Flu shot? Does it help?

[Tuckins1]

Hi all. My son and I got the flu last week (on Thanksgiving!) We both have been on Tamilflu- he is better, and I'm getting worse!! My we did not get shots this year, and I'm debating getting one when I'm all better. They say there are 4 strains of the flu this year, so we could potentially get it 3 more times! However, I have spoken with a few people who got the shot, and still got sick for over a month! The shot supposedly makes it so you have a much more mild case if you do get sick, but from what I've seen, it doesn't help much. Did you get a shot? Have you been sick? Would you go get one after being so terribly sick?

 

[Snowdrop13]

The jab usually has around 3 strains in it to protect you from whatever's likely to be around. I've taken it for the past few years (I work in healthcare so it's recommended) and have never had any ill effects. I had flu once, several years ago prior to being offered the vaccine and do not want to experience it again, it was SO awful!

 

[Snowdrop13]

PS hope you feel better soon!

 

[asscherisme]

I think it does help. My office use to offer it for free so before I had kids I would take it every year. Then when I left that job I continued to get it. The one year I did not get it 5 years I got an awful case of the flu the same time as all 4 of my kids! So I had to take care of them when I was sick myself. It was awful!

Since then, i drag all 4 of my kids and myself to the doctor each year for the flu shot. I havn't had the flu since, and only one of my kids got the flu 2 years ago but it was not as bad as previous flus. So yes, I absolutely thinks it helps.

The flu shot for my kids and self don't cost anything (they bill 100% to insurance) for me. When my son goes to college I will encourage him to get his flu shot at the school health clinic. My opinion its such a simple thing to do to avoid getting sick.

I hope you feel better. Being sick is the worst.

edited to say, as all kids do my kids hate shots, but they willingly go with me for the flu shots because they hate getting sick too!

 

[momhappy]

I know oodles of people who got the flu shot and I've not heard of a single incident of someone feeling "sick" as a result of the shot. My whole family got the flu shot (we do every year - started about 4 years ago when both my son and I got the flu and we were terribly ill for a full week). My family has never felt sick after receiving the vaccine.

 

[asscherisme]

I know oodles of people who got the flu shot and I've not heard of a single incident of someone feeling "sick" as a result of the shot. My whole family got the flu shot (we do every year - started about 4 years ago when both my son and I got the flu and we were terribly ill for a full week). My family has never felt sick after receiving the vaccine.

My kids and I have never felt sick after getting the vaccine either.

 

[asscherisme]

I know oodles of people who got the flu shot and I've not heard of a single incident of someone feeling "sick" as a result of the shot. My whole family got the flu shot (we do every year - started about 4 years ago when both my son and I got the flu and we were terribly ill for a full week). My family has never felt sick after receiving the vaccine.

My kids and I have never felt sick after getting the vaccine either.

 

[SB621]

I have never gotten the flu in my life, EXCEPT the one year I got a flu shot. I came down with it within a month. It was horrible and I have never felt that ill in my life. I swore I would never get a flu vac again in my life and haven't since. After speaking with a few doctors most of them say it is uncessary unless you are pregant or elderly. So if I'm going to roll the dice I would rather not putting weird chemicals and viruses into my system.

 

[VRBeauty]

I've been getting the flu shot for years, starting back when I was flying weekly for business. I wouldn't go without even now, since my parents are elderly and I don't want to risk not being able to help or be around them because I've been exposed to the flu. I never get sick as the result of the shot. I do still get the occasional stomach virus - no way of knowing whether it's actually the flu. But - usually it just lasts for a day or two, and the worst lasted something like five days. I understand the real flu is much, much worse than that.

 

[kenny]

It's not black and white, as in a flu shot is always 100% effective or a flu shot is never effective.

You may get a flu even if you get the shot.
You may not get a flu even if you don't get the shot.

Getting the shot just lowers your chance of getting a flu.

Understanding should be based on huge sample sizes of control groups.
That's how the medical community comes up with recommendations.

Another classic example of how we should not base our perception on a sample size of one or two.
Exceptions to generalizations do not make the generalization not generally true.

 

[momhappy]

I have never gotten the flu in my life, EXCEPT the one year I got a flu shot. I came down with it within a month. It was horrible and I have never felt that ill in my life. I swore I would never get a flu vac again in my life and haven't since. After speaking with a few doctors most of them say it is uncessary unless you are pregant or elderly. So if I'm going to roll the dice I would rather not putting weird chemicals and viruses into my system.

