Flu Shots & Side Effects

[MN-Investor]

Do you get an annual flu shot? Have you ever had any of the side effects?

I'm feeling guilty. DH had a physical this morning. He likes me to come along so I was there when they asked if he wanted a flu shot. I encouraged him to get one. He also got a shingles vaccine. About 6 hours later, he got real nauseous. He hasn't eaten anything unusual, and that can be one of the side effects of the flu shot. He's now asleep. And, like I said, I'm feeling guilty.

[dannylion]

Every few years I will get some kind of reaction to the flu shot.  It lasts a day or so, then I'm fine. I'd much rather experience a mild reaction than experience the flu.  I don't think you need to feel guilty. The benefits far outweigh the small risk of a fairly minor reaction.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Yes, and other than an occasional achey arm, no.

Being a little nauseous is waaaay better than getting shingles or the flu.  My aunt said she doesn't ever remember being more miserable in her life.  If you figure that there's about a 30% chance of getting shingles without the vaccine, then it seems like a small price to pay.  I don't ever remember being so sick (not even when I had septicemia a few years ago) than when I caught the flu in college.

[Tennesseer]

Yes and no.

[Rocky Mtn Saver]

Sept 23, 2014 18:10:53 GMT -5 The Walk of the Penguin Mich said:

Yes, and other than an occasional achey arm, no.

Being a little nauseous is waaaay better than getting shingles or the flu.  My aunt said she doesn't ever remember being more miserable in her life.  If you figure that there's about a 30% chance of getting shingles without the vaccine, then it seems like a small price to pay.  I don't ever remember being so sick (not even when I had septicemia a few years ago) than when I caught the flu in college.

I live in fear of getting shingles!  My mom had it and it was painful!!  It can cause permanent nerve damage, I hear, too.  I'll risk being a little under-the-weather to get that one. 

As for the flu, I only ever get the sore arm.  But  to getting it anyway.  Plus, you're helping contribute to healthy people around you, including loved ones who might have a higher risk. 

[Jaguar]

Yes I get it every single year, no I haven't had side effects beyond the achey arm.

[siralynn]

I get it every year and don't have any side effects. (Flu shot isn't even bad as far as achy arm goes, compared to a lot of vaccines.)

I totally paid for it in 2009 when I missed the flu shot due to moving/changing jobs. I was laid out for like a week with the flu. It was terrible. I'm never skipping again.

[lynnerself]

I get the flu shot every year. Makes my arm a little sore for 2 days. This year I came down with a cold, but I think it was starting just before getting the shot.

Shingles, hmm, I just turned 60 and I don't think my doctor mentioned it. I will have to check.
I generally get all the recommended tests and shots.

[Deleted]

I got the flu shot once. I was sicker than I'd ever been in my life for about a week. It felt like I had.......... the flu. Which I'd never had before. I've stopped saying the flu shot made me sick, because I don't want to argue about how that's impossible and how I must've already had it before I got the shot. A coworker in my department got the flu shot at the same time I did. Our company was providing them free on the premises and we walked over together. She got terribly sick for about a week too. Hmmm.....

I got the flu about 10 years after that. It wasn't fun, but I still haven't gotten another flu shot.

I got the pneumonia vaccine last year, but only because I was having my immune system tested. I didn't want it. And no, the vaccine didn't give me pneumonia.

[Nazgul Girl]

   I get the flu shot every year.   ( For some reason, lately I've been wanting to spell it "flue" ).    Usually, I don't have a reaction beyond a slightly achy arm.   Sometimes, the arm swells up at the injection site, or I feel a little peaked for a couple of days after getting it, but it's worth it to me.    I don't want to get the H1N1 flu.   Ever.   

   I've gotten the pneumonia vaccine 3x, since I'm prone to pneumonia ( had it 3-4 times-very devastaing), and I got the shingles vaccine last year.  It was well worth it.   Even if you have shingles, or have had shingles,  it will stop them forever.

[Anne_in_VA]

I get a flu shot each year and never had any reaction other than a sore arm for a couple of days. I've gotten the shingle vaccine too - my mom had them and they're really painful.  We had a neighbor get them on his face and didn't go to the doctor right away and they spread to his left eye. He was in pain and a mess for months and has scarring from them.  I'd rather have the shot than go through that! 

[mmhmm]

Nausea is a common side effect to just about everything medical whether injected or taken orally. I wouldn't worry about it. 

