Reason I ask is I saw the following article: Most health workers skip flu shot - USATODAY.com
DES MOINES — Operating room nurse Pauline Taylor knows her refusal to get a flu shot is based on faulty logic.
But ever since she got sick after getting a shot a few years ago, she's sworn off the vaccine.
"I rarely get sick. The only thing I could narrow it down to is that I had gotten this shot," said Taylor, who works at University Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City. "I know that it's not a live virus. It just seemed pretty coincidental."
I used to get flu shots religiously, but don't plan to get one again unless I have to. A couple of years ago I was employed by a major provider of flu shot clinics. We were encouraged to get the shot. I attended a public clinic because my boss wouldn't let me get the shots in the office. I got the flu shot and the pneumonia vaccination. A question arose when I noted mistakes on the receipt for the pneumonia shot, so I had to consult a doctor. They told me they would give me a refund of my fee but then refused to do so. I don't work for them anymore. I never got my money. I have to be revaccinated at my expense and I'm quite perturbed about it. Everyone should be very alert and careful about what they get at a public clinic. I naively trusted the RN to do it right. Now I know better and no more shots for me.
I got mine last week- get it every year. Cat, why do you refuse on principle??? What principle are you talking about??? The one where you protect yourself from all the sick people you come in contact with, or the one where you protect your elderly & immunosuppressed patients from all the germs you're carrying around? ;)
Actually, I have found that, the older I get, the more reaction I get from shots. Also, I seem to have one heck of an immune system, anyhow. If and when I do get sick, it takes alot to get me there. Seeing that we never know for certain what strain is going to be prevalant.... I do believe I'd had a decent conversation with Aaron about this at one time. :D
An after thought add-on: Maybe it's due to all the antibacterial fall-out, also. Having grown up when playing in dirt was not a big problem, maybe that helped. Who knows?
Even if you have an excellent immune system, you can still carry the flu virus around, and pass it on to your patients, even if you don't have any symptoms. As health care providers, I think it's our responsibility to do what we can to protect our patients....
Thanks, but I'll still pass on the thing. As mentioned before, the whole anti-bacterial hoopla has sorta blown up in our faces, so why push it further? :p
okay don't believe in the flu shot. i had to get it every year for the army. i always got sick. at least the next 3 days after the shot. so i don't get it. my mom works in ILL and she was telling me that the hospital requires you to get one or u have t wear a mask while you work. i think that it unconstitutional to do that. it should be our choice. it wouldn't be any different than family memebers to come in and visit. plus even if you get the flu shot there are always different strains you can still get. so either way your still play a lottery game of getting the flu
Unfortunately due to Respiratory Disease I am almost forced to get it each year....and each year I spend 2 days sick afterwards. I don't think I would chance not getting it even though it will only cover me for certain strains and its not 100% effective. LUCKILY though I have never gotten the flu in years I recieved the shot!
bleucloud wrote:Unfortunately due to Respiratory Disease I am almost forced to get it each year....and each year I spend 2 days sick afterwards. I don't think I would chance not getting it even though it will only cover me for certain strains and its not 100% effective. LUCKILY though I have never gotten the flu in years I recieved the shot!
IMHO, you are wise. I never get the flu D/T "the shot". Actually, the past two years I've been fortunate to have the option of the nasal mist.
:confused:Why all the hellaballue about the "SHOT", I get it every year,the one year I didn't was the sickest I ever got. Coincidence? Possibly, but so far so good. The shot hasn't given me trouble so-far. sometimes I get a little soreness in the old deltoid but a good dose of PT after the poke can usualy prevent that little side effect. I say go out and get it Cat, we like having you around and all that.:D
We always get offered free flu jabs every year, but all of us rarely take one. personally, I reckon that becasue we deal with so many sick people anyway, our immunity system is damn good and we shouldnt need the extra protection, not if you are reasonably fit and healthy. I know here, in the UK, its just a money spinniing exercize for the GP's. Each time we give a shot to our patients, the doctors get £12.00 in their pockets.:nurse-soapbox:
I hear ya about the immunity bit, nicky. Back in the 'Stone Ages' (not really that long ago), everyone and their bleeding brother were coming down with Chicken Pox. Did I get them? Heck no! Only thing I got was a few zits. Mom is also certain I never had them, yet my titres say I have health levels. No, I would NOT get this shot, either. MMR, DPT...yes. But not CP shot. Part of childhood.
yea i know people who have had the Cp shot and still have gotten the stuff. i believe your right its part of childhood. some disease you need to build up your immune system
I didn't give a ton of flu shots this year, but I probably gave a couple thousand last year.
