Flu Shot or Not? - Lima,OH

We get the flu shot every year. It's no guarantee, but it's the best protection available. There are rare exceptions, but for almost everyone the only side effect is mild discomfort at the injection site for a day or two. IMO, there's really no downside to getting the flu shot, so what do you have to lose?

The flu shot is a guess at which flu strains they think might show up that year. Since it is a guess if the flu that shows up is not one of the couple in the shot then the shot will be completely worthless. IF it does happen to be one of the ones in the shot you could still get it, but hopefully it would be less sever. While my kids are fully vaccinated, we don't get the flu shot. It is a guess at best and I don't see the point in putting chemicals into them every single year based off a guess. I see the importance of it for the elderly or those with weak immune systems, but that is about it.

We all get the flu shot each year. We have never had the flu when we have had the shot. I work with young children and infants and would not risk giving them the flu. My husband can't afford to miss weeks of work due to illness, and I see no reason not to protect my kids. Here is some good information. http://www.fightflu.ca/index-eng.php

This is copied from my answer to another recent flu shot question.

I was anti-flu shot, too, until my son got H1N1 while in 1st grade. He was a super healthy kid, good hygiene for a little guy and no risk factors to speak of for our family (at the time) so none of us got the shot. We figured if we got the flu we would just deal with it. When he got sick, it was really no big deal. He just had a fever that dragged on and was a bit lethargic. I kept him home for a buffer day as he was getting better and the next day he was so sick he could hardly wake up or move on his own. I rushed him to the doctor. He x-rayed his lungs and found pneumonia. He could hardly stand up for the x-ray because he was so weak. He could not hold down any medicine, his fevers kept spiking, I had to use tylenol suppositories, he was so thin I just cried. I understand now, how people can die from this.

I vowed to myself that I would get him a shot every year from then on. I wouldn't be able to live with myself for not doing all I could.

His dr. had always said that it was not the flu itself that was dangerous but the secondary infections that come along with it. NOW I understand.

For the past few years M., Dad and little guy all get the shot because dad is at high risk after a brain hemorrhage/stroke.

16 moms found this helpful

I get it. I have Asthma. I also work at a school. Many kids are getting sick, now.
My Husband gets it.
My kids get the nasal spray.
None of us has had problems with it nor side effects. Nor have we gotten the Flu.
My M. gets it as well, because of her age and she has Asthma too.
We all got our Flu vaccinations in October.

It is NOT an INSTANT guarantee you will not get it, but it may/will reduce the seriousness of it if you get it. BUT once you get vaccinated, it takes about 2 weeks for the body build up resistance/antibodies to the Flu.

Meanwhile, if a person is sick and does not know it yet, they may get sick. Even if that is from a cold. Because cold viruses, can incubate in a body for several days, before, one even shows symptoms.

Here is a link about the Flu :
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/keyfacts.htm

Yes people can die from the Flu. Of all ages.
Even normal 'healthy' people.
And likewise, people/kids/babies can die from Pertussis.

The Flu shot does not cause... you to get the Flu.

I think most people don't really see the importance of getting a flu shot until they actually catch the real deal flu.

I am talking Type A, B or H1N1 (or other strain). I am not talking about a cold, a virus that has cold-like symptoms or a 24/48 hours stomach bug. I am talking the FLU.

My husband and I had it Type A...we spent 7 days in bed wanting to die, the body aches were excruciating, constant fevers of 102 to 103 coming down to 101 with ibuprofen (If we has the strength to open the bottle and take one...if it involved getting out of bed to find a glass of water forget it...we would crawl to the bathroom only when we couldn't hold out any longer). Did you see I said crawl? We couldn't even walk! My brother and SIL had to come from out of town to take our kids because they weren't sick, they had their flu shots. It took us ten days to even be able to some what function.

I have never been that sick in my life. Could one of us have died? Yes, because we were too sick to even get to the hospital. I took my husband to the doctor the first day he was sick, and that is how we got diagnosed...then I came down with it as I was driving him home from the doctor.

We have never missed getting the flu shot ever again. I never ever want to be that sick again or God forbid my kids be that sick. I watched my daughter struggle with RSV in the hospital for four days and that was hell. IF I had to watch my child be in the hospital with the flu and I could have prevented it or made it shorter lived and I didn't...I don't know how I would live with myself.

