Flu Vaccine

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  • libbydoodle11
    libbydoodle11 Posts: 1,351 Member
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    Nope. I'm afraid of needles.
  • dexlyn813
    dexlyn813 Posts: 84 Member
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    Yes. I actually got it 2 weeks ago. I work in the hospital, so I come in contact with a lot of different people each time I work there.
  • sullus
    sullus Posts: 2,839 Member
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    FatFreeFrolicking wrote: »
    sullus wrote: »
    mank32 wrote: »
    tincanonastring wrote: »
    We have a duty as humans to protect those who are weaker. When it comes to vaccine-preventable illnesses, those of us who can get an immunization should be doing our part to protect those who cannot.

    i got mine last wednesday. it's hard to say no to a free flu shot when you work in a building with a billion people and share workspaces and handy/mouthy equipment like keyboards and headsets.

    in years past I've gotten the shot and the flu, and I've not gotten the shot and not gotten the flu. still, i'll take my chances with the jab.

    It's pretty easy, because 1. I have an immune system, and 2. I live in a first-world country.

    I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but living in a first-world country doesn't protect you from contracting illnesses and diseases. Only ignorant people think that :)

    I know that. But it does mean that if I do contract the flu it's highly likely that I'll be just fine.

  • xtinalee17
    xtinalee17 Posts: 42 Member
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    Already got it! I used to not get them... but I have a friend who is a MICU nurse and she has told me some horrible stories about young people that contract the flu and don't make it or have serious life long complications.
  • RockinTerri
    RockinTerri Posts: 499 Member
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    I'll be getting mine today through my work. Why - because I cannot afford to get that ill and I am missing two lymph nodes to fight off infections.
  • FatFreeFrolicking
    FatFreeFrolicking Posts: 4,252 Member
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    sullus wrote: »
    FatFreeFrolicking wrote: »
    sullus wrote: »
    mank32 wrote: »
    tincanonastring wrote: »
    We have a duty as humans to protect those who are weaker. When it comes to vaccine-preventable illnesses, those of us who can get an immunization should be doing our part to protect those who cannot.

    i got mine last wednesday. it's hard to say no to a free flu shot when you work in a building with a billion people and share workspaces and handy/mouthy equipment like keyboards and headsets.

    in years past I've gotten the shot and the flu, and I've not gotten the shot and not gotten the flu. still, i'll take my chances with the jab.

    It's pretty easy, because 1. I have an immune system, and 2. I live in a first-world country.

    I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but living in a first-world country doesn't protect you from contracting illnesses and diseases. Only ignorant people think that :)

    I know that. But it does mean that if I do contract the flu it's highly likely that I'll be just fine.

    I'm sure the 53,826 people who died from the flu and pneumonia in 2010 thought they'd be "just fine" too.
  • teagirlmedium
    teagirlmedium Posts: 679 Member
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    No, I do not like needles. I have had the flu before and if I get it again oh well. It was horrible, but at least my diet will be over. I really did hate it though, but needles are worse and at least I can see an upside to the flu. I will just have a new weight to maintain. I have only had the flue 1 time, I have had a flu shot 1 time. I would rather never take the shot again, risk getting the flu and sleeping on the bathroom floor again every flu season, than to deal with another needle I am not actually required to deal with.
  • Frayde
    Frayde Posts: 321 Member
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    Have you every really had influenza? Not just a stomach bug that lasts a couple days, but the flu? The aches, fever, headache, cough--lasts a couple weeks. Can easily develop into bronchitis or pneumonia. If you ever have it once, you'll never miss a flu shot again. And if you care about your kids and your older in laws and grandparents, you'll get your shot to protect them!
  • tincanonastring
    tincanonastring Posts: 3,944 Member
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    teagirlmedium wrote: »
    No, I do not like needles. I have had the flu before and if I get it again oh well. It was horrible, but at least my diet will be over. I really did hate it though, but needles are worse and at least I can see an upside to the flu. I will just have a new weight to maintain. I have only had the flue 1 time, I have had a flu shot 1 time. I would rather never take the shot again, risk getting the flu and sleeping on the bathroom floor again every flu season, than to deal with another needle I am not actually required to deal with.

    You can get the vaccine via an inahalable mist taken through the nose. No reason to go unprotected due to a phobia!
  • GordieLaChance
    GordieLaChance Posts: 171
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    I chose to not receive a flu shot because I am rarely sick. I can't remember the last time I was stricken with the flu.
  • SassyClassyandALittleBadAssy
    SassyClassyandALittleBadAssy Posts: 165 Member
    edited October 2014
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    Not sure if it was the shot, or a strong immune system or a combination, but my house was a sick ward last winter...my husband and FIL both ended up with the flu and hubby also got pneumonia. I took care of both of them and I never even got a sniffle.

    *edit to add that I was the only one in the house who got the shot last year (and this year so far).
  • FatFreeFrolicking
    FatFreeFrolicking Posts: 4,252 Member
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    tincanonastring wrote: »
    teagirlmedium wrote: »
    No, I do not like needles. I have had the flu before and if I get it again oh well. It was horrible, but at least my diet will be over. I really did hate it though, but needles are worse and at least I can see an upside to the flu. I will just have a new weight to maintain. I have only had the flue 1 time, I have had a flu shot 1 time. I would rather never take the shot again, risk getting the flu and sleeping on the bathroom floor again every flu season, than to deal with another needle I am not actually required to deal with.

