Flu Shot Thoughts & Experiences Please

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Replies

  • Scarlett_S
    Scarlett_S Posts: 467 Member
    1001 nurses are going to disagree with me; but I never get the flu shot. I got it one time - and that is the only year I ever got the flu. I know it doesn't protect against all strains, etc. so figured it was a coincidence.

    When my girls were younger, I took them in for the flu nasal spray because they were predicting a really bad flu season. They got the spray in October, and that year, both of them got the flu - at different times - one in December and one in January.

    That was six years ago and no one in my family has gotten a flu shot since. Or the flu.
  • SuffolkSally
    SuffolkSally Posts: 964 Member
    I get it every year. It doesn't prevent all flu strains, just the more prevalent ones, but I haven't had a bad go of flu since I started getting vaccinated. Also, I've never had flu symptoms after getting the jab - but I'm in the UK maybe things are different here.
  • jc1229
    jc1229 Posts: 220 Member
    The very first year I received the flu shot I was sick for a day and my arm where I got it in was sore for 2 days. The following 6 yrs after that I have been perfectly fine, knock on wood.
  • Amandac6772
    Amandac6772 Posts: 1,311 Member
    I have had one and I stayed sick all winter after that. I don't know if it had anything to do with it or not because I have always been healthy but I'm not taking another chance on it.
  • Molly_Maguire
    Molly_Maguire Posts: 1,103 Member
    I got mine the past three years in a row. No flu symptoms, or anything horrible at all. The last time, my bicep was sore for like 2 days, like someone punched me in the arm really hard, but honestly I'd rather have that than be laid up in bed for a week, wishing I was dead.
  • fbmandy55
    fbmandy55 Posts: 5,263 Member
    The flu shot is not very effective. The flu shot only covers a certain strain and there are many,e ver changing strains every season that you are exposed to. To me, it's not worth the injecting that crap into my body.

    My main reason for not getting one, I get horribly, horribly sick every year I have ever had a flu shot. I have a strong immune system. I'm not a germaphobe, I don't sanitize excessively and I let my body build up the anti-bodies to fight off bugs. I don't go to the doctor when I do get sick and I have no problem letting my body do what it is designed to do: fight off bugs.
  • sed1217
    sed1217 Posts: 228 Member
    I get one every year because I work on a college campus. It's germ heaven! I've never had a problem with a flu shot. I have had the flu in a year when I've gotten a shot, but only once. I had a mild case as well. It's worth it to me, especially considering how simple the process is. The needles are so tiny you can barely feel them.
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,149 Member
    I won't ever get a flu shot. Flu has so many strains that a shot can't cover them all (why swine flu was such an epidemic). The people I know who've had the shot have gotten sick. I did have the Vietnamese flu when I was a toddler, so maybe I have the antibodies to fight the flu off.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    That is one shot that I will never get. It's a scam.
  • Icelandic_Saga
    Icelandic_Saga Posts: 2,926 Member
    I've never gotten one, Just freaks my out to be injected with a virus willingly even if it is dead or whatever.
  • tetecia
    tetecia Posts: 75 Member
    I ALWAYS get the Flu Shot/s. But, that's only because i've got multiple health issues and i can't risk getting the flu, because for me, the flu never stays as the flu it always progresses into Pneumonia (or Double, or Tripple Pneumonia). But, i know that there are some people that aren't really FOR it. I say, it's really about how you feel or what you feel comfortable with. If you are constantly going to be in contact with the young, elderly or the sick then yes you should definitely get one. Also, it's smart to have if you work in a closed enviroment like a small office because germs can spread like wild fire there.
  • da1128
    da1128 Posts: 212 Member
    I get the flu shot every year and have never suffered any adverse effects. I am a retired PA (Physician's Assistant) and it was always mandatory that I get the injection since I was exposed daily to every germ, virus, and bug under the sun....and I never got the flu even once.

    I still get the shot, even though I no longer deal with patients.
  • kimosabe1
    kimosabe1 Posts: 2,467 Member
    I have to have a flu shot every year because of diabetes.....When I don't have one I end up with being sick...I'm used to needles because I've had to take shots since I was 7. Believe me, there are things that hurt worse....
  • NewChristina
    NewChristina Posts: 250 Member
    I've gotten the vaccine a few times. One time, yes, I did "get sick" afterward. But I realize that it was my immune system kicking into gear, making me have allergy-like symptoms. Not really flu-like symptoms. BIG DIFFERENCE.

    I have gotten the flu. It was horrible. Not a bad cold, not bronchitis, but THE FLU. You have chills, you're freezing, then you're roasting, your muscles are killing you, bad headache, etc.

