Flu vaccine

I need y'all to talk flu vaccine with me. My MIL has been asking me about it all week (my girls have been sick, though, so that has bought me some time) due to the media reports on flu levels.

Here's were I've always been on this vaccine- It's a projection of which strain of the flu will be most active. Often time, the strain that hits the hardest is different and everybody still gets sick. I've only ever been vaccinated once (while pregnant) and only have had the flu once or twice in my life.

I'm pro most other vaccines (my girls are on schedule) but I really struggle with this particular one. I have always been a "drink water and OJ and suck it up" type when it comes to my own sickness. But this is my kids we're talking about and I just don't know if I'm operating on a ridiculous bias.

So, educate me. Have you done the flu vaccine? Why or why not?

 

I always do the flu vaccine for my kids. My kids do not have reactions to vaccines (other than crying for 30 seconds) and I had the flu once and was miserable. If it saves them from possibly getting sick that's good enough for me. It's not going to hurt them and might prevent the flu, so there's no downside for us.

 

We do it every year (and I'm a relatively crunchy hippie). Justin got H1N1 when the girls were 18 months old. He was flat on his *** for more than a week. I had forgotten just how much worse the actual influenza virus is compared to other common cold viruses and bugs. The bottom line for me is that when I picture all 5 of us sick with the flu I have heart palpitations. You're right, they may get the strain wrong, but they may get it right too. It's worth the risk to me.

 

The only time we have done the flu vaccine was the year of the swine flu. I was pregnant with our 3rd and it was a pandemic so my ob strongly encouraged it. Since then we have not had the flu shot. We get all the other regular vaccinations. I hate having the flu but I think people need to build some immunity on their own. Unless you have someone in your family who is at higher risk, such as asthma I would just skip it. We have all just gone through the flu and it was awful but I still wouldn't do the shot.

 

Janclamat, you hit one point that's pro for me and one that's con. Alexis has Reactive Airway Disorder. But the "build some natural immunity" is very in line with my entire health philosophy.

 

This is the first year my girls did not get the flu shot (well last year they got the flu mist instead of the shot). Only reason they did not get it was I keep on forgetting to call. but now I think it is too late. We all had some virus over Christmas week that I'm pretty sure was the flu. Sydney complained that the back of her legs hurt when she walked. DH complained his whole body hurt after he sneezed.

I have never gotten a flu shot.

I would call your girls pedi and have them go through the postive and negatives with you. Or talk to them at the girls 3 year old check up.

 

Do the vaccine!!!! They actually do a great job predicting which strains are coming every year. We didn't have it this year just because I never got around to it. Both kids had it. Jack's was mild. Anna had fevers of 106/107 at times. Now I have it. I have never felt this bad in my life. Ever. I am not exaggerating. And I am not a wuss. But if they could just put me under general anesthesia until this is over, I would do that. I'm drinking water and OJ and mainlining Tylenol, and I can't even sleep I'm in so much pain and discomfort. I haven't been at work all week. I can't even watch TV. I can barely type this message. Get the shot. Get the shot. Get the shot!!

 

You can't build immunity to the flu over time. I'll be immune to this flu once I've had it, but no more immune to next year's flu.

 

No flu vaccines here. We did it twice when the kids were younger and Jake had a more vulnerable respiratory system.

I have seen the stories about the flu this year - but the thing is, numbers are so easy to manipulate and there are so many variables. Of the people who got sick w/out the vaccine, how healthy were they to begin with? And the folks who didn't get sick - was it the vaccine or something else?

I honestly think some of it is just luck, I don't know if I believe much of this stuff works at all.

 

Awww, Rachael, I hope you feel better.

Steph - we do the flu shot every year. I am around too many people daily (mass transit, work, daycare) to not do it, not only for me, but also for them. I don't need to miss a week of my life laying in bed (although it does sound nice, it's just the whole-rest-of-the-sickness thing I don't want to deal with.) And the other Rachael said my thoughts. . .the thought of all of us having it at the same time or even worse, one after another? No thank you. No way, no how.

