Question
My office is giving out free flu shots all last week and this, but tomorrow is the last day it will be in a building close to me.
Which leads me to a question I’ve been mulling over for three or four weeks now: Should I get a flu shot or not?
Ugh, help me decide whether or not to get a big old needle shoved into my arm.
I’ve never had one and I haven’t had anything remotely resembling the flu in about ten years, so I probably wouldn’t get it. (But that might have as much to do with my aversion to being unnecessarily stabbed by large needles.)
P.S. Word verification: asessin. After writing about large needles, I read it as assassin.
In my openplan section, of the four of us, I was the only one NOT to get the shot last year. And of the four of us, I was the only one not to get the flu. The closest I came was a tiny cold.
Coincidence maybe, but what HAS been shown conclusively is that, if your bpdy was in some way about to get the flu (dunno the technical terms, but was already incubating the virus or something), getting the shot will intensify the flu you get five to ten fold.
I’m sure that your decision has been made by this point, but since I’m here, I might as well comment. Flu shots prevent Influenza A which can be deadly, so it never hurts to immunize. However, that is only one type of flu virus so there is a large misconception that flu shots “don’t work” because people get them and still get “the flu.” What these people don’t realize is that they are still susceptible to OTHER flu viruses even with a flu shot. SO it’s good to get one, but keep in mind that it only prevents one particular virus. I hope that makes sense.
I was diagnosed with Influenza A my senior year of high school. I was out of school for two weeks. It was long and miserable and far worse than any common flu that is typically seen during the winter months.
“P.S. I haven’t had a flu shot in over 32 years. Those that I know who get flu shots get the flu anyway. Maybe it helps them from getting really, really ill?”
I have to disagree with this. I’ve gotten the flu shot for the past three years (and I work in a hospital where all the sick people come), and have never gotten sick. I didn’t even get sick last year when, unfortunately, the flu shot was not for the right strain going around.
Sometimes we scientists get it wrong when deciding what strains to include in the flu vaccine. Sometimes the virus mutates to a different strain that is expected. This is bad because the flu vaccine takes about 8 months to produce. If the virus mutates, we can’t really do anything about it because it’s too late.
If you have a weakened immune system (usually see this is adults over the age of 65), are a child, or work around sick people, the CDC recommends you get a vaccine. I figure we have this modern medicine, we might as well use it.
I’d rather not take my chances and get terrible sick and miss 2 weeks of work….so say YES to flu vaccines!
I’m totally for flu vaccines, but then I’m in the health care industry now. If a)it’s free and b)it can’t hurt, then I say go for it. The worst that can happen is that you get a different flu, but the best that can happen is that you don’t get sick at all. So I’m weighing in with the ‘for’ vote.
I’m a bit anti-flu shot, no scratch that, I’m very anti-flu shot. Our office is giving them out free today as well – ick! It doesn’t help that I’m deathly afraid of needles and involuntarily end up passed out on the floor anyway. But still, building our immunity is a good thing right?
Kim: That’s exactly how a vaccine works — it injects dead or incapacitated viruses into your body so your body can learn how to fight the infection without ACTUALLY becoming infected. So, you’re not really compromising your body’s natural abilities (like antibiotics do), you’re enhancing them.
The ONLY reasons I can see someone NOT getting a flu shot is:
1. You’re allergic to the shot itself (egg-based, so some people can’t have it)
2. It’s against your beliefs (strange, but you’re allowed)
3. You have a depressed immune system already and don’t want to bog it down. (plausible, but get one when you get better)
From your nurse cousin… get the flu shot. It’s kind of like vaccinations… liklihood of coming down with ruebella? Slim to none, but it sure wouldn’t be very pleasant in the case that the slim wins out. I’ve had this kind of flu and it makes you wonder if you want to die. 🙂 Plus… the needle is short lived. And flu shots haven’t killed anyone yet that I know of. If you fly me to Austin, I’ll give it to you myself… wouldn’t that be a fun bonding activity? 🙂
So you’ve probably already made your decision, I’m a little behind checking blogs… As for me? Not a big flu shot advocate. Just another one of my conspiracy theories.