hep c and h1n1 vaccine

not sure if I should get the vaccine or not, comments?

[franke566]

Howdy outfished.  I'm a fisherman by trade.  Anyway, about your question.  What does your Hepatologist say?

[franke566]

Oh, Welcome to the Forum!

[viaduk]

I just received a letter from the NYU transplant unit and their recommendation is to get the injectible form of the vaccine, but to stay away from the nasal spray version (HCV 1a stage 4)

[outfished]

nice to meet you franke, havent talked to hepatologist yet, thought i'd check here first.

[outfished]

thanks for the info, been hearing alot of conflicting information on the vaccine

[FlGuy]

It's a personal decision.  I work a lot with the effects of influenza risks in my job - a big global company.  For our family, we'll probably not get Season vaccine since the vast majority is currently H1N1 and Seasonal  vaccine is hard to find now.  But, we will go for the H1N1 vaccine when available. As Viaduk says, we will avoid the nasal stuff and wait for the injectable.  My son (on campus will for sure get it, probably sooner).  The rest of the family is lower risk so we may be waiting a while.

[meakea]

I understand that there are certain categories of people who should get the H1N1 vaccination.  Best thing is to check with your doc and go by his/her recommendations.

My PCP told me to wait because I'm not in any of the current "get the shot now" categories.  If he tells me to get it, I will.

[nygirl7]

Since doctors recommend that patients of hep get a flu shot because we have a chronic disease I would say if you have the opportunity to get it you should.  But as FLGuy said it's a personal decision. When the chance comes for me to get it I am going to. I hate the flu I had it once and was in bed for over 10 days...dont ever want it again. I get the regular flu shot every year!

[santaclaus]

i got the injection and suffered no side effects other than soreness around the injection site for a few days. but its really up to yourself but im happy that i have got it.

[rockin516]

i was not to get it till after my tx. is finished--- rockin516

[outfished]

Well I went ahead and got the h1n1 vaccine, It was offered free by my employer so I went ahead and got it, High risk job so I thought it  was best! Thanks for all the input everyone!

[rockin516]

i also work in a HIGHRISK job, and my gi dr. i couldnt,i wounder why some dr. say yes and some say no?----rockin516

[becksta29]

hey rockin my doc said exactly the same thing...i was not to get any flue vaccines on the tx,but i had very low WBC and IMO tht might have been why. cos it sais on the instruction sheet on flue vacc not to have it if u have low WBC,not sure why but my guess would be that we need ample amounts of wbc for the vaccine to make our antibodys or sumthin like that anyways.
we should all get vaccines done b4 tx,i wish my doc had of told me to get it b4 tx cos i have had so many flues this yr and IMO its probly affected my tx cos my wbc has been gettin depleted from the flue viruses.
To outfish...were u on the tx when u had the vaccines?

[rockin516]

from what i under stood is that our immunsystem is very low and the h1n1 is alive viras so we cant fight it like normal people as in a good immun,and it could land us in the hospiital i could be wrong tho. all i know i was told no on the flu/h1n1 till it was over so i just wear a mask the whole time at work cause we sometimes see 20 or more cases aday but when my neautrophils are ar 20 and wbc is 1.7 i stay at home till i get the cbc done on that tues.so----im not saying not get but check with dr. but i went by dr.s orders-----rockin516

[SnoWav]

they are not doing test for the H1N1 when people come in with flu symptoms just saying it could be. It seems like a huge media hype to keep the people fearful, I have hep C for 35 yrs and no way is any of our family getting any  experimental poison .

[Trish77]

If I understand this H1N1 flu correctly, the deaths are caused by one of 2 things primarily - that it settles into the lungs and/or upper/lower respiratory tract areas and in severe cases, restricts breathing causing death, i.e. those with asthma or even smokers can be at greater risk here, among other things - OR - it over-stimulates the immune system causing what's known as a cytokine storm, where the immune system fights back SO hard that it actually kills the host with it's over-reaction.  This is why some young people are more vulnerable, as their immune systems are developing and more reactive than someone who is older, which is why seniors are in a lower risk category than young people, a senior's immune system is weaker and less capable of switching into that deadly over-compensation zone.  This is different than the regular flu that people get vacccinated for annually.

