View Full Version : Flu shots -- are you going to get one?
It seems like every drug store chain is now advertising now is the time to get your flu shot. Over the years it has been sort of hit or miss with me getting one.
Generally I am a very healthy person. I took my 1st sick days last winter (3 days off work) - in over 11 years.
For the most part I am for vaccines - I think they have saved many lives. I do a lot of historical newspaper research - late 1800's, early 1900's and I can't believe how many people died the diseases we now are vaccinated for. Back then flu was often called "LaGrippe" and was often the cause of death in the winter.
With that being said - I still haven't decided if I will get one. I must admit my trust in the drug companies is questionable at best. :0!
What are your plans?
I think I've mentioned this before, and it may have had nothing to do with the flu shot, but around l995, I had a flu shot and in the winter I got so sick I thought I'd die. I got the flu, then pneumonia, then several ear infections, then IBS, then sensory neuropathy, then Fibromyalgia. So......I'm opting out every year. Both DH and I haven't had one in about 16 years and neither of us have gotten sick. (Knock on ALOT of wood!).
(Just to clarify, the real "flu" is an upper respiratory illness.)
We both get one each year due to underlying conditions (asthma) aggravated by the flu. Have avoided emergency room visits and have not had the flu since I started gettting the shot.
Healthy individual = choice
Underlying condition or age = pretty mandatory
Note: I wont take most medicine (hubby worked for pharma and I got to know a little too much) but the value of the flu shot has been proven to me for my health.
loosechickens
10-3-11, 3:34pm
We get them every year. I have asthma, and while I am generally symptom free and drug free, and have been for years now, if I get any kind of upper respiratory infection, it almost always has led to a major problem, emergency room visit, etc., as my asthma flares up at those times, and my lung passages attempt to help me by shutting down (yay lungs....NOT), so I look at it as insurance.
Luckily it seems to be many years between any such incidents, and I credit getting the flu shot with helping with that. It may not protect me from all flu germs, but does contain a basket of the common strains, which help me dodge the bullet.
I also got the pneumonia vaccine. I'm also pushing 70, which, while to me, means that I'm quite healthy and fit, to the medical community it means I'm in a "high risk" group, both because of age and because of the asthma.
Incidentally, I applaud the fact that flu shots are now available in supermarket pharmacies, drug stores, etc., as with the huge number of folks in this country with no health insurance, at least they can get a flu shot, which might prevent an expensive illness, without also having to pay a doctor for an office visit. I'm sure a lot more people are protected this way, and wish more basic preventative health care was available in the same ways.
treehugger
10-3-11, 3:47pm
I'm pretty ambivalent about healthy people getting the 'flu shot. I avoided it for years and also never got the 'flu. But 2 winters ago, my husband got his transplanted kidney, so of course his immune system is purposefully repressed. So we both need to get the shot, and that's OK, too. I still don't enjoy the idea of it, but I get it because it's important for his health.
My company offers the shots for free (we will have our "clinic" in the next couple of weeks), and our HMO offers them to members at no extra cost. So, we are both covered at no expense and little extra bother. Does anyone know how much they are charging at the drug and grocery stores that offer them?
Kara
I've had the flu twice (once in elementary school and once as an adult) and I don't want it again, so I get the flu shot. I'm also around some elderly family members several days a week and I would hate to make them ill.
I've never had the flu or any sort of flu shot, so don't want to potentially screw up my immune system by putting something into me that still seems to be "unproven".
I had my one and only flu shot in 1976, in hopes of avoiding the swine flu. I don't remember if the flu I got was of the swine variety, but I do remember being just about as sick as I'd ever been within a week of the shot. Based upon that one event, I've never had another one.
But I must say that I've been re-thinking that stance the last few years as I realize just how much older I'm getting and seeing how few problems other people have with the shots. Maybe this will be the year I'll try it again.
Sad Eyed Lady
10-3-11, 4:59pm
Like alan, I had my one and only flu shot back at that time when the swine flu was thought to be a threat. I only got it then because where I worked really pushed it and I complied. I was too young to think for myself back then! Since I am an extremely healthy person I opt out of taking the shot myself.
