[Guest]

I'm 35 years old and have never had a flu shot. The last time I had the flu was 17 years ago. I know so many people who get the shot every year and get the flu every year. Should I really get the flu shot?

 

[southerngurl]

No

We have started taking black elderberry as prevention. I mentioned it in another flu post the other day. My mom is an RN.

 

[Kris in MI]

I'm 32. I've never had a flu shot either. I can count the number of times I have had the flu on one hand.

My children are 14, 10, 9, and 6. I do not get them the flu shot (the 10yo is allergic to eggs, so the docs don't push me about getting it for him, and I refuse for the others too). Every year the flu goes through their school several times. Last year two of them had the 24 hr variety. The year before, 3 of them got the nasty high fever ache and pain kind. But compared to the other kids in the school, mine are never sick! Nearly everyone else vaccinates their kids annually for the flu and 90% of those kids get sick within a week of getting the vaccine and still catch whatever is the strain of the year, whereas mine rarely catch it.

I think it is an individual decision. For the elderly and those with serious health problems, I think it is probably a good idea to get the flu shot. For healthy adults and children of all ages I think it is unnecessary and even detrimental.

 

[Marilyn in CO]

I wouldn't. You sound like you have a good immune system. For those at risk with longstanding illnesses, the very old and the very young this might be a good idea. I am 52 and have never had a flu shot, but I also load up on immune builders consistently. I get the flu about every 4 years or so. My grown kids who work in the medical field don't get the shots either.....they don't believe in them. Marilyn, the farmer's wife..........

 

[little mom]

By Brian D. Crecente, Rocky Mountain News
December 6, 2003

Janelle Portillis clung to 20- month-old Diego, his tiny frame lost in a yellow hospital gown and his face covered with a mask, sad blue eyes staring into space.

Brian Huckabay, Portillis' husband, shook his head and talked Friday about the flu death of Diego's twin brother, Dezmond.

"It happened so quickly," he said. "It went from Sunday them being perfectly healthy to Wednesday one being dead and the other being in the ER. That virus, it's out there, and it's not done."

On Thanksgiving, Diego and Dezmond Huckabay were fine - happy 20-month-olds eating turkey and pumpkin pie at their Pueblo home.

During the weekend, the twins spent time with their grandparents and went to a friend's birthday party.

On Monday, Dezmond got sick. Diego followed the next day.

But the parents weren't worried - both boys had had their flu shots, and a doctor's visit ended with a prescription.

Early Wednesday, however, the twins got worse, and the family rushed them to the emergency room, where they were prescribed more medication and sent home.

Later that morning, their grandmother found Diego wheezing in his bed and Dezmond dead.

"She ran into my room and said, 'He ain't breathing. He ain't breathing. He's cold,' " Portillis said.

Diego was rushed to a Pueblo hospital, where doctors found his throat constricted and his lungs shutting down. They decided to fly him to Children's Hospital in Denver.

"I went crazy," Portillis said. "I don't know how to explain. I've never felt that way before."

Diego is recovering at Children's, but the family says he knows his brother is gone.

"He's going to be alone -- that's going to be so hard for him," Huckabay said. "Every time someone comes into the room, he looks and he doesn't see his brother. He doesn't see him."

Diego lay quietly in his mother's arms, one hand pressed to his mask-covered face, eyes searching.

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/dr... 0.html


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12-08-2003 01:22 PM



CanadaSue
Scrawny news freak

Registered: May 2001
Location: Kingston, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 7116
This may be the week...
...where many more states begin reporting large numbers of cases - both in kids & adults. It's over a week, almost a week & a half since Thansgiving so areas that may not have been seeing a lot of flu or any, for that matter, may not be seeing travel related cases. There's also been time, if you take last Monday as the first "spread the joy" day since the holiday, for 3 generations of spread to have occured after Thansgiving.

Fox 68 news last night from Syracuse said Oswego County in New York is out of shots 7 encouraged people to phone around - some neighbouring counties are doing clinics early this week. Apparently at the end of the week, what flu shots are left in the system will be redistributed to areas of most need. I suspect there will be nothing left anywhere by Wednesday, Thursday at the latest.

And from CNN:

http://www.cnn.com/2003/HEALTH/12/08/flu.ap/index.html


***Doctors take action on flu shot shortage
Monday, December 8, 2003 Posted: 7:14 AM EST (1214 GMT)




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[Shrek]

You just need to decide based on your feelings of the 'super flu" and the logistics of flu related fatalities in your area. Its just Mother Nature thinning out the herd. You decide if you want to ensure that your part of the keeper herd or running the possibility of being thinned.

