The Flu Shot - did you get it?

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I got the flu shot last week. I as assured that there was no thermisol (a preservative) in it, as I get a reaction from anything containing mercury - including shrimp.

My arm was warm to the touch and somewhat hard around the area and I had a headache for two days.

Did you get the Flu shot? How about the shingles shot? It will cost me $250 and is supposed to last a lifetime.

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@PUNKEY,

I have the same reactions to flu shot preservatives. Usually immediately after, I get light headed and a rapid heart beat that goes away after 10 minutes or so and leaves me with body soreness for a few days. This year I didn't have that reaction but had the same injection site soreness and swelling, so much so that I mentioned it at a doctor appt a week later and when the nurse felt my arm she said, "boy, they really got you."

I never thought about it being yet another reaction, thought it was just poor injection skill. Good to know about one more symptom to add to the list.

By any chance, are you, like me, also allergic to the polio vaccine or to laytex?

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@PUNKEY,

I got one in October, but not shingles or pneumonia. I think I am due for pneumonia, but they didn't understand that I also wanted that, and I wasn't up for waiting for them to get around to it. This was at the Safeway pharmacy, and it looks like they wait till they get a nice, little herd and shoot everybody at once.

The shingles shot sounds expensive, and I don't believe it is always effective. I can promise you, if you ever get shingles you will think it would have been a very wise decision.

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@PUNKEY,

In England we get flu shots free if we are diabetic, of pensionable age, and so on. Also get vaccinated free against pneumonia.

I had the flu jab in early November - it always affects me in the same way that it did you, my arm feels warm to the touch (round the site of the vaccination) and I always feel as if I am coming down with flu for a day or two afterward.

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@vonny,

Same here, vonny, if you are old enough for medicare.

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I organized the flu shot at work and the turn out was pathetic, 1 in 4. So many people "don't believe in it"... Holy ****
You can get it free at pharmacies and so on, but I have to pay for a minimum of 20. We didn't hit that target.
We've become complacent, placing more faith in the Jenny McCarthy's than science.
Regardless, my arm hurt a bit. Other than that, I was fine.

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@PUNKEY,

PUNKEY wrote:

Did you get the Flu shot?

Yes.

They have a lot of interesting choices this year -- more than a dozen different flu shot options, including shots that block four strains of flu instead of three, and shots with dosages that are designed to better activate the immune systems of people over age 65.

I got one of the 4-way shots.

PUNKEY wrote:

assured that there was no thermisol (a preservative) in it, as I get a reaction from anything containing mercury

One of the options this year is a shot created with genetic engineering as opposed to growing cultures in an egg. It avoids many of the problems that some people have with normal flu shots.

I am unsure what their status is on mercury though. (But since they are trying to serve people who can't handle normal flu shots, I would guess they probably avoided mercury.)

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@PUNKEY,

PUNKEY wrote:

My arm was warm to the touch and somewhat hard around the area and I had a headache for two days.

I've heard of that side effect but never felt it myself. So far, the worst side effect I received from a flu shot is soreness. Happens a day or two after getting the shot.

Quote:

Did you get the Flu shot?

Yes. A couple of weeks ago.

Quote:

How about the shingles shot?

Nope. Not old enough to have it recommended.

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@PUNKEY,

PUNKEY wrote:

Did you get the Flu shot? How about the shingles shot? It will cost me $250 and is supposed to last a lifetime.

I haven't gotten the flu shot yet because I've had a really bad cold. The shingles shot? I was told I wasn't old enough to get it yet.

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I'd never heard about vaccination for shingles before I read this thread, but I Googled it and it is being given to certain people who are in their 70's for the first time this year. They must have turned 70 or 79 in September, 2013 - people of 71 to 78 must wait until they are 79.

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@PUNKEY,

I did get the flu shot - I will if it is easy and convenient to get it. I usually do not go out of my way to get it. I've never gotten the flu - colds yes - but flu no. I was at my dr's office for my annual physical and since I was there and it costs me nothing out of pocket, I say what the heck.

I did tell my dr. though I was very upset that I got a notice this year that I should get a flu shot due to my age. I turned 50 this year and the letter said it is recommended for us old bags (well it was much more nicely worded but the same jist in my opinion).

Shingles was never mentioned to me. And I had (and never have had) any sort of reaction to the shot.

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I had enough vaccines decades ago in the military. My immune response now is different than then, so no vaccines. I am not comfortable with the new "senior" flu shot that is supposed to elicit a greater immune response with seniors.

