flu vaccine

tis the season once again and theres contraversy about everthing including flu vaccine.
When I worked in the hospital even the nurses(although they advocated it for patients) personally where divided sp Im wondering who believes in them and who doesnt,Gonna do a poll

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58%

 (18) 

I get the flu vaccine

6%

 (2) 

I believe in flu vaccine only for immune comprimised

22%

 (7) 

I do not recieve flu vaccine

12%

 (4) 

I believe flu vaccine is dangerous to our health

31 Members voted

[margypops]

I used to have the flu shot then one year I was really sick afterwards,so I put it down to the flu shot and have been procrastinating ever since , I thought I may try again this year, perhaps I will see whether our other friends here at MH are going to get it and be lead by that.  

[Agiesmom]

I haven't received it in years--the one time I did, I was the sickest I have ever been afterwards.  That said, I just heard Dr. Dean Edell say yesterday on the radio that he's heard that argument and it's not true--it's a fluke when you get sick after a flu shot and you can't get the same flu virus twice.  He went on to say that many people actually die every year from the flu.  Last year an 11 yo girl in our area died from it.  And my baby and I both had Influenza B last year (swabbed for the diagnosis).  So, I think I'll get the the kids and myself vaccinated against it this year.

[dominosarah]

I get it every year.  It lessens the severity of anything i get it seems.  Also they recommend it for the family who have people in the nursing homes and i have my mother there so i do it to help protect her also.

[Tuckamore]

The year that Influenza A reared it's ugly head I did not get the Flu vac. My friends did. I got influenza A. One of my friends also got it but it was not nearly as ill. I have never been so sick with a flu. A close family member (also did not have the flu vac) ended up on a ventilated for five days. I could not walk to the rest room without help for three days I was so very sick.  The physicians said the ppl that had the flu vac and got influenza had much milder cases of it. I have taken the flu vac every year since that time.  

[twehner5]

I get the vaccine every year. I drive a school bus of mostly 4k and 5k. I don't want the flu and I don't want to bring it home to my family if I can help it. Funny thing is that last year, I was the only one in my family to get a flu vaccine and I was the ONLY ONE TO GET THE FLU!!! Very unpleasant nasal swab for the diagnosis, I might add. I would NOT have bothered to get my flu diagnosed/treated except that my husband was having surgery in another state in less than 2 weeks from when I came down with the flu and I didn't want him to get sick. That Tamiflu is unbelievable.

I had also already heard last year that the vaccines that were given were the wrong ones. Even so, that won't stop me from getting my shot annually.

[swampcritter]

In an average year, 36,000 people die from the flu.

Its important if you are commonly near high risk individuals (or are one yourself) you get vaccinated.

They don't always get all the strains right, but they often get some of them right. Since the vaccination is typically for several different strains, you can't logically conclude that because you got sick, the flu shot did not help...it might have kept you from getting sick twice.

[Cherie762]

your right swampy, and I believe some still do get the flu after vaccine, its just less severe, they dont know how bad it would have been other wise, One year in the hospital we had to quaritine a whold wing because of a bad flu virus,it stopped it from spreading through the whole hospital, I was one of the lucky staff who got to work the quartintied wing we all got sick but the ones like me who got the vaccine where far less ill and bounced back quicker, I personally believe all should get vaccine if possible, the flus just so horrid.

[crabby70]

My little guy is in pre k and had to have one....but I get it for him any way...

[teko]

I am immune compromised therefore, I have to get the flu shot as well as the pneumonia vaccine. Getting the flu can kill me because I have lung issues.

[babyprayers]

ok I will be honest, last year is the first year I ever got one,, I worked in infection control and what I learned would knock your socks off, being a nurse and around generally sick people puts my whole family at risk, I get one now and advocate to everyone else to get one.. especially if you have babies

[Sunes]

..but for what kind of strain do we get this year's flu shot?

[Agiesmom]

twehner5, I had the flu first last year and as soon as my baby had a fever, I took her to the doctor and they swabbed her nose (poor baby) and gave me Tamiflu for her--amazing stuff!  But they say you have to catch it really early on to use it.

[swampcritter]

Each year there is a study made of which flu strains exist and are likely to be a problem. They then grow the flu strains on chicken eggs (albumen) and then use that as feedstock for the vaccine. This has to be done before flu season so there is enough growth to produce the millions of vaccine doses that are required.

[sk123]

I'm getting mine tomorrow. I've already been sick twice in the last month, and I'm tired of it.

