Can I have the flu when I got the flu shot?

[diamondlil]

I feel terrible -- probably the worst I''ve ever felt. I got the flu shot about 3 weeks ago, but what I have feels more like the flu than a bad cold or URI. Is it possible I did not build my resistance to the flu in time for me to have caught it?

It hit me hard Monday morning with fever, chills/sweats, severe sore throat, joint and mucle pain, and a dry cough. It has evolved over the week and my fever has swung to very low temp. (97.1 degrees), still sore throat, I''ve completely lost my voice, head congestion to the point that my eyes are going to pop out of my head, and I can''t hear anything (voices are muffled to the point my kids are not talking to me anymore

). Guess they are tired of me whispering, "what?" to everything they say.

I finally decided I should see the doctor, although if it is the flu I''m sure there is nothing they can do. I''m one of those people who does not break down and see the doctor unless I''m half dead -- I don''t like to subject myself to their germy office unless absolutely necessary. I called the office at opening time. Unfortunately, our area on the east coast had an ice storm last night, and the office is closed due to weather conditions!

Back to the sofa with my tea and blanky.

 

[muddleheaded]

I believe that flu shots protect only from what is considered to be the most common strains, so you may have caught a strain that you weren''t protected from.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 12/9/2005 9:54:24 AM
Author: muddleheaded
I believe that flu shots protect only from what is considered to be the most common strains, so you may have caught a strain that you weren't protected from.

I think that is the case too. I have heard that they cultivate the vaccine from the last flu virus outbreak but maybe the virus replicates and there are other strains around, therefore you can be vulnerable to other types. Bed rest and lots of liquids for you! Hope you feel better soon

 

[pebbles]

Muddleheaded is right - you may have either caught a strain that you weren''t protected from, or what you have is a bad sinus infection/URI and not the flu.

It takes about 2 weeks to build up immunity from the flu shot. What might have happened is that you were exposed to something, and your resistance was down while you were building up the immunity to the flu shot, and not able to fight off what you were exposed to. We call it a case of "bad timing".

My whole family had what you have over Thanksgiving. We didn''t go anywhere. I was the least sick out of the others in my house b/c I was the only one that got my flu shot.

Plus, I give them at work and I was exposed to a lot of crap myself!

Rest, lots of fluids, and more eye candy always makes me feel better.

 

[diamondlil]

Date: 12/9/2005 9:56:01 AM
Author: Lorelei

Date: 12/9/2005 9:54:24 AM
Author: muddleheaded
I believe that flu shots protect only from what is considered to be the most common strains, so you may have caught a strain that you weren''t protected from.

I think that is the case too. Bed rest and lots of liquids for you! Hope you feel better soon

Thanks Lorelei and Muddleheaded. My husband said the same thing.

Thankfully, I work from my house, so I''ve been able to sit at my computer wrapped in my blanket with my Kleenex and losenges by my side and still get my work done. It keeps my mind off my aches and pains. Laying down is the worst -- then my head feels like it''s going to explode. I have not been able to sleep at all. Last night, my throat hurt so bad, I got up and had a bowl of ice cream at 3:00 this morning.

I admit, I''m not a very nice sick person. Sorry to whine . . . . .

 

[diamondlil]

Thanks, Pebbles. I knew we had a few health care professionals around here that post regularly. I agree, more eye candy is definitely what I need.

I hope I get over this by next Friday. I''m going to a jewelry show with some girlfriends and I CAN''T miss that!

 

[FireGoddess]

I hope you feel better soon! I''ve never had the flu (not to jinx myself here) but I have had a few sinus infections and they were the worst - couldn''t lay my head down for more than a minute in any position because it would just start to pound. Had to sleep sitting up. I hope you can be comfortable to snuggle up with a blanket, some warm tea and just relax!

 

[FireGoddess]

Also just wanted to add that the way they make the flu shot is to predict which strains will be most prevalent the next season and make the vaccine to those strains, so it is of course possible that you got a different strain.

 

[MINE!!]

Oh Damiondlil.. I hope that you feel better very soon. We do not get the flu shot here in my house (except hubby who is a higher risk) but my mother actually used to get the Flu from the Flu shot!