We get the shot as soon as it comes out in late September early October. It takes two weeks before it is effective...so this late in the season you can get the shot and catch the flu while the anti-bodies are still building in your system.

I don't understand the "it has never happened to me or my family; therefore. it won't happen this year or if it does it won't be that bad" (it is BAD!!) Or I take all my vitamins and eat healthy so we won't catch it our immune systems are really strong. I call BS, it will happen eventually and then you will see what it is like...and I pray you survive it!!

My two cents and my rant...thank you!!

You know what, if MORE people got flu shots, the frickin' virus wouldn't be everywhere you go, and people wouldn't be giving it to everyone. Instead, people think "Not me! I'm not going to catch it, and I don't want the shot." So they catch the flu and then pass it all over the place, including to people who got the shot. By then, so many people passing it all over the place mutates the virus JUST ENOUGH so that people who got the shot still get the flu. Thankfully, their case of the flu isn't as bad as the people who got no flu shot. But they're still sick and miserable.

Of ALL the people who get the flu shot, approximately 15%-20% of people get the flu (last year's figure). And like I said, they're aren't AS SICK as people who don't get the shot. So that means between 80%-85% of people who GET the shot DON'T get the flu.

The first time your child gets the flu and it goes through your house, maybe you'll decide to rethink not getting the shot. If you don't have this happen, you're one lucky family.

We try to get them every year.

This year 11 people in our county have died all ages even a pregnant M...

I deal with the public to much not to get one..
My husband HATES needles, but even he gets one.

Yes, taking them for the shot should prevent them from getting the flu. And if they do still get it, it will be a much milder case.

H1N1 has made a resurgence this year. There have been many otherwise young and healthy people in the hospital on ventilators due to not being vaccinated.

What are you waiting for? Run to your nearest clinic and get the whole family vaccinated.

Yes, every year. If it helps protect my child and the spreading of disease, then why would I not get it. Nothing is 100% for sure, but if she (or I) get the flu to a lesser degree - all the better.

I also think a lot of people confuse the flu - influenza - with a cold and stomach virus. There is a HUGE difference.

We get our shots every year just as soon as it is available.
When I was in my 20's I got the flu - it was horrible.
I had the fever, the chills, the sweats, the muscle aches, and I was so very tired - and the exhaustion lasted for weeks after it was over.
I never want to go through anything like that again if I can help it and I certainly don't want for any of my family to suffer through it.

I have just changed my mind about flu shots. YES, I will get flu shot next year, it is too late for me now, because I am currently being treated for H1N1. Two weeks ago, I felt like I was getting bronchitis, which I have had many times during my life, so wasn't really worried. Two days later, I had a very mild achiness in my shoulders and a very bad headache, but was coughing more and more. Literally spent the day in bed.
ONE day only, I felt bad, no fever, no chills, just the headache and cough, then some nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite.
I did the home remedy route, lots of nutrition, got some Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold med.
At end of 2nd week, because cough was no better, I went to Dr. MD Internal Med, (last Friday), here is what he had to say. Diagnosis H1N1. The flu virus attacks, (he said, eats away) the lining of the air passages, causes erosions that make infection more likely, then it sets up an asthma response with spasms of the airway and takes a long time to heal. He gave me Tamiflu and another antibiotic for 5 days of treatment and 2 separate Inhalers to take twice a day. The morning I saw him, he had just attended a seminar by and Infectious Disease Specialist about the flu. He said he was treating me as if I still had active flu and that as long as I have the cough I should consider that I am contagious. Most recommendations for Tamiflu, is that it should be used within 2 days of flu symptoms, but he said it would still be beneficial.
Even though I never did really feel bad except the one day, the cough has been awful, to point of nearly choking and vomiting. Starting on the med certainly made me feel like I began improving.
I have worn a mask every time I have gone out in public since I started the cough and have been avoiding going anywhere except grocery store, yes, I wear the mask there.
The Dr. said the flu virus would be contagious for 2 weeks for sure.

Yes people are dying with this and the most susceptible by statistics are the younger healthy adults, especially pregnant women. People in their upper teens, 20's, 30's and 40's. This week, 2 people I know of died, both were mothers in 30's and 40's.

This is the first time I have ever had the flu like this, so has been a very scary experience and expensive lesson. Get the shot, it will reduce your chances if not prevent and could certainly decrease the effects.

