Flu shot

[kalc12345]

Well call me a fluke because 2-3 weeks later I would get the flu. I have not had a shot in 14+ years. I have not had the flu in 10 yrs.

I will take my chances with the flu. My husbands uncle had a VERY BAD reaction to the flu shot. He has been in the hospital for a month now. There are also 6 others in the hospital with the same bad reaction from the flu shot.

 

[lorimay]

YES! I always get a bit nervous before vacationing in the winter when there is so much crud going around. We fly to wherever we are going, so are in close quarters with people at the onset of vacation. That said, we all did get the flu shot a couple of months ago. I told DH this morning with the flu as widespread and bad as it is, we need to ramp up our immune systems, as we leave in just under 4 weeks. I will probably get some Airborne, drink lots of OJ, etc. So, get your flu shots and wash your hands Also, we never cruise without trip insurance - for many reasons. You should seriously consider it for your next vacation.

We have been on 4 other cruises and always purchased the insurance.
This time we booked it kinda last minute and just didn't think about doing it like I have done in the past. I will never do that again, not worth the anxiety of "what ifs".

 

[DJinPA]

I think it may be splitting hairs, but I do know with any vaccine (and with a very small number of people) there is a possibility that your body may react to the invasion of the vaccine into your body, often dependent on the shape of your immune system at the time of the vaccine and that reaction can create a wide range of symptoms - but is technically not giving you the flu. Then, when your body is weak, fighting whatever reaction you are experiencing, you may pick up something else going around a bit more easily.

 

[CrusingFamily4]

I am terrified! We leave tomorrow. The flu is running rampant here. Hospitals are over capacity. We got the flu shot the 2nd day it came out here, and so far have been ok. Everyone in my close extended family has gotten the flu thus far- except us. I always get so nervous before flying, so the fact that I'm feeling off right now is nothing new... but it still is messing with me!

What scares me the most is that we'll be spending a week in DisneyWorld before boarding the disney fantasy. I cringe at the amount of germs on the rides.

 

[manateesmom]

I actually don't think it's too late to buy trip insurance, if you wanted to. Go to squaremouth.com or insuremytrip.com and look into it. You will likely not be able to get coverage for pre-existing health conditions, but I think you can still purchase insurance.

IMO, the bigger risk is norovirus. My 18-month-old DS got it last time we cruised, and it was horrible, though we somehow avoided it with tons of hand-washing. On the Cruise Critic boards, there are always people saying they'd never cruise during hurricane season (which is half the year), but I'm always leery of cruising during flu/noro season, which is peaking in the winter (though noro can be circulating at other times of the year).

 

[manateesmom]

Also, for what it's worth, if you have upcoming travel plans, I'd plan to be sure that everyone in the family is getting sufficient Vitamin D (which is not the 400 IU recommended by the gov't). Numerous studies link Vit D deficiency to susceptibility to flu, and higher Vit D levels with less risk of flu or lower severity of flu if you get it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_D_and_influenza The Wiki article cites to randomized clinical trials on it.

 

[lorimay]

I am terrified! We leave tomorrow. The flu is running rampant here. Hospitals are over capacity. We got the flu shot the 2nd day it came out here, and so far have been ok. Everyone in my close extended family has gotten the flu thus far- except us. I always get so nervous before flying, so the fact that I'm feeling off right now is nothing new... but it still is messing with me!

What scares me the most is that we'll be spending a week in DisneyWorld before boarding the disney fantasy. I cringe at the amount of germs on the rides.

Have a wonderful time!!!
I know kids touch everything, those ropes in line make me cringe, my kids and now my grandkids are attracted to them. Get some hand sanitizer and wet ones to carry along.

 

[gemini2727]

Well call me a fluke because 2-3 weeks later I would get the flu. I have not had a shot in 14+ years. I have not had the flu in 10 yrs.

You may have been infected with a different strain than what was in the vaccine. This doesn't mean the flu vaccine is useless...

The flu shot is not 100% guaranteed, but gives you much better odds of not getting sick. I just saw a report that said one strain of flu circulating is 100% matched by this year's vaccine, another strain is matched about 70%, so it is offering good protection. A third strain going around is not covered by the vaccine, and is causing about 10% of the flu cases being reported. (This was on a CNN health update.)
So the vaccine isn't a cure-all, but is definitely worth getting. Even if you get the flu, your symptoms may be lessened if you have been vaccinated.

My entire family is vaccinated yearly, no reactions so far. Hope you continue to be lucky...it's a nasty one this year.

 

[CrusingFamily4]

Have a wonderful time!!!
I know kids touch everything, those ropes in line make me cringe, my kids and now my grandkids are attracted to them. Get some hand sanitizer and wet ones to carry along.

Thanks so much! Our first stop will be to target to purchase hand sanitizers and wet ones. Thankfully we are renting a home, so we will not have to worry about elevator buttons etc at a hotel.

I dropped the girls off at preschool today (4 other kids attend plus my 2) and the teacher had no voice and the brother of one of the kids had a runny nose. I wanted to grab the girls and bolt, haha.

 

[lorimay]

Thanks so much! Our first stop will be to target to purchase hand sanitizers and wet ones. Thankfully we are renting a home, so we will not have to worry about elevator buttons etc at a hotel.

I dropped the girls off at preschool today (4 other kids attend plus my 2) and the teacher had no voice and the brother of one of the kids had a runny nose. I wanted to grab the girls and bolt, haha.

