22 replies to this topic

[mary56]

Since this flu season is so severe, as seen everywhere right now. I was curious if people know anyone who has been ill or hospitalized and if your children have been sick?

I have read many articles where the people that got the flu shot have been complaining as they got the flu this year and some people have died in other parts of the country after being vaccinated.

California is the last state to get the uptick. It started in south and midwest and went east, now coming here.

Just curious and any input would be appreciated, if you would like to share!

[mary56]

All you see on the news is how many people are being inundated by the flu strain this year, H3N2 which is causing widespread problems despite many who have got the vaccine.

We are now just getting influenza here in California and so for you that have got the flu shot have you got sick or have any of you noticed more sickness than usual.

I hear it is really hitting kids very hard.

I am just curious as last year it was so mild which was weird and this year so harsh, despite the vaccine.

Anyone that would like to share your ideas or if you just think it is a regular flu season or is it to early to tell.

Thank you in advance

[folsombound]

I haven't seen any reports of people who have had the vaccine getting the flu. I have been getting vaccinated for 15 years and haven't had the flu in that period. I know the vaccines aren't perfect but they sure have worked for me and I will continue getting them annually.

[Carl G]

The flu shot is not a 100% guarantee, rather it is based on a best guess on what flu strains will be prevalent. They don't always get it right. Also, even if a particular strain is covered in the vaccine I believe the heath professionals don't guarantee you wont get sick, but your symptoms should be less.

I've been getting my flu shot for 15-20 years and have never had a problem. My children have been getting them since they were old enough. No one in my house has gotten the flu. Having said that, the best defense is washing your hands often and in our case using hand sanitizer in the car.

[nomad]

Flu shots are a scam.

[Logan]

Flu shots are a scam.

No they aren't, they just aren't a 100% guarantee of immunization, but they are not a scam.

And last nights news was still reporting CA still hasn't shown the magnitude of other states yet, at least that is what I think I heard them say.

I've been getting flu shots for decades, and I rarely get the flu, but as I have a less than ideal operating respiratory system, I get the flu shot every year, even when they have limited quantities. I'm considered high risk for complications so I always can get one. And I think I may have had the flu only 2 or 3 times in the last 30+ years, despite being around people that did have the flu.

[chris v]

I'm not going to say they're a scam but I don't think everyone should get them. I always find this funny. My work offers free flu shots to any employee. Everyone in my department gets one, every year except for me. They all end up getting sick sometimes multiple times while I sit back and smirk.

[bordercolliefan]

Count me as another one who always gets a flu shot and has not had the flu in at least 15 years. I love the flu shot!

Unfortunately, this year I did not have an opportunity to get my kids vaccinated, so I'm a bit worried for them...

[ducky]

I won't get the flu shot. The one year I did I got sick right after the shot. Haven't been sick so far even though I was around several people, including all close family members, who were sick over Thanksgiving. I don't think it has anything to do with having the shot or not having the shot. It's probably just dumb luck. I do try and wash my hands often and make sure I'm getting enough vitamin C.

Problem with always being the only healthy one left is you get to do the pharmacy runs, soup warming, and picking up everybody else's slack.

[Logan]

I won't get the flu shot. The one year I did I got sick right after the shot. Haven't been sick so far even though I was around several people, including all close family members, who were sick over Thanksgiving. I don't think it has anything to do with having the shot or not having the shot. It's probably just dumb luck. I do try and wash my hands often and make sure I'm getting enough vitamin C.

Problem with always being the only healthy one left is you get to do the pharmacy runs, soup warming, and picking up everybody else's slack.

My wife won't get the shot either anymore, because she says it makes her sick for at least a week. Guess who is the sickest person in our house? She is.
She gets the flu, I continue to sleep next to her at night, I continue kissing her goodbye in the AM. She gets sick and I stay healthy. Maybe the shot helps me from getting sick, or maybe I just have a good immune system anyway. Kinda hard to prove either way, but as I don't want to risk getting the flu and being one of those who die from it each year, I get the shot. I also have had 2 pneumonia shots. They say you only need one, but after 15 years or so, my allergist recommended I get another one.

Measles and polio used to be very prevalent, but since innoculations were developed, both are now fairly rare in the USA. I think the evidence that innoculations work is pretty evident, but as I said before and as the doctors say, it's still not a 100% guarantee, but I believe in the better safe than sorry when it comes to my life and health.

I don't tell my wife she is wrong for not getting the shot, because I know I can't change her mind on it. I don't expect to change your mind either.

May you live a long and healthy life.

[MrsTuffPaws]

I've had the flu a few times, it sucks, but it also seems like a normal right of passage type thing. I can't imagine going my whole life, or even 10 years without ever getting sick. That's just wrong. It's almost like going your whole life without rejection.

[Carl G]

I think that people that tend to get the flu do so for many reasons. Some make have bad immune systems, some don't wash their hands enough, some have inconsiderite coworkers that come to work sick, some just have bad luck.

I fall into the camp that believes the flu shot doesn't make you sick, as a general rule. But like anything, I'm sure there are people who just have a bad reaction to the shot. The flu shot just isn't for them.

I cannot tell you if I haven't gotten the flu since I've been getting the shot because it works or because I've been lucky. Since the shot seems to have zero negitive effect on me I'll continue to get it every year.

[supermom]

Well, I get a cold every winter and one every spring. Doesnt matter if I try to or not. Usually when I get it, I dont know anyone who has it. So I figure I am prolly picking it up from passing dollar bills or something like that.

As for the flu, I had it once as a young child. It nearly killed me. I was a very sick little girl for a few weeks and then it make a right turn and I healed.

A few years later I got home from school, ( which I was planning on cutting the next day, to go see the World Series Playoffs in the Bay Area--Except they had an earthquake that day that broke the Bay bridge) -- I didn't make it to school. I collapsed and was rushed to a doctors office. I had walking pneumonia. I had no early warning I wasn't feeling well or that I was ill. It was incredibly powerful, the fear you feel, when your body betrays you and you can't walk- When you have an iron band around your rib cage that doesn't let you take in a breath large enough to satiate your need to feel alive. And then comes the fever, and croup. The weakness that leaves you entirely dependent upon someone else to clean you, feed you, wipe you. You are so weak you don't know you are using the bathroom on your bed, and you cant raise your hands to feed yourself. It is terrifying.

I advocate the flu shot or at least the pneumonia shot to all pre-teen and teens if you can afford it. Besides the medically at-risk and the elderly, the teens are likeliest to catch walking pneumonia.

But, that's just a survivors point of view.

[stangage70]

Here is a good article on the efficacy of flu shots.
http://well.blogs.ny...son-draws-near/

I believe good nutrition will do more than a flu shot on average, but your mileage will likely vary.