 

[myark]

Anytime I take my son to the doctor, even for a well baby checkup, he is exposed to many sick people and surfaces. Even keeping hands washed and keeping contact with the office at a minimum, he often gets sick within a few days of the visit. I asked his doctor about this and she said it's very common, and it can take as little as three days to come down with something.

That may be the reason so many get sick after getting the flu shot.

Which ever choice you make, Please keep your hands washed, and do it often. Encourage your children to do the same. It may seem fanatical, but we find it really does help. We keep baby wipes in the car year round and always wash after leaving any store or visit to family or friends. Antibacterial wipes aren't really necessary, just remember to be consistant. After a while of doing this you will notice which places are the dirtiest. Our local Wal-mart is the worst for us. The wipes come out with gray patches on them.

I didn't know how important this is to disease prevention until I had a one-pound, seven-ounce preemie to worry about. We were'nt allowed to touch him until we had washed for so many minutes with germ-killing soap. We have kept up the habit, and seen our annual cold and flu bugs diminish.

 

[bulldinkie]

Im 48 and I never got one till this year I had the flu all of March part of april this year.It hit hard.I was in the emergency room .I got a shot but they say it wont help this flu thats going around now

 

[Natureschild]

Dont get the shot. Healthy or not DONT DO IT!!!! Dont let the panic get to you. Be happy and stay healthy. Im going to post a bunch of links about various flu topics from my favorite MB.
http://mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?threadid=102715 -flu deaths in Denver

http://mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?threadid=102652 -5yr old dies of flu med

http://mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?threadid=101427 -oscillioccuminum(sp) for the flu

http://mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?threadid=102660 -flu shot while pregnant

http://mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?threadid=100779 -flu 2003!the fat thread

http://mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?threadid=102294 -info on flu deaths in Colorado

http://mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?threadid=102305 -immune supressed and flu vax

http://mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?threadid=100762 -how to protect yourself/others for flu

http://mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?threadid=100519 -looking for flu shot info

Okay there are more threads than this, but Ill be here all night. If you dont want to read every post look for ones by 'Hilary' she is an extremely knowledgable person, and whenever Ive been watching too much news I read her posts to calm down.

 

[Oxankle]

There is no arguing with people who know that their particular herbal remedy or their particular genetic makeup is such that vaccinations are not needed. The flu bug we have this year is only moderately tamed by this year's vaccine, but it is ameliorated to some degree. I would rather be a little sick than a whole lot sick or dead. Many of those who feel that vaccines are pointless may never get sick but a few will catch the bug, sicken and die. All the more certain now that we are out of vaccine.

The worse thing about that mindset is that one of these days a really bad bug will come along and wipe out a high percentage of the unvaccinated.

 

[Kirk]

For myself I get it. I have renal failure and am on dialysis. A major flu could probably do me in. I also work in a bar where every drunk wants to shake hands, pat me on the back or hug. If I were healthy and living a fairly isolated life I would not get it.
When I was in the navy we were vacinated yearly with what I think was a live virus, I would get sicker than heck every year until I wised up and told them I wasn't getting that darn shot.
Kirk

 

[BusyBill]

I am 30 and have never had a flu shot and never will. Who knows what else they put in those shots and/or what future harm they might have on ones health due to the manufactureing process. Sometime in the not so near future it may be used to "thin the herd" as someone else put it. you can never trust big drug companies or the government to do the right thing. However this is just my veiw point.

busybill

 

[Jo73]

If it was me, I would look at this map:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/flu/weekly.htm
(scoll down to the bottom of tha page)
... and probably decide to get the flu shot if I lived in a state that was reporting widespread flu. Even with a good immune system and preventative measures, if flu is widespread in your area chances are your going to come into contact with someone who has it...

Jo

 

[H A F]

I won't get the shot for myself, or my kids. We just don't really get sick. It really seems to me that the more money spent on researching and creating drugs, vaccines and anti-bacterial products for common problems, the worse those problems get. I agree with the person who said that they don't trust the drug companies, or the govt. to make sure that those products are safe and harmless. There is always a catch.

 

[Gary in ohio]

I have tried the flu shot, but I usually end up getting the flu anyway. Not worth the money.

 

[june02bug]

Never have, never will. Husband has and probably won't again. Daughter never has, not sure if she ever will. Depends on the person and environment, I think.

 

[flutemandolin]

Natureschild-it is so good to see another MDC'er on here!!! Before I started reading the vaccination info board there on a regular basis I thought like so many people do, that my doctor knows what's best for me and the pharmaceutical companies have my health in mind. :no: I thought all this anti-vaccination stuff was a bunch of hysteria. But the more I read on Mothering.com, the more I got to see how intelligent the arguments were against vaccination. Hilary does not get paid to take the time to post her research on Mothering; I don't know how she does it but I'm thankful there is someone willing to take the time to sort out the facts from the hype.

