The Flu. Did you get a shot?
 

Sunday the week before last had a slight cough, raspy chest. We have oaks and pines all around our house so I thought it was pollen. Woke up Monday feeling like somebody had been beating me with a baseball bat all night, every bone and muscle in my body ached. 101 fever. Dr said flu, did you get a shot? Nope. Wife came down with it two days later. Anyway, it's been 10 days and I'm feeling better, still have headache.
So, do any of you get vaccinated yearly? I'm thinking of getting one next year for the first time. This week-plus of feeling like crap is steering me towards a shot.

I never get the flu shot.

Not so much an anti vaccer, just see too many people every year get the shot and still get sick.

Case in point, my daughter got the shot, still got the flu this year.

I believe this years was only 20% effective.

This year was particularly bad for the flu. One of the worst in a decade. Flu vaccine did not provide adequate coverage and as a result every hospital in the country has been getting slammed with flu cases since November. Its always better to get the shot than to not. There will always be those folks that say they get sick right after getting the vaccination and thats certainly possible. But that does not mean they got the flu from the shot. Ask how many of those people who 'get sick after getting the flu shot' actually went to their doctor and were tested for the flu to see if that illness had anything to do with the vaccination they received. The answer will be close to 0%, but why should we bother ourselves with facts. Facts just mess up a perfectly good rumor.

Been getting the flu shot every year since turned 65. But haven't had the flu in probably 20 years, really can't recall the last time I had the flu. Not sure if there is any correlation per the above between getting the flu shot or not?

Doesn't hurt to get it and may help.
Also got the pneumonia shot when turned 65.
Will probably get the new shingles shot now. Shingles sucks big time, Been there and done that.

YMMV as usual.

I used to be a non-believer. Always healthy. I have gotten it the last few years. Still healthy.

Bottom line for me? Flu is supposed to be really horrible. I don't want it.

It seems is a simple thing that could have large benefits.

I've never had the shot. I haven't had the flu in decades. I'm not generally anti-vaccine.

My Son is Marine Reserves. He gets the shot every year and hates it - symptoms for a week or two every time.

Given the way they choose strains and the way the strains mutate during the production process the vaccines just don't seem like a great choice to me.

My understanding is that Tamiflu is highly effective and that you can't get it if you have had the vaccine.

Never gotten the shot, haven't even had the flu or even a cold in over a decade.

My family all get shots every year, without fail. Every year, without fail they get sick. With the flu and multiple colds.

Coincidentally they all use antibacterial soap on everything and I use regular soap (septic system). They all stay inside and are neat freaks and I'm messy and playing in dirt everyday. There's something to be said about building up an immune system.

Tamiflu is what the Dr gave us. 2 pills daily for 5 days. It's been 11 days and although I feel much better, there is still some lingering aches and headaches. My mother gets one every year and at 96 has no side effects. My wife got the flu shot a few years ago and also felt like she had some flu like symptoms for a few days afterwords, but as plexiform stated above, are we sure it was caused by the vaccine? It's just that after over a week of feeling like crap, I think it may be worth the risk next year.

Tamiflu interferes with the way the virus spreads in the body. It is only effective if it is started within 48hrs of being infected by the influenza A or B viruses. If you have had the nasal spray influenza vaccine in the prior two weeks, Tamiflu can interfere with the effectiveness of that particular vaccine. Does not apply to the injection type influenza vaccine. And does not mean you can't use Tamiflu, just means the nasal spray vaccine you just received within the prior two week period will not be as effective.

Never had the shot or the flu. I'm not against vaccines, in fact I had gotten the shingles shot when I turned 60. I just have a bad feeling about the flu shot.

My wife got the shot.. I didn't, since I seldom get sick.. Even when I do it only lasts a day... Not this year.. I was in bed for over a week and felt like crap for 3 weeks with the first strain.. then caught strain B but went to doctor and got some meds to help shorten its effect.. Then it turned to pneumonia.... Wife took care of me, was intimate with me, and drank from some of the same water glasses as me, and never got the flu. I will be getting the shot next year!

Yes I get the flue vaccination as does my wife. I also get the pneumonia shot and the shingles vaccination. I am old enough to have had small pox vaccinations twice. The last time was in 1970 when we lived in Hawaii and to come back to the mainland we had to get smallpox vaccinations. That was stupid my it was the military rules.

Vaccinations work. Proof is how many people do you know with polio or small pox. My dad talked about being stuck at home for a year when Polio was rampant.

The flu shot was and is no big deal. With flu deaths at 4,000 per week I am amazed the media does not have it as headlines.

You just seem to make the people around you stronger Bill!

You have the same effect on me Tom...Plus being around you makes people in a better mood! SmileWavy

In my early 50's, last time I had the Flu was at least ten years ago. Never had the shot.

I think I've been vaccinated once or twice. This year was one of them. It was free in my building at work, so I went for it since this year was supposed to be bad, and my wife watches our grandson.

Haven't gotten a shot (or the flu) in a long, long time.

Ka-nock on wood.

yes. no flu yet.

wife: yes.
she just got the flu yesterday. fever and everything.

i'm gonna test my immunity for sure..

