<p>Of course the flu vaccine does not give you flu, but it can make you pretty sick.</p>
<p>On the Mayo link given above:
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<p>For me, these ‘muscle aches and fever’ are extremely unpleasant, and I won’t have a flu vaccine again.</p>
<p>About 10 years ago I had the flu – and I was pregnant at the time. The duration of the flu itself was about ten days, including 4 days in the hospital. About two weeks after I was released from the hospital I lost the baby. Another 3 days in the hospital. Doctors were pretty sure it was complications of the flu. It was the most miserable time in my life, so I take the flu seriously. However, I have a severe egg allergy, so I can’t do the flu shot normally. Fortunately I am not at high risk of the flu anymore (lifestyle changes), but it stills worries me. H and both kids get the shot every year.</p>
<p>DH got a flu shot. Shortly later - one, two days? he had the flu. Three days of aches, high fever, followed by three days of slow recovery. Coincidence? Dunno, but he’s not getting flu shots anymore; hasn’t stopped me.</p>
<p>Courer - great explanation. Yey FACTS :)</p>
<p>The Canadian flu thing was that a 2nd virus appears - according to a study of 32 ferrets - to have had stronger effects on people who had a flu shot for other virus. The guess would be that the flu shot provokes an immune response to the virus in that shot and this left the immune system relatively worse at dealing with the H1N1 infection that followed. I assume that effect was temporary because the Canadians noticed the problem occurred in the first weeks of H1N1 penetration. That suggests the immune system was kind of busy for a while. This doesn’t mean the immune system was weaker in general, just that it was weaker when confronted with another virus threat that called upon at least some of the same immune system resources.</p>
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<p>Yes. It takes up to two weeks for the body to generate immunity to the virus after a flu shot. Your DH was exposed to the flu virus from an infected host at the time of or shortly before receiving the vaccine.</p>
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I love this. As if anybody in the government would care about these facts about most of us. Talk about delusions of grandeur!</p>
<p>Of course the flu vaccine does not give you flu, but it can make you pretty sick.</p>
<p>On the Mayo link given above:</p>
<p>Quote:</p>
<p>Reaction to the vaccine. Some people experience muscle aches and fever for a day or two after receiving a flu shot. This may be a side effect of your body’s production of protective antibodies. The nasal vaccine can cause runny nose, headache and sore throat. </p>
<p>For me, these ‘muscle aches and fever’ are extremely unpleasant, and I won’t have a flu vaccine again. >>>>>>>>>>>>>></p>
<p>Have you ever had the actual flu?
About a hundred times worse.</p>
<p>When I had the flu I was stunned at how bad it was. My body aches were excruciating; I imagined that’s what people with bone cancer experience, though I don’t know. It was the worst sore throat I’ve ever had in my entire life-every swallow was torture. I had a 104 degree fever, chills, and really felt like I was going to die. I almost didn’t care if I did. </p>
<p>It was the worst illness I’ve ever experienced.</p>
<p>I understand that many want to take their chances. The gamble often pays off. When it doesn’t, you really regret not getting the shot, at least I did. I had thought it would be a kind of have a fever, stay in bed with tylenol and watch old movies kind of thing. I was very wrong.</p>
<p>"When I had the flu I was stunned at how bad it was. My body aches were excruciating; I imagined that’s what people with bone cancer experience, though I don’t know. It was the worst sore throat I’ve ever had in my entire life-every swallow was torture. I had a 104 degree fever, chills, and really felt like I was going to die. I almost didn’t care if I did. </p>
<p>It was the worst illness I’ve ever experienced.</p>
<p>I understand that many want to take their chances. The gamble often pays off. When it doesn’t, you really regret not getting the shot, at least I did. I had thought it would be a kind of have a fever, stay in bed with tylenol and watch old movies kind of thing. I was very wrong."</p>
<p>It really bothers me when so many people are home sick and say, “oh I have the flu.” And they’re back in the office in a day or two. When you have the true flu, you feel like you are going to die!</p>
<p>People throw the term “flu” around so much, I think a lot of folks think it is not that big a deal, like a bad cold or something. Or a stomach virus - another pet peeve is when someone says he has the flu and he just has that 24 hour vomiting thing.</p>
<p>The actual flu can kill you. It kills lots of people, notably the young and old - except the 1919 epidemic, which hit young adults hardest. That flu is not what people typically get, the kind that makes you feel bad, even really bad for a little while. The real flu overwhelms your system until you suffocate from fluid in your chest if your heart hasn’t already given out.</p>
<p>Every time I had the “true flu” (3 times, I think) I missed a whole week of work (actually missed 2 weeks once). When D2 got it twice she missed a whole week of school. We both got H1N1 – actually only missed a few days each with that (plus a weekend out of commission). Just given the lost wages (I am self employed, only get paid if I go to work), it is enough reason for us to all get shots. D1 and D2 both got theirs last week, I am headed in tomorrow morning.</p>