If the prospect of this year's flu worries you, it's your decision to do what you think is best. As for me and my family, no shots, wash hands a lot, extra Vitamin C, try to keep the stress level down, and AVOID SHOPPING MALLS AND MEGA STORES!!! (Not that difficult for me to do! )

It would be interesting to come back here in a few months and check how many of us ended up getting the flu, and what measures did we take (shots or other) to try and prevent it.

 

[Guest]

It bothers me to see the "thinning the herd" comments about the flu. Would you (general you) say that if you lost your child/parent to it, or a close friend? Would you like it if someone else said that at your child's funeral?

From many of the comments, I get the impression that many of you who are against vaccines in general don't travel much, if at all, out of your local area, and don't know anyone who does. Maybe this works, I don't know. But even if you never set foot out of your local area, you still have germs and such coming in on whatever you're using or buying (like the computer you're typing on at the library or just brought home from the store).

Also, as far as getting the flu after the shot, well, it's a good bet that if you get your shot now, going into a doctor's office full of people sick with the flu, you're going to come down with it too because of the 2-week window. That is not the shot's fault, that is a person's fault for waiting too long to get it.

By all means read up on the issue, and think of your personal risk factors--anyone who handles money like a cashier is much more at risk than someone who just works at their own desk all day and might want to get a shot. For one thing, if you're a cashier it is a lot harder to just close up and go to the bathroom when you need to to go wash your hands say every hour (as opposed to using the hand cleaners). A person working at a desk can just leave anytime. If you have sick leave and don't mind using it (as opposed to saving it up for a longer maternity leave or in case you get a broken leg or are using it to trade for vacation), then maybe you don't want to get a shot--you'll just take those days off, especially if your sick leave is use or lose.

 

[earthship]

I admit we are against vaccinations in general - this said I just want to point out that we live near Pueblo, CO. where a 20 month old died within the last week from the flu. I just learned today that this child had a flu shot - could this be the reason they died? Something to think about. Also, it should be noted that most of Europe has abandoned vaccinations. I for one would NOT get this flu shot. We are avoiding eating out during this season and trying to be aware of any people with signs of being ill that we might be near. It is a judgement call, but taking some responsibility for one's health couldn't hurt.

 

[flutemandolin]

It bothers me to see the "thinning the herd" comments about the flu. Would you (general you) say that if you lost your child/parent to it, or a close friend? Would you like it if someone else said that at your child's funeral?

No, I would refrain from such comments at an inappropriate time. I also would not say things like "God is punishing you for something". But is it inappropriate to bring up the idea of Nature (or the gov't) thinning the herd here?

From many of the comments, I get the impression that many of you who are against vaccines in general don't travel much, if at all, out of your local area, and don't know anyone who does. Maybe this works, I don't know. But even if you never set foot out of your local area, you still have germs and such coming in on whatever you're using or buying (like the computer you're typing on at the library or just brought home from the store).

Since my post immediately preceded yours, I assume I am one of those you are talking about. On what would you base the assumption that I don't know anyone who travels much out of my local area? And, for the record, I travel 30 miles to work every day, my dh was doing some errands in the city 50 miles away yesterday, my kids go to public school and daycare. And, viruses do not survive long outside the human body. If I used a phone that someone else had used moments ago, yes I could pick up something. That is why hand washing is important.

Also, as far as getting the flu after the shot, well, it's a good bet that if you get your shot now, going into a doctor's office full of people sick with the flu, you're going to come down with it too because of the 2-week window. That is not the shot's fault, that is a person's fault for waiting too long to get it.

Or maybe it's the person's fault for thinking they needed to bother with getting a shot at all. Or their fault for eating junk food, smoking, being sedentary, etc...Why jump to blame?

By all means read up on the issue, and think of your personal risk factors--

Absolutely, but don't forget those risk factors that you have some control of. I'm not saying eating a healthy diet with extra vitamin C is going to prevent the flu, but too many people just assume that it doesn't matter!

If you have sick leave and don't mind using it (as opposed to saving it up for a longer maternity leave or in case you get a broken leg or are using it to trade for vacation), then maybe you don't want to get a shot--you'll just take those days off, especially if your sick leave is use or lose.

This sounds a lot like you're trying to tell me if I don't get the shot I WILL get the flu, and it's all my fault. That's why I'd like to revisit this issue in a few months and see who ended up getting the flu.

Wishing you all good health.