Given that every year I hear every excuse in the book regarding the influenza vaccine I have done extensive research and always have materials available to me regarding the vaccine.
Most of the response is, "It gives me the flu". This is due to the fact that the vaccine used to be a live virus and actually could give you the flu, however nowadays it's a synthetic vaccine and you cannot get the flu from it. It can make you feel ill for awhile if you have not had it before, but it's not likely unless you are having a reaction to something in the vaccine itself, such as eggs.
If you get the mist, you can still get the flu because the mist does contain a live virus.
Of course you can still get the flu even if you get vaccinated. First of all, it takes awhile for your body to build up immunity to the virus so if you are exposed during that time you can still get sick.
Additionally, there are many strains of influenza and the flu vaccine is not going to be able to prevent all of them so while may be protected against certain strains of influenza, it's possible that you might be exposed to a more rare strain.
The needle is tiny and so long as the vaccine isn't really really cold, it's not going to hurt at all in most cases. A lot of times I have people question whether I even gave them the shot. If they tense up their muscles there may be some soreness, but typically it's painless.
The pneumonia vaccine is a different story altogether. That thing hurts like a mother!!!! :nurse-soapbox:
I get the flu shot twice every year. I get it as soon as we get vaccine in, and then I get it again in January...mainly because we always have extra vaccine left over that is going to get disposed of anyway, but also because it helps to get a booster because you can get the flu as early as October or as late as May.
The last year I did not get the vaccine I had the flu so bad I thought I was going to die and after three days needed a trip to the Emergency Room and IV fluids to rehydrate me. I don't EVER want to feel like that again and I damn sure don't want my kids to have to go through that.
cougarnurse wrote:Given your track record this year....I wonder. Heck, given MY track record this year, I will still say :nurse-no:
Yeah yeah, I know. I figure it's a broken bone next. Strep throat will follow. I'm sure this spring/summer I'll get shingles again. I haven't had those for probably 3 years. You just never know though. I might go two, even three months without a major illness. I'm damn sure due!
I've already had mine. I have asthma, and I don't, at this time, have any health insurance. I know that it doesn't protect against every strain of flu, and I am not an antibacterial cleaning fanatic. I've ingested more than my fair share of dirt, crud, and assorted pathogens over the course of a lifetime, and I'm still here to gab about it. However, I have had the flu, at least twice, and I don't ever want it again. I also take some supplements, and I try to keep my hands washed, and at least away from my face as much as possible.
I've gotten the flu shot religiously every year. Know it is only an educated guess of which strain will actually hit.
Know that for 48 hours after I've gotten the shot I'll have aches, pains and slight fever (like clockwork). Having a daughter at home and being exposed to so much at work, the flu shot is simple and relatively painless way to protect myself and my family.
Most nurses have the constitution of a horse, which isn't true because I've been around horses and they get sick more often. The reason for this is pretty simple. After about 3-5 years on the job, nurses have been exposed to so many bugs that
they either end up dead or full of every antibody known to mankind. If you want the ultimate booster shot, just get a blood transfusion from a nurse who's worked in a hospital for 20 years! That said though, you don't have all these antibodies so when she comes home with the sniffles, a week later you're flat on your back with the worse case of the flu in your life! Oh and if you are the least bit squeamish, don't even think about the bugs she brings home on her clothes. It will mess with your mind as she talks about her Resistant TB patient
I've gotten the flu shot religiously every year. Know it is only an educated guess of which strain will actually hit.
Know that for 48 hours after I've gotten the shot I'll have aches, pains and slight fever (like clockwork). Having a daughter at home and being exposed to so much at work, the flu shot is simple and relatively painless way to protect myself and my family.