 

We were all very healthy. My kids get sick about once a year. And I haven't taken a sick day in five years. And my husband who had the flu vaccine is still absolutely fine.

 

We do the vax every year, my daughter is very high risk with asthma...once she was in the ICU for a couple days and we hadnt gotten her flu vax yet and the doctor told me something that I will never forget-he said when you hear about the cases on TV of people dying from the flu it is little kids with asthma-she HAS to have some protection. That was enough for me to not think twice about it ever again. She was so sick and she didnt even have the flu, it was just a cold virus that flaired up her asthma.

 

I am hard core anti-flu shot. My kids have never gotten it and neither have I, nor will any of us ever get it. My husband is military and forced to get it every year.

The vaccine only protects against the "popular" strains from the last flu season. The flu virus continuously mutates so there is no way to predict what will be going around this year, and the likelihood of it being the same strain(s) as last year is very very slim.

My family doctor back home, who was my twins pediatrician also until they were 3 1/2 and we moved, advised me that as long as we are all healthy and everyone in our home is healthy, there's no reason to get it. Yah if you get the flu, it'll suck, so be it. Another thing to think about is generally speaking when someone says "oh I have the flu" they don't actually have the flu flu, they just have a cold or similar virus and are blowing it out of proportion. I'm also a 'suck it up and get over it' kinda girl.

Just this morning I was talking to a friend of mine who's husband was diagnosed this morning with the flu and put on 48 hour quarantine. He's also in the military and was given a flu shot. The flight doc told him exactly what I said about the flu virus mutating and the shot can't protect against all of it.

Some would argue that some protection is better than none and that is a fair point. But look up statistics on how many people get the flu a year, it's phenomenally low. The CDC estimates that on average, 5-20% of the population get the flu in a season.

 

My "healthy" child just had it and it was horrible. He rarely gets sick and bounces back so easily, and yet he struggled to breathe for 3 days. I ran out and got my other kids the vaccination (and followed him around with the lysol bottle so he doesn't share)...they always have breathing issues from regular colds.

However, I hadn't gotten them shots before because I am generally of the "no flu vacc" category. But, this one scared my into doing it. Let's hope I got to it in time. Nobody else in the house has come down with it yet, so I'm doing a good job of keeping things clean. However, I can't keep them in a bubble (school, store, library, etc)...so for THIS year, I vaccinated.

 

We don't do the flu shot. There are some preliminary studies showing Vitamin D as an effective way to combat the flu. As I live in a sunny area, I try to get us outside regularly.

That being said, IF we weren't all healthy normally / had something such as Alexis' RAD I'd probably do it for her.

 

We push Vitamin D hard on the kids. Give it to them at least once a day in their food - and they get sun. We also don't use sunscreen.

 

I have to have my husband drive me to the doctor this afternoon because I can't drive myself. I don't think I'm "blowing it out of proportion" or can "suck it up" and make myself better.

The bottom line is that you can't convince someone who doesn't believe in science to believe in science. They do a great job predicting strains year to year. They don't just grab a few random strains from the year before. I just personally don't understand why someone would do this to themselves or their children by choice. Luckily my kids were better before I got it because I couldn't possibly care for them right now. I can barely move. I guess if you've never had it you don't get it. I haven't had the flu since I was a teenager so I had forgotten even how bad it is. I can only tell you how incredibly stupid I feel that I "didn't have time" to get a flu shot.

Best of luck!

 

3 out 4 people in my family have the flu shot (I can not due to DR suggestion of potential of rare side effects due to other medical reasons). So we do a 'herd' immunity set up!

As PP said- my DDs have asthma and the flu could be VERY VERY bad if they caught it. Their lungs are already compromised- the flu could really burden their systems. Most of the flu deaths have been due to pulmanory edema. Yikes.

I also do not want them to get the flu and then go the Dr office and pick up a different strain and/or something else!

We do the shot (vs the nasal spray) our family gets it every year.

Yes, it may not cover all the strains floating around. BUT this year (and most years) it is pretty accurate.

I got the flu strain c over the holiday break. It was totally awful for 3-4 days and that is the 'easiest' of the three strains floating around. My whole body h.u.r.t.


