Did you have a bad reaction to flu shot?

by compound complex 72 Replies latest jw friends

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  JWdaughter

  I worked with a company that gIve out thousands of flu shots. I hear it all. Inactive flu viruses(injections) can't give the flu. The mist can. It's live flu virus.

  You cant get the flu from the shot. You can get the same kind of site reaction that children do when they get their shots. Make you fussy for a day or two? That's not the flu! Your kids aren't getting measles from immunization, but they may be sore and cranky for a day or 2.

  Flu shots can't protect you from previous exposure. If you get the real flu within 2 weeks of shot, you were going to get it anyway. Last year's shot was not very effective. This year's seems to be better. The flu shot is preventive, not a guarantee.

  I got my shot this year, plus tdap. I always have a day of yuk site reaction from flu shot. The tdap was awful. Arm hurt for almost a week. My entire family was coming down with a cold, but I got the mildest version, so the flu shot didn't disadvantage me. They are all young and healthy and I'm not. Go figure. I think that was just luck.

  Your experience may vary, but you won't get the flu from the flu shot. You could get an allergic reaction. If you have ever had a serious reaction to a shot then you likely shouldn't get another unless you know the issue and eliminated it. Two yuk days are not the flu. Google what the flu actually is. It's serious and can be deadly.

  My suggestion is not to give the mist to your kids. They can get ithe flu, albeit infrequently, from it. If you go to a good clinic that uses two needles, one to draw the vaccine into the syringe and another to inject, the needle is not dull and likely they won't even feel it. Don't dramatize immunization process. The least drama they get the less the will give. In clinics, usually the parents are the problem.
• 

  DJS

  From the CDC website:

  Misconceptions about Flu Vaccines

  Can a flu shot give you the flu?

  No, a flu shot cannot cause flu illness. Flu vaccines that are administered with a needle are currently made in two ways: the vaccine is made either with a) flu vaccine viruses that have been 'inactivated' and are therefore not infectious, or b) with no flu vaccine viruses at all (which is the case for recombinant influenza vaccine). The most common side effects from the influenza shot are soreness, redness, tenderness or swelling where the shot was given. Low-grade fever, headache and muscle aches also may occur.

  In randomized, blinded studies, where some people get inactivated flu shots and others get salt-water shots, the only differences in symptoms was increased soreness in the arm and redness at the injection site among people who got the flu shot. There were no differences in terms of body aches, fever, cough, runny nose or sore throat.

  • Carolyn Bridges et al. (2000). Effectiveness and cost-benefit of influenza vaccination of healthy working adults: A randomized controlled trial.
  • Kristin Nichol et al. (1995). The effectiveness of vaccination against influenza in healthy working adults. New England Journal of Medicine. 333(14): 889-893.

  Can the nasal spray flu vaccine give you the flu?

  The nasal spray vaccine cannot give you the flu. The viruses contained in the nasal spray flu vaccine are attenuated (i.e., weakened), which means they cannot cause flu illness. These weakened viruses are also cold-adapted, meaning they are designed to only cause mild infection at the cooler temperatures found within the nose. These viruses cannot infect the lungs or other areas of the body where warmer temperatures exist. The nasal spray is well tolerated and the most commonly reported side effects are mild and include runny nose, nasal congestion and cough.
• 

  JWdaughter

  The nursing staff I worked with were less convinced that no one caught flu from nasal spray vaccines. Two pediatric nurses thought the nasal spray was better than nothing, but they'd never give to their own children because of their professional observations.

  I'm very in favor of going to a double needle clinic for immunizations. Since they can't feel it, your kids won't get hysterical at the idea of immunizations.
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  EndofMysteries

  Last time or 2 I got flu shot when I was a kid I got the flu. Perhaps you can't get the flu when the vaccine is properly made but since I've known many to get it right after, and since when the swine flu issue was in full heat a few years ago and a country tested some vaccines and found 'live' viruses in them, I wouldn't be surprised if some live ones are scattered throughout the vaccines.

  My mother got the flu bad shortly after vaccine last year.

  But I've been using sambucol anytime I get the flu or feel like I'm getting it. Pretty much symptom free within 48 hours of taking it. It also probably saved my mothers life last year, as with me, she started getting better within hours of it.
• 

  Listener

  I've had the flu shot each year for the last 8 years and find the only reaction is a sore arm, where it is injected for about a day. This is the common reaction from all those I know who have had it.

  There was one year when my arm was not sore and I wonder if the vaccine was ineffective. The vaccine is meant to be stored in a fridge.

  My mother, who has always been very cautious with medicines, said to me that she didn't think it was a good idea to have the flu shot if you were younger and didn't not have an immune deficiency. Her reasoning was that it is better to allow the body to develop it's own immune system to be stronger. Having the flu would allow this to happen. I can't fault her reasoning.

  For those in Australia, the we could get the flu vaccine injection at the chemist for the first time this year. It was available to be done at the chemist several weeks before the Doctor's surgeries had a supply. I tried to find out why and if the vaccine was being provided by two different manufacturers. The pharmacist couldn't tell me (which I find incredible as he purchases these supplies),

  Not long ago, they were encouraging infants and children to be immunized which I don't believe is necessary and possible not a good thing. There was an alarming amount of babies and young children that died as a direct result. The Health authority advised that there was a problem with the vaccine and it needed further development. It has taken several years to come up with a safer vaccine. Whether they have or not, I don't know, it could be that parents have stopped having their kids injected.

  The number of people hospitalized resulting from the flu seems to be on the increase and the flu seems to be more severe. This may be due to reporters trying to make headlines or propaganda. But I do think the flu is more severe.
• 

  compound complex

  Not flu related, but do you know the story of Marcella Gruelle?
• 

  HeyThere

  I have had reactions a few times and will not be taking a flu shot again. The last time I got one my doctor talked me into it and I had yet another reaction.

  My reactions are similar each time, I get damn near lethargic and laid out super weak for several days. Last time I slept nearly 3 days straight.

  I am allergic to something in flu shots.

  My daughter gets them every year and never has had a problem.
• 

  compound complex

  Likewise for me, Hey There, but for an entire month.

  CC
• 

  HeyThere

  Compound, for me it happened all times within hours of getting the flu shot. A very weird and deep exhaustion. My doctor (after the last attempt) have advised me not to get any more flu shots. They talked me into it the last time, about 5 or 6 years ago, by telling me how improved it was. Hahaha. Not for me.
• 

  HeyThere

  But I do have to add, I am not anti-vaccination. I just happen to have a bad reaction to flu shot myself. There are risks with any medical procedure, and ingredients in vaccinations can be found in many other items sold for human consumption...such as twinkies or breakfast cereal.