Flu Shot - yes or no (Updated - Poll Added!)

[disneyrun]

Here's the scoop - I'm a healthy young(er) not sure I can actually say young anymore woman. I work in a large educational facility so lots of students. Do I need a flu shot or not? Is it worth any risks (even though it's small I know). Is it necessary? Do you get one? Thanks!

 

[LakeAriel]

Neither I, nor any other member of my family, ever get either the flu or the flu shot...That included when I was teaching...

 

[NY Disney fan]

I never got a flu shot..until I got the flu this past February. The flu is not something that goes away with orange juice and rest. It is not a cold. The flu gets progressively worse and turns into pnumonia. Get the shot.

 

[Par8hed]

I get my shot EVERY year.

 

[KilimanjaroSafaris]

I to get one every year, and being you work in education, I would most definitely get one!

 

[NY Disney fan]

FYI, if you do not get the shot, and you end up getting the flu in the middle of winter, see your doctor immediately (within 48 hours of onset) and the doctor will have to give you a flu-killer like TAMIFLU or some other drug. When you get the flu, waiting is a dangerous game...see the doc. right away. Oh & I forgot, most insurers will not pay for the $100 Tamiflu b/c they feel that you should have gotten the free shot. They might throw a few dollars your way to help pay for the tab but again, depends on insurance.

 

[kinntj]

I don't get them when there's a shortage, but every other time I do. My girls are getting theirs on Friday and I need to set up my appointment to get one. DH gets one through work every year.

My mom lives with us and is ill, so it helps her that the rest of us is protected too.

 

[TruBlu]

We had never gotten one until the flu ruined our Christmas. It was DS's first, and we spent it sicker than I ever want to be again. It was beyond misery. Since then, we have never taken the chance. DH, both DS's and I always get the shot.

 

[Kath2003]

Nope; I don't get it. I'm 23 and had the flu once, 10 years ago. It sucked. If I get it again, it will suck. But since I'm not in any way vulnerable, I'll be fine without injecting yet another vaccination into my body. Life threatening disease? I'm there, jab away. An inconvenience? I'll deal.

(I work in education; prior to working in it I was gaining an education!)

 

[lovemygoofy]

I get mine every year. I have respiratory problems and get very sick in the winter anyways. Id be even worse without the flu shot.

 

[FuzzySulley]

I don't work in a school, but I've worked in retail for years dealing with people. I've never gotten the flu shot (and neither has anybody I know with the exception of my grandmother), but I've never gotten the flu either so I can't really describe what that feels like. For me personally, I don't think I would go get the shot unless a doctor told me that I really should. But we all have to do what's best for us.

 

[tinkntraining]

I've 42 and have never gotten the flu shot before....but after getting a terrible case of the flu last February, I will be lining up as soon as my doc provides them. It only takes once for me to realize my mistake!! It may be a lot like last year, with the shot only covering a few (not all) strands of the flu, but I figure my odds of avoiding it are better with vaccination.

 

[castleview]

Nah, build up an immunity.

My son had the shot at the request of our pedi because he was under two. He got sick from the shot.

Having said that, we did lose a student in our school system to the flu. I believe it started as undetected strep. Whether it changed any minds regarding the flu shot, I don't know.

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

I recommend getting the flu shot. I get mine every year, and it has helped me keep from getting sick. I am in and out of hospitals, nursing homes, and public schools; I shake lots of hands. I wouldn't consider going through a winter without the flu shot.

 

[ckay87]

I'm 38 and have never had the flu or the shot. I'm sure it is a horrible, life-threatening sickness, but right now I'm in very good health. I really never get colds or anything, so I suspect my immune system is working pretty well also. Not saying I'm not going to get the flu ever, it's just that I'm currently in a good position to withstand it. Knock on wood.

 

[zalansky]

I get one every year now since my son has been going to school (3 years) and I get the kids one as well. The pediatrician is going to give my kids the nasal spray vaccine this year though. If I can avoid any flu strain in any way, I am going to.

 

[LindaG4458]

My doctor recommended the flu shot for me because of my tendency to catch everything coming down the pike in the winter. It might be strictly mental, but I have been healthier since taking the shots.

DH refuses the vaccine and was very sick last winter. I hope he will take the shot this year.

 

[Aimeedyan]

I don't typically get it, though I am immune compromised and work with children on a regular basis. I am uncomfortable with injecting myself with something that may not even be the right strain - it's not a guarantee it'll even help. I already take so much medication, it just pains me to take something else that's a best shot guess on what strain of flu we'll have this year.

In addition, last year everyone I know that DID get flu also got the flu shot!

Interestingly, none of my doctors have put any pressure on me to get it. They say it's not a bad idea but is not a guarantee that I won't get the flu anyways.

 

[suzimar57]

DH and i always get a flu shot yearly

 

[Camicar]

I never get a flu shot until my dd's asthma -- caused by colds and flu -- ended up with her in Ped ICU. At that point, we were told very forcefully to get the shot and have gotten them every year since.

And you know what? Best idea ever. We went from being miserable for 2 weeks a year to sailing thru each winter. One year at my workplace, everyone but the boss got a shot. Guess who was out sick for 3 weeks and ended up in the hospital with pneumonia? The boss. Guess who got the first flu shot of his life the next year? The boss.

And FTR, you cannot get the flu from the flu shot. It conatins inactive viruses, so they cannot be activated to make you sick with the flu. I believe FluMist contains active viruses, so that is a different story.