I risk having all of that misery again when it's so easy to prevent.

 

[Nancy]

Nope, I'll let my immune system do it's job, it's worked for me so far and I've only had the actual flu once. I've had stomach viruses and colds and upset tummy...but the real knock down flu once.


Kids have never had the shots or the flu..same for DH. We follow the old standby lots of hand washing with soap and warm water.

 

[loxie]

Ive never had, nor plan to... I was one the lucky people who got swine flu last year & that sucked!! but I still wont be getting the shot.

 

[superme80]

Nope. Never. Then again, we don't vaccinate period, so take that for what it's worth.

This. So nope!

 

[Belle0101]

Never have and most likely never will.

A number of years back our church was giving the flu shot for a very nominal fee at a health fair event. I forget the dollar amount but it was under $20. My cousin and my husband both got the shot. I didn't want it and was told by the nurse that since I was pregnant I couldn't get it (the shot) anyhow. My cousin's husband is afraid of needles so he didn't get it either.

Those 2 both got sick, at the same time with the same symptoms ... fever, chills, body aches and vomitting.

I never got sick, ever. Nor did my cousin's husband. Coincidence? Good luck on our part? I don't know.