I don't get them. If I (or DH) was immunocompromised in some way I would consider it. But I'm not sure about the benefits of (likely) non-lethal disease vaccines vs. potential complications of that vaccine. What if the vaccine overstimulates the immune system resulting in other immune disorders or a greater potential for other viruses to get through? I think the exposure to a bunch of viruses in the normal fashion of being around people a lot combined with healthy diet, sleep and low stress lifestyle is enough. I'm also not sure what viruses the "flu" vaccine is supposed to protect against. Don't viruses mutate all the time? And aren't there many types of viruses that can cause the type of illness that we call the flu? And if they create a new flu vaccine every year, they hardly test it to my level of comfort. How many drugs were thought to be safe and then years later were found to not be? What if in 2015 we find out that 2011 vaccine cause __________? Just too many concerns about the vaccine and not enough about the flu.
jennipurrr
10-3-11, 6:44pm
I used to be anti-flu shot but then about 3 years ago I got the flu and it was an absolute nightmare. I was sick for over a week and lost 15 lbs. I understand how people die from it. I was a perfectly healthy 20 something and I WANTED to die. Ugh. So, after that I decided to get it each year since it is offered at no cost to me.
DH still refuses even though he had the flu about 5 years ago. He has a lot of Kestra's concerns. I do to, but it is not worth it again for me personally to go through the flu when the risks of the shot seem to be minor.
frugal-one
10-3-11, 6:49pm
My DH and I both had a flu shot one year and got the flu BIG TIME. We haven't taken the shot again. Last fall I had pneumonia and am considering trying the shot again. My HMO keeps calling saying we should get one. I am adverse to taking any meds so this is still on the back burner. It really is hard to know what to do!
Yup, I get one every year. Two reasons; my elder parents are vulnerable, and I got the flu one year, early on, and then caught every other virus that sauntered by. I was sick for months. Never again! It's cheap insurance.
I've never in my life had the flu. I'm 55 y.o. and just never get sick. Based upon that a doctor friend told me not to worry about getting a shot because I probably had a good enough immune system for it.
The problem as I see it is that each year the powers that be come up with some sort of concoction to immunize against the type of flu that they think might be around this year. There's no guarantee that what goes around is the type of flu that you got the shot for.
My DH is 70 y.o. and he gets a flu shot. And I figure that if everyone else gets their shot then I don't have to. ;>)
Nope, both DH and I don't get the shots.
No, I don't plan to get the shot (or the flu). I rarely get sick. I don't plan for the husband or kids to get the shot either.
No. I'll take my chances with my natural immune system. It hasn't failed me yet.
iris lily
10-3-11, 10:22pm
last year I got a shot, not normal for me (there was a reason I won't go into, work related,), and had a small touch of the flu. Normally I don't get it.
I'll be skipping it as usual this year.
Even though I have a lot of physical contact with my clients, I don't get a flu shot. I'm rarely sick and hopefully if my clients are sick, they'll stay home. My parents are elderly and have to get flu and pneumonia shots; if I do get a cold, I do my best to stay away from them, especially my mom, who has COPD.
In the 70s both my mom and I had the swine flu--I remember being soooo sick. About 6-7 years ago I had the flu. It was mostly respiratory with no vomiting, (unlike the swine flu) thank goodness. With only two episodes in 45 years, I'm hoping that not getting a flu shot and building an immunity by having it a few times makes me less susceptible.
I normally avoid a flu shot, except when there's been especially bad symptoms of that year's flu. Like Kestra, I'm concerned about a not-well-tested medicine being injected into my body. Last year in particular (or was it the year before?), there was a shortage and then a big rush, I'm sure corners were cut. I had immune system issues in my 20's (chronic fatigue) and am not crazy about unknown immune stimulants and what they could do to me.
I'm not immuno-suppressed or have any underlying illnesses though. And I currently have a low stress lifestyle, and can take a nap if I feel I'm coming down with something. When I've been under high stress/long hours/around a lot of sick people, I have opted for a flu shot. I can be guaranteed that I feel like I'm coming down with something for several days after a flu shot, so its really a toss of the dice: guaranteed mild symptoms or risk possible worse symptoms.
