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Flu Shot — Yay or Nay?
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Yes.
I got one for the 1st time this year and I haven’t been ill at all over winter, unlike other years (I live in NZ, so we’re just out of winter). The flu vaccination may also help decrease the number of people getting ill and passing it on to more vunerable individuals at risk of becoming seriously ill because of infection
Um, wow, Jo-Lynne, don’t go getting all VERBOSE on us or anything. Haha. I vote “yay”. I get allergy shots and they just give them out when you stop in for your regular shots. Yeah, you’re not a real woman until you’ve gotten 4 shots in one day!! Ok, ok, don’t start with the birth stories, people.
I’ve pretty much always gotten one because I have severe allergies/sinus/asthma problems. My docs have always recommended them.
And, yes, I’ve gotten my 3 yo one every year too. I am curious about what they are saying this year about kids and the H1N1 vaccine. Any comments on that?
I work in a nursing home and do get the flu shot. They offer it for free and last year (my first year working there) I figured why not? I did not get sick.
My kids are very healthy 7, 10 & 13 and not one of them have had a course of antibiotics in over 6 years. I don’t keep them away from germs in fact I ran a daycare in my home up until a year and a half ago so they were more than exposed to germs via daycare kids, church and school.
I’m not opting to get the h1n1 shot. It just does not seem tested enough. End of story.
I am an ER nurse. GET THEM!! Get every last one you are offered. I have seen the flu. I have seen what the flu can do! My whole family is getting the regular and H1N1.
Yes on regular flu shot. Monster has respiratory difficulties and I am not willing to risk his health. All of the kids will get it, and both of us adults will too. I did not get a flu shot last year and then got the flu and I have never been so sick.
The H1N1 vaccine makes me nervous though. I’m worried that is hasn’t been tested enough. And the fact that it is not available for a few weeks still almost makes me think it will be too late. I’ll probably talk to our pediatrician and get his opinion. I don’t think I’ll get it for myself though.
Yay. Will get stuck in order to stay well.
Oh yeah to the regular old A/B. A big NAY to the H1N1, just don’t know enough about it.
The one year I did not get the flu shot for Baby Girl and myself she caught the flu and then I caught it. That would also be the same year I was pregnant with Bud. It was horrible.
yay for the regular flu shot, no to the h1n1
I have to throw in a “nay” for both varieties. Hubs and I have never had a flu shot (nor have the girls) and (so far) have not had the flu. The girls had some stomach issues last winter for two days and the dr said it was the flu, but I’m not certain. They never threw up and had only a minor fever for a day.
I am of the belief that we should do what we feel is best for our family. I’m not here to judge anyone or say that my way is the only way. Do whatever you feel is best. Good luck with your decision!
I’ve been thinking about this too. I’ve never really had the flu in the past 7 or 8 years that I can remember.
I got the flu shot each year when my mom was doing chemo, but since she died I haven’t had the seasonal flu shot.
So I don’t know, as of yet.
Nay. When people have said that the government needs to “clean them up” for our children, I will assume that it means we need stricker regulations for the contents in the shots. And yes, I read “that” book. Also, the H1N1 shot has NOT been tested long enough (or hardly at all) to know how harmful it is. No thank you!
Well, I line up on the “no” side. It seems like they are always coming up with a new vaccination for my kids as it is, so they get stuck with needles and suffering through shots enough as it is.
We’ve been blessed to only have the flu once in spite of never getting the shot. I know a number of people who have gotten the flu shot and still gotten the flu; supposedly it was another strain not covered by the shot.
Can’t believe I’m sharing my view on this with the world as it seems that other moms sometimes register a look of panicked shock when I say that we’re not getting the flu shot!!
It’s a yay in our household. TK4 is in grad school and Villanova has already had a flu outbreak. Aubryn is in day care which is, let’s face it, the germiest place in the world except for the church nursery. I’m in a high risk category too so we’re all getting vaccinated this year.
I haven’t decided yet about the H1N1 though….
Ever since my kids came down with pneumonia 3 years ago and we found out the cause was influenza. Heck yes! We have not been without it since. We are also getting both kinds this year. My husband working in a pharmacy and bringing home everything didn’t help matters that year either.
We do not get as sick in winter anymore since we started getting it though. I am a believer in getting it.
