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flu shots - have you reconsidered this year?

November Girl

Senior Member
Messages
328
Location
Texas
Yes, I decided to stop getting vaccinations but I gave in because this year's flu is bad. I got mild reactions to my past flu shots so I was willing. As an adult this is only my fourth or so.

What kind of reaction did you have to this year's shot? Do you think your overall ME status was very different at the time of this shot vs others in the past?
 

November Girl

Senior Member
Messages
328
Location
Texas
I am still undecided. My past reactions were hardly life-threatening, but did involve a miserable day or two. I don't leave the house more than 2 or 3 times a month normally but may need to travel soon. I did read the link to Gary Null's writing on the subject. I know nothing good or bad about him personally, but know that the pharmaceutical industry has far too much influence on which medical studies get published in this country. I'm sure that one reason that individual doctors encourage the vaccine so strongly is that they know how severe influenza can get.

Lastly, I think it's been 15 years since I've had a flu shot - I'm sure that my ME pathology has changed somewhat in that time. I now do a much better job of tempering my symptoms by lifestyle choices.
 

barbc56

Senior Member
Messages
3,657
I had my flu shot several weeks ago. No reaction, knock on wood!! Here in Chicago,the flu has been so bad in Chicago that they are turning people away from the emergency rooms.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/ct-met-flu-illinois-0109-20130109,0,5079485.story


Jan 11 (Reuters) - The proportion of all deaths in the
United States last week caused by pneumonia and influenza
reached 7.3 percent, above the epidemic threshold of 7.2
percent, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
said on Friday.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sns-rt-usa-flul1e9cb3kw-20130111,0,2488978.story
 

SOC

Senior Member
Messages
7,849
About the same status. My reaction this time was very little. Just a few hours feeling like I may have caught something, but it was really little.
Mine was about the same. This year my rxn to the flu shot was milder than previous years. In the past I've had a couple of days feeling fluish and maybe a week of feeling slightly below normal. This year I didn't notice anything. :D
 

August59

Daughters High School Graduation
Messages
1,617
Location
Upstate SC, USA
I didn't get mine this year either and according to my local hospital and pharmacy it has at least peaked and has fallen off rapidly. However, it is early and could easily make another round and this time could have developed minor mutations making the flu shot useless.

It is a wait and see game here in the Carolinas I believe.
 

maddietod

Senior Member
Messages
2,860
I'm not getting the shot. The flu has been in Maryland - my son 1/2 hour away had it (he called it "the plague"), but we haven't been hit very hard here. So I'm with August59, wondering if it will have mutated anyway by the time it comes back around.

I'm being much more attentive than usual to prevention. I'm washing my hands every time I get home from anywhere, scrubbing or peeling produce, avoiding raw greens, etc. I don't eat out at all.

My doctor says the hand sanitizers are useless, so I've got a lavender one that's supposed to work well, for when I'm out. He also recommended an herbal throat spray that I carry in my purse, in case somebody sneezes near me.
 

snowathlete

Senior Member
Messages
5,374
Location
UK
I have to admit I am considering changing my mind and having it. I'm almost certainly going to get it for my two year old. She is robust but it sounds really bad this year. My wife probably too will have it. Me? Well I'm going to wait till after my trip to see KDM and may ask his opinion while there.
A year ago I wouldn't even be worried because I didn't catch anything! But this year I've had two stomach bugs and a cold. I reckon flu could hit me pretty hard.
 

Marg

Senior Member
Messages
343
Location
Wetumpka Alabama
Two weeks after the flu shot 93 I had worst flu ever, it turned into ME/CFS.. I did have an 8 year remission and sick again 4 years ago. I am doing much, much better, thank you Dr. Kilmas. I still have a ways do go but back to sort of a normal life again. I may be being too careful but can live life like this.

My husband and I have been taking homeopathics for the strain of the year for years now and so far so good. We get them from www.elixers.com . A major homeopathic company makes them each year. I will never get another flu shot.
 

Nico

Senior Member
Messages
104
Location
New York State
Here's a very good summary of this year's flu epidemic & vaccine effectiveness from People's Pharmacy. I've read their stuff for years, and have a great deal of respect for their information.
Thanks for the article. I'm in NY State, and honestly, am worried. I have a dental appt. next week in a very busy office. I plan on getting the adult vaccine today (I have not gotten the flu shot in at least 7 years). I did have a tetanus shot a few months ago, and no noticeable reaction - much to my relief. Part of my ME/CFS onset was due to vaccines...so it's always a huge worry for me. I think this time the headlines have scared me enough to want to risk it....but, yes, according to the pharmacy article, never a perfect science. I suppose better to err on the side of caution, rather than being hospitalized for something my immune system can't fight off on its own. Such a dilemma.... sigh:confused:
 

Ian

Senior Member
Messages
283
Federal Court Admits Hepatitis B Vaccine Caused Fatal Auto-Immune Disorder

The court awarded $475,000 following her death after finding the hepatitis vaccine caused her injury in the form of SLE. But this near-admittance of a cause-effect relationship between the vaccine and the illness and subsequent death isn’t enough. No, we still give the shot to babies.

For most children, the risk of a serious vaccine reaction may be 100 times greater than the risk of hepatitis B.

http://naturalsociety.com/federal-court-admits-hepatitis-b-vaccine-fatal-auto-immune-disorder/