I have asthma, and have had the flu once. My grandson was actually hospitalized for the flu for three days. Since I am normally healthy, and my dd was exhausted (caring for sick infant for several days prior to admission) I stayed with him in the hospital. Well, of course I got it. I went to my dr at the first sign of illness, and got Tamiflu. I was pretty much well the next day, and all better the day after. BUT - for that small window of "sick" I just don't think it's worth it... you really do want to just give up and die.
The above episode was six years ago, and I have gotten the shot every year since, and haven't had the flu again. Two years ago, my dh (who is anti-shot) got the flu and I didn't catch it from him. He was out of work for almost three weeks. He still chooses not to get the shot.
I've been getting flu shots thru the VA every year for years (free) and have never had any problems or reactions from them - nor have I gotten the flu which I have in the past before the shots. So I guess if it's safe from the VA, it's safe ;-)!
Simpler at Fifty
10-4-11, 7:02pm
I was toying with getting it this year because I have a part time job doing private home care (companion care really). Now that I think of it, what I do is nothing different than what I have done the last 15 years as a Legal Guardian. I did not get a flu shot last year and did not get sick. The whole H1N1 thing was so overblown, I got disgusted and skipped it. I am going to skip it again this year.
dado potato
10-4-11, 7:03pm
Got mine. Mama Gnocchi got hers yesterday. She wards off the flu, and then she trips and falls on a sidewalk.
<She is tough, and she will be all right.>
I said, "Mama, next time you fall on the sidewalk in front of the Supermarket, stay down."
But she won't have any of that.
I said, "With what you would get in an out-of-court settlement for your pain and suffering, we could fly to San Francisco and New Orleans five times each!"
But Mama said: "If I ever hires a lawyer, it will be to fight a true injustice."
And believe that's the truth.
DH and I got ours. Had the flu once--never again!!
Dado, you are a riot!!:laff:
DD and I both had H1N1 a couple of years ago. It was a good reminder of how bad the flu actually is. We'll be getting the vaccine this year.
I got one, mostly for the sake of trying to keep germs from my elderly relatives.
I've been getting them ever since they came out. A few times I still got the flu; of course, every strain is not covered. Its well worth it.
IshbelRobertson
10-12-11, 12:54pm
I have been getting a 'flu jab for the past few years due to existing health problems and strong advice to do so from my GP!
Bastelmutti
10-12-11, 1:15pm
No, we don't get them (no chronic health conditions other than allergies in our family). I admit to not having enough of a scientific background to sort through all of the information on both sides. However, I do follow the German press and saw very different recommendations on the H1N1 shot here in the US and there. Also, when we asked our pediatrician about what would happen in the future with our daughter after she got the chicken pox vaccine (Will it wear off? What if she gets chicken pox as an adult?), he said, "I don't know." Doesn't inspire confidence. Still not sure what to do about the HPV vaccine we will be offered for DDs soon.
It's all just a big experiment with people's health, it seems to me. That's why I'd have to be convinced of a real need/benefit before I got another immunization. Pharma has a track record of putting out one highly profitable drug after another and letting its customers be de facto lab rats.
domestic goddess
10-12-11, 2:10pm
I got one last year, for the first time in many years, and will do it again this year. I got a discount voucher from work, so it will only cost $10.00. Last year they were free, but I work for a cheap company. Anyway, since it costs so little, and will save me even more money if I am not out of work, it seems a good deal. I have a responsibility to my patients not to spread it to them, and I will soon be going to visit my 86 year old mother, who also has COPD and some heart problems. Sure don't want to have to worry about giving her something!!!
I was sick a lot last winter. Didn't get the flu, but had other respiratory viruses. And I also have asthma. So, I think it is a good idea for me. I will be exposed to enough illness from my patients and their families as it is. No one wants a nurse with a sniffle, but they don't think twice about hacking and coughing in my face.
I get them because they're included as part of my Kaiser coverage. I've noticed they seem to help me avoid everybody else's bugs, especially when I have to be around children a lot.
Gardenarian
10-12-11, 8:13pm
I have had serious adverse reactions to supposedly safe vaccines in the past, so I will not get a flu shot. I will not have my daughter vaccinated either.
