Flu Shots- How do you feel about them?
 

I never know how I feel about flu shots. I just watched a news segment that the flu is a bit crazy this year. :dizzy:

Do you get a flu shot? Do you think they work? Is it too late to get one?

I've seen reports that this year's flu shot cocktail is doing a good job warding off this year's flu strains.

I don't get flu shots but I also don't really ever get sick. I had a one-day flu last month and it went away on its own.

I am in favor of vaccines and the like, and Western medicine, but I hate going in for shots and doctor visits so I just don't.

I do get a flu shot and ,yes, I do think they work. Flu can be very serious and can even be fatal. There are different kinds of flu,as well. I understand the flu shot is only for a certain kind of flu and it can be different from year to year,

I didn't get one this year, and now I'm sick! :(
I know they can't make you 100% impervious all the new and different types of flu, but I've never got sick in the years I've gotten a flu shots. Just dropped the ball this time, woops.

Please, get a flu shot. You can easily get one at your local health department without too much hassle, and as krampus said, this year's shot is doing fairly well. Unless you just have qualms with western medicine, please get your flu shot. Though it doesn't make you impervious, the time you take and very little money you spend might prevent you as well as any others who may come in contact with you from getting the flu.

I say this as some one whose boyfriend works in the public health field and as a teacher who gets a flu shot every year. Hardly any of my students got the flu shot when it was offered here at the school, and a large number of my students have been out sick. It is not a terrible flu season this year, but it's not great either.

ETA: And it is not too late to get one.

See,now I've been hearing the opposite :shrug: which is why there are a lot of people coming down with it.

I don't get a flu shot either,but now that I am not working and not stressed from work,I rarely get sick.The last time I did get the flu,it was horrible...but it still didn't change my mind on getting a shot.I'm just not sure how I feel about the flu vaccine.

I generally try to get the flu shot, but this year I didn't. Not for any other reason rather than I've had a hectic past few months. I think they are a good thing, not specifically for myself but if I wouldn't want to get sick and infect the young or elderly, those that are generally at risk of dying of the flu.

Thinking about this.... this might have even been a silly question for me to ask. My mom got diagnosed with non-hodgkins lymphoma last month and she will probably need chemo. If I want to go and visit her in California, I should probably have received my shot. I'll head over to Walgreens today and see if I can get one.

I do enjoy hearing everyone's opinion on the topic though. Sometimes it is a bit controversial.

I'm in the "Get a flu shot... especially if you're in one of the high-risk categories (and even if you're not to protect others who are) and the it's not to late" camp on this one as well...

This always turns into a heated debate and there are valid reasons on both sides. I used to dutifully get my annual flu shot, but I got sick every single time I got one. The last two years I got flu shots, I got super sick. I had pleurisy for 3 months the one year, the following year I had difficulty breathing and extreme chest pain and ended up in the hospital. I don't know if I'm allergic, or if the shot somehow messes up my immune response, or what, but basically if I get a flu shot I get sick. If I don't get a flu shot, I don't get sick. So I've stopped getting one, especially after the last one where I honestly thought I was going to die. I seem to be sensitive to them. I respect people who choose to get them and I believe it's an individual choice to do so or not do so.

I got mine because I am in regular contact with sensitive groups (the baby and my 93 year old grandpa), and we have a plane flight planned right at the peak of flu season.

My understanding is that the strains encompassed in the 2012-2013 vaccine are closely matched to the most heavily circulating strains.

I've had the flu before - the real deal and not a stomach bug or a bad cold, but the thing that makes you feel like you've been hit by a truck, which decided to back up and hit you again. It was very debiliating, and left me very sick for a week but still weak and tired and not fully well for several more weeks afterwards.

So yes, I'm in favor of getting it. Plus I now work at a hospital where it's mandatory due to the risk of exposing patients (even though I'm not involved in patient care). I get my 8 year old immunized every year too and have done ever since he was a baby.

In general, but not for everyone, the benefits of getting a flu shot outweigh the risks - this is how almost every medical decision should be made. It doesn't guarantee you won't get sick. It has no effect on the common cold (upper respiratory infection) or the "stomach flu" which are completely different illnesses. It doesn't guarantee you will not get the flu, but it does decrease the chances that you will. The flu shot protects you from influenza which involves fever, aches and pains and usually puts you out of work for about a week - much worse than a cold. Anyone who has had a bad reaction to the flu shot, or has a reason not to get one, of course shouldn't get one. I always get one - I have never had a bad reaction and I haven't had the flu (the real flu) in years and years.

^^^This. I also got sick within hours every time I got one and the last time, I ended up in the hospital with pneumonia. I stopped getting them years ago.

It varies for me if I get one or not, but I did get one this year. It's because I work with kids, and the two girls I watch attend a partial day preschool. So they are around TONS of germs and they're bringing them home. They've gotten some really bad colds since school has started, but *knock on wood* I've been in the clear so far.

So, if you're around more at-risk groups (young kids, elderly) or plan to travel a lot, I'd get one. Though I can understand avoiding them if you have adverse reactions.