Question about flu shot

[taraann81]

As a nurse and so a person required to get a flu shot I say that I would get the flu shot anyways, even if I was not required too. Secondly I always give it to my kids. It is impossible to get the flu from a flu shot and the possible adverse affects are much rarer and tend to be not as serious as the complications of the flu.

Plus I think....HMMM if one of my kids had a horrible side effect from the flu could I ever forgive myself for trying to spare them a needle poke??

Nope flu shots for every member of this family!

 

[Imp]

Quote:
Shelley,
Thanks for the shout out.
I get the shot so people like you who can't take it, are protected too.
Great point taraann

Imp has only missed 3 days of work in 33 years.

 

[beak]

Quote:
For the past 2 years our kids were schooled at home utilizing a system developed by the Denver schools. At any rate they didn't learn as much as I would've liked but they were a lot less sick than usual. Whenever I go in to the school I see these kids with snot dripping out of their nose drinking water out of the fountains with their mouths over the nozzle. I can't drink from a fountain anymore. I agree with you on he shopping cart handles. Yuck. I shake a lot of hands and I always use the sanitizer afterwords. If we get an epidemic going I will wear those exam gloves and a mask. I have asthma and if I even get a cold it turns to bronchitis within a week. Then I have about 50% lung capacity and feel horrible for 3 to 4 months. I just wont take the chance. It's nice to hear viewpoints from real medical people about the flu shots.

 

[silkiechicken]

In short overview, about 6-8 months before the flu vaccine is distributed, they generally go to central Asia and figure out which strain is most common, they then make up the vaccine based on that prediction and often it "works" to prime you system to those strains. Flu's can be of many types and strains, and be anywhere to something that is just a few days and a head ache that you'd not consider a flu, to putting you in the hospital for a week, or even killing. It all depends on the strain you get, and your personal immune system. The same strain/variant for person A can make them sneeze twice, while it can put person B out for a month. If you are high risk, immuno compromised, young, or old, it's a pretty good idea and a good insurance to get one.

I figure the more I get in the dirt and sick while I am young, the less chance of me feeling terrible and having a hard time getting better when I am old. Exposure in moderation is a good thing to build up your natural system. Kind of like research animals kept in sterile environments...cover up and don't bring anything in, because the slightest exposure to a wild animal or even household pet can cause the animals to all get sick and die.

 

[Slinkytoys]

Gosh Beak, I hear ya! My hubby gets mad that I won't go see movies in a theater, with all the people coughing and snorting----I don't think so. I, too, live in CO. When I catch a cold I am down for the count, usually with pneumonia shortly thereafter. Unless it happens to you, others think I'm a hypochondriac

I had the swine flu vaccine when it was given en mass during the late 70's and developed a case of it. Sicker than a dog for 3 days, couldn't even get out of bed; enlarged lymph nodes, fever UGH No way in heck that I will get another one.
Carrie

 

[briteday]

Another good reason to prevent getting AVIAN influenza (H5N1) is the study that recently came out showing a possible link between avian influenza infections and neurological disorders later in life such as Parkinson's, etc.

This has nothing to do with the SWINE flu (H1N1)...but then we haven't studied swine flu as much as the more common avian flu.

In any case, I don't ever want to get the flu ever again. It was a horrible experience that took away almost two months of doing anything that required getting out of a bed or a chair. So I religiously get the flu shot (and yes, I realize it's a crap shoot based on whatever happens to infect the down under hemisphere during our summer, their winter) but something is better than nothing. And I will continue with the hand samitizer because it works for us.