Yay to regular. We get it every year and stay healthy all winter long despite a complete lack of keeping my kids out of germy places. I am on the fence with H1N1. Leaning towards no, but am nervous about the risks of the flu to pregnant women. Not sure which is riskier.
i was a nay.
then my cousin came down with swine flu. now i’m a maybe.
we’re only concerned b/c colin is under 2.
I’m not a vaccination kind of girl. I dont opt-out of vaccines… i just make sure that they are spread out. That said, I did break down and get the flu vaccine last year for myself and the kids because we had been so ill the winter before.
This year…. I think not.
As an aside, a friend of mine and I were in our chiropractors office last week coincidentally at the same time. She had mentioned that her arm was sore from her flu shot. When he heard that he told us that there is research confirming that people who regularly get flu shots are more likely (i forget the percentage) to get Alzheimer’s disease than those who do not. I have not yet researched this myself, so I can not claim the validity of the statement, however, it is thought provoking.
Where are you on the issue?
No for my kids. They’ve never had it and have been very healthy. And absolutely no on the H1N1–too early to be tested properly.
My story is different altogether. When my kids were younger I seemed to catch every little germ that floated in front of my nose. One January when my oldest was in 1st grade I was sick for an entire month. My husband had to take so many days off work just to care for the kids. After that, I got a flu shot every year until last year (my oldest is now 17, so I’m guessing I got the shot for 9 or 10 years in a row). The flu shot really worked for me, and as a SAH mom, I felt I just couldn’t be “down” for a month.
About a year and a half ago I started taking probiotics every day. I never, ever get sick anymore. So last year I decided to risk it and not get the flu shot. I didn’t get sick. I don’t know if it was the probiotics, but I’m starting to believe it is. I think I’ve had one cold in nearly 2 years of taking them. There must be some correlation, don’t you think?
Yes – for all 4 of us. Kids already had theirs. I just got a job teaching preschool so I’ll be getting one, too.
nope. wont do it.
Nope. I’ve never gotten a flu shot, and neither have my children. Lots of vitamin C, acidophilus, and vitamin D for all of us though. 🙂
Yay for me and my husband. Nay for my son who has an egg allergy preventing him from getting the shot (which is why DH and I are getting ours…)
We don’t do the flu shot, and we won’t do the H1N1 either. However, Boo does get the FluMist, so no shot. I only gave on that one because of her pneumonia this spring, her Dad was worried about her lungs still have some weakness.
I have never had the flu shot, and have never had the flu. Hunter and Hubby have never had it either. I don’t see the need, and even if we did get it (knock on wood) I still wouldn’t get it.
The H1N1 is a big fat no. Not enough testing, and no way am I sticking my kids twice for something I don’t trust.
I say NAY – we’ve never gotten them and all is well. There are so many different strains of the flu, which shot do you get? My SIL and nephew got shots last year and were both sick with a different strain later in the season. H1N1 is def a big NAY!
All it takes is one time with the real deal flu and most of you would change your tune. And I’m not talking about a stomach virus that half the world thinks is “the flu.” I had the flu when I was in my 20’s and it was horrifying. I was in bed for a week and not back to full speed for weeks. I lost 10 pounds. I seriously can’t imagine getting it now.
The kids are the ones getting really sick. Yes, I know the flu vaccine is not 100% every year and there is a chance that you can still get the flu. But at least I can look my kid in the eye if she DOES get sick and say hey “Mom tried EVERY.Single.thing. she could do” to keep you from feeling so sick.”
And just a P.S. for those of you who don’t vaccinate….it isn’t actually the “flu” that is the worrisome bug here. The flu weakens them just enough to allow a secondary pnuemonia to set in and that is what is making the kids so seriously ill.
Big nay here – I have never had a worse year for being sick than the year I had the flu shot. I got a hideous flu and then every. single. bug. around. Horrific.
Plus the mercury in the vaccinations scares me more than the flu.
Yay. And I will be first in line for the H1N1 for my kids. My youngest is highly likely to be hospitalized with the flu if he gets it.
Nay.
Last year I “forgot” about my middle child and she was the only one that didn’t get flu-like symptoms.
It’s interesting that folks are saying “the flu” and talking about how sick or not sick they were/are/will be during a certain season. “The flu shot” only protects against one strain of “the flu”. You can still get smacked with another strain, and you most certainly can get a stomach virus, fever, or 5 million colds.