Guess it depends on the doctors... I've never talked to a doctor that didn't recommend the flu shot.

 

[Tuckins1]

I don't mean that you feel sick from the shot, more that you can still get sick even if you get it...

 

[baby monster]

Some people do have a reaction to the shot and get aches for a day or two afterwards.

I never used to get the shot until 2 years ago when I got terribly ill with the flu. Last year I got the shot and didn't get sick so this year I got the shot again. For what it's worth, so far this year most states have very low flu activity so I actually only got the shot last week because it didn't seem necessary before.

 

[momhappy]

I don't mean that you feel sick from the shot, more that you can still get sick even if you get it...

I understand that, but some people seem to assume that they actually get "sick" from the shot itself - like the member who claimed that they never had the flu until they got the flu shot (which implies that the flu shot made them sick).
As far as the flu shot is concerned, of course you can still get sick - the vaccine is not a 100% guarantee. As others have said, it is something that is researched by experts and a vaccine is developed based on their findings. The vaccine is meant to lower ones chances of contracting various strains of flu, so in many cases, yes, the flu shot would help in that sense.

 

[asscherisme]

I don't mean that you feel sick from the shot, more that you can still get sick even if you get it...

I understand that, but some people seem to assume that they actually get "sick" from the shot itself - like the member who claimed that they never had the flu until they got the flu shot (which implies that the flu shot made them sick).
As far as the flu shot is concerned, of course you can still get sick - the vaccine is not a 100% guarantee. As others have said, it is something that is researched by experts and a vaccine is developed based on their findings. The vaccine is meant to lower ones chances of contracting various strains of flu, so in many cases, yes, the flu shot would help in that sense.

exactly. As I said, my daughter did get the flu shot one year after getting the flu. The flu shot just lowers your chances significantly of getting the flu because scientists are guessing which strains will hit the following year and base the shot on that one. But the flu shot does not cause the flu, however it does not prevent against all strains of the flu, just the predicted ones.

I have moved a LOT in my life and between myself and my kids I have never met a doctor who did not recommend it.

 

[zoebartlett]

I usually don't get the flu shot but I'm not prone to getting the flu anyway. I have gotten the flu shot a few times and other than a sore arm, I didn't have any other affects. I hope you feel better soon, Tuckins!

 

[Tuckins1]

Thanks for all your input! I think I might just get it after this one blows over... I'm in grad school and I can't be down for the count for another month! I've already missed one final!!

 

[amc80]

I never got it until I planned on getting pregnant. I never got the flu, either. DH got it at the same time and claims he got sick from it, so he won't get another.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Nope, never gotten a flu shot in my life and haven't been hit with a flu in over 20 yrs...

 

[ChristineRose]

The flu vaccine cuts your chance of getting the flu by somewhere from 50 to 75%.

The exact number depends on what strains of flu are active where you live, what strains were in your vaccine, how many people in your area are vaccinated, and your general health.

I tried to come up with a number of how lives have been saved by the flu vaccine but couldn't find one. Tens of millions of people died of flu in 1918. Incidence of the flu is down by about 80% these days. Last major flu outbreak in 2009 killed 18,000 people.

Let''s say "HELL YES" is the answer.

 

[justginger]

It's not black and white, as in a flu shot is always 100% effective or a flu shot is never effective.

You may get a flu even if you get the shot.
You may not get a flu even if you don't get the shot.

Getting the shot just lowers your chance of getting a flu.

Understanding should be based on huge sample sizes of control groups.
That's how the medical community comes up with recommendations.

Another classic example of how we should not base our perception on a sample size of one or two.
Exceptions to generalizations do not make the generalization not generally true.

Exactly. Statistics decisively demonstrate that the flu shot works very well in reducing the prevalence and incidence of influenza across the population. Any one individual can easily not get the flu without the shot, just as you can still get the flu with the shot (due to the constraints on how many particular strains can be used each season). Immunologically speaking, it doesn't prevent obtaining the virus, it's not a viral shield. It's a way of introducing the virus (or pieces if the virus, depending on the manufacturing process) to your body for the purposes of primary exposure. Then upon secondary exposure, when you would normally only be exposed for the first time and thus be out of commission for a solid week or two, your pre-exposed immune system can immediately start churning out those lovely plasma cells for antibody production, with no immunological response delay. Genius and efficient.

Bottom line: get the shot.

