I got my flu shot today. What about you?

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Replies

  • erinfog
    erinfog Posts: 95 Member
    i get mine tomorrow! i had the flu 6 years ago and i had to be carried into the emergency room because i couldn't even walk. it felt like i was hit by a truck and every bone in my body was broken. no flu or even any major winter colds since i started getting the shot *knock on wood*.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    My pediatrician doesn't really push them either, although I did get my son the flu nasal mist last year, but he wound up getting sick from it so I think we'll pass this year.

    Why did you choose the nasal mist? Unless they've changed that recently it contains a small amount of live virus whereas the shot contains dead viruses, which is why it is impossible to get the flu from the flu shot. Though it will compromise your immune system for a few days which is why you are not supposed to get it if you have any other ailments, and why many people who get it claim the shot made them sick.
  • toledochic
    toledochic Posts: 46 Member
    As a pharmacist I must say getting the flu shot is very important in preventing illness. The flu shot will only cause the flu if you get the active vaccine. Most shots are inactive and can not cause the flu. However, the strains in the flu vaccine each year are an educated guess as there is no way to predict which strains will occur. So it is possible to get the flu even if you received the vaccine. :)

    LOL. Why is it important?

    I think it's hype and much mis information about, and I am very much anti-vaccine, so it will be bvery difficult for you to convince me.

    Oh I'm not trying to convince you. You don't have to do anything you don't want to do. Just posting my opinion.
  • DoomCakes
    DoomCakes Posts: 806 Member
    I don't do the whole flu shot thing... for all you know that could be the exact thing that starts the zombie appocalypse. My immune system keeps working on itself each time I get sick.
  • mommared53
    mommared53 Posts: 9,543 Member
    I don't do the whole flu shot thing... for all you know that could be the exact thing that starts the zombie appocalypse. My immune system keeps working on itself each time I get sick.

    After hearing something to that extent on the radio this morning, I no longer think this whole zombie appocalypse thing is just a big joke. I've never had the flu shot and never intend on getting one. :noway: :noway: :noway: :noway:
  • penrbrown
    penrbrown Posts: 2,685 Member
    I don't do the whole flu shot thing... for all you know that could be the exact thing that starts the zombie appocalypse. My immune system keeps working on itself each time I get sick.

    After hearing something to that extent on the radio this morning, I no longer think this whole zombie appocalypse thing is just a big joke. I've never had the flu shot and never intend on getting one. :noway: :noway: :noway: :noway:

    Sounds legit...
  • erinfog
    erinfog Posts: 95 Member
    Sounds legit...

    lol, my thoughts exactly.....
  • ErinBeth7
    ErinBeth7 Posts: 1,625 Member
    However, the strains in the flu vaccine each year are an educated guess as there is no way to predict which strains will occur. So it is possible to get the flu even if you received the vaccine. :)
    Which is why the flu shot is pointless.
  • Lisa_Rhodes
    Lisa_Rhodes Posts: 263 Member
    I never have and probably won't ever get one...haven't had the flu and I've got a really good immune system. My husband has to as required by the Military. I'm not against all vaccines as I think there are some that are important and do work, but it seems with the flu one (or similar ones to it) there are different strains of it and not guaranteed to keep it away. That's just my opinion though. :)
  • msacurrie
    msacurrie Posts: 144 Member
    I got the flu shot for two years - no more - not after I found out what's in it, how they get it, and what it does to you and others. Besides, I do not have aids, I am not elderly, nor do I work with children - so I think I'm set. Don't fall into that money trap.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    However, the strains in the flu vaccine each year are an educated guess as there is no way to predict which strains will occur. So it is possible to get the flu even if you received the vaccine. :)
    Which is why the flu shot is pointless.