I get a flu shot every year. However, if the drug companies seem to be rushing around making a lot of vaccine for the latest threat, I tend to avoid those. I didn't get a Swine Flu vaccine, for example. It might be safe and effective, but I want to make sure the vaccine has been well thought out before I get it.
I'll get mine. I haven't had the flu since getting the vaccine and had it one year where I didn't get the shot. I was miserable.
I also got my shingles vaccine this year. Recommended for anyone over 60 per the CDC and approved for people 50-59. It's a once in a lifetime shot and sort of expensive, but it's a nasty thing to get.
I'm 59. I got my first flu shot on Wednesday. I'm trying to figure out if it has anything to do with not feeling 100% yesterday and today.
Teacher Terry
9-30-18, 8:36pm
Never had one. Year after year my mom was sick after getting the flu shot. Finally she stopped.
Teacher Terry
9-30-18, 8:38pm
Roger the shingles vaccines is 2 shots and have to be timed I believe 6 months apart.
I think I've decided to get one. Both DH and I were sick for a couple weeks in February. Not fun, I haven't had one in about 25 years. When I had one back then, my fibromyalgia really started up horribly, I got the flu, pneumonia, ear infections, and all the antibiotics I took seemed to cause Irritable bowel syndrome, which I still struggle with.. Who knows.......maybe the strains in the flu shot I got wasn't what I got. I'm really nervous about getting one though. It's hard to know what to do.
I did just finally get a pneumococcal pneumonia vaccine though. I was sort of ticked off. The med tech that gave me the vaccine gave it so high, it was almost in my shoulder. :(
I would never get the shingles vaccine.
I think I've decided to get one. Both DH and I were sick for a couple weeks in February. Not fun, I haven't had one in about 25 years. When I had one back then, my fibromyalgia really started up horribly, I got the flu, pneumonia, ear infections, and all the antibiotics I took seemed to cause Irritable bowel syndrome, which I still struggle with.. Who knows.......maybe the strains in the flu shot I got wasn't what I got. I'm really nervous about getting one though. It's hard to know what to do.
I did just finally get a pneumococcal pneumonia vaccine though. I was sort of ticked off. The med tech that gave me the vaccine gave it so high, it was almost in my shoulder. :(
I would never get the shingles vaccine.
Could you tell me why you feel that way?
iris lilies
9-30-18, 9:26pm
Ya’ll know This thread is seven years old, right?
Teacher Terry
9-30-18, 9:29pm
IL, yes we can read. But it’s a relevant topic every fall:))
Ya’ll know This thread is seven years old, right?
I thought it was a perennial topic, kind of like what you had for dinner or what you decluttered or something.
Teacher Terry
9-30-18, 9:54pm
I would get the shingles shot but am severely allergic to one of the ingredients.
I'm not sure if it matters much. I've never had the flu shot ever. But last year I got the flu after 20 years flu free. Just a mild case. But I'm starting to have more lung issues . The smoke here is so severe, I never really fully recover from it anymore .
iris lilies
9-30-18, 10:03pm
I thought it was a perennial topic, kind of like what you had for dinner or what you decluttered or something.
Yes it is a perennial topic, and I suppose it is efficient to keep discussion all in one thread even if the discussion covers seven years. I just don’t know that any information from seven years ago is factual today.
There is a new shingles Vaccine and Catherine has talked about it. I won’t get a flu shot I’m not worried about getting flu at this point, I’m 64 years old. Now shingles, that worries me a lot, so I should probably get the vaccine. I don’t care much it costs, I don’t care if I get a discount, I don’t care if my insurance pays for it I don’t care, I just don’t want to get shingles.
But I just heard that that a friend of a friend got Gillion Barre syndrome from the shingles shot and that is a nasty thing. Paralysis for months. Oh yeah, not
Yes it is a perennial topic, and I suppose it is sufficient to keep discussion all in one thread even if the discussion covers seven years. I just don’t know that any information from seven years ago is factual today.
There is a new shingles Vaccine and Catherine has talked about it. I won’t get a flu shot I’m not worried about getting flu at this point, I’m 64 years old. Now shingles, that worries me a lot, so I should probably get the vaccine. I don’t care much it costs, I don’t care if I get a discount, I don’t care if my insurance pays for it I don’t care, I just don’t want to get shingles.
