<p>My H had his flu shot in October. The first week of December, he got hit HARD with the flu. He missed a full week of work - there was no way he could have dragged himself to the office even if they would have let him come in. He is still feeling the after-effects. I never get a flu shot, which probably isn’t something I should admit. </p>
<p>Off topic a bit, H finally called the doctor on day 4. The doctor couldn’t see him, but they were happy to refer him to the urgent care clinic they are now associated with; he was able to get an appointment for the next day. The clinic is physically located next to his doctor’s office, with a common waiting area. There are several doctors groups in the urgent care clinic; all have private practices within the building & have a common urgent care clinic. H was charged a $250 new patient charge for his visit!!! Our D sets up Electronic Medical Records (EMR) systems, and she tells us that all his info would be available to the urgent care clinic because she is sure the physician’s groups & urgent care would use the same EMR system. I am not sure what on earth justifies such a ridiculous new patient charge.</p>
<p>Glad that you were able to get your shot, romani.</p>
<p>As for the people showing up for work when they are sick…I have (in the past) worked in jobs where you were expected to show up “no matter what”. Several years ago I was diagnosed with strep, the doctor told me to stay home for 3 days. When I called in at work, my then boss told me that I could take one day and that if I didn’t show up after that , I would be fired. I wouldn’t put up with that today, but I was young and in my first accounting job, so I went in. Everyone was mad at me and the boss was nasty to boot.</p>
<p>Thankfully the boss I work for now would insist that I stay home!</p>
<p>^^I would have been mad at you also back then. We had strep circulating for over a year in my family when my middle son was 10. …one after another after another. We were even told to bring the dog to the vet and make sure it wasn’t the dog that was reinfecting because that is a possibility. We finally shook it but it was well over a year from the first kid getting step to finally all of us testing negative.</p>
<p>The last time I was sick with the flu was 17 years ago. I usually only get a flu shot every other year. This year was my “not” year. I got sick 3 weeks ago. Knocked me for a loop for 5 days, and several after for recovery. I may walk up to the drug store and get the shot, although I wonder if now that I’ve gotten sick (fully recovered now) if it’s even worth it. Decisions, decisions.</p>
<p>I am puzzled by the logic of this. Why not just get it every year? It is a fall routine in our house, we all get it by October at the latest. D1 (living on her own in another city) called to let me know when she had taken care of it. Guess all that nagging while she was in college finally took. :)</p>
<p>intparent - the thought behind it was that since I rarely get sick (honestly, the last time was 17 years ago) I assume I have a very strong immune system, and simply did not want to lessen it by potentially overusing any form of vaccine, or drug (antibiotics, etc.). Interestingly enough I was on anti-inflammatory medication for 3 weeks just prior to getting sick. It may be coincidental, but I’m not (fully) convinced.</p>
<p>I have never gotten a flu shot, and rarely get the flu. Is it really that different this year? It seems every year “they” say it’s the worst ever, but then it’s not so much. My H gets the flu shot every year. We’re in California, am I nuts not to get the shot?</p>
<p>The flu is terrible right now in our area (upstate NY). We’ve never gotten the flu vaccination and never thought too much about it. Most people we know don’t get it either. In November, my daughter and I both came down with the flu and were very, very sick. She missed 2 1/2 weeks of school, and I missed a couple weeks of work. I actually ran a fever for 11 days - 6 days very high and then 5 days moderate. One of our three sons got a moderate case of it and missed several days of school. The other two boys and my husband seemed to get only very, very mild cases of it.</p>
<p>I ended up developing a very bad secondary sinus infection and was very sick from that. After it kept getting worse, they put me on antibiotics and then I developed a serious complication from THAT. A superbug went wild in my system and the toxins from it started attacking and destroying my intestines. The doctor said my bowels were literally disintegrating, and I was losing a lot of intestinal tissue. (Not to be alarming, but it was pretty much falling out of me.) I’m still on (different, of course) antibiotics for this latest issue, and there’s a decently high recurrence rate after treatment ends because the bacteria can be so hardy. It’s been super scary, especially because I am a generally very healthy person.</p>
<p>I have a lot of newfound interest in and appreciation for the flu vaccination.</p>
<p>Flu shots are a money maker for the pharmacy. The average profit per shot is over $10. </p>
<p>The average pharmacy in an average January doesn’t do enough vaccinations to warrant extra coverage. Last year, we did less than 5 shots for this entire week. This year, we are nearing 50. We do get extra flu shot hours in September and October. My first flu shot shipment arrived in August. Anyway, giving high wait times is a classic move on trying to get people to not wait and come back at a different time. </p>
<p>Walgreens, for fun and giggles, decided to cut pharmacy hours at most pharmacies this month. A lot of issues have come out of that.</p>
<p>Well if that’s not enough to get you to the Flu clinic, nothing is.