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<p>Yes, “stomach flu” is a complete misnomer. There is no such thing. The “flu,” is a respiratory infection caused by the influenza virus. Sometimes young children will also get GI issues when they get the flu, but viruses which primarily attack the GI system are NOT influenza or “flu.”</p>
<p>We lost a 27 yr. old to H1N1, swine flu. First, she lost her 7 month fetus then after being transferred to a teaching hospital, she eventually succumbed. It was…really there aren’t words for how the nurses and docs taking care of a pt. feel when something like this happens. Let alone, the husband/father.</p>
<p>I never get the flu shot. We’re under tremendous pressure at work every year to get it, and I simply refuse.</p>
<p>I have been pretty healthy, but I am kind of careful. I wash my hands regularly, don’t touch my face. If I shake hands, or touch table tops, etc. I wash. Not OCD or anything, just wash my hands about 3 times a day other than potty breaks, and keep my hands away from my face.</p>
<p>As I get older, I may reconsider, but for now I figure what doesn’t kill me makes me stronger.</p>
<p>Does anyone remember having a flu in late 1995/early 1996? This one was the absolute worst I ever got, and some other people told me the same thing - we’d just shake our heads and say “yeah, wow,” with complete mutual understanding.</p>
<p>One of the distinctive things about it was the sweating. The sheets would become soaking wet about 3 times per night. The intense night-sweats lasted a good 5 days. My temperature was 105. It was like being away from this world.</p>
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<p>^^^^^All those things are good to do, but the flu is a respiratory infection. You could do all those things mentioned above, but if an infected person coughs or sneezes in your vicinity, they will do nothing for you. Your body may well successfully fight it off, but maybe not. Hand washing will have no bearing in that scenario.</p>
<p>If you are not in the health care profession, I’m surprised that you are getting pressure from your employers to get the flu shot. I guess that some employers are trying to ward off the effects of employee sick time?</p>
<p>I thought of this thread yesterday when I took my cats to the vet for their rabies and distemper vaccines. Sometime after they got their shots, one of the cats hissed loudly at me and bared his teeth (he never acts this way.)</p>
<p>My DH immediately joked - “Looks like Floyd got rabies from his rabies shot.”</p>
<p>I don’t work in healthcare, and my employer schedules a flu shot clinic at the office every year. Our insurance covers the vaccine so it’s free. They send out multiple emails every day for a week reminding people to sign up. I guess it annoys the people who don’t get them but I am glad the opportunity is there… it’s so convenient to take two minutes away from my desk to get it done during the day instead of having to stand in line at the pharmacy.</p>
<p>“Does anyone remember having a flu in late 1995/early 1996?”</p>
<p>I had an awful flu in the summer of 1996. It would not go away. But my worst flu was in January 1999. My whole singing group got sick after one of us came down with it on our ski retreat. One of us had it so bad she had to go to the hospital and get a spinal tap because they feared meningitis. After that, I always got a flu shot, and I’ve never gotten the flu since starting the shots.</p>
<p>I really, really hate needles. The way I motivate myself to get the shot is to imagine that I have the flu, and the shot will instantly cure me. In that mindset, I’m up for 1000 needles!</p>
<p>“All those things are good to do, but the flu is a respiratory infection. You could do all those things mentioned above, but if an infected person coughs or sneezes in your vicinity, they will do nothing for you. Your body may well successfully fight it off, but maybe not. Hand washing will have no bearing in that scenario.”</p>
<p>Yea, I know. And I realize that simply covering your mouth is not by any means fool-proof - but I work in an environment where people are pretty courteous about such things. They generally either isolate themselves or stay home if they are very sick. If they need to cough or sneeze in front of other people, they typically cover their mouths, turn away, excuse themselves, etc. None of us wants to be sick. And my employer allows a lot of sick time/personal leave/vacation - so there’s no real reason to stay at work if you’re sick. I have found that hand washing (at least for me) has been EXTREMELY helpful - since I mostly go to work, come home, eat, sleep, get up and go to work. I have no small children, but I HAVE had 3 - My resistance and immunity is pretty strong to a lot of things.</p>
<p>“If you are not in the health care profession, I’m surprised that you are getting pressure from your employers to get the flu shot. I guess that some employers are trying to ward off the effects of employee sick time?”</p>
<p>My employer provides FREE flu shots. They send out emails encouraging everyone. And all during the day, every supervisor you run into will ask you, “Did you get your flu shot yet? No? Why not? You should go get it! It’s free!” And yea - the deal is that if the flu starts moving through the office building, the company loses money. The figure preventive measures are cheaper, I guess.</p>