    So, if you work in healthcare or around elderly or children, get the vaccine. If you end up with sniffles and coughing afterward- take a benedryl.
  • RachelX04
    RachelX04 Posts: 1,123 Member
    I get one every year and have no problems. I don't experience any side effects except for a soar arm for a few days. I plan to get one this year too
  • ShellyShuey
    ShellyShuey Posts: 162
    Got mine -- no sickness, no side effects.
  • holly1283
    holly1283 Posts: 741 Member
    The flu virus mutates very quickly and you only get immunized for the viruses at that time. You can get sick from anything anytime and it may not be flu. A stomach bug is not the flu virus but it is a virus. How many times have you heard people say they have the stomach flu! Influenza is generally lung based with fevers and body aches. Some people get intestinal stress from the medication. At any rate whether you get the shot or not depends on your circumstances and personal environment.
  • dls06
    dls06 Posts: 6,774 Member
    I only had some swelling at the site of injection.
  • Lisa1971
    Lisa1971 Posts: 3,069 Member
    My kids and I get our shot every year and haven't gotten sick. Hubby won't get the shot and gets sick as a dog every year. I will always get my flu shot!
  • holly1283
    holly1283 Posts: 741 Member
    I've never been immunized. For anything. Ever.

    I never have gotten a flu shot. Coincidentally, I've also never gotten the flu.

    (Sidenote on that: I work with the public. In a cell phone store. Meaning I get pretty close and personal with germs and still rarely get sick.. Maybe about once every 3-4 years except for a terrible sore throat when the weather gets cold.)
    I hope you never get exposed to polio or measles since you've never bee immunized.
  • Birdie
    Birdie Posts: 256 Member
    I never used to get the flu shot and I got really sick every year. I usually ended up in the ER because I would be so sick and couldn't breath. Then we adopted a special needs child and were required to get the shot. Since then I haven't had anything more than a sniffle that might last 1-2 days. I highly recomend them to everyone. *also this child who had to stay away from other kids for her first two years because she was concidered an ammunity risk is now in her 5th year in the public schools around all those sick kids and has never been ill.
  • Akimajuktuq
    Akimajuktuq Posts: 3,037 Member
    IMO only:

    You have it right; trust your body to fight disease the way it was designed to. Research vaccines, find out what is in them and how they are developed. People are not being fully informed on vaccines by both the pharmaceutical companies or by their doctors, and that's against the law! You have the legal right to refuse vaccines.

    Years ago, before I discovered that I should look after my own health and not just blindly trust doctors (who are only trained to treat disease, not prevent it), drug companies and government agencies I did get a flu shot. I was young but have chronic bronchitis. I also lived in an aboriginal community at the time and the powers that be always push for 100% vaccine compliance on aboriginals (I'll avoid that rant). The shot made me sick and it lasted for MONTHS. I was only a little sick for those months, but every single day I wasn't well. I'd rather have the flu for three days (and everyone I know still gets the flu even when they have been vaccinated) than be sickly for several months. Now that I've done thousands of hours of research, you couldn't force me to get a vaccine even with a gun pointed at my head.
  • JacquelineD35
    JacquelineD35 Posts: 279 Member
    I've only had the flu shot twice and the second time I got the shot I came down with the flu anyway :(
  • rhvandan
    rhvandan Posts: 185
    My family takes advantage of the free flu shots through Kaiser, our health insurance provider. We have never had adverse reactions other than slightly elevated temperatures for a day or so, nothing noteworthy, and soreness at injection site. We will continue to get them each and every year. I have 3 girls, and 8 year old, and twins who are 2, and I am NOT risking it. We get mild colds on occasion but nothing that would make me believe the shot isn't doing its job. Good luck whatever you decide.
  • melsmith612
    melsmith612 Posts: 727 Member
    It's really interesting to see all of the different points of view on this...

    I actually already responded to my HR dept. that I would opt out of receiving the shot. I guess I figure that I've never gotten the flu shot before and I haven't had the flu in over ten years so I must be doing okay without it.

    For the record, I work in an office - not a lot of exposure to elderly or small children, just some family members. If anything I may consider getting the pneumonia shot because I quit smoking earlier this year and I know that has triggered more chest colds for me during cold season previously when I've tried quitting.
  • _the_feniks_
    _the_feniks_ Posts: 3,412 Member
    Do you get the flu shot? Always.

    And what is your experience? If I have ever gotten sick, it has been the common cold. Not the flu. The flu shot is not a live virus. Anybody who gets sick after a flu shot can chalk it up to coincidence. That is why they give them during the flu season. If they truly have flu-like symptoms, it would have been worse without the flu shot.

    Am I unnecessarily paranoid? Yes. The guy who dropped may have been allergic to eggs which is a common ingredient in the serum.
  • fattarzan
    fattarzan Posts: 31
    I just read that it's a bunch of hypo (flu shots). who knows what the results are in the long run so I don't believe in that either. do the research and you'll see what I'm talking about.
  • melsmith612
    melsmith612 Posts: 727 Member


    Am I unnecessarily paranoid? Yes. The guy who dropped may have been allergic to eggs which is a common ingredient in the serum.

    Good to know!

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