To Flu Shot or not to flu shot

[No_Pressure]

My mother in law got a flu shot last week. She has been sick all week with the flu, throwing up like crazy and resting all day. I haven't had a flu shot in my entire life, and the last time I got the flu was in middle school. I have a job where I handle money all day. Hand sanitizer is my friend.

[Special K]

Glad you came to ES for medical advice, let me give you my expert opinion!

I think that since I work in public health, I am mandated to say go get one.

Since I realize I don't know all, I say maybe talk to your doctor if you have questions.

After asking pertinent questions to a nurse or physician or even pharmacist (the pharmacists, especially the younger ones these days coming out of school, know a heck of a lot more about prescriptions, diseases, and contraindications than the lay person realizes), and you don't have any contraindications to the flu vaccine, I recommend getting it. There really is only an extremely small risk of any negative outcome.

Here's a link to probably the best place for influenza and vaccine information.
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/

Good luck!!

[Dont Taze Me Bro]

My mother in law got a flu shot last week. She has been sick all week with the flu, throwing up like crazy and resting all day. I haven't had a flu shot in my entire life, and the last time I got the flu was in middle school. I have a job where I handle money all day. Hand sanitizer is my friend.

The flu doesnt make you throw up, thats a stomach illness. Flu is only cold like symptoms and muscle/body aches with a fever. Like a cold on steroids. There is no such thing as the stomach flu either. That usually means someone has the flu on top of a stomach bug.

[afkidd]

i have to get it every year being that i'm in the military. i've gotten both the shot and the nasal spray. i have never gotten sick from either of them, outside of a few sniffles, which would happen if you put anything in your nose. if you get sick from a weakened or dead virus, i can only imagine what the real thing would do to you. i make fun of all the babies at work who cry about it. the big thing with the nasal spray is to blow it out or spit it out after you leave the room. bunch of pansies. i laugh at them and say that they won't survive the real thing, and how humans are getting in the way of natural selection of weeding out the weak ones. it's all in good fun though. i wouldn't be surprised if the people getting sick are experiencing a placebo effect, where they think VIRUS IN MY BLOOD = ME DYING.

i've also only missed about 4 days of work in 9 years in the military due to being sick. i'm just a manimal.

[No_Pressure]

The flu doesnt make you throw up, thats a stomach illness. Flu is only cold like symptoms and muscle/body aches with a fever. Like a cold on steroids. There is no such thing as the stomach flu either. That usually means someone has the flu on top of a stomach bug.

She has the awful muscle aches and fever on top of puking her guts out, so you tell me what it seems to be.

[Dont Taze Me Bro]

She has the awful muscle aches and fever on top of puking her guts out, so you tell me what it seems to be.

You dont puke with the flu. Unless its something on top of the flu. Period. End of story. There is no such thing as the stomach flu. Look it up. The flu shot is a dead virus, you cannot get the flu from it. I dont know how many nurses/doctors have told me that over the years.

[Burgold]

Don't know if it is psychosomatic but after the shot I'm suddenly feeling tired and coughing a bit. I suspect it's in my head because I refuse to be sick tomorrow.

[Special K]

< ------ what I think of this argument

The "stomach flu," which it is commonly referred to as, even by some physicians (gasp), is known by it's official name - viral gastroenteritis.

FYI - A flu vaccination isn't necessarily a "dead" virus.

Just wanted to help you guys out

---------- Post added January-5th-2013 at 03:28 PM ----------

Don't know if it is psychosomatic but after the shot I'm suddenly feeling tired and coughing a bit. I suspect it's in my head because I refuse to be sick tomorrow.

That settles it. You're crazy!

Actually, there are a variety of minimal sides effects specific to certain vaccines that an individual can experience the first few days following the vaccination.

Here are some of the effects attributed to the influenza vaccine:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/...ffects.htm#flu

[Burgold]

[/COLOR]
That settle's it. You're crazy!

Actually, there are a variety of minimal sides effects specific to certain vaccines that an individual can experience the first few days following the vaccination.

Here are some of the effects attributed to the influenza vaccine:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/...ffects.htm#flu

Crazy is always possible. Actually, just ate dinner and feel a bit better. Made a nice bbq salmon for supper with green beans and sweet potato. Not quite sickie food, but as I said I refuse to be sick.

Frankly, the other reason I feel tired is my body decided to wake up at 4:30 this morning

[skinsmarydu]

My mom's a nurse, and Special K is spot on.
Most symptoms of what may seem to be a "stomach flu" may also be some light version of a food-borne illness. Bad versions I wouldn't wish on a Cowboys fan, honestly. Wash your hands often, always, not just in cold/flu season. And hand sanitizer should be everybody's friend nowadays, but you should still do the soap and water thing if you can.

[SpringfieldSkins]

I never get a flu shot.

I get sick almost every winter, typical sinus and chest colds. I figure that my body builds the immunity to it after it fights it off. This winter has been a bit worse though, I feel like I've had symptoms since November on and off.

[No_Pressure]

Unless its something on top of the flu. The flu shot is a dead virus, you cannot get the flu from it. I dont know how many nurses/doctors have told me that over the years.

It likely is this, something on top, but she has the flu. Went to the doctor yesterday. I'm not implying the shot gave her the virus, but merely pointing out its ineffectiveness in certain cases. The best guesses at what the big mutations will be that year are put into a shot, right? People who tell me every year that I should go get a flu shot act like it's a 100% barrier against catching the flu when it isn't. Which flu? I'm guessing my mother in law either caught something before the immunization set in, or caught a strand against which she was not immunized. At any rate, I've never had the shot and my rate of catching the flu is lower than at least 3 or 4 other people I know who get the shot every year. Then again I don't get sick often in general.

[Special K]

I'm not implying the shot gave her the virus, but merely pointing out its ineffectiveness in certain cases. The best guesses at what the big mutations will be that year are put into a shot, right? People who tell me every year that I should go get a flu shot act like it's a 100% barrier against catching the flu when it isn't. Which flu? I'm guessing my mother in law either caught something before the immunization set in, or caught a strand against which she was not immunized. At any rate, I've never had the shot and my rate of catching the flu is lower than at least 3 or 4 other people I know who get the shot every year. Then again I don't get sick often in general.

You're right, the influenza vaccination in no way offers 100% protection against influenza, and no health professional would (or should) claim otherwise.

Just an FYI on the flu vaccine: there are many different flu strains and the flu vaccine each year is typically a trivalent vaccine (trivalent meaning 3 different strains), comprised of the three strains thought most likely (by experts from the WHO, CDC and FDA) to cause the influenza outbreaks we experiene each flu season.

Hope your mother-in-law gets better from her "stomach flu" soon

[twa]

Never had one, perhaps when I get old

[wysknz1]

I used to get the flu shot, but quit getting it and haven't been sick with it yet. But now as I say that I probably jinxed myself.