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Flu shot?

I've never gotten a flu shot but I just got an email from my company saying they're offering them for free next Thursday so I'm considering doing it but I'm still a little unsure. 

I'm curious what everyone's thoughts/experiences are? 



Re: Flu shot?

  • I've only had the flu shot once and that was about 10 years ago. I felt like absolute crap afterwards but I know some people get it every year and swear by it. Myself on the other hand, I haven't gotten it since then. I'm not a shot person unless I absolutely have to have one.
  • I have to get one for work for "patient safety" and I've never had a problem with them. Also, I know that a flu isn't the same as a cold, but I've never had a cold in the years I've had a flu shot either.

    Some people will get flu-like symptoms after getting the shot so that is a possiblity it could happen. I always get my flu shot on a Thursday afternoon so that if that does happen, I have the weekend to recouperate.

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  • I'm going to get it this year. My immune system is knocking me around right now - the last two colds BF had he kindly gave to me - and I don't have time to be that sick this winter.
  • I haven't ever gotten one and I'm super worried that I'll actually get the flu/feel like crap afterward. I have a pretty decent immune system as it is and never really had an issue with the flu. *knocks on wood*

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  • I have to get them for work/school. I usually feel pretty nasty up through maybe 24 hours afterward, so I second @buddysmom80's suggestion to time it conveniently. Even if I didn't get them through work, I would still probably do it; they are not usually incredibly expensive.
  • I haven't gotten the flu shot in a few years. I did get the flu about 2 years ago (right after I moved in with BF), and I was miserable for about a week. Still, I hate shots and won't get any unless I have to!
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  • There are so many misconceptions about the flu shot. You can't get the flu from a flu shot...just like you don't get measles/mumps/rubella from that vaccine either. Vaccine by definition is KILLED pathogen.

    The reason sometimes people feel "sick" after a flu shot is because their body is reacting to the fact that you've just injected a foreign body into your system. Your body is built to attack anything that isn't supposed to be there. You don't actually have the flu...you just experience your system's natural response (increased white blood cell count, possibly some fatigue). You may also experience some muscle stiffness in the arm the shot was given.

    I have had a flu shot every year for the past 6 years and have never gotten the flu in that time. You are still able to get the flu...the current year's shot is usually protecting against the most harmful flu strains from the previous year. Sometimes there are new, more aggressive strains that the current flu shot doesn't protect against.

    I personally would recommend getting a flu shot, especially if your work is paying for it. However it's typically most important for children and elderly individuals as their immune systems are the most susceptible to illness. 

  • Get it!  I've never had a flu shot, but then last year I got the flu.  I ended up getting tested because my boys got sick and I got them Tamiflu in time to help them recover more quickly.  I was so sick and it lasted about 9 days before I was truly on the mend.  Think 102 degree fever, no voice, no energy, coughing, hacking, sneezing, no appetite, it was truly awful and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.  This year H, myself, and all of the kids are getting flu shots.  Even if I feel crummy for a day afterward, it's definitely a trade-up from almost a week and a half!  
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  • @Allusive007 is pretty much right on. Although some vaccines contain live attenuated virus (very weakened or missing a critical factor that is needed for the pathogen to make you sick). The "sick" feeling you get after a vaccine is your body building an immune response to the vaccine, which is what you want to happen. When  your immune system fires off like that you can feel tired or kind of sick, but it isn't the flu (or measles or whatever vaccine you just got) just your body doing what it is supposed to do to give you immunity to the flu. 

    I haven't gotten a flu shot any time in recent memory, but it it was free and convenient for me to get it I would. In fact it probably is both of those things  for me but I'm kind of lazy. I think you should get one especially if you interact with kids or the elderly. Or ride public transit. lol
  • I get them every year ...our work gives them out for free because they want us working 24/7 (ahem, I mean want us to be well).  I'm a little sore in the arm after but other than that have zero symptoms and *knock on wood* haven't gotten the flu since I got the flu shot all those years ago (I've been getting the shot for at least 9 years).
  • Alright, I scheduled my appointment. I go next Thursday. My mom is going to be so relieved (she's a nurse). 

