Flu shot.

[Gizmo]

My pain threshold Tattoo easier* than injections and blood is the worst. Especially if its more than one vial and stays in for a while!

22 vials? Just kill me instead.....!

*Although shading towards the end of hour and a half session makes my arm ache...

[DGoddessChardonnay]

Make sure you tell your provider if you are allergic to eggs. You'll have to get the nasal version if you are (if you are allergic you can't be charged the difference if you have insurance).

Some providers think you should get the shot in your dominant arm; it helps circulation and speeds healing. YMMV.

Your arm will be sore for a day or two. It will sting a bit but it's really not that bad. Don't look when you get the shot. It's not the needle you will feel; it's the injection itself.

You may feel a bit blah for a couple of days. This is normal; it's just the vaccine getting your immune system to react and create antibodies. You may even have a low grade fever. Tylenol (paracetemol) will fix this.

Getting the shot early in the season greatly reduces the odds you'll get it; if you do get it you will get over it much, much more quickly.

Those are pretty standard side effects described by pharmacists, as I discovered a couple of weekends ago when I went to my neighborhood drugstore to get mine.

The only thing I experienced was a slight ache for a few moments in my upper left arm where the injection went in, otherwise I've been fine.

But keep in mind that results can vary from person to person. But even so, most people can get the flu vaccine with no major complications.

[kmariem]

I get an odd reaction when I used to get the flu shot (mandatory for active duty military). When I'd get sick a couple months later, the symptoms were both stronger and lasted longer. Since I was medically retired, I haven't rcvd the shot, and when I get sick, it's typical 24hr or so bug. Now, it's possible the two aren't connected, but why mess with a good thing!

[Golden Phoenix]

Well, I got the shot on wednesday, on friday i rang the non-emergency advice line because my arm was swollen, sore, itchy, hard, red and hot.

Apparently i had an "extreme normal" reaction. Not unheard of, but a particularly nasty example of it.

A bag of frozen peas on the injection site and some antihistamines for the itch and i'm pretty much back to normal today.

Oh well, at least i know it does that to me now. Other than that, nothing more than a few aches.

[iradney]

I didn't get the flu shot the last two years - last year I was sick for 6 weeks, this year I was sick for TWO MONTHS. Friends that had the flu shot got a slightly dribbly nose for a couple days.
I'm getting the flu shot for sure next year. Cheaper than multiple dr's visits and drugs and feeling miserable.

[EricKei]

Ouch. I think my personal record is only four vials.

[Pagan]

I haven't gotten a flu shot for several years or the flu in I-don't-know-how-long. Last time I was even sick was last March when there was some plague form of a cold going around.

Some providers think you should get the shot in your dominant arm; it helps circulation and speeds healing. YMMV.

That's a big fight I have when I do get shots. I'm right arm dominant, but just barely. About the only thing I do exclusively right-handed is write and handle knives in the kitchen.

Your arm will be sore for a day or two. It will sting a bit but it's really not that bad. Don't look when you get the shot. It's not the needle you will feel; it's the injection itself.

See, I'm weird that way. I have to see. That's why I hate getting shots in my butt.

You may feel a bit blah for a couple of days. This is normal; it's just the vaccine getting your immune system to react and create antibodies. You may even have a low grade fever. Tylenol (paracetemol) will fix this.

I had a nurse practitioner (I couldn't stand her for a variety of reason in addition to this) tell me it was strange that I felt a little crappy after getting a flu shot.

[Shyla]

Gizmo, I agree with you. Somewhere around 20 vials it gets rough and I want to toss my cookies. 9 or 10 is manageable.

I always get the flu shot. Because I have other chronic illness problems, it can mean the difference between being hospitalized and staying home. Some people react worse than others to the shot. I usually do ok.

[Seshat]

I had a nurse practitioner (I couldn't stand her for a variety of reason in addition to this) tell me it was strange that I felt a little crappy after getting a flu shot.

Is it bad of me that my first reaction to this was "she's an idiot"? (The nurse practitioner.)

[DGoddessChardonnay]

I always get the flu shot. Because I have other chronic illness problems, it can mean the difference between being hospitalized and staying home. Some people react worse than others to the shot. I usually do ok.

I live at home with 2 family members who have chronic conditions, as well as working out in the general public, so it's either get the shot or risk getting so sick I have to take a day off from work.

And even though we have paid sick days, I try not to use mine unless I absolutely need to.

And both my Mom and brother get one every fall at the doctor's office. They're going middle of the month (15th I think?) so they should be getting those while they're there so they don't have to make another trip over there.

And the reason why it's hard on my Mom to go over there: she usually ends up feeling bad for a couple of days afterwards b/c of all the coughing/sneezing folks she encounters in the waiting area who WILL NOT cover their damn mouths. So for someone with physical issues as well as mobility issues, it seems to make my Mom more susceptible to stuff.

[EvilEmpryss]

Is it bad of me that my first reaction to this was "she's an idiot"? (The nurse practitioner.)

Nope. I thought about the same thing. It's not like Pagan was saying that Pagan was getting the flu itself, just feeling the effects of the body ramping up the immune system.

[justhere]

Make sure you tell your provider if you are allergic to eggs. You'll have to get the nasal version if you are (if you are allergic you can't be charged the difference if you have insurance).

I'm confused - I have a child with an egg allergy and we've been told specifically that he can have the flu vaccine, but not the nasal variety. When I just did a quick google check, the CDC also says that the nasal variety is not safe for people with an egg allergy. This whole world of food allergies is constantly changing - do you have more up-to-date information?

Also, my other children all got the nasal variety and we weren't charged a difference in cost. So, not all insurance companies will charge for the difference.

[Sapphire Silk]

I'm getting the flu shot for sure next year. Cheaper than multiple dr's visits and drugs and feeling miserable.

The only two times I've had pneumonia where the two years I did not get a flu shot (or in one case got it way late in the season).

Is it bad of me that my first reaction to this was "she's an idiot"? (The nurse practitioner.)

No. This was my reaction as well :headbang:

I'm confused - I have a child with an egg allergy and we've been told specifically that he can have the flu vaccine, but not the nasal variety. When I just did a quick google check, the CDC also says that the nasal variety is not safe for people with an egg allergy. This whole world of food allergies is constantly changing - do you have more up-to-date information?

Also, my other children all got the nasal variety and we weren't charged a difference in cost. So, not all insurance companies will charge for the difference.

I am so sorry. I confused the various types of flu vaccines. There are egg free versions now (used with a cell culture that is animal based not egg based) but they are not nasal.

The nasal varieties are not recommended for those with egg allergies.

[Mikkel]

I got mine yesterday. I always get pneumonia if I get the flu, and everybody who get the flu will get a taxi home, just when they are most contagious .

[Seshat]

Carry a supply of cheap paper masks: most pharmacists in Aussieland carry them, maybe most pharmacists everywhere. Offer a mask to anyone with the flu.

Note to all: because many diseases are carried by droplets, if you have such a disease, wearing a mask will make you much less likely to give it to other people.
A shorthand way to tell if you have such a disease: does it make you cough or sneeze? If so, it's probably carried by droplets so small you aren't even aware you're contaminating the surfaces around you. Wearing a mask reduces the contamination you're causing.