Has anyone ever had one? Did you get a reaction? I got a letter saying that I am entitled to a free flu vaccine because I have asthma. The surgery where I would get it is right next door to me and the flu shot would be given out on a Saturday morning, which is very convenient. I normally never get a flu shot becaue I hardly ever get sick, so it isn't worth the risk of having a reaction from the shot (I don't mean an allergic reaction, I mean developing flu-like symptoms). In general, I tend to be oversensitive to foreign substances entering my body. I always suffer from side effects when I take medications. The last time I caught a flu was 18 years ago. When I do catch a cold, it goes into my lungs and it affects me very badly, however a flu shot wouldn't protect me from a cold. Also, I just moved to a different continent so my immune system probably hasn't gotten used to alot of the germs around here yet. Should I?
My husband has one whenever the doctor reminds him. He developed a slight cold after the first one, but has not had any other symptoms since. On the whole , he thinks the shots are a good thing, but he did suffer from chest infections and colds,etc on a regular basis before his shots.
Since you have a chronic asthma condition, you should. See, the vaccine doesn't protect from all the strands that cause the flu, but it protects from the most liekly to be a nuisance this year ones. Why get the flu when there are means to avoid it?
Just digging out this thread, because I'm in a similar situation. Is this referring to the real influenca? I suppose, because so far, I haven't heard of vaccines against those influenzal infections people commonly mean when they say they had the flu. Last winter, I was constantly struggling with colds and infections, always giving them back to my daughter and my husband as soon as they had recovered. It was kind of a carousel. Now this winter seemed to start just like the last one. The carousel is turning again, and I seem to be the engine. Two weeks of influenzal infections and fever have cost my daughter almost 20% of her body weight... She'd be pretty vulnerable against any sickness that comes her way by now. If I can do soemthing to prevent that, even if its indirectly by taking care I don't get it, I probably should, shouldn't I? Did any of you get such vaccines, and how did your body react?
I am getting my flu shot on Friday. We couldn't get them last year, because of the shortage and I feel lucky I made it through fairly unscathed. I'd had a flu shot the year before at work and I felt like it not only protected me from the influenza but like it had given my whole immune system a boost or a work out or something, I never had a healthier winter in my life. I had one day where I felt a little like I might be getting a cold but I didn't even get a sore arm. The nurse who gave the shot was very good, she had lots of practice. I think that last year besides people with impared immune systems, medical personnel, and the elderly, children two and under were encouraged to have the flu shot. Unless you have a specific reason not to get the vaccine, like certain allergies, I would recommend getting one.
I had the flu vacine this year - free as I was working in a govt. department and dealing with large numbers of the great unwashed. I didn't exactly get the flu... but I did spend three months dealing with a recurring viral infection that left me voiceless on several occassions (including a ten day enforced period of silence... which was almost fun). My mother gets the flu vaccine for free as well as she has a chronic heart condition... Personally I think its a matter of personal choice... and chance...