Some people get sick after the shot since they get exposed to the virus before the shot takes full effect (2 weeks), also in 10-20% of people the shot does not work.

 

*knock on wood* I've never had the flu. Ever. Well, maybe my mom can answer that more clearly...but let's say since age of 10, I've never had it(not sure on flu shot during that time either.).

I never got the flu shot. The one time I did was when Annabella was six months old. The dr said I should because she was so little, I was there, so why not. My kids all get it. I watch another child, her mother works in the hospital(code red for flu right now), so we all got it. Around here, I've only heard awful things about the flu, from people who have gotten the vaccine. They say it would be even worse without it. And when Anthony gets sick, he gets the worst of it. I'm not going to take any chances!

You do what you feel is best. Here-we are all healthy. My kids get a cold once a year. I'd call your pedi and set up an appointment and go over it with him/her. Good luck with whatever you decide!

 

My kids are born in Sept and they get their flu shot at the appointment after their birthday. So far, so good, it didn't affect them in any way to get it.

 

"Suck it up" is my *personal* health attitude. I'm not putting that expectation on anybody else.

If I was dismissing science, I wouldn't be struggling with this so much. There are so many studies and professional opinions on both sides of the argument and I'm having a great deal of difficulty deciding what to do. Your (general you) personal experiences with the flu and your doctors' recommendations play to my already-present mommy guilt- What IF something happened to my girls because I didn't get them vaccinated this year? Today, even?

But I also have reasons for feeling wary of the vacc (some are intuitive and some are supported) and it's hard to push that aside in the name of the mass flu hysteria.

So, I'm not disregarding anybody or any science. I'm just chewing very hard on this whole thing and haven't yet been able to swallow.

 

I wasn't actually responding to you Stephanie. And I'm a suck it up person myself. Sometimes you can't just suck it up.

 

..this...

 

I hear ya. I just can't verbalize very well how much this is stressing me out. It's probably one of the decisions that has bothered me the most in three years of parenting. A flu shot. Yes, I hear myself.

I called the ped and am waiting for a call back. I want to hear her thoughts, especially regarding Lexi's RAD.

 

I believe the response was aimed at me. I often skim through posts myself so no worries.

I said, and even bold-ed, GENERALLY SPEAKING. As in not everyone. I didn't say YOU don't have the flu. But let's face it, people say they had the flu when it was just a bad cold, it happens. And I absolutely believe in science which is obvious from what I posted. Scientists can not predict which strains of the flu are going to be active, their best scientific guess is to go with what was popular last season. You're right, they don't pick random strains of the flu and I never said that. I said they use the most popular strains from the year before.

I am perfectly willing to admit that should any of us ever get the flu I may think differently about the vaccine. I would also rethink if someone in our household had asthma or other health issues that would factor into the decision.

 

We do not do it. We strengthen our immune system by starting Vit D3 in October (1,000 for kids and between 5-10,000 for me), a multi, probiotics and a product called "super foods." When we begin to feel sick, we take immune boosters. Actually we should continue to take immune booster supplements during the winter but I always forget and then remember when we get signs of being sick.

 

From what I understand, the vaccine this year is working well. We were all vaccinated- it was recommended to me to get the deep muscle shott. There's another shot type that's more surface (intradermal) and I have heard of a lot of people having more pain with that. we decline the Flumist because I didn't like the potential side effects (it is a live, weakened virus vs the shot which is an inactive virus). I'd rather we all have a little poke. I would also do it soon as it takes about two weeks for the antibodies to develop and provide full protection against the flu

 

Here is my simple answer to your initial question. Yes, sometimes the shot doesn't work with the strain that's out. There is actually some debate about this because of the vaccine not being effective immediately thus people saying they got sick in spite of having the vaccine when actually it just wasn't fully effective yet. That's not the point. Here is my reasoning, as long as you're one that's okay with vaccines to start with...it's simple. If it works- yay. If it doesn't, there's nothing you can do about it but at least you tried. Good luck and stay healthy!