    I dont' see the logic in this line of thinking. There are X number of flu strains and this shot will prevent Y of them, but not all of them. Therefore this shot is pointless?? How is that more illogical than saying the polio vaccine is pointless because it won't prevent pneumonia?
  • foochick
    foochick Posts: 105 Member
    They require the immunization or wearing a mask around patients, where I work. However, it makes me sick every time. I often get a really bad local reaction, like a knot the size of a baseball in my arm. I also get the flu like symptoms. Last year, I got the one WITHOUT the preservatives, and got less sick, but still sick. I know the actual flu would kick my butt in a huge way, so I dont complain TOO much, however I will premedicate with benadryl, and try to get it at the beginning of my 'weekend.' So I dont miss work. Sigh.
  • k8blujay2
    k8blujay2 Posts: 4,941 Member
    I agree with the never get the flu shot folks. When I was in the US Navy they used to force us to get the shots every year. Like clockwork, I would get sick as a dog!!!

    I haven't had the flu since I no longer get the shots, go figure ;)

    Curtis

    My dad was in the US Air Force and he actually got his physician to sign off on opting out of the flu shot... because my dad would get sick, like clockwork on the third day after getting the shot... every single time. The next year they allowed him to opt out and he wasn't sick any more.... it may not have given him the flu per se... but it sure did give him flu like symptoms.


    Oh and I would like to add, that I'm not against the flu vaccine at all either... I just don't see them necessary for MY health at this point in time... perhaps at a later time if I ever have my immune system compromised, then there is a possibility (as I did get the vaccine while pregnant)...
  • LowcarbNY
    LowcarbNY Posts: 546 Member
    No way. Never ever again! My husband got the shot last week, got the flu a couple days later and gave it to me and the kids >:( We recovered quickly, he is still sick.

    Have you considered that he might have already been exposed to the flu before he got the shot? Perhaps if he had gotten the shot earlier non of you would have fallen ill. The incubation time for influenza is generally 1-4 days.
  • agthorn
    agthorn Posts: 1,844 Member
    No way. Never ever again! My husband got the shot last week, got the flu a couple days later and gave it to me and the kids >:( We recovered quickly, he is still sick.

    Have you considered that he might have already been exposed to the flu before he got the shot? Perhaps if he had gotten the shot earlier non of you would have fallen ill. The incubation time for influenza is generally 1-4 days.
    Exactly why I got mine the last week of August. Too many people think the shots gave them the flu (impossible, it's a dead virus) when a) they were probably already incubating the flu virus at the time of the shot or b) came down with a cold or some other virus and confused it with the flu.
  • Once I started to rebel against my mother and not get the flu shot I got it really bad that year and haven't gotten it since and it's been quite a long time. I also never got the H1N1 virus or vaccination that went around.
  • k8blujay2
    k8blujay2 Posts: 4,941 Member
    No way. Never ever again! My husband got the shot last week, got the flu a couple days later and gave it to me and the kids >:( We recovered quickly, he is still sick.

    Have you considered that he might have already been exposed to the flu before he got the shot? Perhaps if he had gotten the shot earlier non of you would have fallen ill. The incubation time for influenza is generally 1-4 days.

    Except for some people where they get the flu shot every year, get the symptoms (or the flu) anyway... and then don't get the shot the next and aren't sick... while correlation may not be causation... It would seem some people react differently to the shot. It seems awfully suspect if you get the shot year after year, get sick shortly after year after year... and then don't get the shot and are well... while this is highly anecdotal... this is what happened to my dad every. single. year. until he was allowed to opt out and then he was hardly ever sick.
  • LowcarbNY
    LowcarbNY Posts: 546 Member
    However, the strains in the flu vaccine each year are an educated guess as there is no way to predict which strains will occur. So it is possible to get the flu even if you received the vaccine. :)
    Which is why the flu shot is pointless.

    About as pointless as a cop NOT wearing a bullet proof vest, because they don't offer any protection against a knife. You don't know if the bad guy will have a gun or a knife so yeah, pointless.
  • mommared53
    mommared53 Posts: 9,543 Member
    No way. Never ever again! My husband got the shot last week, got the flu a couple days later and gave it to me and the kids >:( We recovered quickly, he is still sick.

