Flu shots? For them or against ?

singingflutelady wrote: »

angelexperiment wrote: »

Nope not since about 2005 when I saw they did not work, and made you sicker than if you got it and how sick it made children. Interesting but since then I've been sick 3 times. And these days they are putting more and mor things in there and it's killing people or injuring them. I'll deal with a cold or flu. People fighting cancer especially should not take the flu shot. Or while under chemo. I've seen that first hand and it tells you if you are immuno suppressed you should not take the flu shot. But it's pushed a lot every where you go or while you are pregnant.

What? It's actually the opposite. They highly recommend it if you are immunosuppressed

Definitely. The last thing I'd want would be the flu.

I had just a plain cold last year that morphed into a horrible sinus infection which I used to be able fight off with regular sinus rinsing, but no longer can. I had to take antibiotics and they messed up my gut flora for the better part of this whole year. I've been dealing with digestive issues that would be TMI to discuss, frankly. Simply because I caught a cold.

I can't imagine getting the flu.

I got one this past October and it was probably coincidence but I ended up sick for a week two days after the shot. Recently this past week I ended up getting sick again for two days, body aches, chills and fevers. I would probably opt not to get one but having two little ones at home I find it important to try to stay healthy for them. My husband on the other hand is never gets one and refuses to, he also has never tends to get sick. My two little ones and me were down for a week last year with the norovirus and he didn't get a touch of it, and the norovirus is super contagious!

jagodfrey08 wrote: »

Oh God. Could we PLEASE petition for a norovirus vaccine?!?!?! I and my entire family would be first in line every year! Never fails - January through March, my daughters and I get it, and usually one of us winds up in the ER because I am worried about one of my kiddos dehydrating. Definitely not the best way to lose 7-12 lbs.

I get a flu shot every year. Fortunately, for all my genetic flaws, I have a genetic immunity to common strains of norovirus (I've had DNA analysis).

Francl27 wrote: »

I have asthma so I get it.

To be fair, I grew up in France, where they don't vaccinate for chickenpox and even less the flu, and I've never had the flu. But my kids haven't got it either so I don't know if the vaccines work or not but it really doesn't cost anything to get it IMO... so why not? I've never had any reaction to it, just a sore arm for a couple days.

Full disclosure though, after this year I will probably skip it for the kids because I'm not sure it's not worth the insane drama I went through (we were expecting the flu mist but they are not making it anymore... so they had to get a shot. Very unhappy children. It took 5 people to hold my daughter).

I live in France and two years ago I got a flu shot here, no charge, just pay for the serum. It worked, no colds or flu for a year. Same in Portugal where I was this last summer and fall, we got ours at the pharmacy, simple to do. However, my husband recently came down with something, cough, cold and wheezing after a week of travleing and not sleeping or eating that well. So I dunno, it has worked for me any time I get one, sometimes I get immunity for two years as I have skipped a year a few times.

I don't plan on skipping it again though, now at age 67 and having had bronchial conditions at the end of flu, I will do what it takes to avoid symptoms if possible.

Best wishes to everyone for a flu, cold, virus free season!

Gamliela wrote: »

ladyreva78 wrote: »

I normally don't get the shots for the simple reason that they're not covered by my health insurance (not in one of the risk categories)

My company is covering for everyone not covered by health insurance this year. One of my work colleagues had to get a lung transplant last year due to cystic fibrosis and only just got back to work. We want to lower the risks for him as much as we can and that's one of the small ways we're contributing. Oddly enough, even the vaccine opponents are on board with that.

I just always paid for it out of pocket, really cheap actually, even in the U.S. or any country I lived in without health insurance. Most pharmacists will sell the vacine and either administer it there, or have doctors nearby you can get jabbed for about 15.00' if you did decide you'd like to vacinate.

It's closer to 100$ here, you can only get it at the doctor's and in some cases they refuse you (following shortages a few years ago due to bad planning) if you don't belong to an at risk category or work in a job in contact with at risk people (the sick work colleague actually qualified us all to get the shots but not for the insurance to pay for it). I sometimes have to shake my head at the bureaucracy of it all.

kimny72 wrote: »

So I have never gotten the flu shot as an adult - I haven't specifically avoided it, but I've never worked anywhere they provided it, I am generally healthy so I never go to a pharmacy, hardly ever go to the doctor, and I have never knowingly had the flu so I figured it was no big deal. I just moved to be closer to my little nephews, and my parents are over 70, and I decided to look into starting to get the annual shot. I happened across this thread and now I'm kind of embarrassed that I've never gotten one .

Anyway, I was reading there are 3 versions available this year, a tri, a quad, and an intradermal. Is there any way to tell which one I should get without first making a doctor's appt? Everything I found online says it doesn't matter which one you get, but why would there be multiple kinds if it doesn't matter?

I'm getting one regardless this week, probably at CVS, just curious about feedback on the different kinds...

