Flu Shots? thoughts

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Replies

  • daniellealys
    daniellealys Posts: 301 Member
    I wish I didnt but I work in healthcare and they are required at my job. ppl literally get terminated if they dont get them! i actually got the letter today to REMIND me to get it by November or I am terminated :(
    My husband and our future kids will not
  • MadDogManor
    MadDogManor Posts: 1,531 Member
    I got the shot (work mandated), AND the flu, last year
  • professorRAT
    professorRAT Posts: 690 Member
    People who are immunocompromised shouldnt be running around with normal people in the first place. It is one of the precautions medical professionals tell them.

    Because people who are immunocompromised don't have bills to pay, especially medical bills.

    If they are immunocompromised, the flu is really the least of their worries.

    They are not supposed to be around normal people in crowded areas or be in too much contact, bottom line. You dont see chemo patients running around

    This is quite ignorant. What about people with autoimmune diseases who are taking immuno-suppressants? They may not be severely immuno-compromised, but still at risk. Many are active people who work, go to the gym, etc. There are also people who have had transplants, are doing very well and living normal lives, but must take immuno-suppressive medications to help prevent rejection. I could go on...

    eta: apologies to lithezebra. I posted before I saw that you had already addressed this (quite well, too). :flowerforyou:
    For them to avoid crowded areas and using caution with contact is the most basic of teaching of people who are immunossed status. If they go to the gym depending on tgeir degree they have to wear full gloves. It will vary to the degree but people who are in nadir stage of chemo have an extremely low wbc.

    You are 100% incorrect. There are varying degrees of immuno-suppression and there are LOTS of illnesses that are treated with immunosuppresive medications These patients are NOT advised to stay out of contact with people. Not everyone taking "chemo" has cancer or is severely immunosuppressed. Not everyone who is immunocompromised has "extremely" low wbc. You are really digging a big hole here because it is clear you are ignorant of a huge range of treatments for various illnesses that involve some degree of immunosupression, and not all require the kind of risk management you are describing.
    Do you even know how this conversation started? They were talking about people should get the flu shot because of immunocompromised people.

    Yes, I know. There are many immunocompromised people walking around and it helps them when others are vaccinated. Many people are on medication to DELIBERATELY suppress their immune systems because they have autoimmune diseases or have had organ transplants. Many of these people are only slightly immunocompromised, so they are NOT advised by their doctors to avoid people, or quit their jobs, or wear gloves at the gym, etc. However, they are at higher risk when it comes to communicable illnesses. It is helpful to these people if others are vaccinated against various illnesses. There are varying degrees of immunosuppresion and not all of these people are advised by their doctors to avoid public places (as YOU stated repeatedly).
  • dmpizza
    dmpizza Posts: 3,321 Member
    Flu's mostly harmless. Flu shots are a crapshoot anyway. I don't see the point.

    That attitude KILLS people. Get an education.

    This makes me HULK angry.
  • Birder150
    Birder150 Posts: 677 Member
    I have a very persistent case of thyroid cancer so I definitely get one.
  • NanaWubbie
    NanaWubbie Posts: 248 Member
    My family always gets flu shots now. I did get influenza in 1996. I was 9 months pregnant and I almost died, and I almost lost the baby. I really don't remeber most of it except for having a terrible fever and extreme headache. I attempted to drive myself to the hospital and just couldn't move.....I ended up throwing the car into park on a very busy road, just hoping someone would help me....I don't remeber labor, don't remember delivery....everything was just dark. All I remember is the headache.

    This year there is an egg free vaccine available. Get the facts.
  • RM10003
    RM10003 Posts: 316 Member
    My family always gets flu shots now. I did get influenza in 1996. I was 9 months pregnant and I almost died, and I almost lost the baby. I really don't remeber most of it except for having a terrible fever and extreme headache. I attempted to drive myself to the hospital and just couldn't move.....I ended up throwing the car into park on a very busy road, just hoping someone would help me....I don't remeber labor, don't remember delivery....everything was just dark. All I remember is the headache.

