Flu Shots: Worth It for Kids and Adults?

[chefsteph07]

Anyone getting one? How about for your kids? Does it really work?

I just made an appt for my dd the first week of November, she's never had one before so I am nervous. But, hearing that kids are dying more from the flu and with staph got me concerned, so I went ahead and decided to bite the bullett. DH is getting one supplied through his work as well...this is the first year he's doing it, so that just leaves me to get one.

 

[pamperedpals]

I get flu shot's every year through the hospital I work at. I also have all three of my DS' get them, along with my DH.

 

[crissy11]

I can't... am allergic to eggs

 

[tlag1986]

I encourage everyone that can to get them. If you already have a slight cold or stuffy head you will get sick, but that does not mean the flu shot made you sick. It means you got the shot to work your immune system up to fight off the flu in the future. If you are already fighting off a cold or stuffy head it will make those symptoms worse and possibly allow you to feel the symptoms from the flu vaccine. I'll get off my soapbox.

 

[gailz2]

Since my grandkids came along (twins the first time) and I take care of them, I feel it is my responsibility to get the flu shot. I hate shots and do it for them. I already had mine last week. No problems.

 

[tabnat80]

DS got it last year and still got the flu in March. I'll probably give it to him again though becaus that flu was bad stuff. Really scary when they are so little.

 

[AnnieBee]

Me and my kids all get them. The nasal spray is more effective than the shot, according to my pediatrician, but not all insurance covers it.

It is so worth it to avoid the flu, it is so much more than "just a bad cold", and who knows how many unvaccinated kids you and your kids will be exposed to that can pass it to you. And as you said, it can cause serious illness and even death. Not often, but it does happen. PLus, as a parent, it is miserable having to care for your kids while you're sick, so get it too!

And it is really not a "bad" shot. My DD at age 3 just said, "oh!" when she got hers .

 

[AnnieBee]

PS The current parents magazine has a good article about the flu shot. It said that even on the years where they don't exactly guess which strains will be the most prevalent (it changes every year), that a flu shot will still lessen the severity if you get it.

 

[DebbieJ]

Never have and never will. My ds doesn't get it either.

 

[AnnieBee]

PPS Kids below a certain age (I can't remember for sure what it is, maybe 3?) have to get the shot twice, 4 weeks apart, the first time the get it. The next year they only have to get it once.

 

[Hathery]

I got one last year and still got sick. I won't get one again until I'm older or really need it.

 

[AnnieBee]

If I'm remembering rightly (according to my magazine article), last year was a year when they didn't get it quite right, but without the shot you'd have likely been sicker. It is still worth getting the shot for this years strains.

I guess I can't see a good reason to not get it...

 

[gailz2]

People who choose not to get the shot should be sure to stay away from children and elderly people with poor resistance. The flu shot, of course, does not always cover all the various flu strains. They do their best to guess the ones we'll come into contact with. There are also pneumonia shots (q 10 yr) for older people and people with poor immune systems.

 

[hollye44]

My DD had hers this morning (she's 9 months old) and will get the second one in 4 weeks. DH and I will get ours as well (he has to for work anyway).

Kids ages 6 months to 8 years have to get the two doses if it is their first time getting a flu shot. Ages 2 and over can have the FluMist (if they had the flu vaccination the previous year), and I have friends who have done that with their little ones and it has worked great because they don't have to get a shot.

 

[Jenni]

Last year was the first year my kids did NOT get the flu shot and they had a great winter! I think we are going to pass on them this year too...

 

[chefsteph07]

Last year was the first year my kids did NOT get the flu shot and they had a great winter! I think we are going to pass on them this year too...

Did they ever get sick while they were on the flu shot?

 

[Jenni]

Did they ever get sick while they were on the flu shot?

Yes often three years in a row my oldest had to go on steroids he got so sick!

 

[redsoxgirl]

I've never gotten a flu shot as long as I can remember (at least back to 25 yrs old) and I've never gotten anything horrible in the winter.

Personally, I think they're useless.

 

[PampMomof3]

Never have and never will. My ds doesn't get it either.

Never have and never will either!! None of my 3 kids have and neither has my dh.

Our reason is why would you inject your body with all the unknowns just to "prevent" something from happening!!!

 

[Kodeysmom]

I have never had it either, neither has my 4 yr old DS.

 

[chefsteph07]

I"m so confused!

 

[AnnieBee]

But getting the flu-shot cannot and does NOT get you sick. It can only protect you - from the strains they choose that year. This is medical fact, despite all the stories about people who got the shot and still got sick, and are convinced it was because of the shot.

The shot contains *KILLED* virus, which will illicit an imune response (this is how it works to stop you from getting sick) that will sometimes give you mild symptoms but CANNOT make you sick. No-one in my family has ever had this happen in all the years we have all had the shot. If you get the shot and still get sick, it is because you were exposed to a different strain, in which case you probably got a milder version than you would have without the shot. Note, the flu-mist spray does not use killed virus, but a milder version.