One doesn't die from the flu, but from complications, such as pneumonia. So, I take my zinc supplement, and red Chinese ginseng plus vitamin D. A few other supplements also. I'm giving the flu virus a sporting chance.

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@PUNKEY,

I did and had zero reaction, not even a sore arm.

One year I didn't get the shot and didn't get the flu. One year I did get the shot and still got the bug. The vaccine can't protect against all strains and so it's a bit of a crap shoot. I suspect, as well, that it has a lot to do with a person's expectations.

Anytime I feel like I may be getting a cold ( scratchy throat, sneezing etc) I take Airborne and Coldeze. They seem to almost always work. If it' s a placebo effect that's fine with me.

I think the flu shot may be the same, to some extent.

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My doctor's waiting until I turn 60 to give me the shingles vaccine. I will take it.

If I get shingles in the next 3 months, I'm going to kill him.

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@PUNKEY,

Quote:

Did you get the Flu shot? How about the shingles shot? It will cost me $250 and is supposed to last a lifetime.

I got my flu shot in October. I always get a flu shot.

I think once or twice over the years my arm felt a little sore afterward, but that hasn't happened in a long time. I usually feel just fine afterward. And I'd rather have a sore arm than get the flu.

I didn't get a Shingles shot because I've already had Shingles--I had it when I was 51, and I'm very unlikely to get a recurrence.

A member of my family had Shingles after getting the shot, so it's not 100% effective. But, trust me, Shingles is very unpleasant, and it can last for months, so trying to prevent it may be worth $250, but check out the government stats on how effective the Shingles vaccine has been over the past few years, since it hasn't been on the market all that long, and then make a decision.

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http://s3-ec.buzzfed.com/static/2013-12/enhanced/webdr07/18/16/enhanced-buzz-25950-1387401068-28.jpg

http://www.buzzfeed.com/awesomer/people-who-absolutely-nailed-it-in-2013

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One thing I will never do is get the flu shot. I'll take my chances!
My father gets it annually at our job and a few years ago he got the shot and it made him so sick he said he felt like he was dying!

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Quote:

So far this flu season, pH1N1 is the predominant virus
Dec. 29, 2013

ATLANTA, Dec. 29 (UPI) -- It's not possible to predict which viruses will predominate for the entire 2013-14 flu season, but so far pH1N1 is the most prevalent, U.S. officials say.
In a notice to clinicians, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta said for the 2013-14 season, if pH1N1 virus continues to circulate widely, the illness might disproportionately affect young and middle-age adults.

The risk of severe disease and complications from influenza is usually higher among children younger than age 5, adults age 65 and older, pregnant women, and those with underlying medical conditions such as diabetes or cancer. In most influenza seasons, the majority of influenza-associated hospitalizations and deaths are among adults age 65 and older.

However, during the 2009 pandemic, pH1N1 sickened more children and young adults than older adults. The pandemic also was notable for reports of severe illness among pregnant women infected with pH1N1 and adverse neonatal outcomes.

Although influenza activity nationally is currently at low levels, some areas of the U.S. South and Southeast are already experiencing high activity.

From November through December, the CDC has received a number of reports of severe respiratory illness among young and middle-age adults, many of whom were infected with influenza A (H1N1) and pdm09 (pH1N1) virus. Multiple pH1N1-associated hospitalizations, including many requiring intensive care unit admission, and some fatalities have been reported.

Early observations from the 2013-14 influenza season indicate some people infected with pH1N1 virus have had severe illness. Most with severe illness had risk factors for influenza-associated complications, including pregnancy and obesity, but several did not, the CDC said.

The spectrum of illness observed thus far this season ranges from mild to severe and is consistent with that of other years, the CDC said. The CDC said it has not detected any significant changes in pH1N1 viruses that would suggest increased virulence or transmissibility, but the agency is continuing to monitor for antigenic and genetic changes in circulating viruses.

The CDC said clinicians should encourage all patients 6 months and older who have not yet received an influenza vaccine this season to be vaccinated. There are several flu vaccine options for the 2013-14 flu season and all available vaccine formulations contain a pH1N1 component. The CDC does not recommend one flu vaccine formulation over another.

http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2013/12/29/So-far-this-flu-season-pH1N1-is-the-predominant-virus/UPI-10331388367765/#ixzz2pD5AoeqM

1 Reply

@firefly,

I got my flu shot way back in early September.

Bad News About This Year’s Flu Shot
http://www.weather.com/health/cold-flu/news/bad-news-flu-shot

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@PUNKEY,

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The Flu Shot - did you get it?

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