    You can get the vaccine via an inahalable mist taken through the nose. No reason to go unprotected due to a phobia!

    The flu vaccine is only 56% effective so it really doesn't "protect" all that much.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
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    I have asthma. I've had a hospital stay and a round of steroids because of it within the last 3 years (granted... I was 80 pounds heavier). Either way, I'm just not taking the risk, so I got the flu shot 3 weeks ago. And the kids are getting it soon.
  • holagatita
    holagatita Posts: 1,785 Member
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    nope. I like to live on the edge
  • DragonflyBoudica
    DragonflyBoudica Posts: 28 Member
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    I used to get the shots, but haven't the last few years because I have dysautonomia which involves a very hyper sensitive immune response to a lot of different things- including the flu shots. Every time I get the shot I get sick for about 4-6 weeks; low grade fever, aches, pains, numbness & pains in arms & legs,extreme fatigue, can't hardly even move. This throws my exercise plans out the window because then I'm too ill to exercise which causes a cycle of deconditioning. The last few years that I did not get the shot I've felt much better in the fall & winter- able to stick to my fitness goals. My doctor agreed I should not get the shot. Thankfully, the rest of my family gets their flu shots; reducing possible exposure for me.
  • SassyClassyandALittleBadAssy
    SassyClassyandALittleBadAssy Posts: 165 Member
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    digginDeep wrote: »
    SassyClassyandALittleBadAssy wrote: »
    Not sure if it was the shot, or a strong immune system or a combination, but my house was a sick ward last winter...my husband and FIL both ended up with the flu and hubby also got pneumonia. I took care of both of them and I never even got a sniffle.

    Did you get the shot or not, I am confused?

    edited original l post to add that I did get it- and was the only one in the house to get it
  • tincanonastring
    tincanonastring Posts: 3,944 Member
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    FatFreeFrolicking wrote: »
    tincanonastring wrote: »
    teagirlmedium wrote: »
    No, I do not like needles. I have had the flu before and if I get it again oh well. It was horrible, but at least my diet will be over. I really did hate it though, but needles are worse and at least I can see an upside to the flu. I will just have a new weight to maintain. I have only had the flue 1 time, I have had a flu shot 1 time. I would rather never take the shot again, risk getting the flu and sleeping on the bathroom floor again every flu season, than to deal with another needle I am not actually required to deal with.

    You can get the vaccine via an inahalable mist taken through the nose. No reason to go unprotected due to a phobia!

    The flu vaccine is only 56% effective so it really doesn't "protect" all that much.

    So, disregarding the simplistic nature of measuring the effectiveness of a vaccine by whether or not it prevents the flu (thereby dismissing a reduction in morbidity and mortality in those who are vaccinated but still infected), are you telling me that you'd rather forego something that protects more than 1 out of 2 times in favor of no protection at all?

    Here's some reading on how to truly measure the effectiveness of a vaccine:

    http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/vaccineeffect.htm

    Some key points:

    ◦A recent study* showed that flu vaccine reduced children’s risk of flu-related pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admission by 74% during flu seasons from 2010-2012.
    ◦One study showed that flu vaccination was associated with a 71% reduction in flu-related hospitalizations among adults of all ages and a 77% reduction among adults 50 years of age and older during the 2011-2012 flu season.
    ◦Flu vaccination is an important preventive tool for people with chronic health conditions. Vaccination was associated with lower rates of some cardiac events among people with heart disease, especially among those who had had a cardiac event in the past year. Flu vaccination also has been shown to be associated with reduced hospitalizations among people with diabetes (79%) and chronic lung disease (52%).
    ◦Vaccination helps protect women during pregnancy and their babies for up to 6 months after they are born. One study showed that giving flu vaccine to pregnant women was 92% effective in preventing hospitalization of infants for flu.
    ◦Other studies have shown that vaccination can reduce the risk of flu-related hospitalizations in older adults. A study that looked at flu vaccine effectiveness over the course of three flu seasons estimated that flu vaccination lowered the risk of hospitalizations by 61% in people 50 years of age and older.
  • DragonflyBoudica
    DragonflyBoudica Posts: 28 Member
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    digginDeep wrote: »
    SwashBlogger wrote: »
    Did/will you get a flu shot this year? Why or why not

    Nope. Doesn't fit in my macros.

    Hahaha! Good one! :D
  • tincanonastring
    tincanonastring Posts: 3,944 Member
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    DragonflyBoudica wrote: »
    digginDeep wrote: »
    SwashBlogger wrote: »
    Did/will you get a flu shot this year? Why or why not

    Nope. Doesn't fit in my macros.

    Hahaha! Good one! :D

    Besides an established medical exclusion, this is the only acceptable reason!
  • jmc0806
    jmc0806 Posts: 1,444 Member
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    yep, got it over the weekend. My sister basically told me to come in and let her give me the shot or I can't visit my niece when she's born next month

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