I have never had a flu vaccine - no, I’m not anti-vaccine or anything, but for many years I was not in a category that recommended it and it never became a habit. My kids always got them and I figured they would be patient zero in my house, plus my aunt got Guillain-Barre after her shot one year so my doctor was okay with me skipping for a few years.
HOWEVER, I got the flu last March. It was AWFUL, as I knew it would be. I always hated when someone said they were absent for a day because of the “flu.” The flu has you down and out for 2 weeks and in my case I still have a lingering cough so I will definitely get the shot this year.
Is it too soon to do so, to have maximum effect for the season? I got the flu the very last week of March last year, which I thought was late - but I was in and out of a hospital and a nursing home for 5 week straight dealing with aging parents so I know I was exposed to a million germs. I feel like the stores etc have not been pushing the shot yet with signs and coupons and so forth.
D2 and I get the flu shot together every year around now. She was away this weekend, so we will do it in the next few days. We have been doing it for the last 8 years. knock on wood, no flu since we started taking those shots.
My H works at a hospital and they have been saying that this year may be worse than usual. For instance, there already have been children admitted to the hospital this year and that didn’t happen until December last year.
So, it is definitely not too early to get the flu shot. They take about two weeks to be effective too. I’ve never heard that the shot runs out. I believe it will protect you next year from the same flu strains, it’s just that the flu strains that infect people change every year.
I usually get mine in mid to late October. I figure that is late enough so any unusual side affects for the year have started showing up, and also increases the chances it will last thru the season. I had it 2 years in a row about 10 years ago, and we’ve all gotten them ever since.
They’re offering them now at CVS. I’ll get one in Oct, for vol work I do. We all get it in October.
You’ve had the flu, you know how miserable it is. Imo, don’t get too analytical about the shot, just do it. The vaccine can’t protect against all strains but can lessen the effects, if you do get the flu. And the conventional wisdom applies: this isn’t just about us, but also how we can spread it to others.
I got mine at work last week. H always gives me a hard time but I get upset with him because he has heart issues and wouldn’t do well with the flu. He is odd about thimerosal. I told my 4 oldest children, who are all adults, to get the shot because they don’t want to have to waste vacation days being sick. It was easier when they were little and I just put them in the car and took them to the doctor for the shot. S17 is waiting to hear if he can be a bone marrow donor, so he is holding off on the flu shot until the coordinator clears him for it.
It takes two weeks for the vaccine to build up its full protection, so get it early. My company usually does them in mid-October but pushed them forward two weeks this year.
Also, this year’s shot seems stronger. My left arm was sore for 3 days afterwards and it hasn’t been in the past. I suggest getting the shot in the non-dominant arm.
We all get ours in early October, so we have proper herd immunity by Thanksgiving. They usually recommend getting it in your dominant arm, because moving it more during the hours after the shot can mitigate soreness.
Flu vaccines in multi-dose vials contain thimerosal to safeguard against contamination of the vial. Most single-dose vials and pre-filled syringes of flu shot and the nasal spray flu vaccine do not contain a preservative because they are intended to be only used once.
My office offers them when they do the benefits open enrollment meetings which will be in 2 weeks. I have gotten a flu shot fr the last 20 years after a nasty bout of bronchitis.
I got mine last week because we are going to Europe next week and I wanted to be protected. It has only been in the last couple of weeks that they have been available.
What I thought was allergies 3 days ago seems to be actual illness. I think I have a viral thing that’s trying to turn into bronchitis. Once I’m recovered, I’m going to go straight to my local pharmacy and get my flu shot. This is bad enough; I’ve had the flu and don’t ever want to get it again. I realize the flu shot is not a 100% guarantee, but it’s worth a shot (literally).
For some reason this fact doesn’t get much press, but Guillain-Barre is actually more closely associated with actual flu infection than with the vaccine. So it’s really important to avoid getting the flu. Not a comfort for your aunt, but the statistics show that getting the flu is a really crappy thing to happen to a person.
I got mine yesterday at Rite Aid, and it was free.
A friend in Australia said their flu season was really bad this winter (they’re heading into spring now), and that it was particularly bad in the aged care homes this year (a very vulnerable population, but worse this year).
SO, I know intellectually that it is silly to not get a flu shot due to worrying about Guillain Barre. I think the research is not even solid on whether it is just a correlation or if there is any causation. So I am getting my shot this year, because I am rational enough to know that the odds are much greater that I could get the flu without the shot!
I don’t really care if it hurts. The tetanus booster hurts and I am fine with that. Had something frozen off my skin from the derm and that really hurt for days, but I can work through that kind of pain. (the fatigue of the flu however . . .)
Guess I’ll head to CVS soon. I suppose all the clinics, drugstores, doc offices have the same versions of the shot?
Note that most flu vaccines are trivalent, meaning that they have three kinds of flu viruses that they target. But quadrivalent vaccines exist with the same three kinds plus one more, so you may want to check to see if they are available.
Not long ago I got the quadrivalent vaccine at CVS. With a wedding coming up soon, I wanted to be sure to get my flu shot early. This year I had a very sore arm for three days afterwards and felt a bit tired and blah. It’s the first time my arm has hurt so much, but I think it was due more to where and how the shot was given than to the vaccine.
Our insurance (BCBS) will not pay for the quadrivalent vaccine, but only for the cheapest flu shot offered in a doctor’s office. CVS had a coupon that reduced the price and then gave a $5 off next purchase coupon as well.
H and S have already gotten their shot. S for the first time!! H and I always encouraged him to get a shot, but he never would. I hope now that he got it, he is not one of the people who still get the flu!
I will get mine at my annual physical later in the month. I always get a sore arm for a few days.
Never understood people who wonder if they have the flu or a cold. If you can function but feel lousy, it’s a cold. If you want to die and can’t get out of bed, it’s the flu.