I tried to get a shot today. All of the area drugstores are out until at least Wednesday. :(</p>
<p>I hope you make a full and complete recovery, Fosterte.</p>
<p>My God, Fosterte, that is just terrible. It is fortunate that you are a very healthy person, because that could be why you are still alive. I hope this is all a distant memory soon.</p>
<p>sopranomom92–your casual attitude about “I rarely get the flu” tells me you think this is some kind of 24 hour stomach bug–the influenza is a respiratory illness, not a stomach one. It cause a high fever, horrible body aches and respiratory issues that often lead to pneumonia or worse. If you have ever had influenza, the real one, you would know it.</p>
<p>fosterte :eek: WOW—I hope you are getting better!</p>
<p>That does not make too much sense, since the influenza mutates, so that new versions of vaccine are needed for the different types of influenza virus. There was a recent exception last year (not this year) when the same three vaccines were used as the year before, although someone concerned about waning immunity may still have chosen to get the “duplicate” vaccine a year after getting it when it was “new”.</p>
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<p>Given that some places in California are hotbeds of anti-vaccine activism, the chances of meeting a vaccine-refusing person bringing you the actual disease in those places is increased.</p>
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<p>Yes, that (disturbance of intestinal flora allowing a nasty bacteria to dominate) is one risk of antibiotics that people (including physicians) seem to be less aware of than they should be.</p>
<p>I really should be the person who gets the shot every year , but it is hot or miss with me. When I think about it, the $30 or so it costs are well worth not getting sick to me. The last time I had it was 2009 H1N1 and I was really taken down.
What bothers me is my oldest daughter who has such a casual attitude about it…when she gets sick , she REALLY gets sick</p>
<p>You do not “lessen” your immune system by getting a yearly flu vaccine. You also do not lessen your immune system by overusing antibiotics. What happens with inappropriate antibiotic use is that the organisms grow resistant to the antibiotic, not that your own immune system becomes weakened by it.</p>
<p>I do remember reading an article in a medical journal recently which suggest that there may actually be people who seem to be “resistant” to getting influenza. What exactly explains this is not known. Personally, I have been directly exposed to strep many many times and have NEVER gotten it, even as everyone around me is sick with it. I have no idea why I never get it, even after drinking after an infected person or kissing DH who had a raging case of it the very next day, etc.</p>
<p>The problem is that while you might be one of those lucky people who seem to be able to fight off influenza when exposed, you also might have just been lucky. That arrogance can result in a really vicious case of the flu when your luck runs out. I know this because it happened to me about 10 years ago. I NEVER ever want to feel that sick again.</p>
<p>Nrdsb4, do you still have your tonsils? If not, that’s probably why you don’t easily get strep, even when surrounded by it at times. Those of us who have had our tonsils removed are much less likely to get it. If you do still have your tonsils, you are very lucky to not have gotten it having been around it a lot.</p>
<p>For those people who don’t feel the need to get a flu vaccine: unless you’ve ever had the flu, you don’t understand how absolutely miserable it is. A lot of people mistakenly say they have the flu when, in actuality, they have a stomach bug or other type of virus. The flu is confirmed by nasal swab. Trust me, if you’ve ever had a case of confirmed flu, you’ll never forget it, nor would you wish it on your worst enemy.</p>
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Nrdsb4, do you still have your tonsils? [/quote[</p>
<p>Actually, I do have my tonsils. My sister had strep CONSTANTLY. My kids had it numerous times, and I’d usually find this out a day after drinking after them. I have no idea how I’ve gotten so lucky.</p>
<p>Also, people often say they have the flu when it is actually a different virus, such as a severe cold or other respiratory virus. If they have recently had a flu vaccine, they incorrectly assume that correlation equals causation (“the shot gave me the flu”) or that their flu vaccine was ineffective.</p>