But I just heard that that a friend of a friend got Gillion Barre syndrome from the shingles shot and that is a nasty thing. Paralysis for months. Oh yeah, not
I wonder how many people are going back that far? I only read the last page.
Got mine a few weeks ago. Have done so every year since 1995.
Teacher Terry
9-30-18, 10:24pm
My husband got shingles very close to his eye. He was lucky it didn’t get in his eye. He has scars where it was. I didn’t know it could cause paralysis. I get the flu about once every 10 years.
I will get the flu shot, as usual. I had the flu several years ago and it was pretty debilitating. I've had the flu shot every year since. I think a lot of people have a bad cold that they may think is the flu, but the flu symptoms I had left no doubt. I can see at my age where the flu could possibly be a life threatening event and I'll take my chances with the shot. I had the shingles shot in my early 50's and plan to get the new vaccine that is supposed to be more effective.
Got our senior flu shot yesterday at our local Kroger pharmacy. Sure made it easy. Mom got pneumonia this year and was hospitalized (even after the super shot) and we have to be extra careful. Also we are both considered high risk.
Mom got pneumonia this year and was hospitalized (even after the super shot) and we have to be extra careful.
The medical fragility of people we visit often are the reason we get flu shots. I tend to get something (flu or not) whenever I get the shot, and I know that, in some years, the anticipated flus against which they immunize are really hit-or-miss, so I've tended to pass on the shot. But we get it in an attempt to protect others.
Could you tell me why you feel that way?
Hi Tiam. I mis-spoke. I was thinking of the Lyme vaccine.....which has, many times, caused really bad arthritis.
As far as the shingles vaccine.......my body is so weird. I have weird reactions to things that don't seem to bother others, so I'm hesitant.
But mostly.......I was confusing the shingle's vaccine with the Lyme vaccine. Sorry!
Teacher Terry
10-1-18, 11:11am
A friend of mine got pneumonia and later got the shot than proceeded to get pneumonia twice more.
I get the flu shot every year. SO has an illness that has caused him a permanently compromised immune system both because of the illness and having had a splenectomy as an attempt to resolve the illness. Any time he gets a fever we have to go to the ER to be checked for infections so anything i can do to help avoid that i will.
I have also gotten the new shingles vacinations. (Yes, it’s two shots, four to six months apart). I suffered the apparently common side effect of moderate fever for 24 hours after both shots. I got the second one on a friday afternoon for that reason. But if it prevents me from getting shingles i’ll consider it a worthwhile tradeoff.
Flu shots are basically immunological whack-a-mole. Perhaps if I were regularly around crowds, or if I were inordinately susceptible to the flu, I would consider getting one. And then I'd probably come down with Guillen-Barre syndrome. :( Vaccinations aren't without risk, regardless of how Pharma spins it.
I wonder what's different about the "senior flu shot".?
I am required to get one (and a bunch of other vaccinations) every year in order to be able to work.
I would encourage y'all to do the same.
I wonder what's different about the "senior flu shot".?
I think there are a bunch of different strains included. The number thirteen comes to mind.
Teacher Terry
10-1-18, 6:59pm
Many years the flu shot is not very effective. You have to weigh the risk of the shot against the risk of you not surviving the flu. I think kids need to be vaccinated and most of those provide lifetime protection. We are way over vaccinating our pets and the rabies vaccine cause cancer. We do all puppy shots and then titer. They give a 3lb dog the same amount of rabies medication that they give to a 150lb dog. Some vets give this shot in the tail so if the dog gets cancer they can amputate the tail.
I have never gotten the shot and I probably won't.
I expect the first time I get true real flu I'll probably die. The same way I think if I ever have to have surgery I'll die. I'm into avoidance.
Gardenarian
10-2-18, 12:24am
Yes, I'm getting the shot.
I had the flu once and really thought I WOULD die. Horrible.
Teacher Terry
10-2-18, 12:29am
I get the flu about once every 10 years.
Williamsmith
10-2-18, 10:21am
I’ve gotten one for 30 years +. Will continue to do so.
I wonder what's different about the "senior flu shot".?
