I have been getting the flu shot regularly for about 10 years. I had skipped 06 and caught the flu, I didn't have insurance that year but should have just shelled out the 30 bucks. I believe it works. I still get the occasional cold but it pales in comparison to the flu I got in 06
I don't think I've ever had one in my life. I got one for my son once and 2-3 days later he was the sickest he had ever been so I skip those now. Also, he's allergic to egg so the doc said to avoid them since they're grown on chicken eggs...or something to that effect. I got him vaxed for everything else though. I don't play games with serious diseases.
Nope, nope, nope. I seem to have a really robust immune system for flu bugs, though I'll get a cold once a year or so. As someone who does root cause analysis and statistical studies for a living, I do not find the science behind them to be compelling enough to risk the considerable side effects. If they work for those who get them ... great, I'm happy for you.
Another thing to consider is how every year the gov't is telling us that some new Super-Flu is out. SARS, Bird Flu, H1N1, etc. Again this year they're hollering how it's going to be a major flu season. I guess I'm just fatigued with all the crying wolf. I got the H1N1 shot because of the scare tactics, and have never been so sick in my life. They can say all they want that the shots are safe, but my body says otherwise.
I work for a health system (in research, but every so often I do interact with patients) so I'm required to get one. Before that I've gotten one whenever it was available to me (my age group isn't 'high risk' and I haven't been pregnant, so in low supplies I'm not at the top of the list). To me it's not just about protecting myself- it's preventing me from spreading it to others as well.
That said, it seems I get the flu most years anyway- although probably less severe than I would without the shot.
Does anyone who objects to the shot have the same objections over Flu-mist? I get sick every time I get the shot, but I'm not against vaccinations per se. I just don't want a guaranteed illness (from the shot) in my attempt to protect myself from getting sick. But if there are people here who switched from the shot to the Flu-mist and had good results I might be willing to try it.
Well the flu shot has the deactivated flu which you can't get the flu from but the mist has the active flu so in theory, if you have a weak immune system, you might be able to get the flu from the mist. I'm not sure if the mist has the same chicken/egg allergy stuff though.
I work in research as well and ditto in regards to my reasons for getting the flu shot as well, I think it helps minimize spread of the illness in the hospital. My second reason being that I don't want to have to wear a mask for the next 6 months if I don't get it I tell my co-works wearing the mask is like wearing a scarlet letter around the hospital
I work in research as well and ditto in regards to my reasons for getting the flu shot as well, I think it helps minimize spread of the illness in the hospital. My second reason being that I don't want to have to wear a mask for the next 6 months if I don't get it I tell my co-works wearing the mask is like wearing a scarlet letter around the hospital
I know, right?! I can't imagine having to wear that dang thing for the next 6 months.
I do not get a flu shot. I am a teacher and I never get sick. I think I just have a really strong immune system. One year the county "pressured" everyone into getting one so I went along with the flow and got so sick I missed two weeks of work. Since then I do not get the shot. My son is 16 and we have never had him get it and he has never gotten the flu.
This year the flu is bad.... prior to Christmas we had a lot of our students out sick with flu. We had hoped Christmas Break would help it clear out of our area, but now that we are back at school we still have a lot of students out with it. Looks like it is going to be a rough season.
On NPR this morning Diane Rehm had a show on the topic of this year's flu season. They talked a lot about the flu shot. They also said that if you get the flu, Tammiflu is effective at limiting the effects -- if you get it early on.
I've gotten it the past 3 years. Last year it was because I was pregnant, and the other two years I just happened to be seeing my GP who recommended I get one right then and there. So basically I haven't gone out of my way to get the shot except when I was pregnant. (And boy you wouldn't believe how I was berated by some people when I said I got the flu shot while pregnant! "I know someone who had that and their baby died!" Uh, I know someone who drank water while pregnant and their baby died so... I think I'll take the advice of my doctor here, k?)
So I guess I don't have strong feelings about getting it at this point in my life. It must have been a bad mix a couple years ago, because my boy actually caught the flu that year despite having had the shot (he was actually tested for the flu and he had a type B strain). It was awful, I felt so bad for the kid. And that was the year I had pneumonia for the first time in my life.
I still think in general it's a good idea to get the shot, because you are more protected with it than without it. I just don't think there are any guarantees.
I get the flu shot. I work in the health and it's mandatory for us, or like previously stated - wear the mask like you have a plague and you still get written up for it.
Also, like previously stated - it's not just about protecting yourself, it's also about protecting those around you. While YOU may not get sick it doesn't mean you aren't carrying and giving it to someone else.
When all the hoopla with the flu shots started about 10 years ago I asked my family doctor if HE got the flu shot... He said : "No, because I have a certain imunity to it because I work with a lot of sick people."... He was really pushing for me to get it, my answer was: "Well, I work in a school with a lot of sick kids, so I must also have a certain immunity to it."
IMHO I think doctors get a kickback from the meds and things they prescribe....
I got the shot one year only, not the year I had the discussion with my family doc though... I saw no difference in how sick I was or wasn't that year.... I did get the flu this year, for 2 whole weeks, but I still won't get the flu shot next year... The shot they give usually isn't the flu going around that season anyways....
Normally I wasn't getting one, except for the 2 winters that I was pregnant. But I got one this year because I go to the gym a couple times a week, and who knows who picked up those weights or held those handlebars before I did?
I tell my co-works wearing the mask is like wearing a scarlet letter around the hospital 
I know, right?! I can't imagine having to wear that dang thing for the next 6 months. 
