Is there anyone else who doesn't get a flu shot?

[wishesuponastar]

My family never gets one and so far we have never got the flu. Maybe we are just lucky but I think there is a chance you could get sick from the flu shot or you still get the flu even though you get the shot.

 

[low-key]

ouuu, let the madness begin

 

[sonnyjane]

ouuu, let the madness begin

Seriously. Should be a banned topic.

 

[FINFAN]

My family never gets one and so far we have never got the flu. Maybe we are just lucky but I think there is a chance you could get sick from the flu shot or you still get the flu even though you get the shot.

guess I will take my chances answering
Timely thread as DD just called about the same thing.
I go the shot once, probably 20 years ago...sickest I've ever been. Never again. I can't remember the last time I had the flu. Have I gotten sick? Sure, but not the flu or the strains you hear going around. DH got the shot once~ 2 weeks later sick as a dog. Ironically DD called tonight as she was heading to get one, asking if she should or not as we both reacted poorly. She is deciding to go ahead with it as her commute entails a lot of PT and flu already getting bad in her area. Fingers crossed she does better than DH and I did. DS says no way is he getting one.

 

[wishesuponastar]

Seriously. Should be a banned topic.

I don't know why this should be a bannned topic?

 

[wishesuponastar]

guess I will take my chances answering
Timely thread as DD just called about the same thing.
I go the shot once, probably 20 years ago...sickest I've ever been. Never again. I can't remember the last time I had the flu. Have I gotten sick? Sure, but not the flu or the strains you hear going around. DH got the shot once~ 2 weeks later sick as a dog. Ironically DD called tonight as she was heading to get one, asking if she should or not as we both reacted poorly. She is deciding to go ahead with it as her commute entails a lot of PT and flu already getting bad in her area. Fingers crossed she does better than DH and I did. DS says no way is he getting one.

So sorry you both got so sick. That's what I'm afraid of if I get the shot.

 

[superme80]

I don't do the flu shot. I am lucky to be a stay at home mom and I homeschool. The moment anyone has a hint of feeling sick, we stay home and keep our germs to ourselves. We have had random viruses, but not the flu. I had the flu about 7 years ago. That was not fun.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

They give the flu shot at my job for employees who want it. A lot of my coworkers take it. I've never done so.

 

[palmtreegirl]

We don't and I've only gotten the flu once, it was last year.

 

[elphaba91]

I've never had it, really just because I'm not in an at-risk group and it therefore seemed like too much effort! However, both my mum and sister had them this year for the first time (we're just coming out of winter), my mum because she could get it for free at her new work and my sister because she was doing a university placement at a hospital so had to. None of us got sick at all this winter, not even a cold. I figure the herd immunity likely helped protect me. Mum did have some flu-like symptoms about 24 hours after the shot, but they only lasted a few hours.

 

[tennisfan]

I can get it through my employment but never do and haven't had flu for years. Some of my colleagues take up the offer. My mum used to have it along with the pneumonia one but since the pneumonia one is a lifetime one now she hasn't had the flu shot for a couple of years and hasn't been half a ill as she usually is after having it.

 

[ez]

Last year was the first year my son's elementary school gave the flu mist out in the classrooms. Weird because then it seemed like everyone at the school got the flu In all the years of taking my kids to that school I'd never heard of it being so widespread!!

 

[bas71873]

No flu shots here and the only bout we had with the flu was me while on a Disney Cruise this past April. I didn't know that's what I had because I was seasick on top of the 24 hour of fever & chills (although not so bad that it kept me down). My most annoying symptom was just being extremely tired and wanting to sleep all the time, so I was shocked when I came home and when to the doctor 2 days later and tested positive for flu strain B in late April....

I just don't trust the flu shots personally and have known too many people with severe adverse side effects.

 

[Christine]

Let me state first off that I do not believe that flu shots will make you sick. I think sometimes that happens with people and it's just a fluke. My friend did get a flu shot one time and, while she didn't get sick right away, she was the sickest she's ever been that winter with one thing after another.

I do think that getting any type of immunization can potentially cause problems with *some* people's immune system, setting them up for illnesses. For most people, it probably a non-issue.

I have never had a flu shot. I think I had the flu one time back in the 1970s, but I don't really know for sure. My mother had some sort of flu once and I never caught it from her. The reason I don't get the shot is that I am one of the people that just react to everything and, just my luck, I'd feel bad for weeks after the shot. However, I do have my asthmatic son get one.