    Have you considered that he might have already been exposed to the flu before he got the shot? Perhaps if he had gotten the shot earlier non of you would have fallen ill. The incubation time for influenza is generally 1-4 days.
    Exactly why I got mine the last week of August. Too many people think the shots gave them the flu (impossible, it's a dead virus) when a) they were probably already incubating the flu virus at the time of the shot or b) came down with a cold or some other virus and confused it with the flu.

    Or maybe there's something in the flu shot that's making them sick. To me, there's just way too big of a concidence that people who never had the flu or gotten that sick before all of a sudden get the flu or get really sick after getting the flu shot. Just seems really fishy to me.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    No way. Never ever again! My husband got the shot last week, got the flu a couple days later and gave it to me and the kids >:( We recovered quickly, he is still sick.

    Have you considered that he might have already been exposed to the flu before he got the shot? Perhaps if he had gotten the shot earlier non of you would have fallen ill. The incubation time for influenza is generally 1-4 days.

    Except for some people where they get the flu shot every year, get the symptoms (or the flu) anyway... and then don't get the shot the next and aren't sick... while correlation may not be causation... It would seem some people react differently to the shot. It seems awfully suspect if you get the shot year after year, get sick shortly after year after year... and then don't get the shot and are well... while this is highly anecdotal... this is what happened to my dad every. single. year. until he was allowed to opt out and then he was hardly ever sick.

    It's impossible to get the flu from the flu shot. But as your body builds antibodies after the shot your immunes system is temporarily weaker than normal, making you more susceptible to contracting the flu and other illnesses from other sources for a few days. People with naturally weaker immune systems are even more prone to this.
  • agthorn
    agthorn Posts: 1,844 Member
    No way. Never ever again! My husband got the shot last week, got the flu a couple days later and gave it to me and the kids >:( We recovered quickly, he is still sick.

    Have you considered that he might have already been exposed to the flu before he got the shot? Perhaps if he had gotten the shot earlier non of you would have fallen ill. The incubation time for influenza is generally 1-4 days.

    Except for some people where they get the flu shot every year, get the symptoms (or the flu) anyway... and then don't get the shot the next and aren't sick... while correlation may not be causation... It would seem some people react differently to the shot. It seems awfully suspect if you get the shot year after year, get sick shortly after year after year... and then don't get the shot and are well... while this is highly anecdotal... this is what happened to my dad every. single. year. until he was allowed to opt out and then he was hardly ever sick.

    I had influenza exactly once (and I didn't get a flu shot back then) and was pretty much death warmed over for 10 days. I've gotten the flu shot ever since, and I've never gotten influenza. I'd postulate that if one is confusing post-vaccination immune response with influenza, one has not actually ever experienced influenza.
  • LowcarbNY
    LowcarbNY Posts: 546 Member
    b) came down with a cold or some other virus and confused it with the flu.

    Exactly! I can't tell you how many people I know who say that they "have the flu" for every little sniffle they contract. You don't get over influenza in 3 days or keep going about your business!! If you didn't miss a week or two of work with fever, chills and respiratory issues then it probably was not influenza.
  • agthorn
    agthorn Posts: 1,844 Member
    No way. Never ever again! My husband got the shot last week, got the flu a couple days later and gave it to me and the kids >:( We recovered quickly, he is still sick.

    Have you considered that he might have already been exposed to the flu before he got the shot? Perhaps if he had gotten the shot earlier non of you would have fallen ill. The incubation time for influenza is generally 1-4 days.
    Exactly why I got mine the last week of August. Too many people think the shots gave them the flu (impossible, it's a dead virus) when a) they were probably already incubating the flu virus at the time of the shot or b) came down with a cold or some other virus and confused it with the flu.