 

We have vaccinated some years, some years not. We have to pay for it & for all 6 of us to get the vaccine (husband gets it free at work so just the kids & I pay) it gets expensive. I have only had the actual flu once in my life & it was horrible. Generally speaking, we are a healthy family & I don't worry too much. That being said 3 out of 5 of the kids did get the flu this year and it was awful for 2 of them, milder for the other (Mike & I didn't get it thank goodness). Lila and my 15 year old were extremely sick (both ran very high fevers, Lila had a fever for 10 days) & both ended up with bronchitis afterward. Lila missed over a week of school, Owen missed most of a week, all three including Tess (the mild case) coughed for over 4 weeks. All that considered, if I had it to do all over again, we would get the shot!

Rachael, take care of yourself & feel better! :hug:

 

The flu CAN knock out and kill a healthy adult. My mom works in intensive care and I hear all the time about simple illnesses that most people disregard putting healthy adults in their 30s into ICU with chest tubes and on vents. Not just the flu, but other illnesses as well. She never really gets flu shots (nor did I ever pre-kids), but after seeing some of the patients coming through this year, she got hers. It won't hurt your children, but it might help them.

 

Oh, I meant to add earlier, just for the sake of statistics, I saw a doctor on TV this morning say that the flu vaccine is considered 85% effective in children, about 60% effective in adults, and around 30% effective for the elderly.

 

Are we SURE it won't hurt our kids? I think that's my big reservation. How long have we been pushed nationwide towards annual flu vaccines? A decade? Do we know what long term issues might be associated with these vaccines? I mean, the CDC has never come forward and said (just throwing stuff out there) that the hormones in our beef and chicken are the cause of earlier onset of puberty. But I think that one day *somebody* will say that. And it will be true. And what issues could have been tied to other things? Is our reproductive health at risk because of some forms of BC? I often wonder if my ten years of depo use isn't the reason for my ID twins- weakened eggs or something?

Y'all understand that none of this is coherent thoughts, right? Just the ramblings of a crazy woman.

But these things are what worry me. Do the risks of the flu outweigh the potential risks of an annual vaccine? I can't decide.

I did talk to the doctor a bit ago. Still confused! She cited 30 confirmed flu cases this year (at our office). I asked about the severity (hospitalizations) and she said they'd caught the virus early and people were fine, albeit miserable. She expressed concern about Alexis's RAD. She told me that it is my decision. So. No idea.

I also recognize that so many things are out of my control and that we don't do the all-natural life and that my kids could have any number of issues that I absolutely could not control. But this one vaccine, no other, is really making me hesitate.

And now I'll stop because *I* am beginning to wonder about my own sanity.

 

How did you determine which products to take/dosage, etc? I always think about wanting to start something like this, but every time I mention it to the pediatrician, and even my family dr. I get shut down that it won't make a difference. So then I forget about it until I read a post like this again.

As far as this post, I always get the flu shot, and same for the kids. Of course I'd take the flu any day over a stomach virus (my crazy fear). I wish there was a vaccination for that. I'm in a real bad place right now, anxiety-wise - which will last the rest of the season, and is why I'm inquiring about these probiotics/immunity boosters again!

 

I actually do not have the flu according to the flu test my doctor did. I apparently had a cold that morphed into the mother of all sinus infections. That, combined with the inability to take Advil, which helps my sinus pain much more than Tylenol, has me wanting to chop my head off. So I am now going to take antibiotics, which is a whole other topic.

I still say get the flu shot. Yes, we know that the flu vaccine is as safe as all other vaccines. It is not hurting our kids.

But...disregard everything I said about the flu because I still haven't had it since high school. (We may have to have a den topic about the suncreen thing, but I'll save that for when I'm feeling less like death.

 

And Stephanie, I don't think you are crazy. I actually agree with you on the hormones in dairy and meat. We do only organic, hormone free dairy and meat for that reason. But the flu shot has been tested, and it is safe. People have been trying to prove vaccines are harmful for decades and failed. I come at it from a litigation perspective. There is soooo much money if people could prove that vaccines are harmful. With that kind of financial incentive, someone would have proven it if it were true.