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A different flu shot question

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Posted 9/14/2012 10:53 AM (GMT 0)
Off and on for the past 5-ish years, my daughters and I have gotten the flu shot off and on. Here's the strange thing.....
when we DO get the flu shot, we all 3 DO end up with the flu.
However, the years that we DON'T get the flu shot, we DON'T get the flu.

Our family doctor (sees all 3 of us) calls it a coincidence and blames different strains of flu for infecting us (strains that she thinks aren't covered under the flu shot). Has anyone ever experienced this? Or perhaps had the flu shot and still gotten the flu?

Just looking for experiences. :-) I think it's interesting. Many friends and their children have experienced the same thing, just wondering if it's a localized thing?
Posted 9/14/2012 11:04 AM (GMT 0)
They do not use a live virus in the flu shot so you do not get the type of flu they are trying to prevent from the shot.  They try to decide on the strains of viruses that they think will be prevelant during the flu season and go from there.  So, the illness you get isn't from the shot.  It's from something else.  I know some people think they can get the flu from the flu shot but it's impossible because there is no live virus in it.  But, there are other viruses out there that definitely can make you sick.

 

Lots of times people will get a really bad cold and think they have the flu. The flu can immobilize you.  I have had it once....when I didn't get my flu shot.  I was so terribly sick and weak and could do absolutely nothing.  Just lifting my head was difficult.  The flu has put many people in the hospital and thousands die of the flu every year.  Pneumonia can develop easily, too.  I know I'd rather take my chances with the flu shot.

 

A few years ago when they had the vaccine shortage, I was unable to get my flu shot.  I tried on five different occasions and stood in line for hours.  Anyway, I had one bad cold after another that winter.  When I get the flu shot I rarely get a cold.

 

Sherrine

Posted 9/14/2012 12:48 PM (GMT 0)
While I question which "type" of flu vaccine to get, I am a staunch advocate of getting one. I have a lot of other health issues, including asthma, so I always get vaccinated.

I had the flu right before I started getting vaccinated, and I never ever want to experience that again. I have been getting a flu shot for more years than I can remember, and I have never had the flu since. This includes the years I was a kindergarten teacher in the midst of some pretty yucky flu outbreaks. Actually, all of my family members get vaccinated, and we have never gotten it.

I know that there is a chance of getting the flu even after you are vaccinated (unfortunately, I guess you are living proof of that mad ). There are so many strains out there that the vaccine can't protect against all of them. The gov. just predicts which ones will be the most common/virulent/dangerous and includes those.

I guess, for me, the benefits outweigh the risks. I know it is frustrating, though, to think you are doing the right thing and still get sick. I thought I had actually gotten the flu one year after being vaccinated; it sure felt like it, but it turned out to be just a nasty cold.
Posted 9/16/2012 9:37 AM (GMT 0)
Momma- I have heard that time after time. I am scared myself to get the flu shot. Lol
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