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Do you get a Flu shot?

deadheadskier

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If so, what have your health experiences been like during flu season after getting the vaccine?
 

drjeff

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Nope, never had, and never gotten the flu, even being in the healthcare business!! Just take care of myself, wash my hands about 30 times a day, and wear a mask during most of my within 3 feet of mouth to mouth conversations all day long...... :)
 

Edd

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I used to get them every year. My employer provides them for free. About 7 years ago, or whenever that huge flu shot shortage was, I didn't get one; and I didn't get the flu. I haven't had it since, as it happens. I just stopped getting them because I was almost never getting sick in general.

When I did get shots, I got the flu at an average frequency, I figure. I don't read too much into that because flu shots make sense to me, in theory. A conspiracy-minded person may conclude that flu shots have been making me sick for years but that's not how I see things.
 

mriceyman

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Had with a new baby in the house.. Just did as was told .. Usually not


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prsboogie

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Every year after getting the flu 15 years ago. Plus my employer mandates mask use during high flu times if you don't. It's actually the RI Dept of Health that sets mandation
 

dlague

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Never get the flu shot and never had a problem. My father used to get the flu shot and within two weeks would get sick as hell every time. That was good enough to convince me not to get it.


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jimk

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I first received a flu vaccination in 1976 at age 22. My mom encouraged me to get it. That was the year of mass immunizations due to the threat of swine flu, which turned out to be only a minor problem, meanwhile hundreds of those who got the shot got sick?? (see here for details: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1976_swine_flu_outbreak )
Hopefully vaccination technology advanced since then:blink:

Anyway, most of my adult life I have been with employers and/or health plans that allowed me to get it for free or very little cost and so I've gotten the flu shot almost every year since 1976 and never had a problem or bad reaction. Also, I rarely get the flu, maybe once every six or eight years. One of my motivations over the years is to get the shot to help avoid getting sick during ski season, especially during a precious one week ski vacation, when going down hard with the flu is a really disappointing thing. There have been a couple anecdotal instances when I got the flu shot and some of my immediate family members (i.e., my kids) did not get the shot and they later got the flu and I didn't catch it from them or got a very light version that did not stop my normal activities. This occurred once during a two week family ski trip to CA and OR. Whether the shot has helped me or not, it at least hasn't caused me problems or bad reactions. There have been a time or two, including last year when I got the flu despite having the flu shot. Last year while I was lamenting this I heard that the vaccine did not "guess" the correct strain for prevention and that is why it wasn't so effective against the strain that was making people sick.
BTW, my Mom lost three older siblings in (Lowell, Ma) in the 1918 world flu pandemic that supposedly killed between 50-100 million people, and I always appreciated why she was a fan of flu shots, see here for details: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1918_flu_pandemic

Also, flu shot or not, I got a lot more colds and flu type issues when my four kids were young and bringing germs home from school all the time.
 
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Hawkshot99

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I may have gotten one when I was younger but I don't remember it. I know I haven't had one since becoming a "adult" and have not had the flu either.
I never get sick. I missed 5 days of school k-12, and most were days I skipped to go play hockey tournaments.
In the past 11 yrs at this job I have yet to call in sick to work....
 

Not Sure

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Get them apprehensively , 2yrs ago got one .Within 2hrs had a severe case of vertigo ,puked my guts out and chills, headache was down for 2 days. My mother in law refuses she's gotten sick 50% of the time. For me was once in 10yrs but scary.
 

Bumpsis

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I always get them and make sure wife and kids get it too. No sense risking a full-on flu episode. It can be really nasty. Have not had an episode for quite a few years now. I'm always glad to see good turnouts for vaccination clinics. The more people get the vaccine, the smaller the possible pool of infected people in the community.
With yearly vaccinations I hope that my immune system will see most of the antigenic influenza components so even if the antibody match is not perfect for some future virus, partial immunity is better than none.
 

Warp Daddy

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As a member of the board of directors at a medical center and also at system of hospitals alliance i get them each year . Absolutely no problems at all . It is required of all hospital employees , volunteers and contractors.

I also get them being a survivor of open heart surgery it is a wise move . Neither my wife ( also a volunteer at the medical center ) or i Have had the flu since we started getting these annual shots .
 

Riverskier

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Never had the flu or a flu shot. If I ever get the flu I will consider getting vaccinated in the future. I know it is a good idea despite your history, but there are simply too many stories about reactions to the vaccine, and I guess I feel like "if it ain't broke don't fix it".
 

JimG.

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I do not get one regularly but have had a few in the past with no adverse reaction.

Don't get sick, maybe an occasional head cold. Never had the flu.
 

ctenidae

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I've been getting one every year for the past 5-7 or so, I think I get the flu as often with the shot as I did without it (never that I'm aware of). I do feel like I almost permanently have a cold since the kids started school, but that's unrelated...
 

hammer

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Have been getting one every year since being in the military over 20 years ago...may have missed once or twice. Not sure if it's due to the shot but I have not had the flu. Do realize there are no guarantees, but I don't have any issues with shot reactions so what harm is there in just getting it.
 

〽❄❅

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Just started getting a yearly flu shot about five years ago.
Two years ago during a arctic cold snap a friend came down with the flu. His live in girlfriend doesn't drive and asked if I'd take them to the hospital.
Nobody else would so I did and am sure I was exposed to the flu in the process. I didn't get sick, his live in girlfriend did. Neither of them get the flu shot.
 
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