Depending on your underlying health conditions, being on treatment doesn't seem to put you in a greater risk category.  However, this isn't the only reason to get a vaccine.  We get them so that we prevent ourselves from getting sick in the first place and passing it on to someone who might not be in as good a shape biologically to protect themselves from the ill effects.

So from the perspective of if someone on treatment is at a greater risk if they don't get vaccinated, it would seem we're not.

There are other reasons to get vaccinated however and that is the risk of getting the flu period and the risk of passing it on to someone else who might be impacted to a much greater degree than we would ourselves.

I'm not quite comfortable with the vaccine, not knowing as much about it as I'd like just yet and I continue to read.  I'm not in a high risk group so I have time - the vaccine is currently going only to high risk categories - or should be.  Some people are queue jumping here and the screening is inadequate to prevent it.

[Rockerforlife]

More people die from hepatitis every year,why dont they saturate this news  with this all over the media?More people know about the flu than a disease thats is far more of a killer,and dont forget we get more new cases every day because most people dont even know what hep is or even herad about it....the all flu vaccines are a scam ...some is outta whack>

[Trish77]

This flu is transmitted MUCH easier than Hep C. There are at least two locations in Canada where the schools have been shut down due to the number of persons who have been hit with the H1N1 flu.  They are trying to stop the spread of it.  If you don't catch it, you can't get sick from it OR die from it.  There is a vaccine for the flu and none for Hep C.  Comparing Hep C to this flu is like comparing apples and kumquats.

If there was a vaccine for Hep C, then would you go get one now that you are likely to be SVR and can get re-infected, knowing how you feel about how dangerous Hep C is?

[Rockerforlife]

Now knowing how hep C is spread,mainly by IV drug use,i honestly say i would not get a vaccine if it were available and i would make sure 100%   that my dentist are" clean".Vaccines are not up my alley....just my opinions.

[Rockerforlife]

THIS IS from the reqular flu:

Every year in the United States, on average:

•5% to 20% of the population gets the flu;
•more than 200,000 people are hospitalized from flu-related complications; and
•about 36,000 people die from flu-related causes.


so why all the news media over the sime flu ?



http://www.cdc.gov/Flu/keyfacts.htm

[mikesimon]

I got my H1N1.
Mike

[Joey_M]

I waited 4 hours on Thursday to get my H1N1 vaccine at a clinic in San Francisco. While the media blows this and everything out of proportion, it seems smart to get one. The H1N1 vaccine is made the same way as the seasonal vaccine & a test of 22,000 Japanese healthcare worker showed only 7 had any side effects - all were mild. My doctor strongly encouraged me to get the vaccine ASAP.  

I am 3 months post-tx but also have several high risk factors. We'll be traveling overseas in 10 days and hate to be sick in Italy (not the best healthcare system I have seen).

BTW - I always watch to make sure the needles come out of sealed packaging.

[Trish77]

The big deal with this flu, from what I understand, is that it spreads very quickly and at an alarming rate across the world so far, there was no vaccine for it and there were a number of deaths from it in Mexico where it first surfaced and it took awhile to figure out what was causing so many deaths in Mexico.  Since there was no vaccine, it was necessary to inform people on what preventative precautions to take so that the spread of this flu could be contained.  We're now in the second wave of the virus.  It's possible it will mutate and get stronger - that pattern has been seen before in other flu epidemics - they don't know what this flu will do so preventative measures are the steps being taken - vaccinations and education to on what measures can be taken to contain the spread of this flu.

[Trish77]

Sorry - me again.  I just read this Q&A in one of our online newspapers.  A bit of the information is Canadian-specific, however most of it is not.  The writer of this Q&A - Andre Picard - has produced some of the best articles on H1N1 and is very knowledgable.  The Q&A is extensive.  Thought it might be helpful - I think it corrects some of my own thinking on this as well.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health/h1n1-swine-flu/updated-reader-questions-on-h1n1-answered/article1329448/

[Rockerforlife]

FREE?

Q: How much is the “largest immunization campaign in Canadian history” costing us, the taxpayers?