One more thing, Get a can of lysol and spray the rental house down really good.
Especially the door knobs, light switches and TV remotes.

I don't blame you for wanting to grab them and run!!!!

 

[DahliaRW]

Elderberry syrup is a really good way to help prevent and fight off influenza. Studies have shown it to be as effective at tamiflu. I take 1 teaspoon 4x a day when I start to feel run down. When we cruise next January I plan to have the whole family take it for a few days before and the duration of our cruise as a preventative.

 

[tlkscott]

The news reported here that over 50% of the people with the flu had gotten the shot. There is very nasty stuff in the shot itself and I know many people that get sick after getting the shot.

You are better off to up your Vitamin D3 and Vitamin C to fight off the flu. I have very low Vitamin D and have to take 20,000 IU's to keep my levels where they need to be. I have read that about 90% of the people in the US do not get enough Vitamin D.

 

[smile750]

The news reported here that over 50% of the people with the flu had gotten the shot. There is very nasty stuff in the shot itself and I know many people that get sick after getting the shot.

You are better off to up your Vitamin D3 and Vitamin C to fight off the flu. I have very low Vitamin D and have to take 20,000 IU's to keep my levels where they need to be. I have read that about 90% of the people in the US do not get enough Vitamin D.

The shot does not cause you to get the flu. Period.

Read this (it's actually a FACT - something that many "news" organizations seem to stretch from time to time): http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/vis/downloads/vis-flu.pdf

 

[Sinderelly]

I tried geting a flu shot just one time and had a reaction. I've never in my life had the flu and seem to have a "high resistance" to illness in general. My Dr jsut prescribed some medication for me that lowers resistance and I've been afraid to start taking it I'm hoping we all stay healthy.

We leave for WDW/cruise this Sunday.

 

[NurseDave]

Of course people that have normal immune systems and aren't in a high risk population can get the flu and have it feel like a bad cold. So then you end up spreading it to others without even knowing you have it. So getting the flu shot not only can protect you, but everyone else you contact as well.

 

[jmarsh]

Drink 100% Welch's grape juice... 2 glasses per day everyday as a preventative measure against the flu. I have done the research and it works...

 

[Bonniec]

You may have been infected with a different strain than what was in the vaccine. This doesn't mean the flu vaccine is useless...

The flu shot is not 100% guaranteed, but gives you much better odds of not getting sick. I just saw a report that said one strain of flu circulating is 100% matched by this year's vaccine, another strain is matched about 70%, so it is offering good protection. A third strain going around is not covered by the vaccine, and is causing about 10% of the flu cases being reported. (This was on a CNN health update.)
So the vaccine isn't a cure-all, but is definitely worth getting. Even if you get the flu, your symptoms may be lessened if you have been vaccinated.

My entire family is vaccinated yearly, no reactions so far. Hope you continue to be lucky...it's a nasty one this year.

Also, was it the actual flu the poster got sick with?

The shot does not cause you to get the flu. Period.

Read this (it's actually a FACT - something that many "news" organizations seem to stretch from time to time): http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/vis...ds/vis-flu.pdf

This is worth repeating.


I work in the medical field and got the flu shot. A week later I got sick from a cold. I can't tell you how many people asked me if it was because I got the flu shot and I was the ONLY one in my office to get the shot. So many people believe the shot causes the flu when it doesn't.

The shot can't give you the flu. And as said above, it doesn't cover everything. I didn't even have the "flu". I had a cold (no fever or anything). But everyone around me assumes it was from the flu shot.

But the shot gives you a good chance to avoid it and if you do get the flu, it should still lessen the symtpoms. I'll take that!

OP, I think it's good you got the vaccine (clearly I'm a believer in it), but it won't take effect before you cruise. Stay safe!

 

[kalc12345]

There is very nasty stuff in the shot itself.

You are better off to up your Vitamin D3 and Vitamin C to fight off the flu. I have very low Vitamin D and have to take 20,000 IU's to keep my levels where they need to be. I have read that about 90% of the people in the US do not get enough Vitamin D.

Yes, that shot is full of all kinds of nasty stuff!!!
Great advice!! That is what my family does. We up our vitamin D and take a few other things, Echinacea, C etc to boost our immune system during the flu season.

 

[MedicGoofy]

That's a myth. The flu shot, in itself, has never made a person sick. You likely were already sick when you recv'd the shots.

Not necessarily a myth. If you look back a couple of years, thousands of people actually became quite sick after recieving the flu shot. During the H1N1 crisis, there was a ton of research done after. It seemed, the flu shot did indeed create illness in people.

As well, many people can get the common side effects of fever, chills and headache after recieving the flu shot. They may concieve this as 'being sick' but infact, common side effects.

 

[jjiillee]

I have never gotten a flu shot. i got it a few times for the kids and every time they got sick after. One year I got it for dd and ds a few days before our vacation to Atlantis, they were both sick with flu on vacation. When ds got the flu mist one year he was sick with fever about 24 hrs after getting it. I know people will argue this matter forever but I an not getting it for my family anymore. if it works for your family great I think some people just don't respond well to it.
we try to eat healthy, take vitamins and wash hands regularly. I try to make them take a shower as soon as we get home from an indoor playground type of place. we do still get sick occasionally but so far not too bad this year. I better go knock on some wood