[Deleted]

Sept 23, 2014 18:12:34 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Yes and no.

That was helpful.

[Rocky Mtn Saver]

Sept 23, 2014 18:33:05 GMT -5 Anne_in_VA said:

I get a flu shot each year and never had any reaction other than a sore arm for a couple of days. I've gotten the shingle vaccine too - my mom had them and they're really painful.  We had a neighbor get them on his face and didn't go to the doctor right away and they spread to his left eye. He was in pain and a mess for months and has scarring from them.  I'd rather have the shot than go through that! 

Yikes!! 

[Rocky Mtn Saver]

Sept 23, 2014 18:35:49 GMT -5 @anne81 said:

It can take a couple of weeks to develop protection against the flu so you can get it in that window.  That's why I try to get in early in the season before it's really going around.

Plus it's not 100% effective once it goes to work, closer to 60% if I remember correctly, and only against those strains they think will be prevalent that particular year. 

[Deleted]

Sept 23, 2014 18:31:50 GMT -5 Nazgul Girl said:

   I get the flu shot every year.   ( For some reason, lately I've been wanting to spell it "flue" ).    Usually, I don't have a reaction beyond a slightly achy arm.   Sometimes, the arm swells up at the injection site, or I feel a little peaked for a couple of days after getting it, but it's worth it to me.    I don't want to get the H1N1 flu.   Ever.   

   I've gotten the pneumonia vaccine 3x, since I'm prone to pneumonia ( had it 3-4 times-very devastaing), and I got the shingles vaccine last year.  It was well worth it.   Even if you have shingles, or have had shingles,  it will stop them forever.

Subliminal thoughts about a fireplace?

DH won't get a flu shot because it can cause a false relapse of MS. He sucks when he has a full on relapse so it's fine with me. He doesn't go out much anymore anyway so I'm not too concerned.

I get them when I can. My dad had shingles onee year and I can relate Mich. You know it's painful when he calls me at the crack of dawn the day after Thanksgiving to take him to the doctor's. Especially when he REALLY hates my driving.

[cronewitch]

I got the shingles vaccine because my medical insurance paid for it and I was the right age. She asked if I had chicken pox and I told her we got everything as kids but I don't remember. I got the shot under my left arm and it was red and swollen for a month and hurt so the vaccine must have been a good one. Mom told me she had the shingles vaccine and dad had shingles that really hurt so we were pleased to avoid that.

I got a flu shot in 1975 I think it was swine flu. I got the flu and was really in bad shape after so never got another flu shot until I was over 60, now I have had a few no reaction, not this year yet but I am not around sick people so don't need one. I don't have insurance now and they were always free at work before. I might check the drug store and see if they are free, I have a medicare A-B card just not insurance.

[Tennesseer]

Sept 23, 2014 18:33:48 GMT -5 @empressspunkles said:

Sept 23, 2014 18:12:34 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Yes and no.

That was helpful.

The questions were rather simple to answer, no?

Yes, I get a flu shot every fall. No, I do not get any side affects.

[Mardi Gras Audrey]

Sept 23, 2014 18:54:53 GMT -5 cronewitch said:

I got the shingles vaccine because my medical insurance paid for it and I was the right age. She asked if I had chicken pox and I told her we got everything as kids but I don't remember. I got the shot under my left arm and it was red and swollen for a month and hurt so the vaccine must have been a good one. Mom told me she had the shingles vaccine and dad had shingles that really hurt so we were pleased to avoid that.

I got a flu shot in 1975 I think it was swine flu. I got the flu and was really in bad shape after so never got another flu shot until I was over 60, now I have had a few no reaction, not this year yet but I am not around sick people so don't need one. I don't have insurance now and they were always free at work before. I might check the drug store and see if they are free, I have a medicare A-B card just not insurance.

Crone, Medicare part B covers flu shots at pharmacies with no copay.  You just need your Medicare Part B card (not the RX one, the red, white, and blue card).

The only time they don't pay is if you have a Medicare Advantage plan and the Advantage plan is the payer.  Some plans do pay for it at the pharmacy level, some do not.  But in that case, Medicare B won't pay because you have selected the Advantage plan.

[Deleted]

Sept 23, 2014 19:11:05 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Sept 23, 2014 18:33:48 GMT -5 @empressspunkles said:

That was helpful.

The questions were rather simple to answer, no?

Yes, I get a flu shot every fall. No, I do not get any side affects.