    This year there is an egg free vaccine available. Get the facts.

    That is seriously scary.... I hope both you and your child had no lingering effects.

    We can get them at work for free, so I get them. Last time I had flu I was out of work for a week and wishing I was for a second, and I was still in my relatively healthy 20s. I've been getting them for years and have never had a bad reaction--fingers crossed.
  • iechick
    iechick Posts: 352 Member
    We've never had the vaccination. My husband and youngest kid got the flu once, three years ago at the same time, and that's been it for our family of five. I don't feel strongly either way about the vaccination, but it hasn't been an issue for us, (the flu), so we'll keep doing what we're doing.
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
    Flu's mostly harmless. Flu shots are a crapshoot anyway. I don't see the point.

    That attitude KILLS people. Get an education.

    This makes me HULK angry.

    I agree. Herd immunity is a *huge* thing for those who can't be immunized themselves. I get the shot now that I'm in my 40s and work with college students, not because I can't deal with the flu myself (yes, it sucks, but it's not that bad), but because my friends and co-workers who can't get the shot, for whatever reason, don't deserve to risk exposure just because I am a special snowflake who doesn't need the vaccine.
  • Crochetluvr
    Crochetluvr Posts: 3,284 Member
    ... with the one exception of getting a tetanus shot in college to be able to legitimately skip a french class I hadn't done the homework in.

    :laugh:
  • lachesissss
    lachesissss Posts: 1,298 Member
    Influenza blows goats when you have it. Literal goat blowage. Just get the shot, it's a bennie of modern medicine that the vaccine is available.
  • donald149
    donald149 Posts: 211 Member
    Always!! Most places offer the mist now.
  • RhineDHP
    RhineDHP Posts: 1,025 Member
    I've only gotten the flu shot a handful of times. I think I have a pretty awesome immune system because I rarely ever get sick. To each their own, but I think flu shots in the long run help more than they hurt.
  • brraanndi
    brraanndi Posts: 325 Member
    I didn't get shots as an adult til I got the flu a few years ago. I hadn't had it since I was an about 14.

    I was so sick I thought I was dying and went to minor emergency where I was congratulated for being the first flu case of that year ( it was Feb ).

    Never again will I put off getting the flu shot.
  • airangel59
    airangel59 Posts: 1,887 Member
    Never got, always sign form at work refusing it. As long as job doesn't make it mandatory, I'll politely turn it down. My immune systems been pretty good to me so far.
  • wheelermel
    wheelermel Posts: 7
    I am a pharmacist. Get your flu shot. There are so many myths out there about the shot. Some think it is only for the old and frail. Not true. CDC recommends it for generally everyone. The flu shot CANNOT cause the flu. It is a dead, inactivated virus you are being injected with. Flu like symptoms are sometimes experienced as a side effect, but this is rare. If you get sick shortly after getting a flu shot, it's because you already had something incubating in your body when you got the shot. The autism/flu shot link has more than been debunked, but we still have folks not vaccinating their kids because they would rather listen to Jenny McCarthy than common sense or their doctor.

    I could not care less what the CDC suggests. Humanity would not have survived llong enough to create the vaccine if our bodies werent capable of dealing with it to begin with.

    Also-no offense to you, but Drs and pharmacists make money for every pill or vaccine administered, even if only a small percent. The medical field makes money off sick people and people who think every stupid cold is fatal and needs a vaccine or chemical preventative.

    Listen to your MDs and pharmacists, they have years of medical & scientific training (based on clinically proven studies) to help keep us all healthy.

    Yes, humans have evolved to fight viruses, but this argument is full of wholes. Plenty of people have died from the flu in spite of our amazing immune system, and thanks to the vaccine that number is significantly decreased.

    Medical professionals are not magicians, they cannot cure every single ailment, nor should we expect that they can. But they do know a lot, and most likely went into health care to HELP, not to make pennies from flu vaccines.