Edited: I want to stress that getting the immunisation does not PREVENT 'the flu.' You still have an active influenza infection. You will likely be able to test positive for influenza A/B. What it does is intensify and accelerate your body's ability to recognize and destroy the present viruses. You will experience no lag of immunological response, as you would if you had not been pre-exposed via vaccine - thus instead of feeling like ratsh!t for a whole fortnight while your body starts immunity from scratch, you might feel a bit off for a day or two, because your immunity hits the ground running when the virus is very first detected. In this sense the vaccine prevents 'the flu' in terms of preventing the virus from initiating normal symptoms.

 

[kenny]

I also wash my hands the moment I get home, especially during cold and flu season.
I think this cuts down on spreading viruses around the house that are picked up by touching things in public.

Like the flu shot this is not a 100% guarantee either.
But I see it as another step to reduce the odds of getting colds and flu.
Also keep your hands away from your face.

 

[Dancing Fire]

[quote="justginger|1386205593|
Bottom line: get the shot.



I don't wanna get the flu..

 

[pandabee]

Washing hands is a great tip to remember! I highly recommend the flu shot for everyone...if not for yourself, but to protect those around you who cannot get vaccinated due to sickness, age, or weakened immune systems. Many times those are the people who need protected the most against the flu shot.

 

[DNB]

The shot has 4 strains this year. I've been getting the shot for 17 years. After having the flu two years in a row when my sons were in elementary school I said never again. When I went back to work 17 years ago, I started getting it. I haven't had the flu in 20 years. DH and I are good about hand washing and we rarely get sick, but now that our boys are grown and out of the house we're not exposed to quite as much. But, that said, we work with people who have young children. I look at it this way, better to get the shot and lower our chances than not get it and have issues. The flu itself isn't usually the issue, it's the secondary infection from having your immune system so challenged fighting off the flu. The flu vaccine, while not 100% effective in preventing flu for everyone, does lessen the symptoms if you do get it, therefore lessening the chances of catching something worse such as pneumonia.

 

[lyra]

I've had the flu shot every year for over 15 years now. I haven't had the flu once during that time. I've had the flu in the past though. I get the shot to protect myself, and my family. My one daughter never gets the flu shot and she always gets the flu. But she's 23, and I'm not the boss of her. Haven't been for about 18 years by my reckoning.

Another worthwhile vaccination we keep up is the pneumonia vaccine. My husband and older daughter (26) are both asthmatics, and they both usually end up with one respiratory illness every winter. I get it because I'm diabetic, so my immune system might be compromised.

 

[minousbijoux]

I was with my teenage son at his checkup to be cleared for sports when they asked him if he wanted a flu shot. To my surprise, he said yes. To MY surprise, they then asked me if I wanted one and before I could say no, my son dared me to get one too. So we both got them. Two days later, I did have a slight fatigue-y, achey reaction, but it didn't last long. I will never know for sure about the shot's efficacy, but consider it helpful and think it does protect me.

I guess I'd rather get a needle stick than the flu - that's what it comes down to.

 

[packrat]

For every person who doesn't get the shot (we've done the mist for the last several years and much prefer it) and doesn't get the flu, is a person who doesn't and gets the flu, and a person who does and gets the flu, and a person who does and doesn't get the flu. There are too many factors.

And influenza, which is what the shot/mist is for, is completely different from stomach flu, just to make that point.

I've had H1N1 and influenza A and B. All when I've had the mist and each time suuuucked SO BAD. And those times would've been a lot worse if I hadn't had the mist, I'm quite sure.

Still, I'd rather have the achy flu than throw up flu.

 

[NOYFB]

I work in healthcare and am around sick people 24/7. Since I've started getting the flu shot I've never been sick.

Just an FIYI - there is no such thing as "stomach flu". The flu, as we know it, does not give you gastrointestinal upset. It makes you miserable in other ways - I can attest to that, having had it. That GI thing, is just that, a GI bug. It is NOT the flu, therefore the flu vaccine will not prevent that.

 

[justginger]

I work in healthcare and am around sick people 24/7. Since I've started getting the flu shot I've never been sick.

Just an FIYI - there is no such thing as "stomach flu". The flu, as we know it, does not give you gastrointestinal upset. It makes you miserable in other ways - I can attest to that, having had it. That GI thing, is just that, a GI bug. It is NOT the flu, therefore the flu vaccine will not prevent that.

Yes. The real flu makes you feel like you've been run over by a Mack truck. If it doesn't hurt to move, you don't have the flu.