A: The vaccine costs about $8 a dose, so $400-million for the product plus the costs of administration, which are more difficult to calculate. The federal government is picking up 60 per cent of the tab and the provinces are on the hook for the other 40 per cent.

[SnoWav]

you should google and look at utube video from the big swine flu scare in 1976

[Trish77]

One would have to be incredibly dense to think that because we aren't paying directly out of our pockets for the vaccine that it isn't going to cost taxpayers in general - just the same as our healthcare costs in general are coming from taxes even though we don't pay one red cent directly for those biopsies, PCR's and doctor visits while we're getting treated for our Hep C here in Canada, Rocker.  

[Rockerforlife]

Why is everyone saying its free then?....most people think its free,so i guess this means most people are pretty dense by your observation?

[Trish77]

You say some pretty outrageous stuff sometimes.  Like ... come on.  Surely you know that people understand that taxes pay for this stuff but you don't seem to think they understand that.  Nobody thinks the drug company donated it to the Canadian government or anything.  You're looking for something, anything to criticize and your mind is closed.  Sorry if I offended you but .. that statement WAS dense.

[Isobella]

Trish:    I saw one of those news shows, NightLine or 20/20 that said that there was a    similar strain of flu back around the time of WW1/WW2 and that is why it is not hitting that generation as hard as the seasonal flu usually does.  They were all exposed to that strain.

Rocker:    I gotta say...I do think that there are LOTS of people out there that think "free" health care is actually free.  I'm just thankful they are outnumbered by those of us that know we all pay for it with our taxes.

[Trish77]

The question quoted by Rocker itself asks "how much is this costing US, the TAXPAYERS".  The question itself indicates the awareness.  In my country, we're well aware this comes out of our taxes.  It's always among the top issues every election and an ongoing discussion. "most people" know it's NOT free rather than the reverse. I'll leave it at that.  My responses were a little too testy to begin with.

[Rockerforlife]

Everyone i know thinks its free,i even as k people i meet on the street the same ?....even the Govt says its free in the newspapers....another lie to Joe Plumber

YOU SAID:
My responses were a little too testy to begin with.

No,ya think?

[Trish77]

And another worthwhile thread down the toilet.  

[sail10]

I have seen if you were born before 1950 , you are probally immune to swine flu ( H1N1 ) . And wouldnt you know i was born in 1950 .

Latest findings are H1N1 vaccine is safe so far in 1 million cases followed .

My Doctor says get all the flu shots and He is very consertive in advising his patients about taking any Drugs .        sail

[sail10]

One more comment . If someone you know is being treated in the hospital and not responding to standard treatment CBS News reported october 24 , 09 , that a new drug PERAMIVIR in early stages of testing  , can be used as a LAST Resort . And has shown to be effective against - H1N1 .         sail

[portann]

Although it's not always easy to weigh benefits and risks, I took the H1N1 to protect others in known high risk groups. Neither of my doctors advocated it for me personally but neither did they speak against it.

Taking the shot was very uneventful, except for the party atmosphere. The hard-working staff were dressed up in costumes and this really did reduce people's anxiety. (The best 'prop' worn was a hugely tall pink-and-white striped hat a la Dr. Seuss.)

I had a bit of a sore arm like most people but really haven't given it another thought since.

I don't typically take the regular flu shot and don't plan to do it this year, either. I just never have, except for a couple of years after I was diagnosed with HCV. My doctor recommended it at the time but then left it to my discretion after that. I'll eat my hat if I do come down with the seasonal flu but so far, so good and it's been fourteen years since diagnosis. And probably forty years since I 'caught' HCV.

My younger son, who doesn't have HCV, always does take the flu shot because when he gets sick, he gets complications.

I'd recommend what Franke suggests, discuss it with your doc and make up your own mind based on your own situation.

Trish, that was a very good link and easy-to-follow article - I sent it to the kids, who usually never pay attention to this stuff :) Thanks.

[Trish77]

You're welcome, Portann.  He updates that Q&A on a regular basis, it's a dynamic document.  Thanks for getting this back on track.

[veetown]

Im trying to find out if the H1n1 is safe to take? I am not on treatment and grade 3 stage3. Are we not considered high risk? I agree that hepC should be advertised the same way the flu is .