    Finally, saying "no offense" is pointless, clearly your accusation of a medical professional intentionally profiting off public health is absolutely offensive.
  • Buff2022
    Buff2022 Posts: 373 Member
    I already got mine for the year. I work at a Pharmacy and they give them to us for free.

    I get them because I don't want the flu (this is not the tummy one, but the one that can kill you)

    I also have a son with asthma so I have always gotten one.

    Last year I got one before I had my surgery. I had major surgery last Oct. They also gave me a pnemonia shot. Sorry I know I spelled that wrong.
  • Cortneyrenee04
    Cortneyrenee04 Posts: 1,117 Member
    Nononono! I've only gotten the flu shot once, and that year I got the flu!
  • Sharon_C
    Sharon_C Posts: 2,132 Member
    Nope. I've never had one and haven't had the flu in years. I believe in eating right and exercising and staying at a good weight. If you take care of your body your body will take care of you.

    (Now watch, I say that and I'll get the flu this year :laugh: )
  • Tdk4685
    Tdk4685 Posts: 293 Member
    I get one every year. I had the flu so bad about 15 years ago it almost landed me in the hospital so ever since then I have gotten the flu shot and I have not got the flu since I started getting the shots.
  • lcransaw
    lcransaw Posts: 95
    No flu shot here for anyone in my family.
  • jayrudq
    jayrudq Posts: 475 Member
    I get one every year. So does my husband - who never gets sick and so does my son. I am sick and saddened each year by the numbers of DEATHS occur from the flu. And that is not just in the elderly, it is children and teens also. A 17 year old boy died from the flu last year...
    If you get the flu after you had the shot you will most likely get a less severe case of the flu - not a reason to never get a flu shot again. And while last year's numbers were only about 60% effective, this year's batch will cover four different strains. And frankly, if I reduce my chance, and more importantly, my kid's chance of getting the flu by 60%, I will take it. It is hard to imagine anything worse than having your child die from the flu when they could have been immunized...

    Oh and FYI on asthma and the flu? Asthma is one of the conditions that is strongly recommended you have a flu shot. The year the shots were in shortage, I was able to get one because I have asthma. And it doesn't have anything to do with my immune system - it is the fact that the flu is often a respiratory illness and those are so much more severe and dangerous for asthmatics. Again, children, elderly, compromised immune systems, asthmatics, COPD, etc. And everyone else so they don't spread it (there was a study done in Texas where they immunized all the kids in one community. Result? Dramatic reduction of flu in the total population).
  • kathleenjoyful
    kathleenjoyful Posts: 210 Member
    The flu shot only protects against a few strains of the flu, but considering those strains can land you in hospital, it's worth it if you're worried about getting sick. I always get a flu shot because they are free at work, and I'm an asthmatic - a flu can be very, very dangerous for me. I think it's personal preference though. In the past my immune system hasn't been as strong but I'll continue getting them now I'm healthier, as a preventative.
  • Buff2022
    Buff2022 Posts: 373 Member
    Got mine a week ago :) I get them every year. Last year however, I got the flu 3x grrr

    The shot is not for the tummy flu!
  • DatMurse
    DatMurse Posts: 1,501 Member
    People who are immunocompromised shouldnt be running around with normal people in the first place. It is one of the precautions medical professionals tell them.

    Because people who are immunocompromised don't have bills to pay, especially medical bills.

    If they are immunocompromised, the flu is really the least of their worries.

    They are not supposed to be around normal people in crowded areas or be in too much contact, bottom line. You dont see chemo patients running around

    This is quite ignorant. What about people with autoimmune diseases who are taking immuno-suppressants? They may not be severely immuno-compromised, but still at risk. Many are active people who work, go to the gym, etc. There are also people who have had transplants, are doing very well and living normal lives, but must take immuno-suppressive medications to help prevent rejection. I could go on...

    eta: apologies to lithezebra. I posted before I saw that you had already addressed this (quite well, too). :flowerforyou:
    For them to avoid crowded areas and using caution with contact is the most basic of teaching of people who are immunossed status. If they go to the gym depending on tgeir degree they have to wear full gloves. It will vary to the degree but people who are in nadir stage of chemo have an extremely low wbc.

