H and I will get our flu shots this week now that I have recovered from my second Shingrex vaccine. We leave for vacation mid October and we want to make sure the shot has taken effect before we fly.
@romanigypsyeyes I asked my NP about vaccinations yesterday when I went for my 10th infusion–only two more cycles after getting through this one, hurrah–and she said I could go ahead and get a flu shot and even Shingrex as long as it uses a killed virus. That appears to be the key point, as you said.
In my case I would venture to guess that it also helps that I am now on Neulasta, which has brought my white blood cell counts up to good levels, so I can fight off infections.
@Consolation yay! For both- the shot and the almost completion of this round.
Someone upthread was brave to get both shots on the same day. Yesterday was flu shor at the MD’s office. Next week I’ll search out Shingrex second shot.
I got both the flu shot (had the choice of the tri- with “stronger” antibodies (am paraphrasing) or the quad, with “less” antibodies (am probably not wording that correctly, but you get the gist). I am around a lot of people so chose the quad. Also had the pneumonia vaccine. Chose the new vs the old. Who wouldn’t? Why?
My PCP, who is very up-to-date and not afraid to research stuff, told me to wait one month after the flu shot before getting Shingrix. I am following his advice. I got the flu shot 2 weeks ago.
That’s helpful, @techmom99 . I am not looking forward to getting the new shingles vaccine (I had the old one a few years ago) but at least can get the first of the 2 shots when I have my physical in a few weeks.
@jym626 -
My doctor’s office doesn’t give vaccines so he emailed a scrip to the pharmacy that takes my insurance. He says it’s not cost effective for him to stock vaccines and he has to charge too much.
As a FYI @techmom99 - my insurance covers if the shot is given in the drug store’s “minute clinic” but not if given in the pharmacy.
@jym626 -
The minute clinics are not as common where I am. My insurance covers the shots if given at a specific pharmacy, which doesn’t have a clinic, and which is not the one where I get my medications. Oldest son works for USPS and he uses a different pharmacy; his gf, who has no insurance, gets her flu shot at Costco. Until she got a settlement from a law suit, I used to pay for her shot.
So hard to keep up with this stuff!!
Tell me about it. I just got off the phone with oldest son, reminding him to get his shot. I have to wrangle H and the other boys to get theirs and hock D to get hers. She doesn’t care about herself so I tell her I won’t allow her to visit grandma unless she gets one. At least S17 got his at the clinic at school. I told him that he doesn’t have enough free absences to cover the flu.
I was at a new doctor on Thursday and they asked if I wanted the flu shot. I said yes and then they forgot to give it to me. No one ever came back to the room to give me check out papers or anything so I couldn’t remind them.
That was the cherry on top of a bad visit that made me decide this was not the obgyn I wanted for what will be a risky pregnancy lol
That’s pretty shocking. He creates a barrier to care. Pretty sure they can return unused stock.
Yes, that is certainly disappointing. My internist generally has offered to give me my vaccines if they are in stock. Around here, no Rx is needed for any of the vaccines – flu, pneumonia nor shingrex (nor the previous zostervax). I’ve gotten all of them at the CVS, where we are very fond of the pharmacist who is always looking out for his patients. If it were more convenient, we could have gotten them at the internist, but we see the pharmacist more often, as we are often picking up Rx. I also like to have me, H, and my folks all get our shots at the same time so there are fewer dates and details to recall. I am the group memory.
Same here in SoCal. No Rx or appointment needed. Just drop in to CVS or Walgreens or Costco or…
No Rx is ever needed for a flu vaccine in any state. Some doctors write a “prescription” to make it appear like a doctor’s order more than a patient’s choice.
I always call ahead to be sure the vaccine we want is in stock and ask that 4 doses be set aside to avoid going and finding out they are out of stock—it takes a bit of effort to get everyone to come. Availability of vaccine can vary.
The trivalent vaccine contains four times the amount of **antigen/B contained in regular flu shots, to create a stronger immune response. But it doesn’t have the broader protection vs. the B viruses as the quadrivalent vaccine does. D1 and I got the quadrivalent. I didn’t even think to ask if they had the trivalent, but I probably still would have chosen the quad.
My doctor says the same thing. It seems to have to do with limited refrigeration space. It may be a barrier to vaccination for some people, but for me, it works the opposite way. Since I know that I can’t get a flu shot from my doctor, I don’t wait until I have a doctor’s appointment to get one. I just go to the CVS Minute Clinic in September, when there tends to be no line. My husband, who has a different primary care provider who does stock vaccines, waits until he happens to have an office appointment to get his flu shot, which sometimes means getting it rather late in the season.