    Or maybe there's something in the flu shot that's making them sick. To me, there's just way too big of a concidence that people who never had the flu or gotten that sick before all of a sudden get the flu or get really sick after getting the flu shot. Just seems really fishy to me.
    Conspiracy theories, I love it. What would be the possible benefit of a manufacturer making people sick with a flu shot? None.
  • agthorn
    agthorn Posts: 1,844 Member
    b) came down with a cold or some other virus and confused it with the flu.

    Exactly! I can't tell you how many people I know who say that they "have the flu" for every little sniffle they contract. You don't get over influenza in 3 days or keep going about your business!! If you didn't miss a week or two of work with fever, chills and respiratory issues then it probably was not influenza.
    The year that I had influenza, I had a fever of 103 and was on the couch in flannel pajamas, socks, slippers, a sweatshirt, a bathrobe, and two blankets and was STILL shivering like I was in a snowstorm. Every single inch of my body ached and I needed a nap after walking to the bathroom and back to the couch.
  • corn63
    corn63 Posts: 1,580 Member
    Nope. I never get it and I never get sick.
  • melanie8289
    melanie8289 Posts: 161 Member
    I have the flu jab every year without fail. While its not a guarantee against getting the flu it certainly lessons the chances. I've never had any reaction to the shot and haven't had a bout of flu since I've been having it. Before I started having the jab I was getting flu a couple of times a year!
  • ScumbagSteve
    ScumbagSteve Posts: 103 Member
    I tried but they couldn't find a good vain as I have used them all.
  • ImperfektAngel
    ImperfektAngel Posts: 811 Member
    Nope. I never get it and I never get sick.


    This was me until last year lol This year I am getting it! I dont like being in bed for a whole week
  • perdie7
    perdie7 Posts: 266 Member
    never had one, won't get one.

    When I worked in assisted living two of us didn't get flu shot, and everyone but us two, got the flu.
  • k8blujay2
    k8blujay2 Posts: 4,941 Member
    No way. Never ever again! My husband got the shot last week, got the flu a couple days later and gave it to me and the kids >:( We recovered quickly, he is still sick.

    Have you considered that he might have already been exposed to the flu before he got the shot? Perhaps if he had gotten the shot earlier non of you would have fallen ill. The incubation time for influenza is generally 1-4 days.

    Except for some people where they get the flu shot every year, get the symptoms (or the flu) anyway... and then don't get the shot the next and aren't sick... while correlation may not be causation... It would seem some people react differently to the shot. It seems awfully suspect if you get the shot year after year, get sick shortly after year after year... and then don't get the shot and are well... while this is highly anecdotal... this is what happened to my dad every. single. year. until he was allowed to opt out and then he was hardly ever sick.

    I had influenza exactly once (and I didn't get a flu shot back then) and was pretty much death warmed over for 10 days. I've gotten the flu shot ever since, and I've never gotten influenza. I'd postulate that if one is confusing post-vaccination immune response with influenza, one has not actually ever experienced influenza.

    Hence why I said "symptoms" implying that it may not have been the flu... but I'm pretty sure my dad has been out for at least a week after getting the flu shot (like clockwork) again with flu like symptoms... until he stopped getting the actual flu shot... then he stopped experiences "flu like symptoms"... again, that was HIS experience... and I still don't feel it is necessary for ME... as my husband has had the flu (that first bad year of H1N1) and I didn't get it from him either...

    Get the flu shot or don't get the flu shot... like most other vaccines it doesn't guarantee that you won't get the flu... it just lessens the likelihood and lessens the symptomes if you do... but if I don't get the flu.... ever (except for once when I was like 9), why would I want to put something in my body that my body doesn't need... I am 30 years old and only had the flu all of one time in my life... I think the chances are pretty darn good at my body being able to fight off the flu during any given flu season. Now again, if I end up having my immune system compromised by something (You know like WNV that's been plaguing the US this year or like I did when I was pregnant (which by the way I did get the vaccine then)), then I will consider it as I do see a benefit sometimes...


    edited to fix html tags... I always forget which brackets to use.