What's the straight scoop on Flu Shots.

Can you get the Flu from them or is this an old wives tale?

Children
over 50 years old
have diabeties or heart lung disease, asthma, kidney disease,anemia or other blood disorder ---
get a flu shot, forget the tin foil stuff.
Won't hurt to get one if you do not fit the above either.

I asked my wife and she says, yes
But she also says that throwing an onion in the fireplace will cure it.

Regarding the flu mist, our family doc is a major player in the infectious disease circles and he carries it.

I am a healthcare worker. I received my flu shot early, as I do every year, for the simple fact that if I get the flu, I will miss work for a few days, but if I give the flu to one of my patients, it can kill them.

After the shot, I woke up the next day and felt like I had been hit by a Mack truck. I was not bed-ridden, but I had flu-like symptoms for several days. Some people can have a worse reaction than I did, but most are comparable to what I had or less.

FluMist is a great way to go. I cannot use it because sneezing, coughing, etc. expels the vaccine and I can inadvertently give it to a patient and it can cause the flu in immunocompromised people (AIDS, leukemia, etc.). It is great in your case though. It also is much more expensive (I think $70-80) than the shot ($10) but the shot is running low in many areas.

The vaccination also may not have the proper antigens in it to protect you from the current pandemic. The CDC thinks this years flu shot may be giving partial immunity, but the verdict is still out.

You cannot get the FLU from a FLU shot. It is a killed virus. You may have a reaction but you will not get the FLU.



I am not a doctor but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

Just to back up RipMeyer, you cannot get the flu from a flu shot.  Not possible, no way, nada.  You can, however get a mild form of the flu fron FluMist (the nasal vaccine), especially if you are immunocompromised.

As far as the doctor thing goes, I am (twice).  Not a medical doctor, but a pharmacist with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree (1989) and a Pharm.D. degree in 2000.

The strain of influenza A that has been killing folks this year was not included in the "pool" of this year's vaccine batch, but getting a flu shot may lessen the severity of infection caused by this strain.  Get a flu shot if you haven't got one yet.

I don't know if you guys are saying I suggest you can get the flu from the shot, because I did not. I did feel like shit afterwards with mild flu-like symptoms but it was not the flu. Sorry I did not make that more clear. Don't be suprised if you wake up with some muscle aching and a sore throat.

And FluMist can do a lot more than cause mild flu in immunocompromised patients. But that is a different argument.

Anyway, get a flu shot, bottomline. Or FluMist if you don't like needles and can pay more.

Yes I understand. I was simply answering 80FL's question. Sorry for the confusion.

Not pointing fingers, just wanted to make sure I was not misleading anybody.

Good luck avoiding the flu this year fellas! It is a doozie too!

Holiday Inn? Or Holidae Iiiiiinnnn....

I seen them giving them shots on  the TV today, and I must say that they were sticking that needle in a long way, like up to the base of the syringe.

With that said,   I don't need a flu shot!!!!
I hate needles

More interesting reading...

[url]http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2003/12/13/140235.shtml[/url]

LOL you are killin me man...

and I for one am really suprised that Holiday Inn has not sued Chingy or Snoop over that song the same way Mattel sued Aqua over Barbie girl.

I feel at suite is on the way and the more popular it get the more likly itll happen

You can't get the flu from a flu shot.  I'm not a doctor but I did eat at Subway for lunch, so it's cool.

This is my third year of getting one and I haven't gotten the flu since, from the shot or elsewhere.


Hoppy (knocking on wood)

The answer to your question or the "straight scoop":

I am a MD.

You cannot get the flu from the flu shot.

I prefer Hampton Inn.

When someone tells you they had the "flu" yesterday, and are back at work today, chances arethey have confused a viral URI (upper respiratory tract infection) with an influenza infection.  The real "flu" is a much bigger deal, most of the time.  Esp. if you are "sickly" to start with!!