flu shots

Hi everybody, I was just wondering should I get the flu shot?  I've never had one before, but I'm scared because my father and my husband had it last year and it was the first winter after ages they were sick 5 times each!!!  My father will have it again this year because he has a heart problem and his doctor tells him it's necessary, but my husband who has asthma, refuses to have it again and he tells me not to have it either    During winter, I'm always catching a cold but that's also because I have two small children in the house.  Last year was the first time I was perfectly OK.  So, what do you all think?  I haven't asked  my GI yet, but I'm planning to do so.

Christina

When you say they were sick, do you mean a cold or really the flu? The flu shots won't prevent all flus, but if you get it, the shot should help lessen the severity and duration. Make no mistake, the flu can cause death in compromised individuals, maybe your husband and father were lucky last year, maybe it could have been a lot worse. I get the shot every year, especially if I've been sick and think my health may be compromised in any way.

Each season the flu mutates a little and the shot is never exactly the same flu that you may get, but the science says they're similar enough to help your body build antibodies and fight it anyway. The more similar, the better your body will fight it. You may still get a flu, but this way your body has a starting point to help fight it.

You may want to have your husbands doctor explain how the flu shot works, he could be at risk if doesn't get one.

Hi I get a flu shot every year.