Each of those things you mentioned is not a mutually exclusive type of vaccine. Here's a quick explanation of the terms:

Trivalent = protects against 3 strains of flu
Quadrivalent = protects against 4 strains of flu

Intramuscular = shot is delivered into the muscle
Intradermal = shot is delivered into the dermis (skin), needle is smaller than the intramuscular vaccine, dosage is smaller because not as much is needed to get a comparable immune response
Nasal spray = Inhaled version of the vaccine. Contains live attenuated virus unlike any of the injected versions

If I were you and I had the choice, I'd opt for quadrivalent intradermal vaccine. All the benefits, smaller needle

The nasal spray is not recommended for this flu season, so it may not even be available. If it is, I would not get it since there's no reason you can't do the injectable.

Edit: spelling

Thanks! I wonder why they would still make the tri vaccine if it was possible to make a quad, and why they would still offer the intramuscular when the one with a smaller needle and dose was possible. I do tend to overthink things though

Not afraid of needles, I donate platelets regularly, so no excuses!

midwesterner85 wrote: »

kimny72 wrote: »

Thanks! I wonder why they would still make the tri vaccine if it was possible to make a quad, and why they would still offer the intramuscular when the one with a smaller needle and dose was possible. I do tend to overthink things though

Not afraid of needles, I donate platelets regularly, so no excuses!

I'm not sure... maybe cost?

Good point

Gamliela wrote: »

ladyreva78 wrote: »

I normally don't get the shots for the simple reason that they're not covered by my health insurance (not in one of the risk categories)

My company is covering for everyone not covered by health insurance this year. One of my work colleagues had to get a lung transplant last year due to cystic fibrosis and only just got back to work. We want to lower the risks for him as much as we can and that's one of the small ways we're contributing. Oddly enough, even the vaccine opponents are on board with that.

I just always paid for it out of pocket, really cheap actually, even in the U.S. or any country I lived in without health insurance. Most pharmacists will sell the vacine and either administer it there, or have doctors nearby you can get jabbed for about 15.00' if you did decide you'd like to vacinate.

I paid $39.99 at a grocery store pharmacy yesterday. This is the same amount I recall paying in Walgreens either last year or the year before. I used to get a free shot after my yearly physical, but it kind of threw off my routine when my doctor said she no longer needed to see me yearly

ccrdragon wrote: »

I paid $39.99 at a grocery store pharmacy yesterday. This is the same amount I recall paying in Walgreens either last year or the year before. I used to get a free shot after my yearly physical, but it kind of threw off my routine when my doctor said she no longer needed to see me yearly

If you have insurance (here in the states) it shouldn't cost you anything - the flu shot is preventive and insurance has to cover preventive measures (by edict of Congress).

Sure, but the application is a bit more complicated. I've been unable to find any pharmacy anywhere nearby willing to accept my insurance for a flu shot. I live in Iowa and would have to travel to Michigan to be able to actually visit a pharmacy willing to accept my insurance for a flu shot. Fortunately, my employer goes outside of our insurance and pays for flu shots for employees. A local pharmacy actually comes on site and everyone who signed up for a flu shot goes through and gets it. My employer pays the pharmacy for all the shots.

It used to be that the employer would only pay for a portion of it and we had to pay part also (still local pharmacy coming in with hundreds of doses). One year, I decided that since the insurance benefit paid for all of it, why would I pay even $10 just so I could get it on-site. That year, I tried dozens of pharmacies in Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, and Kansas... none of them took my insurance, so it would have cost me full price. I ended up going without the shot that year. Now, the employer offers it free so that problem is solved.

one1fast68 wrote: »

I see a lot of posts about how many people die each year of the flu and how much lower your risk is of getting GBS...I personally have never known anyone that has died of the flu or know anyone that has told me they lost someone to flu. I do have a friend that lost his brother to GBS though. I'm just curious, because I see a lot of the statistics on the news - has anyone here known someone personally that has died of the flu?

My neighbor is permanently disabled due to that crazy swine flu a few years back-he almost died and was in a coma for days etc. But, there was no flu shot for that strain (if I remember correctly).

stealthq wrote: »

paperpudding wrote: »

Tri vaccine is cheaper.
It still covers for the main flu strains.

However in Australia the government funded ones were 4 strain and almost everybody buying privately opted for 4 strain, despite slightly higher cost.
I suspect 3 strain will not be produced next year due to limited consumer demand for it.

Re Intradermal or intramuscular - Intradermal does have shorter needle but probably not less painful as there are more nerve endings there than in deep muscle.

At any rate flu vaccine is very minimal pain - little sting for few seconds and all over.

I've had both. Don't remember thinking the intramuscular one was painful to get, so this is probably true. But the needle would be less intimidating to those bothered by needles. It's not only a shorter needle, but thinner as well.

I know - I have given literally thousands of vaccinations.

But not sure a person who didnt know what they were looking at would notice difference in gauge or length to be less intimidated by it.