I am always on the fence. I think it is a crap shoot whether the flu shot will do anything (helpful) or not.
I think common sense preventative measures are far more effective. Which does not mean they can not be done in conjunction with the flu shot. Obviously.
We have a family member with a compromised immune system such that they can not have the flu shot as it would not do anything and if they catch the flu it would be very bad. So if we visit during flu season we always get the flu shot at least 3 weeks in advance per their Doc’s request.
Given the fact (?) That the flu shot is a hypothesis of a projected variable ( it’s a guess which strain will be the dominant one in any given year) and the formula is made up to a year in advance, and it makes me sick for a week…no thanks. Anyone who chooses to get a flu shot, kudos to them, but not this curmudgeon.
I almost always get the flu shot. I’ve never noticed any major side effects. Possibly feeling a bit tired and run down, like my body is “fighting something off” for a couple days after getting it. But no big deal and not enough to miss work or anything like that.
I’ve missed some years here and there, not because I don’t want it, simply because I never got to the doctor in time. The shot is free, so better to be safe. Plus, I work with people who may or may not have comrpomised immune systems (I don’t know, but they are children or seniors and people with multiple health issues and disabilities), so again, better to be safe for their sake.
I’ve never had the actual flu, to my knowledge. I’ve known people who have had it and been hospitalized because they were having such trouble breathing. I get one cold most years; sometimes I don’t get sick at all. I almost never get anything more severe than a cold, although occasionally the cold can be pretty severe. Even when sharing offices with people who are dropping like flies from extremely contagious pathogens, I somehow escape unscathed.
I’ll be getting a shot this year. It’s fully subsidized here for risk groups, and PWDs are among them. The official government recommendation is that risk groups should get a shot, and others are neither encouraged not discouraged. There’s a small fee for the general public.
Here we have the same policy. Risk groups get the flu shot for free and others pay out of pocket. I think health professionals are encouraged to get the flu shot as well and some insurances or employers might give them a reduced fee.
Now that you mentioned employers, I remember getting a flu shot at work once. It may have been last year or the year before that. They sent out a meeting invitation beforehand to keep track of how many doses to order and then you just had to drop by and have it administered in the office. I guess it’s worth the cost for the employer if it can save even just a few sick days.
Depends how you define “guess.” Specialists from around the world review global flu stats based on year-round surveillance in over 100 countries and review lab results and clinical studies to make a seriously educated guess about which version of the virus is going to dominate in the near future. They know what they’re doing and bring a lot of expertise to the table. But viruses mutate, so yes, it’s as much a guess as it is when meteorologists guess which route a hurricane will take.
Actually half a year. The WHO body that decides the formula for the virus to be used in the Northern Hemisphere meets in February to review the data. It takes about six months to make the vaccine, so they’re planning on having a September roll-out. But often the manufacturers have been keeping an eye on the stats on their own, so they may have made guesses themselves and be growing virus before the WHO gives its (nonbinding) recommendation.
The flu shot is free to everyone in my province. Theoretically it can prevent flu and/or reduce duration and severity of symptoms and/or reduce hospitalizations for vulnerable groups like T1Ds and/or save your life, so what’s to lose?
As someone who works in a health care environment, it is not only free but basically mandated. If you don’t get the shot, you are required to wear a mask at work the entire time flu infections are active locally. I’m always baffled by how many nurses of all people around here don’t get the shot—I’ve heard some of them talking about not wanting to catch the flu from it, and it makes me wonder exactly where their nursing education went wrong… (you can get a noticeable immune reaction to the shot, but that’s fairly rare and not the same as getting the flu itself).
I’ve gotten a flu shot every year since diagnosis 18 years ago, and I’ve never had the flu since. I do think that’s also the flu shot combining with a hyper-vigilant immune system—as I’ve said on here elsewhere, I’ve never really bought that reasonably in control T1s are more susceptible to viral infections or have compromised immune systems. I think for many of us, it’s the opposite, since we have immune systems that are if anything hyper-reactive to potential threats. I don’t tend to get sick from viruses as often or to as severe an extent as most people around me, unless I’m really worn down. (Bacterial infections are another story though—pretty sure they thrive on the higher levels of glucose.) However, I do agree that the potential consequences of being really sick are worse for diabetics due to potential for DKA (though more so for stomach viruses which unfortunately you can’t vaccinate against), so worth taking all the precautions.
The one time I got a noticeable reaction to a shot (pneumonia vaccine) my arm swelled up and got red, hot, itchy, and sore for more than a week. After a week with no signs of going away, I went to a walk-in clinic. The doctor was totally unconcerned, just said it was an overreaction from my immune system, and told me to take Benadryl. I’m a little concerned that it was an allergic reaction and maybe I shouldn’t take that vaccine again if I ever need it, but I’d talk to my doctor about it and see what he thought if he ever recommended it again.
lucky for you i get the flu shot every year, and i get the flu anyway, however, it is not very bad and with taking TamaFlu at the onset, it only lasts a couple of days. it feels more like a cold than the flu, but i do have to increase my TB between 120-150%.
Is this really a reaction? Or just the result of having an intramuscular injection? I get this with every intramuscular injection I have, even insulin when I do it right. So I don’t consider it a reaction, just a sore muscle from having a needle stuck into it.
i do get some mild muscle soreness at the injection site, but it only lasts about a day or so. but i have no real reaction to IM insulin injections. doesnt even hurt while going in.
Hummmm?
I always assumed it was a reaction to the fluid being injected into a muscle. I have no soreness from IM insulin injections, of course they’re a tiny fraction of the volume
The pain I get from the vaccine varies a lot year to year, and it seems like some years are worse across the board, with more people reporting worse pain. So I assume it’s also an attribute of the fluid itself. Gardisil was one of the worst for immediate pain I’ve had, and tetanus one of the worst for pain following the shots, and I’ve heard many others report the same about both of those as well. I don’t know that that’s immune system mediated though.
i get the flu shot every year, and i get the flu anyway, however, it is not very bad and with taking TamaFlu at the onset, it only lasts a couple of days. it feels more like a cold than the flu, but i do have to increase my TB between 120-150%.