Unfortunately, there can be many strains of influenza floating around each year. The specialists do a lot of research to see what the prevalent strains may be, and create the vaccine to hopefully prevent those. (This vaccine takes many months to create and manufacture in large enough supply...)

So.... even if you DO get your child/yourself the flu shot, there may still be strains of influenza that it might not protect......

It is a personal choice whether or not to get the flu shot..... when my kids were small, there wasn't that much emphasis on getting a yearly flu shot, at least not like there is now.

At this point, I don't have kids at home.... However, I do get the flu shot for myself every year..... I work in a school with special needs kids, and also cannot afford to be out for a week or more if I get ill.

Here is some fascinating information on how they create the seasonal flu shot each year....

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/professionals/vaccination/virusqa.htm

Hi! It is a controversial question isn't it? Every year it comes up and every year I do ask the same questions...how many people die from the flu (and how old were they)? How many die from the vaccine (and how old were they)? How many get the vaccine and are fine? How many don't get the vaccine and are fine. And it always comes down to common sense for me...

I would not go out and "break my arm" so that my arm knew how to heal in case I broke my arm.
So by default, I will not go out and "put the flu virus in me" just so that my body can "build up the antibodies" to fight it off.

If the flu comes, I know that my body will heal itself, it always has. That is what it is designed to do. I feed it right every day, and I feed my kids right every day, so I know we are safe. (I will PM you details about our "feeding us right" program)

B.

No, we do not get them. The flu is a scary proposition; but not as scary as the vaccine.

In any given year there are between 70-300 pediatric deaths associated with the flu. http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/#S3.
There are approximately 73 million children in the U.S. That makes the risk of a child dying from flu 0.0004%.( Of the percent of kids hospitalized for flu-like symptoms, more than 60% have been diagnosed with a serious underlying condition.)That is not even a viable number in my world. There's a 2%-5% chance of complications from the vaccine.

This one's a no-brainer folks. Protect your kids. Skip the flu shot.

My daughter is 23 and has never had a flu shot, and has no interest in ever getting one.
I stopped taking them 13 years ago and get sick less than I did when taking them. This year was the first time I have had the flu since I quit taking the shot (was flat on my back for a week and a half), and no, I won't resume taking it.

We haven 't and probably won't.. I think its a joke.. knock on wood.. We're in the middle of the worst areas effected.. I'm scared, but even getting it you can still get the flu.. and the studies done in Europe with kids & flu has me petrified.. so, yeah..

no.. both of my kids had flu in November.. they were totally fine.. then fevers of 103. both were eventually diagnosed with pneumonia. antibiotics.. one kid missed 3 days of school.. the other kid missed 8 days..

my hub and I did nto catch flu from them. hub go the shot. I did not.. I felt yucky for 1 day.. but then I seemed to fight it off and I was fine.

The flu shot is no guarantee.

nope.
some vaccinations are easily, easily worth the risk.
the flu shot ain't.
(for us.)
khairete
S.

We get all other vaccines, but not the flu shot. My theory is that typically speaking, now that our kids are a bit older, they aren't in the high risk groups. The flu shot is a "best guess" and does not prevent all strains of flu. In fact, in my son's class, his teacher said that the majority of those who got the shot, still got the flu. We already put so much in our kids' bodies, I feel like this is one thing I can pass on.

Now that being said, I have to admit I always second guess myself this time of year. Especially with so many perfectly healthy people dying from the flu.

And my son did come home early from school with classic flu symptoms (chills, fever, lethargy, achy,no appetite and mild nausea). I am fortunate that we have a relative who can prescribe meds and he got us a prescription of tamiflu in our hands in less that 4 hours after the symptoms started. He felt pretty rough Friday and Saturday, but yesterday he was basically back to normal.

I almost passed on the tamiflu (thinking, it would just run it's course), but my neighbor is an xray tech (she works in an ER and she still skips the flu shot) encouraged me to take it seriously. She said that she has watched too many kids on ventilators in the past few weeks. She said she wasn't going to fill my head with terrible images, but that this was one case where the news wasn't exaggerating. So I am grateful for that advice.

I think next year we may actually get the vaccine. First, IF they guess right, the shot is MUCH cheaper than tamiflu (With insurance and a coupon is still cost me $105). Secondly, my understanding is the flu shot minimizes flu effects.

