<p>One of the viruses in this year’s strain of vaccine has mutated. : (
Be aware and be triple vigilant about hand washing, keeping your hands off your face and staying out of crowds.</p>
<p>And as someone who had to get ‘swabbed’ for influenza last weekend, you don’t ever want to have to do that if you can avoid it. </p>
<p>And yes, I had my vaccine over six weeks ago. Now I know why they insisted on swabbing me.</p>
<p>I think I’ve already got it. I’ve been sick for a week. It started with a tickle in my throat and moved on to the worst head congestion I’ve ever experienced. The first two days I just slept. Add in fever and chills and a minor stomach ache. And no, I didn’t get a flu shot this year. </p>
<p>Oh yes, I can’t forget the body aches…everywhere. </p>
<p><a href=“http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/summary.htm”>http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/summary.htm</a></p>
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<p>The bolded part refers to the A/Switzerland/9715293/2013 strain that this season’s vaccine may not be very effective against. <a href=“Historical annual reformulations of the influenza vaccine - Wikipedia”>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_annual_reformulations_of_the_influenza_vaccine</a> indicates that it is not a strain used in past seasonal influenza vaccines.</p>
<p>Just reading that post makes me feel a little off kilter lol</p>
<p>So much flu …I need more purell</p>
<p>We all had our vaccines as usual. But D2 seems susceptible, she managed to pick it up 2 years in a row when she was younger, before we got smarter and starting always getting vaccinated. And those years she gave it to me… and then a couple of years ago with H1N1 when there was no vaccine… she got that, and gave it to me. 
I texted her earlier today when I read this and told her, and suggested she do a lot of hand washing as well!</p>
<p>Toledo, my S had exactly what you describe last week (thanksgiving ). He said his head felt like it was going to explode.</p>
<p>The worst illness I have ever had was when I had the flu some years ago. As a nurse, we got the flu vaccine for free in our units, but that year they changed it and made you hike several buildings over to employee health if you wanted it. I never made it over there, and that year got influenza. I had the worst sore throat I had ever experienced in my life-just horrific pain, and the body aches were absolutely excruciating. I ended up with pneumonia and it took me a couple of months to get back to normal.</p>
<p>That illness is something I never want to experience again, so I always get my flu shot. I’m hoping that this year’s vaccine would at least provide enough protection that if I ended up getting the flu, it would not be as severe as my prior illness. </p>
<p>@toledo, I hope you feel better soon.</p>
<p>Yup. Had the shot in oct. Sick with influenza a this week. Worst I’ve felt in years! A week now. Swab was very uncomfortable. PA said her whole morning was with people like me: sick despite having had a shot. I hate to use PTO for this! </p>
<p>So far so good for me <em>knock on wood</em>. </p>
<p>Are people who are getting the flu - despite the vaccine - going to doctor and getting Tamiflu? </p>
<p>The health clinic I work in requires all those without the shot to wear masks. Maybe I should start wearing a mask despite getting the shot…</p>
<p>Both my daughter and I got the flu vaccine. Both of us got the flu, albeit a milder version - if you call a temperature of 102+ (daughter) milder. I had dinner with a nurse friend last night. Same story, flu shot and milder version of the flu. She said her hospital overflows at the moment with many flu cases.</p>
<p>She says those who got the quadrivalent flu shot rather than the trivalent flu shot seem to be protected. Her husband got the quadrivalent at her insistence. It wasn’t available when she got her shot. He didn’t get the flu; she did. My husband also got the quadrivalent shot and didn’t get sick.</p>
<p>I intended to get a flu shot in November–thanks to years of nagging by @romanigypsyeyes this would be my second 
--but I had what I wasn’t sure was a cold or allergies, which then turned into a real cold over Thanksgiving. So I have to continue to wait, I guess. :(</p>
<p>Son is currently recovering from the flu. He went to the doctor very quickly and said that tamiflu has been very helpful in making him feel better than past experiences. He was feeling quite a bit better within 48 hours. </p>
<p>Got the shot. But 2 adults I know have had strep this week, so I second the hand washing, etc.</p>
<p>TamiFlu has been great for me in past times when I started what appeared to be the flu–stopped it immediately!</p>
<p>Well, son has just informed me that he has started puking. I wonder if that is due to the tamiflu?</p>
<p>^
“The most common side effects of Tamiflu when used for treatment of the flu include nausea and vomiting.”</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.tamiflu.com/side-effects”>http://www.tamiflu.com/side-effects</a></p>
<p>Feel better, toledo. Sending you some cyber chicken soup.</p>