I'm not sold on its efficacy but if you don't generally react to things, I don't think it hurts. I feel like I have yet to see any compelling data/trials that actually prove that a shot with the right strains offers protection. They say it does, but I've not read the clinical trials on it. Maybe the data is there, I don't know. It does seem like no matter what shot is out there, be it effective or non-effective, the CDC seems to report the same amount of patients and around the same amount of deaths each year.

 

[Disneylover99]

No flu shots for me or my family.

 

[Hrhpd]

The flu shot is not a live virus, so you cannot get the flu from the shot. If you got sick after the shot, you were already coming down with something.

I get one every year. Mandatory for my job. Yes, I have a choice. But if I choose not to get one, I also get to choose another job. Everybody in my family also gets one and has for 30 years as we live with a person who is immunocompromised. That is 150 shots and nobody has ever gotten sick afterwards nor has anybody ever tested positive for the flu.

 

[fly girl]

I'm the outcast , my family got our flu shots yesterday. We have never been sick from the flu shot and have never had the flu the years we got the shot.

Company paid 100%. They also have clinic set up at work next week that gives flu shot, checks bp, cholesterol, and BMI. I'm registered for that too (work gives you up to $500 added to HSA for being aware and trying to keep a healthy lifestyle.) Since you have to be 18, daughter could get it done there.

It's a personal choice. I've had flu before I started annually getting the shot and it was horrible so I do what I can for prevention. I don't want that again! Awful.

I have heard people feeling sluggish and having slight flu like symptoms after the shot, but never happened to us.

Last year was the first year my son's elementary school gave the flu mist out in the classrooms. Weird because then it seemed like everyone at the school got the flu In all the years of taking my kids to that school I'd never heard of it being so widespread!!

Never heard of a school providing them. I can see some parents having a fit over it.

Last years flu shot wasn't as effective as it usually is. They are typically really good at predicting the strain of flu that will run rampant. Last year, they got it wrong. It still provided some protection, but not clearly as good as it normally is.

 

[Hrhpd]

Last year was the first year my son's elementary school gave the flu mist out in the classrooms. Weird because then it seemed like everyone at the school got the flu In all the years of taking my kids to that school I'd never heard of it being so widespread!!

Interesting that they gave the mist out in a classroom. Since that is a live attenuated vaccine, there are a few more precautions that one has to take over the shot.

 

[Bilberry]

I'm probably the only one of the family that does not get the flu shot. I've done well at avoiding the flu and typical colds by eating well, and using a sun vitamin D light a couple times a week during flu season. I'll stand in front of the light 10 minutes a couple times a week. It's worked well for me, remaining flu free for nearly a decade, knock on wood, and I've noticed also that it's still common for others in the family to develop a nasty cold at some point during the season despite having the flu shot. Last holiday season for example we had a large family gathering, and everyone developed a terrible cold, except my father and I. (Rather a downer on holiday cheer.) In our group I was the only one that had not received the flu shot, and my father is the only other person in the family that is continuous about eating healthy to stay in shape.

I have read articles in the past about groups that have studied the flu shot and found it to not work for most people. What ever the case is, I figure it's best to still practice good hygiene, keep warm, possibly a few supplements, and eat well the next few chilly months.

Flu vaccination ‘over-promoted’ and ‘over-hyped’ according to researchers

http://www.drbriffa.com/2012/11/22/...oted-and-over-hyped-according-to-researchers/

 

[Hisgirl]

My DH isn't getting the shot this year because the last two times he got the shot, he became very sick...with the flu. I know, I know...but I can't convince him otherwise.

My DD is an epidemiologist and we've had some very interesting conversations. I choose to refrain. The last time I got one, I had 24/7 pain and constriction at the shot site....for 7 years. My doctor advises to avoid it.

And lastly...several years back in the mid 2009, I was reading on the world health organization site about very interesting article about a country in Europe who gave 'flu' shots to the public, which had actually been activated with a virus in order to test the spread of the virus in the community and to expedite approval for vaccines. They considered these 'advance' studies and used a mock up vaccine which contained an active ingredient for an influenza virus that had not circulated recently in human populations. In testing the mock up vaccines, they could release the virus into the population to mimic a pandemic virus to expedite regulatory approval.

At that tme, I realized the governments really don't mind using us as guinea pigs and as long as I still had a choice, I was exiting the building.

But I am an advocate for childhood vaccines, however I believe the current schedule is getting a bit overwhelming.

Here's the link to the WHO story for those who doubt. http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/notes/h1n1_safety_vaccines_20090805/en/