    You are 100% incorrect. There are varying degrees of immuno-suppression and there are LOTS of illnesses that are treated with immunosuppresive medications These patients are NOT advised to stay out of contact with people. Not everyone taking "chemo" has cancer or is severely immunosuppressed. Not everyone who is immunocompromised has "extremely" low wbc. You are really digging a big hole here because it is clear you are ignorant of a huge range of treatments for various illnesses that involve some degree of immunosupression, and not all require the kind of risk management you are describing.
    Do you even know how this conversation started? They were talking about people should get the flu shot because of immunocompromised people.

    Yes, I know. There are many immunocompromised people walking around and it helps them when others are vaccinated. Many people are on medication to DELIBERATELY suppress their immune systems because they have autoimmune diseases or have had organ transplants. Many of these people are only slightly immunocompromised, so they are NOT advised by their doctors to avoid people, or quit their jobs, or wear gloves at the gym, etc. However, they are at higher risk when it comes to communicable illnesses. It is helpful to these people if others are vaccinated against various illnesses. There are varying degrees of immunosuppresion and not all of these people are advised by their doctors to avoid public places (as YOU stated repeatedly).

    but we werent talking about people that are slightly immunocompromised. We are talking about people that if they got the flu it could cause some serious problems
  • Hoppymom
    Hoppymom Posts: 1,158 Member
    I teach Head Start; so I am constantly exposed to nasty stuff. I get the shop because the kids still don't cover their sneezes and coughs. I also don't want to get it and expose my husband who has had heart surgery.
  • evileen99
    evileen99 Posts: 1,564 Member
    Got mine a week ago :) I get them every year. Last year however, I got the flu 3x grrr

    The shot is not for the tummy flu!

    THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS "STOMACH FLU!" The influenza family of viruses doesn't cause GI upset. If you were vomiting or had diarrhea, you DID NOT have the flu!
  • PippiNe
    PippiNe Posts: 283 Member
    I was told I needed to get the flu shot when I was pregnant with my last child 3 years ago. Within 4 days of getting the shot, I was sicker than I have ever been in my life. I could not do anything for 11 days. My husband was ready to check me in to the hospital, I was that sick. Some days I could barely get out of bed. I am not a sickly person (have had the flu twice in 20+ years, this time included.) I am 100% certain that getting that shot caused my illness. Because of that experience, I will NEVER get another flu shot. I know it helps some people, but it didn't help me!
  • just_Jennie1
    just_Jennie1 Posts: 1,233
    Never had it and I never will. I see no reason to get a flu shot if you're healthy. Older people yes. Small children maybe but other than that there's no reason for it. It's a scam.
  • sk_pirate
    sk_pirate Posts: 282 Member
    People who are immunocompromised shouldnt be running around with normal people in the first place. It is one of the precautions medical professionals tell them.

    Because people who are immunocompromised don't have bills to pay, especially medical bills.

    If they are immunocompromised, the flu is really the least of their worries.

    They are not supposed to be around normal people in crowded areas or be in too much contact, bottom line. You dont see chemo patients running around

    Really? I will be sure to call work and tell them I can no longer come in because I am not "normal" and should not be around the general population. I have asthma, compromises my immune system. Funny though, my Dr. seems to think I should live a normal life. BTW my wife has a severely compromised immune system. I got the flu shot as did she but still ended up with her hospitalized because someone at work got the flu and I ended up taking shed virus home to her on my clothing.
    You are saying your asthma is compromising your immune system? Ok lol



    YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



    Have you EVER had an asthma attack?!? I'm sorry but this is where I put my foot down.

    Get educated before you start making comments like that son.
    So other than the inflamation causing bronchoconstriction, and closing your airway. Please tell me how it makes you more susceptible to infection.
    I will be waiting on you to explain the pathophysiology of how it affects your immune response since you are educated

    First off do you have asthma?

    Answer my question and I'll humor yours.

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