Flu Shots - Do You Get One Yearly?

[Margret]

At this point I'm old enough that flu shots are a necessity. This year I also got the new, improved pneumonia vaccine (Prevnar). I had the one-time pneumonia vaccination 2 or 3 years ago, but the new one is much, much better, so I got it.

This year I got both shots on the same day, one in each arm, and felt just a bit under the weather for a day afterwards. Additionally, my biceps were sore for about 24 hours, but ibuprofen was enough to make it go away.

I'm also planning to get the new, improved Shingles vaccination, because it's much more effective than the old one, but that one takes two shots, 4-6 weeks apart (if I recall correctly), and while my insurance covers them it also requires a copay. Additionally, the new Shingles vaccine has some fairly major side effects, which can leave you feeling rotten for about a week, so I'm planning to discuss it with my doctor and then choose a time when I can afford to spend a week in bed. Twice.

Margret

 

[m3rma1d]

I'm a pharmacy tech and I don't like the pharmaceutical industry. In fact I hate it.
But it's a job, and it feeds the cats, and I'm pretty good at it, and I like my coworkers.

But anyways, I love a flu shot.

Flu shots are not a live vaccine, so you *cannot get the flu* from one. They do take a couple of weeks to kick in, so if you've already got some kinda bug going on it's easy to think the shot made you sick. But chances are slim to none that the shot actually makes you sick, unless you're actually allergic to something in the vaccine. Side effects are nothing compared to the Actual Flu, y'all.

Of course they aren't 100%, but what is? Trust me, I fill scripts for the shot AND I fill scripts for the people who didn't get one and are getting their actual flu meds... It's friggen brutal. And deadly! Not to mention there are people who legitimately can't get the vaccine (cancer patients and others with severely compromised immunity), and those people are put at great risk when exposed to people who are carrying flu germs around.

So yeah, as much as I detest the field that currently pays my bills, I will always get a flu shot and I will always encourage everyone who's able to please get one. You could be saving your life and many more.

 

[muffy]

I am 68 years old so I started getting the flu shot when I retired. I have COPD and I am old and I live alone so I don't really want to take a chance. I had no soreness and I was not tired after getting the shot.
I also received the new Singles vaccine last month. You need to get two shots for this one.

 

[kittyluv387]

I never got a flu shot. But I will from now on. Why? Last year I turned 30 and I got sick for a whole MONTH! I've never really been sick for more than 3 days. Things change when you get older. :/

 

[neely]

During my first two years of teaching I caught the flu and it was downright nasty. They now offer the flu shot free of charge to all school employees and I get it every year. Fortunately I've never had a side effect from it other than a little soreness.

 

[MonaLyssa33]

I usually get the shot if I'm at the doctor for an unrelated reason. I haven't gone out of my way to get the shot, but the last few years I have seen a doctor for a physical or something else so I end up getting it then. I have a doctor appointment in November so I'll get it then.

 

[jcat]

I've been getting the flu shot for decades. When I was a teacher who took public transportation I was in a high-risk group, so it was always covered by insurance. I still am high risk due to age and breathing problems and also wouldn't want to be the person who exposed my elderly in-laws (in their 90s) or co-worker with MS to the flu.

I just got my shot yesterday. Other than a slightly sore arm, there haven't been any side effects.

 

[Gizmobius]

I never got a flu shot. But I will from now on. Why? Last year I turned 30 and I got sick for a whole MONTH! I've never really been sick for more than 3 days. Things change when you get older. :/

I just turned 30 as well and this is actually the first time I’m strongly thinking that I’d like to get a flu shot! I don’t recall the last time I had the flu (or if I ever have) but the stories of people getting sick and dying or nearly dying have made me think why risk it?

 

[denice]

With my luck, I'd end up getting a strain of the flu that the vaccine doesn't cover

I've heard about the soreness and tiredness after getting a flu shot. How long does that typically last?

For me the tiredness just lasts the day after. I don't have the option of getting it at work so I get it at a pharmacy on Saturday so I have that day on a Sunday. It isn't debilitating I could still go to work the next day but since they don't give it at work I get it done on Saturday. The little bit of soreness at the injection site lasts a few days. That is no big deal though, it's just enough to be noticeable.

 

[Talien]

I don't get any vaccinations but it's very rare that I'm sick. If I get sick more than once or twice in a year and for more than a couple days, it's a really bad year.

 

[sabrinah]

I don't remember the last time I got a flu shot

 

[LisaT.]

I got my flu shot last week. Just a little soreness in my upper left arm, but nothing too bad. I've been getting them since I began working at this job. Haven't had the flu in 5 years!

 

[Tobermory]

I always get a flu shot. My arm feels a bit warm and sore for a day or so but that’s it. I know that the strains the annual vaccine is supposed to combat are a bit of a moving target, but it’s wise insurance in my opinion. I can’t remember the last time I had the flu.

I also got the new shingles vaccine (Shingrex), Margret . The first shot hurt more than a flu shot and my arm was sore and reddish for a few days, but I felt fine otherwise. The second shot was more like a flu shot and my arm reacted about the same way. Slightly swollen, sore for a couple of days. I wondered if the woman who gave the first shot was a newbie when it came to giving shots!