Got the flu in Sunday just now getting over it. I'm 29, so a bit of an advantage when it comes to recovery. But no flu shot. It was terrible, fever, throbbing headaches, slight body aches, now a little dry cough, had congestion, but knock on wood it's gone today

A lot of water and Theraflu and bed rest

Is it crazy to think the government injects us to get sick to drive up big pharma revenues?

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I just checked the CDC site. They figure about 40% of the population got the flu shot.

They tally about 1 million confirmed cases of the flu, all strains. Interestingly, only 20% of the samples tested for flu came back positive - so a lot of people who think they have the flu, don't.

There are 325 million people in the US. Even figuring that only 1 out of 3 go to the doctor when they get the flu, your chance of getting the flu is only 1%.

The other 80% of nasty bugs aren't even the flu.

Again, the flu vaccine has a history of being ineffective. I can see the point for "high risk" populations. I'm a healthy adult with minimal exposure to large groups of people - I don't see much potential for benefit to me.

I always get the flu shot. My wife never. No guarantee that I won't get flu but at least I have made an effort to prevent getting it...

Ask you doc what he/she thinks about the flu shot. Don't forget some people are allergic to the vaccination.

I think if you get the vaccine on a regular basis, you are better protected. This year's might not cover the strain, but last year, or 5 years ago might provide some protection.

For this reason, I pay the $20 and get it, every year.

Never have gotten the shot, and never have had the flu. Hoping that the trend continues!

Haven't had the shot in years. I wash my hands frequently during the day with hand soap and clorox...if that matters.
Something about having little trust in gov't, I guess.
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"I hear you got a new job. Standing out in front of a Dr.s office making people sick."
- - Bo Diddley
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wife got the flu then a second flu just came home sick
kid got the first flu bug only
I have not got ether nor a shot so far

I don't normally get them, but had a flu shot at the beginning of 2017. No flu. I meant to get one at the beginning of this year (2018), but never got around to it and just figured it might be too late. Still no flu...knocking on wood. I am, however, not normally sick (still knocking wood)...

I get a shot every year. It increases my chances of dodging the flu and spending 2 weeks in misery. I also force the family to take them. I am not a vaccine conspiracy theorist. I believe in science and the great advances it has given us. I have two friends who are handicapped as a result of polio. Go ask them if they would have taken vaccine if it was available to them at the time.

If you are over 65, you are increasing your life expectancy significantly by taking the flu shot. A lot of people die of flu / pneumonia every year. I had the flu this year, because the shot was not covering well. What a mess. It took me 6 weeks to be right again. I can't imagine getting it when weak / old, I can totally see how it will kill you in a week or less.

G

Do you believe this mercury story?

I also didn't know the government is handing out shots? I don't recall getting my shots at the DMV or City Hall?

I guess they will get you with chem trails anyway!

G

It was implied that there is harm from mercury in flu shots and that this was done on purpose by "the government" for some reason. It is important to keep track of the amounts we are talking about. First of all, not all vaccines have mercury and if they do it is less than you get in a can of tuna ...

G

No, at 42
I've never gotten the shot and have never had the flu.

That's what I'm thinking. No shot, sick for 2 weeks. Shot, sick for a few days. Big difference. I know how I felt and how I still feel 11 days later. I'll do the shot next year, will be the first time for me. BTW I'm 64, takes me a lot longer to recover than it used to.

No one is forcing Flu Shot vaccinations. Young healthy athletes have died within 48 hours from the flu. Go ahead and take a chance, it's your life, risk it however you want. The shot is not even close to a 100% effective. It is still better odds to have it than to not have it.

And to not get a shot because the mercury is a stupid reason, non reason The mercury in environment from florescent light bulbs is far higher. Eating fish has more mercury.

It's free from work or insurance, so why not?

I get it every year and haven't been sick in years.

Nope.

Grandmother lived until her late 90s and never took a pill until the very end. All her friends who had joined the “pill brigade” at the advice of their doctors had long since died. I’m hoping I got some of her resistance....

Yes. I was in a car accident last month. While they were filling me with pain kills, antibiotic and alike, they asked if I had gotten my flu shot. I said no and they added it to the cocktail. I'm glad I did. Nothing is worse than coughing with broken ribs.

Never had a flu shots and never will in the future. I haven't had a flu for +30yrs until this year. A few months ago I got hit by a flu. It lasted a week and had temps over 101 for 3 days at one time hitting 103. Having aching pains and dry coughs were no fun. I was too late to receive Tamiflu.

In case no one is aware...CDC treats deaths from flu related illness as a from a flu even though there were cases when someone dies from taking flu shots! In other words CDC does not count deaths (although rare) directly from taking flu shots but from contacting flu. So its data may be skewed to make flu shots appear safe and effective.

No, have not had the flu in decades.

No shots for me - ever.

Is one more susceptible if they live in a colder climate?

I think it has something to do with humidity. If the winter, the air inside a house/institution is dry. The virus just floats. When it is humid, it hits a water molecule and falls to the ground. Also could have to do with more people indoors = more flu stuff in the air.

Lots of theories. Seems legit.

Even though the flue shot doesn't prevent the flu 100% of the time, its well documented (CDC) that the severity is reduced when you have the shot. So instead of feeling like death for ten days, it's feeling bad for 5. I've gotten the flu once before so anything that offers any protection is worth it to me.