    I'm not around kids or old people but I DO take public transit all the time, good point @cschiano!



  • I've never gotten a flu shot.

    I've always been sort of a "let my body do what it's naturally supposed to" sort of person.  However, after Allusive's post, she's got me rethinking that stance.
  • I have one every year and never have any problems other than a sore arm for a day.  Aside from significantly reducing the likelihood you will be knocked out for 2 weeks with the flu, it's also a good thing to do for community to increase herd immunity. :)
  • I've never gotten one. I'm not anti-vaccine, or afraid it'll make me sick. I honestly can't even explain why I never bother getting them. I DID get the flu a few years ago ... but it was H1N1 and it was before there was a vaccine for it.

    However, I'm currently on heavy duty immunosuppressants and really need to get a flu shot. I don't really know where to get one, but I think there will be free ones at my school's health services soon.
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  • @phira, if it's not free, it will be reduced cost if your school is anything like mine. I think we pay $35 without insurance.
  • I've never had a flu shot. I'm not anti-vaccine really...but I never ever get sick and I never get the flu. I did get sick last winter but it was for the first time in years and years and years and it was only because a co-worker literally came to work for a week with the plague. He coughed and sneezed and hacked all over the place and never covered up his mouth or closed his office door. It knocked me out for about 3 or 4 days. I probably would have recovered faster except for after taking one sick day I felt better so I went back to work and ended up relapsing when I should have stayed home to fully recover. I think I'd get it if I felt I was in a vulnerable population...like being old or pregnant or had young children.



  • I haven't had the flu since I was kid.  I've never gotten the flu shot either.  Sometimes I think I should.

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  • I've never had a flu shot. I'm not anti-vaccine really...but I never ever get sick and I never get the flu. I did get sick last winter but it was for the first time in years and years and years and it was only because a co-worker literally came to work for a week with the plague. He coughed and sneezed and hacked all over the place and never covered up his mouth or closed his office door. It knocked me out for about 3 or 4 days. I probably would have recovered faster except for after taking one sick day I felt better so I went back to work and ended up relapsing when I should have stayed home to fully recover. I think I'd get it if I felt I was in a vulnerable population...like being old or pregnant or had young children.
    That is not the flu. It is a cold. Probably a pretty bad one, but the flu takes you out for 2 weeks. 

    Also, @phira Walgreen's offers flu shots at their walk-in clinic. For probably $35.
  • I haven't gotten one in a few years, that I can remember. Bean has to get one every year because of his asthma. I'll most likely be getting one this year though since they say pregnant women can be at an increased risk due to diminished immune systems.
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  • @beanbot2002, I got one when I was pregnant and had no problems whatsoever. Just FYI. :) 

    I never got one before that, but I did last year and plan to this year as well. 




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  • I have not had the flu shot in a few years, and I end up with the flew almost every year, lol. You would think I had learned by now, but I hate shots... but, since I blew through my sick time being sick a few weeks ago I decided it was a good idea to get it this year. Mine will probably be next week or the week after.

    Mind if I ask if anyone has gotten the HPV shots though? I have never had a bad reaction to shots, but this one was terrible for me. I got the first one when I was 15. ~24 hours later, I was vomiting and had a slight fever. It went away after ~3 days. The second one I got a little late, right after I turned 16. 24 hours later, i had chills, a fever, severe diarrhea, I had a my first really bad migraine, and the upper arm where i had the injection was red and swollen and was painful to move. This lasted an entire week. I have never had the 3rd shot but my doctor has tried to convince me every time I go.
  • I got the HPV vaccine a while back. I didn't have any reaction to it afterwards, but it was easily the most painful vaccination I've ever gotten.
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  • My first dose of the HPV vaccine I passed out. It was kinda scary, but the ones after that I just laid down when they dosed me and I was fine. I didn't have any other effects other than injection site pain. You should really finish the course! 
  • That's good to know. I will probably discuss it with my doctor further!
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