 

[Margret]

I also got the new shingles vaccine (Shingrex), Margret . The first shot hurt more than a flu shot and my arm was sore and reddish for a few days, but I felt fine otherwise. The second shot was more like a flu shot and my arm reacted about the same way. Slightly swollen, sore for a couple of days. I wondered if the woman who gave the first shot was a newbie when it came to giving shots!

As for the woman who gave you the first shot being a newbie - could be. There can be huge quality variations. Some time get me to tell you about the IV I got when I needed to have my gall bladder removed.

Regarding reactions to Shingrex, I researched it fairly thoroughly online. Reactions vary greatly, from extremely minor (like you had - congratulations, BTW) to major, as in forget about going to work at all this week. I'm not taking chances; I'll schedule mine for a time when I can afford to have a major reaction, and if it doesn't happen I'll celebrate. It beats relying on a minor reaction and then having a major one when you can't afford it.

I'm not avoiding it entirely - I definitely want this vaccine - I'm just being judicious about how I get it.

One thing I would say to everyone, about all vaccines: Make sure they aren't preserved with Thimerosal. If necessary, list Thimerosal as one of your allergies. Thimerosal uses mercury, which is a cumulative poison that targets the brain (think "mad as a hatter" and you'll understand why you don't want to be exposed to it).

Margret

 

[Willowy]

Make sure they aren't preserved with Thimerosal. If necessary, list Thimerosal as one of your allergies. Thimerosal uses mercury, which is a cumulative poison that targets the brain (think "mad as a hatter" and you'll understand why you don't want to be exposed to it)

Or you could just skip your tuna sandwich that week . A thimerosal-preserved vaccine has about as much mercury as 3 ounces of canned tuna.

But here's a chart for those who want to keep track of which brands have it: Institute for Vaccine Safety - Thimerosal Content in Some US Licensed Vaccines

 

[neely]

One thing I would say to everyone, about all vaccines: Make sure they aren't preserved with Thimerosal. If necessary, list Thimerosal as one of your allergies. Thimerosal uses mercury, which is a cumulative poison that targets the brain (think "mad as a hatter" and you'll understand why you don't want to be exposed to it).[/QUOTE

This is why I have held off getting the pneumonia vaccine, i.e. Prevnar 13. It's my understanding it contains Thimerosal even though they say it's a small amount. Not sure how I feel about it and don't want to do anything in haste until I have all the facts.

 

[neely]

Sorry I wrote a reply and messed it up with the quotes. Here it is:

This is why I have held off getting the pneumonia vaccine, i.e. Prevnar 13. It's my understanding it contains Thimerosal even though they say it's a small amount. Not sure how I feel about it and don't want to do anything in haste until I have all the facts. Going to check the vaccine study W Willowy posted now.

 

[Mother Dragon]

I remember having the Hong Kong flu back in the 1970s, before flu shots were available. For over a week I thought I was going to die and couldn't. I can't remember being that sick before or since.

The year's flu strains originate in the East, and vaccines are developed according to the strains prevalent at that time. Sometimes the flu mutates after the vaccine is developed, and it becomes ineffective to that strain. This is why the efficacy of the shot varies from year to year. Because of these constant, rapid mutations, it's highly probable that the shots you received in the past are not now effective. Therefore, it's important to get the latest vaccine. Last year the developers weren't accurate in their predictions and so even those with the shots sometimes got the flu.

The vaccines are usually given from a multi-dose vial that does contain thimerosal. I'm highly allergic to it, so for years I couldn't get the shot. My husband did get it. So, each year I would get the flu and he wouldn't, so at least he was able to take care of me.

The vaccines are now available in a single-dose vial that doesn't contain thimerosal. You have to ask for it and sometimes you may have to check several places to find it. Here in Texas, pharmacists are authorized to give the injections, along with a couple of other vaccines, including pneumonia. That means it's much easier to find the single-dose vials.

You should also be aware that seniors (I'm not sure if it's 55 or 65) get a much stronger dose of vaccine. It's either 3 or 5 times as strong. I got one and it knocked me flat for a couple of days. I don't know why, but it did. It didn't bother my husband. Now I get a regular single dose and he gets the senior super one. Neither of us has gotten the flu since we started getting the shots.

If you think about it, the flu shot is a form of health insurance, and it's worth every penny and sore arm. You owe it to those you love, and everyone you come in contact with not to spread the disease. Why be a Typhoid Mary?

 

[m3rma1d]

You should also be aware that seniors (I'm not sure if it's 55 or 65) get a much stronger dose of vaccine.

65+

You owe it to those you love, and everyone you come in contact with not to spread the disease. Why be a Typhoid Mary?

You nailed it. It sucks that so many people are selfish and think, "Well *I* don't need it.".... There are plenty of people who actually do need *you* to get it!

 

[denice]

Where I got mine they had three levels of vaccine based on age. At 62 I was given the middle level, people at 65 and older get the highest level. I think the lowest level was for people younger than 55.