[Cherie762]

if you have a slightest bit of a cold and get the flu vaccine it can make you ill, other than that I have not heard of anyone getting the flu from the vaccine, it is suposed to be a nasty strain this year so even if I still get it I know the vaccine reduces the severity and length of flu I believe in em, my hubby dont he gets sick every year and me and the kids seldom do and when we do it is mild.

Oh I did hear one more thing dont even know if its true, but I heard if your allergic to eggs you can not take the vaccine.

[Cherie762]

well I am interested in your opinion, 63% of mh at this pont are getting the vaccine has this or their comments swayed you ?

[jenmom]

I have never gotten the flu vacine for myself or my son. I think my husband has only had the shot a couple times if that. I got the flu for the first time in my entire life last year. That was 28 years of never getting the shot or the flu. I know for some the shot is needed. But my family is very healthy and hardly ever get sick with anything, so we don't get it and I don't think we need it.

[Savas]

Savas does not believe in getting sick; therefore he does not.

Thus...no flu shot!

When I do get sick it doesn't seem all that bad or distracting. It usually goes away after about a day, two tops.

I notice my wife will get the flu and can be at "death's door" for a week.  

Seriously, is that typical for people who get the flu?

[Cherie762]

It really depends on the person , their immune system and their age, young kids and the elderly have a harder time with the flu. those with a comrimised immune system it can be a death sentance.Also it depends on how folks care for selfs when sick fluids are vital even if vomiting you still need to drink.
As for your wife, maybe she just doesnt handle being ill well, my husband doesnt he needs back rubs, he will only drink orange HI-c when ill,LOL he needs lots of tlc more than my kids do,
There are presciption meds to help lessen severity of flu but you myst get to dr in early stage for them to be effective.

[jollyman069]

i get the flu shot because of my renal failure

[PlateletGal]

I don't believe the flu vaccine is necessarily bad for our health. However, I strongly believe (and with evidence) that MULTIPLE vaccinations are bad for our health and contribute to immune dysfunction and other immune system problems.

[peekawho]

True influenza can and occasionally does kill even healthy individuals.  Flu vaccine cannot give you the flu.  
What most people call the flu, is not the flu.  

(I had the flu years ago, back when I was perfectly healthy and young.  Back before they were using flu shots to the extent they are now...really, back then very few people got a flu shot at all.)

I was in ICU for 2 days, and hospitalized for a total of 6 days. Probably took another 2 or 3 weeks to recover after that at home.   And I was a healthy, young individual.  However, the resultant damage to my lungs left me with reactive airway disease that I still have to this day.

Can you imagine if a simple case of the flu can do that to someone, what it might do to a very young child, or to someone with a chronic disease?  

You can't "wish" away getting the flu.  You can do everything to avoid it and still get it.  And you can die from it, or become extremely ill and be left with major health problems.   Its not just a question of someone being dramatic or needing to drink orange juice or get backrubs.  As Swampy said, 36,000 people a year die from influenza.  

If you haven't had it, kudos.  I hope your luck keeps up!

[Savas]

Yowch. Well, I don't have to much choice in the matter. I'm on the Catholic/Presbyterian Health Insurance Plan here in NYC. Their coverage consists of praying a heck of a lot that you don't get sick. :-(

I hope y'all don't catch it anytime soon. Or myself.

How about this;

Savas says no one will get sick if they post in this thread.

There!

Problem solved. :->

[PlateletGal]

I can't tolerate vaccines. I did have a flu vaccine and I got very ill from it. If you check out webmd, it says, "the flu shot does not contain live viruses, so it cannot "give" you the flu. However, the vaccine can trigger an immune response from your body, so you may have a few mild symptoms, like achy muscles or a low fever."

Of course the flu vaccine can also give you Guillian Barre syndrome, but then again... so can the flu itself. Its a personal decision. If I tolerated vaccines, didn't wash my hands often and hung around crowded areas... then I would get the flu shot. Right now I'm boosting my immune system instead. Many of the CFS experts actually have concerns about flu shots in CFS patients.

Happy Turkey Day !

[Sunes]

I have never used flue shot before ...and never will.
I don't get   flu...ever......I wonder if the develop ovarian cancer vaccine instaed???!!

[Cherie762]

God I hope so, look how far we have come for example th hpv vaccine, If I had a dughter Id make sure she got that.

Theres a new blood test in 4th(or close) clinical trial that tells you 6 years in advance if you will develop althizmers people could get on meds right away  before symptoms start.

We now have a cure for   c- diff, years ago none existed, so I try to keep hope for all, Thank God above for the chemists and intelligent people who dream up these things.