The flu shot covers one or two most prevalent flu strains. This year's is h1n1. Our pet care person got it and said she wished she'd gotten her vax because it was a week of misery for her.

We get the 'flu shot every year. My son is around a lot of other kids who have younger siblings and babies in the home, and I volunteer at the school, so I feel like we are doing our part. It takes up to two weeks before it is fully effective in one's body. Each year we all get our seasonal flu shot/my son gets the flu mist; each year he's had a day or two of sniffles afterward, but we haven't gotten the 'flu. A couple of his classmates were hospitalized last year(one from the 'flu itself/high fever, the other from a case of pneumonia which was the result of his having had influenza). I'd rather learn from others than have to deal with it in my own home.

"There is no evidence that vaccines can prevent deaths or prevent person-to-person spread of infection.” - January 21, Tom Jefferson, a researcher with the independent Cochrane Collaboration, told Northwestern.edu

I find it interesting that most articles never state whether or not a person was vaccinated and only a few state they were not - bias much? You would think if they were pushing for a vaccine that worked 99% of the time that every headline would read "another person dies of flu who did not receive vaccination" and not just "someone dies of flu again" with no mention in the article about whether or not they were vaccinated. Just my opinion of course.

Arrrgh. My computer just ate my five carefully constructed paragraphs in favor of the flu vaccine. While I attempt to recreate them, read this for why I get the flu shot each year for myself and my family:

http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/protect-yourself/

no it will not prevent them from getting the flu. We have a crazy flu going around the school I work at. In my kids class there are 7 out of 31 kids that have the flu. One of them I am good friends with the M. and they did all get the flu shots back in Sept. In my class that I teach there are 13 kids total, 5 of them have the flu and were home sick last week. I do not do flu shots for me or my kids. It does not work and there are so many horrible chemicals and bad stuff in them.

I never have. My husband has for many years (working medical in the Navy) but hasn't the last two years...at least to my knowledge. I can always tell when he gets it because he never gets sick, and he does have side effects from the shot. Every time.

My two oldest kids got it when they were 2.5 and 9 months. What we dealt with as a side effect was horrible. The 2.5 year old had 2 seizures from the fever caused by the shot and the 9 month old ended up with pneumonia. NEVER again.

My kids do get sick sometimes. My 6 year old was just really sick a couple of weeks ago with strep, but they have never had the flu. I have not since I was much younger.

I fully understand and appreciate the arguments FOR the vaccination, and we vaccinate for everything else. But we do NOT do the flu shot, and I don't see anything changing my view on it.

I would never let my family get a flu shot. It is the only vaccine that your sign a waiver from all liability. If it is so great then why do hospitals have to try and force their employees to get it? The flu shot has no long term testing.

Yes, all 7 of us get the vaccine. I have seen very sick adults and children with the flu; and this year also with pertussis. The "research" saying that vaccinations cause bigger problems than the flu is bogus. Even if your kid doesn't die from the flu, it is an awful sickness to have. Not something I want for myself or my kids.

Some years we got a shot and others we have didn't. Last year everyone got one except my youngest. When we all caught something my youngest daughter got it the worst and was quite sick. The rest of us got a light version of whatever it was. This year we all got the shot. And everyone is vaccinated. It's important. Our dog is vaccinated too - rabies, etc. That's sort of funny, isn't it? You're legally required to vaccinate your dog against rabies but vaccinating your child is optional...weird.

We get the flu shot every year, the entire family. It can prevent the flu or lesson your symptoms. It's not often it doesn't work, unless it's a different strain than is generally going around. On rare occasion some people do get to feeling icky after getting the shot.

K. B
M. to 5 including triplets

I decide year by year. This year we have gotten it (well, I'll get it tomorrow) because I simply can't afford to get sick for two weeks with the flu (or stay home for two weeks with a sick a kid).
If you get the shot you can still get the flu. Unfortunately flu shots are not very effective and very specific, so you can get a different strain from what the shot is for or even catch the strain covered by the shot (last year's shots were only 30% effective!).
BUT, and this is why I choose to get it, if you do catch the flu and you have had the shot, you are much less likely to end up with complications and the illness is usually milder and shorter.

It should help them not get it so bad but no guarantees. There are too many strains out there for every vaccine to guard against them all.