Hope that you start feeling so much better.. I know it sucks!! Hang in there.. *hugs*

 

[Kaleigh]

The same thing happened to me a few years ago. I was so sick. I hope you feel better soon.

 

[pebbles]

Date: 12/11/2005 7:57:56 PM
Author: MINE!!
Oh Damiondlil.. I hope that you feel better very soon. We do not get the flu shot here in my house (except hubby who is a higher risk) but my mother actually used to get the Flu from the Flu shot!

Hope that you start feeling so much better.. I know it sucks!! Hang in there.. *hugs*

You can''t get the flu from a flu shot. The vaccine is a dead vaccine.

 

[Lorelei]

How are you feeling now Diamondlil? I hope you are feeling a bit better

 

[MINE!!]

Date: 12/12/2005 10:19:54 AM
Author: pebbles

Date: 12/11/2005 7:57:56 PM

Author: MINE!!

Oh Damiondlil.. I hope that you feel better very soon. We do not get the flu shot here in my house (except hubby who is a higher risk) but my mother actually used to get the Flu from the Flu shot!


Hope that you start feeling so much better.. I know it sucks!! Hang in there.. *hugs*

You can''t get the flu from a flu shot. The vaccine is a dead vaccine.

Interesting.. it is my understanding that the vaccine is not dead.... This what the doctor informed my family as well.. the vaccine is like the chicken pox vaccine and the polio vaccine.. although it is unlikey to catch CP or PV from the vaccine.. since they are alive (which they tell me is what is needed in order to gain an immunity) it is possible to contract it. Just as (in my Doctors understanding) that it is possible to get the vaccine from the flu shot.

The only year my mother did not get the flu was the year she did not get the shot..

 

[movie zombie]

there are more than 300 strains of flu and the shot only contains the best guess estimate of what is thought going to be 40-75 most likely problem flus for the season. no vaccine will cover all flu strains.



peace, movie zombie

 

[pebbles]

Here it is from the CDC website itself that says the injectible flu vaccine contains a dead virus:

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/fluvaccine.htm

The nasal flu vaccine (called FluMist) contains a live virus. Maybe that is what your doctor was referring to.

The polio vaccine no longer uses a live virus. It is dead just like the flu vaccine. You will see on childhood immunization records it referred to as IPV = inactivated (dead) polio vaccine. If your child was immunized before the year 2000 he/she may have gotten the live virus polio vaccine - the oral one.

I believe the varicella (chicken pox) vaccine is the only live vaccine that children get nowadays. It was first licensed in 1995, so if your children are older than that they probably did not receive it. It's technically not "dead" but attenuated, so that it's virulence factors have been removed from it.

ETA: You do not need a live virus in order to obtain immunity from a disease. The dead vaccines work just fine.

 

[MINE!!]

Thanx for the input pebbles.

 

[FireGoddess]

Quick vaccine primer:

There are 3 types of vaccines: inactivated, live attenuated, and subunit.

Inactivated vaccines are just that - viruses that have been inactivated either by heat or by chemical inactivation. These virus particles are "dead" and basically your body encounters them and creates antibodies and mounts an immune response to the dead particles. These vaccines are pretty good. If the inactivation isn't complete however, a few live virus particles will be in there, which is why on very rare occasion, people can get sick from the vaccine. The flu vaccine is an inactivated virus vaccine.

Live attenuated vaccines contain "live" virus, that is, virus that has not been inactivated, but it has been mutated in some way so as not to cause full blown disease. These vaccines are the most efficacious because a low level of virus replication is going on, and your body mounts a better and more fully rounded immune response to the infection.

Subunit vaccines are decent but are the least efficacious. These are usually recombinant protein that is injected into a person and the body mounts a response to the viral protein. The Hep B vaccine is a subunit vaccine. Notice how you have to get 3 shots over a 6 month period? These are safe vaccines as there are no full virus particles there, but the protein isn't presented in the best manner to the immune system - it's not in the context of a full virus particle so the immune response to it isn't as good.