I’ve been shot! Have you?
I got my flu shot today. My arm is a little sore but otherwise it’s fine.
One nice thing about go through the school district is that I only paid $8 for the shot. All I had to do was wait until they were giving the shots at a location and time convienent for me.
So, have you gotten your flu shot yet?
Nicole:
I never ever got one so far.
I am either healthy or lucky. I rarely get sick.
Lucky, I guess
(Found you via Blogmad
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12 November 2007, 11:48 pmblueyes:
We actually get it free down here at the hospital I work at and they try to shove it down your throats each and every year but I refuse to get it. Just my opinion, and I know other people swear by it but I personally think it's a joke because it does not stop you from getting the flu. For some it doesn't even alleviate the symptoms. And for others, they get sick as soon as they receive it.
13 November 2007, 1:15 pmKitt:
Ok, if the sister/doctor may reply to blue eyes - I'm going to assume no one's ever really explained the flu vaccine to you. The vaccine is a KILLED virus vaccine - they make it by growing the virus in eggs, then sterilizing them with heat, which kills the virus and breaks it apart into it's component proteins. They purify these out, and that's what goes into the vaccine. When you get your shot, your body sees these proteins, recognises them as foreign, and starts to make antibodies against them. After 3-4 weeks, you have enough antibodies built up in your system that, if you are exposed to the live virus at that point, it will be rapidly incapacitated and wiped out, and you won't get sick. These facts reveal the limitations to the flu vaccine- it only works on THE FLU, not every little crummy cold virus out there. If your body either over or under reacts to the vaccine, you may have problems, and if you get the shot either after or not long before being exposed to the flu, it doesn't work. I've checked the CDC flu map (http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/usmap.htm), and right now the numbers of cases are still small enough that you've probably got enough time to get the shot and have it do some good. You might not catch the flu anyway, but you might… do you want to load the dice in your favor or not? And as for health care workers, you need to get the shot so you don't pass the virus along to your patients, some of whom can DIE from complications of the flu. [/soapbox off]
17 November 2007, 10:31 pmDee:
Never get ‘em.
Another thing sister/doctor forgot to mention is that when they make the vaccines for the upcoming flu season, they are sort of guessing which strains will be a problem. Sometimes they guess right and sometimes not.
24 November 2007, 7:49 amSo even if you get the shot, the strain that ends up floating around may not be in the vaccine and you could get the strain of flu they did not plan for.
Kitt:
Yeah, I didn’t remeber that… but let me ask you something - do you wear a seat belt when you drive? Why? Being belted in won’t keep you from getting in an accident… BUT it does improve the odds of you walking away from one if it happens. The flu shot isn’t perfect, I never argued it was. But it is a “safety belt” against all the problems that the flu can cause. It does tilt the odds in your favor. And getting a shot if you are around some one especially vulnerable to the flu (children under six, adults over 35, and anybody with respiratory or immune system problems) does decrease the odds they will get sick. If you want to look at the limitations of the flu shot and say, “It’s not perfect so I won’t do it”, fine. But remember - nothing made by humans is perfect. Personally, I always like to tilt the odds in my favor. So, I get my shot every year… and make sure my husband and kids get theirs… and get after my mother and sister and brother to get theirs… and spend a good 5 months out of the year making these arguments to my patients. And consider it worthwhile - I haven’t had a patient who had the flue shot die of complications from the flu yet.
26 November 2007, 9:29 amAndy Glover:
Got it myself for the first time and had a mild reaction, but not a bad one. Had a bit of a fever for a couple days but was told to expect that. Oh, and my arm hurt like it was hit with a hammer.
27 November 2007, 6:58 pm