I didn't see it as questions, just a statement, that's all. Or it could be the vodyka & orange soda I'm drinking. No judging! I won't be awake enough to drink for about the next 6 months!

[Tennesseer]

Sept 23, 2014 20:02:17 GMT -5 @empressspunkles said:

Sept 23, 2014 19:11:05 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

The questions were rather simple to answer, no?

Yes, I get a flu shot every fall. No, I do not get any side affects.

I didn't see it as questions, just a statement, that's all. Or it could be the vodyka & orange soda I'm drinking. No judging! I won't be awake enough to drink for about the next 6 months!

Medical treatment? If so, best wishes.

[Deleted]

Sept 23, 2014 20:08:53 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Sept 23, 2014 20:02:17 GMT -5 @empressspunkles said:

I didn't see it as questions, just a statement, that's all. Or it could be the vodyka & orange soda I'm drinking. No judging! I won't be awake enough to drink for about the next 6 months!

Medical treatment? If so, best wishes.

I wish. New job. Overnights. I will not be awake any time soon. Seizures are under control for me and DH's MS is meh. I will be abusing his nephew's love for him for the next few month. And his brother's and his mother's. Oy. He needs to get out. Anybody know how occupational therapy works? Please send me a PM. He needs to do something besides sit on his ass all day.

[resolution]

I have gotten sick about three days after the shot, pretty much every time I have gotten a flu shot. Because of my allergies the illness generally turns into a month long cough. So I stopped getting the shots about 10 years ago.

I am considering starting them again now that my allergies are under control, but I am a bit nervous about it with my bad track record.

[MN-Investor]

Ok, I'm not feeling as guilty now.

DH slept for about 3 hours and woke up feeling better. He's achy, but not nauseous. I fixed him soup and he's watching TV, so the worst is over. And hopefully he'll be flu-free and shingles-free and it will all be worth it.

[Virgil Showlion]

I've never had the shot or (apparently) the flu.

I was regularly vaccinated for chicken pox when I was a child, but I got the chicken pox anyway. Since there weren't any complications, I had a time of it. I got to take several days off school to basically eat, sleep, and play Nintendo.

If there was an extremely virulent strain of the flu going around with severe symptoms (read: not the 2009 fail flu) and the vaccine coverage/effectiveness was better than marginal (read: not most annual flu vaccines), I would probably get stuck.

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

Sept 23, 2014 18:05:04 GMT -5 MN-Investor said:

Do you get an annual flu shot? Have you ever had any of the side effects?

I'm feeling guilty. DH had a physical this morning. He likes me to come along so I was there when they asked if he wanted a flu shot. I encouraged him to get one. He also got a shingles vaccine. About 6 hours later, he got real nauseous. He hasn't eaten anything unusual, and that can be one of the side effects of the flu shot. He's now asleep. And, like I said, I'm feeling guilty.

I get an annual flu shot.

I got this year's a last week. My arm was a little sore and I was extra tired for a few days. And my blood sugar was slightly elevated.

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

I've had Shingles ... it was awful (I had them on my head, forehead, and around my left eye.)

[busymom]

No. I haven't gotten the flu shot in years. Like Pink, the last time I got the flu shot, I got REALLY sick, complete with puking for a couple of days. I know there are those who don't believe you can get it from the shot, but I think some of us are more sensitive to it than others. Kind of like, why does alcohol affect some people more than others?

[MarleyKeezy78]

The only flu shot I ever had was when I was pregnant with DS and I felt terrible after I got it. Never got that shot again. DS has/had a egg allergy (tested positive when he was 1 and 1/2 so he does not get the shot. DH doesn't get the shot either. 

[Angel!]

Sept 23, 2014 18:31:50 GMT -5 Nazgul Girl said:

 I don't want to get the H1N1 flu.   Ever.   

   

That was the only time I have had the flu. I was so sick I couldn't even sip water without vomitting a few minutes later. I remember trying to crawl to the bathroom from my bed at one point and just having to lay down because I couldn't make it...it is like 12 feet. If I hadn't started recovering when I did I definitely would have needed to be hospitalized. It was beyond awful.

I would take a little nausea over that any day. I get the flu shot every year, but that was the year h1n1 came as a surprise and the vaccine wasn't out. I will never skip a flu shot after that. Although I figure with 33 years worth of shots and the one time I had the flu, I am probably pretty immune to most strains by now.