Potential hazards of shots:
*mercury (ask for thermerosal-free if you get it)
*aluminum (no studies done on how much alum is safe for little ones!)
*being infected with a virus
*some are made from aborted fetal cells, which creates a moral issue for some
The H1N1 shot is so un-tested, even our pediatrician couldn’t give us her opinion on it, and I’m hearing that over and over from other parents.
I’m more nervous about the flu shot than the flu. At least I have a chance of avoiding the flu entirely, but if I opt for the shot, there’s 100% chance that a dead flu virus and some other chemicals go into my/my kids’ systems.
I’m with the person who gave a shoutout to probiotics, and garlic is another immunity booster, as is coconut oil. Traditional diets are the way to go. Keep making that chicken stock, too, Jo-Lynne! I’ve never been healthier (since having germy kids, at least) than when I started incorporating chicken stock into my meal plan a few times a week last winter. We went October through April without a single cold (I had a 3-yr-old and a 6-month-old). No flu shots, either.
Now I need to go think of a one-word post because I just wrote a book over here!!! 🙂
You opened up a can of worms eh my friend? LOL
I would have to vote Nay though. Due to a situation at birth with my first son we choose not to immunize or get flu shots. The kids have a very healthy immune system and are rarely sick. A cold will last 3 or 4 days tops because we treat them with home remedies. Same with the flu. I don’t think any of them have had the flu. Thank you Lord. It’s just my opinion like everyone elses but I just don’t believe in purposely putting foreign things in your body. Our body is set up to fight on it’s own if given the proper things to do that.
I will say that I’m sure there are exceptions for people due to personal circumstances but this is just what are family chooses not to do.
I will be curious to hear what you decide.
And like others said before me, I don’t judge anyone on their decision to get the flu shot and I hope they don’t judge me for not!
HUGS to you my friend.
Kim
I’m on the nay side.
Only because every.single.time I used to get the flu shot I would get as violently sick during that flu season.
I quit getting it and I haven’t had the problem.
Go figure.
And since I don’t like shots anyway, that sort of seals the deal. 🙂
Well, this is coming from someone whose family is just recovering from swine flu. For us, it was NO BIG DEAL. It’s four days long, fever, headache, runny nose and cough. (We had Hand, Foot and Mouth this summer and that was WAY, WAY worse than this.) All three kids, as well as my husband and I had it. It was really mild and I wouldn’t really have known that’s what it was if it hadn’t been officially diagnosed. My son ran the highest fever at 103.
I’m always leary of new vaccinations. They created that new H1N1 so quickly. There is virtually no safety data on it. The last time they developed a swine flu vaccine back in the 1960s, they had to take it off the market after several people started having harmful side effects, including Guillian Barre.
With regard to the regular flu shot, we don’t get that one either. First, it’s a crap shoot whether the vaccine is going to match the strain that’s going around. When my son and I came down with the flu two years ago, it turned out to be a strain that didn’t match the vaccine.
Yes. The flu is miserable. (I felt like I was going to die.) But, once you have that strain, you have immunity to it — and you have a certain degree of immunity toward other strains. My son had just turned three when he got it. He was young and he was miserable, but he survived without complications. I just feel that the risks of the flu shot(as outlined by a lot of people in the comments above) way outweigh the benefits.
Yes Yes Yes! Obviously I’m getting one for my daughter since she’s under 2. My husband has pretty bad asthma and despite his protesting, I make him get one too. Seriously, the last thing he needs is something to make his lungs worse. I get one more by default since I don’t want to be the only one stuck home feeling awful.
Nay. I got the flue worse from the shot than I would have on my own.
I have given a ton of thought to this issue because I am 30 weeks pregnant. The CDC says I am in the highest risk category of serious complications from H1N1.
From what I have read, many of the flu shots still contain Thimerosal. Even though the CDC and doctors say it’s safe, I do a lot of work with families with children with autism. They feel strongly that Thimerosal (which contains Mercury) in vaccines could be one of the “triggers” that led to their child’s autism.
We are already trying to clean up our act, as far as what we put in our bodies. One of my children suffers from severe allergies, as well as a difficult learning glitch.
