I had the flu last spring and I did vomit once or twice the first day. I thought that was kind of unusual but I had the other classic symptoms: fever, fatigue, hit-by-a-bus feeling.
I still have a lingering cough 8 months later!
Tiredofsnow, Thanks! I have wondered about side effects but no one ever mentions.
I am one of those who of course will have the rare side effect.
BY the way --has anyone seen the research posted on BBC health regarding men having different hormones
and they actually do get sicker than woman?
My husband is dying right now because he has a very very light head cold :(( :D.
Evidently he is vindicated by the newest research.
All I remember is going to work with double pneumonia and taking care of two kids and H not believing
I was really ill >:P.
^He has what’s known as Man Flu.
I just got notice that a friend’s mother died from the flu last week. She was 93 so it is not surprising. Another friend’s father was also diagnosed with it last week and he’s in the hospital. It’s bad.
I haven’t had the flu since 1974, so I only have a vague recollection of what it was like. I was only sixteen then, but I remember throwing up a lot! In the course of getting allergy tested two years ago (and thereby finding out I’m allergic to my sweet ragdoll cat), I also was told I’m moderately allergic to eggs as well. I know the flu vaccine is cultured in eggs (or in someway having to do with them), so I’m kind of wary about getting one. It makes sense to me because I suddenly developed a strong aversion to eggs about two years ago. I can eat them as part of things like baked goods, but not scrambled or in an omelet, etc.
I’ve had the flu vaccine off and on in seasons past and not had any reaction to them, but it been at least three years since my last one. My egg allergy apparently developed sometime after that last immunization. The current strain going around, however, is scaring the bejeezus out of me, so I’m not sure what to do. During the past couple of years, I’ve also started to use a c-pap due to severe sleep apnea, and wonder how a severe upper respiratory infection might possibly complicate matters.
Any professional medical advice would be helpful. Should I go ahead and risk getting the vaccine, or should I just continue to take preventative measures against this flu?
@poetsheart My understanding is that you can get certain types of flu vaccines that do not contain egg protein in them and are safe for those with egg allergies.
Blood and skin tests for food allergies are also somewhat questionable according to my lung specialist, even though I’ve had a LOT of testing. The testing indicates I’m allergic to A LOT of foods that I do NOT react to when I consume them (including chocolate which I have never had any symptoms or problems consuming), and he says that the blood and skin testing is not as important as how I react to the substances when I consume them.
I’d ask your internist or allergist about what they recommend for you. The pharmacist may also have suggestions/recommendations. Good luck!
S20 has a friend who’s been over a few times this fall. His dad died this week from influenza b. Funeral is tomorrow. It’s so shocking for the kid. I hadn’t met the dad but S20 is going to funeral.
my parents refuse to get the flu shot every year. i get mad at them about it.
My son had the flu last week, and he was so sick he ended up at urgent care - his neck hurt, so he had to be checked for meningitis. I work at a college, and LOTS of my students have reported being down with the flu during holiday break (glad it was then & not after school started up again).
The body aches associated with influenza can be excruciating.
“Why It’s Still Worth Getting a Flu Shot
Even a “less effective” vaccine packs a payoff in averting illness and death.”
@poetsheart - I’m not sure if you could get Flumist instead of the shot. Please ask your doctor what flu vaccine you could take. If you don’t have time for an appointment, try calling them or messaging them to ask.
My son in China had it - 104 temp, was nearly hospitalized, it’s really bad. Even with his China enhanced immune system he was out for a full week. Wear gloves where you can, wash hands frequently, and stay away from anyone coughing or sneezing because of airborne transmission.
January is a bad month for the flu because we have just recently (holidays) had so many group gatherings to spread the germs. The flu is contagious a day or two before symptoms appear and 5ish days after symptoms are gone (according to our department infectious disease doc).
@TooOld4School, what do you mean by “China enhanced immune system”?
I think TooOld4School means her son, after having been exposed to different germs and bacteria common to a new country, his ammune system had somewhat adapted to fight them off as well as the natives of that country. I’ve heard expat YouTubers say when they first arrived in “XYZ”, they kept getting cold after cold, or Strep Throat until they had been there a while, as long as a full year in some cases. I don’t know if that makes scientific sense, but it’s a common belief.
There are flu vaccines grown in non egg media. Some reports indicate that they are more effective because the A-H3N2 strain did not mutate away from the wild one as much as in the egg media.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/flu-vaccine-ldquo-factories-rdquo-create-errors-that-reduce-protection/
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/vaccine/qa_flublok-vaccine.htm
Nasal spray flu vaccines are no longer recommended due to poor effectiveness generally.
I don’t believe they are recommending the flu mist this season @greenwitch and @poetsheart. I agree with @HImom that skin testing for food allergies is not as reliable as most people think it is.
Thanks for that info HImom and surf city. I’ll definitely ask my allergist about the flu shot. I’ll ask about the availability of non-egg cultured vaccines as well.