Three strains and stronger than normal (which means more chance for things to go wrong to me):
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/flu/expert-answers/fluzone/faq-20058032
I started getting them about five years ago. Before then, I got the flu frequently. Now, virtually never. I think I was laid low for about a day and a half about three years ago, but it was nothing compared to the 10-day, income-losing nightmarish flu bugs I used to have. Even if this year's flu vaccine doesn't hit the mark, I don't mind taking a chance--I know what I felt like when I got the flu when I wasn't getting the shot!
Miss Cellaneous
10-3-18, 1:33pm
That feeling that "I'm going to die and really that might be a good thing given how yucky I feel" is how I tell the flu from a cold.
I get the flu shot, mostly because I have a nephew who has a compromised respiratory system. Even a cold can sentence him to having to stay home, hooked up to a ventilator. He hates that, and I can't blame him. And I do not want to be the person who makes him sick enough to be hospitalized. Don't think I could live with myself.
I do have to track down a version of the vaccine that is egg-free. The flu shot is how I discovered that I'm allergic to eggs! I don't like eggs--they have always been the one food I simply could not force myself to eat and after Nephew was born and I got my first flu shot and had a horrible reaction at the injection site, I learned that I have a very strong egg allergy. Although oddly, I can eat eggs that are in things like cookies and brownies and cake. The place I got the shot last year has changed which vaccine they are using, so I have to call around and find someplace else.
That feeling that "I'm going to die and really that might be a good thing given how yucky I feel" is how I tell the flu from a cold.
I get the flu shot, mostly because I have a nephew who has a compromised respiratory system. Even a cold can sentence him to having to stay home, hooked up to a ventilator. He hates that, and I can't blame him. And I do not want to be the person who makes him sick enough to be hospitalized. Don't think I could live with myself.
I do have to track down a version of the vaccine that is egg-free. The flu shot is how I discovered that I'm allergic to eggs! I don't like eggs--they have always been the one food I simply could not force myself to eat and after Nephew was born and I got my first flu shot and had a horrible reaction at the injection site, I learned that I have a very strong egg allergy. Although oddly, I can eat eggs that are in things like cookies and brownies and cake. The place I got the shot last year has changed which vaccine they are using, so I have to call around and find someplace else.
One of my concerns with immunizations is that they might render me allergic to an adjuvant--eggs particularly.
Got my shot today. I have asthma and just can't risk it...I have had the flu, and what was said above is true - you feel so bad that death would be welcome!
I have six grandchildren, all of them in school and little Petri dishes. Also, my daughter just began driving a school bus. So much exposure!
Last time I had it, the whole family dropped within two days - son, daughter in law, two grandkids, hubby and myself. I had not had a shot that year, but had in others. We all got Tamiflu. I missed two days of work and then felt well enough to check in and grab stuff to work from home. Hubby lost a week of work and was down for about another month with loss of stamina, etc. my bounce back may have been due to prior shot residual effect.
My job offers flu shots in the fall. I have noticed in the following winter some of the people who got the shot call in sick for a week with the flu, but I, who skip the shot, don't get it. Of course they could be faking. One woman's flu always rolls around the first month we get our sick time allotment for the new year. Hmmmm. But others I am pretty sure are not.
There has been controversy in my area with some hospitals trying to force nurses to get flu shots. They resisted as they find them ineffective and with side effects. The nurses are also opposing their bosses with a ballot initiative. It would limit the number of patients one nurse can have at any one time. I like how feisty they are.
Edited to eliminate gerund overkill, including three in one sentence.
Ultralight
10-4-18, 7:26am
I got the shot about a week ago. I get one every year.
I don't remember the last time I had the flu--it was at least 20 years ago. I've never had a flu shot.
Teacher Terry
10-4-18, 12:28pm
After my dad had a big stroke at 59 the doctor wanted him to get a flu shot. He refused. He had a bunch of stuff wrong including severe emphysema and could only sit in a chair and watch TV. He had been a very active man and just wanted to die. They said a cold would kill him. He never got a cold in 14 years despite living next door to us with 3 little kids who would get a variety of illnesses and interacted with him everyday. Family was so important to him and I think all that interaction kept him alive.
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