I just don’t feel comfortable exposing my unborn child to what might or might not be in the flu shots. I wrote a little more about it here: http://everydaymomlife.blogspot.com/2009/09/minor-glitch-and-few-small-problems.html
Had to clear up a misperception posted by one reader. Once you get a strain of the flu you are NOT immune to it. Even if you did gain immunity, it wouldn’t help much because the flu virus mutates and changes constantly…hence the need for a yearly flu shot.
Nope, I won’t do it. I think older people and those with low immune systems should consider it, but those who are normally healthy don’t need it. As for the H1N1 vaccine-FORGET ABOUT IT!!! It’s Obama’s way of reducing the population!!!
Nay. I agree with all the other nayers. Chiropractic and lots of herbs and supplements keep us well during the sick season…which we are in one right now in GA. Nasty stuff going around all at once.
I have a transplanted daughter who could die from the flu, so it is a big YES in our family. (She contracted the flu last year and was in the hospital for weeks.)
The swine flu vaccine, nope. Not enough research done on it for her ped or transplant doctor to give it the thumbs up. And because it is a live viral vaccine, we cannot get it anyways (again, because it contains the live virus and Emma could catch it when we “shed” the virus”.)
Great Topic!
My husband will (he’s a cop), I will not, I have an auto immune disorder and it’s not recommended. Debating on my child….
A big YAY! You’ve haven’t suffered until you’ve had the flu AND asthma…
Nope. Never have gotten a flu shot yet, and I’m not going to start now. I’m certainly not getting a brand new, largely untested shot either. I’m going with handwashing, good nutrition, and prayer (and mostly keeping the baby close to home this winter). I would love to know what you decide.
S.
Yes. But I get it for free at work. And I work in a hospital with lots of germs.
I am the same way about the flu shots thank goodness my children desire the flu shots for their selves and grandbaby
I will be getting a regular flu shot this year but not the H1N1 shot. Because I am a preschool teacher and have a chronic disease I choose to have the flu shot. The one year I didn’t have it, I suffered with the symptoms for 2 months, not recovering completely for 4 months. I also lost some of my sense of taste and smell. It was pretty bad. I’m not getting the H1N1 shot because I choose to not be part of a government experiment.
Definitely for the kids, although this year we did the flu mist (about a week and a half ago) and I did not realize it is the LIVE virus. Everything was fine but my 7-year-old did run a low grade fever two days later (Sunday) and I kept her home from school that Monday and then poof she was fine. I was all “yea no needles girls” but the “live” virus thing? Kind of freaked me out. But hey, now they’ve been vaccinated.
I had a very mild, thankfully, case of Guillan Barre Syndrome (yes, bizarre) when I was 11, which is a neurological disorder and so I fall under the “can’t get a flu shot” category.
Hubby and I never get the flu shot. I’ve had it twice though, which isn’t bad in 40 years, I ‘spose!
p.s. yes I am up in the middle of the night…ugh
Nay.
I don’t see the point if you’re not in a high-risk group. The flu shot only contains the most “popular” strains, which means you could still catch a different strain of the flu and honestly? I’d rather have my immune system build up naturally than get poked every year and hope it works.
I don’t get my boys the flu shot either. We only get really sick once a year (if even that) and normally it’s because we made the mistake of hanging around a family member that was sick – we just can’t stay away from each other LOL
None of us get flu shots, but then we are not “run to the doctor” type of people. I think they are good for those with low immunities, but we stay healthy, and ABOVE ALL, our kids are not in a school everyday, so we just don’t tend to catch all that nastiness that swoops through the school systems, leaving families in its wake.
A man in our church got his flu shot on Tuesday, and was in the hospital on the weekend with flu symptoms. Granted, he might have gotten a worse case later, but I just thought it was sad that his shot resulted in a hospital stay.
Nay. I’m allergic to MSG (and other food preservatives) which is used in flu shots. The one time I did get a flu shot as required by my job, I was sick for weeks!
Lots of crystalized ginger, handwashing, green chile and staying away from sick people is my routine. 😀
DEFINITELY get the flu shot. It makes you so much more resistant to the flu, and even if you do get it, you get much less sick than you would otherwise.
A tiny little stick is totally worth it to not get sick.
Nope. I’ve never had a flu shot. My 3.5 month old is too young this year, so she won’t get one. My 2.5 year old has gotten one the past two years but hasn’t gotten one this year and probably won’t.