OK, so now I'm just going to link to the article I read...

The Flu Shot & Kids

There really is NO down-side to getting the shot, but it can protect you and your family from getting sick - anything from a miserable week of fever chills and aches (and dealing with a week of missed school/work), to very seriously ill and in the hospital, to death (and yes, this is rare, but if it happened to your kid you'd probably wish you'd got the shot).

BTW, you can (and should) get the shot if you are pregnant, after your first trimester. When I was in labour with DD #1, there was a woman in labour who had the flu, and boy was she miserable. And they wouldn't do a C-section because of that, she had to endure her labour while being miserably sick with the flu. YIKES!!

I guess I would rather get the shot than risk it. If your kids don't get the shot and then get the flu, you will probably regret it, especially if they get seriously sick, but if they get the shot, there is no down-side.

I just think as many people as possible should be covered. And yes, obviously I feel strongly about this!

 

[chefsteph07]

I do agree too, about protecting my daughter from those whose parents don't believe in vaccines and such. This has never been an issue for me, except now that my dd is in preschool. She's been home w/ me all this time before....

 

[AnnieBee]

Never have and never will either!! None of my 3 kids have and neither has my dh.

Our reason is why would you inject your body with all the unknowns just to "prevent" something from happening!!!

1) It's not an "unknown', it's a dead virus and we know exactly what it does!
2) It can stop you or your child from getting seriously sick. Even a normal bout with the flu makes you or your child miserable for a week. Why would you not want to prevent this, let alone anything more serious
3) It CANNOT hurt you!

Sorry, it just bugs me when people won't get vaccinations that can stop them from getting sick, and also stop them from getting other people sick. Also, as a trained scientist (not medical) I get frustrated by all of the "misinformation" about vaccinations that has scared people off them, despite real research and results to the contrary.

And finally, the comment about pregnant women was in no means directed at Lindsay, it only dawned on me later that she is expecting. I just mentioned that as most people don't realise that you can and it is recommended that you do (as per ACOG) get the flu shot when pregnant, and boy, I felt so sorry for the woman I saw...

 

[jrstephens]

We did the Mist this year. Luke is 4 and this is the first time I have done it. The only reason I agreed was b/c it was not a shot. I do not like to make my kids have shots they do not have to have when they have never had the flu. My Dr has never flat out recommended it until this year when Luke could do the Mist. He has always said that it only covers certain strains of the flu and it is hits & miss as to whether it wil help or not. Cole is not old enough for the Mist.

And my gyno has never flat out recommended it when I ahev been pregnant either, she has always left it up to me. And I have not gotten it b/c I am terrified of needles.

 

[JAE]

Never had them, never will, never will get them for my kids either.

 

[PampMomof3]

1) It's not an "unknown', it's a dead virus and we know exactly what it does! Even a normal bout with the flu makes you or your child miserable for a week. Why would you not want to prevent this, let alone anything more serious
3) It CANNOT hurt you!

Sorry, it just bugs me when people won't get vaccinations that can stop them from getting sick, and also stop them from getting other people sick. Also, as a trained scientist (not medical) I get frustrated by all of the "misinformation" about vaccinations that has scared people off them, despite real research and results to the contrary.

And finally, the comment about pregnant women was in no means directed at Lindsay, it only dawned on me later that she is expecting. I just mentioned that as most people don't realise that you can and should (as per ACOG) get the flu shot when pregnant, and boy, I felt so sorry for the woman I saw...

It is an unknown of what is in the actual virus. You can't tell me that they know what is in each every strain. Tell me this, why can't someone get it if they're allergic to eggs?

You know, this is a PC forum, I gave my 2 cents and don't think I need to justify my actions to you or anyone. I simply said that I won't and never will do it. End of story. :balloon: We've talked about vaccinations on this before and I stand behind what I have chosen to do. I think this thread will go in the same direction as a political debate. I'm done here!!

 

[pamperedlinda]

Me either, I've never had one and don't forsee getting one in the near future. My DS and DH don't get them either.

 

[BethCooks4U]

I was forced to get a flu shot one year by my employer (I was a nurse). That was the only year in my entire life that I had a bad case of the flu. Normally if I get it at all I get very mild symptoms that last only a day or so.

Nope, never again for me.

 

[AnnieBee]

It is an unknown of what is in the actual virus. You can't tell me that they know what is in each every strain. Tell me this, why can't someone get it if they're allergic to eggs?

You know, this is a PC forum, I gave my 2 cents and don't think I need to justify my actions to you or anyone. I simply said that I won't and never will do it. End of story. :balloon: We've talked about vaccinations on this before and I stand behind what I have chosen to do. I think this thread will go in the same direction as a political debate. I'm done here!!

I did not mean to attack your post, just give some information. You do not need to justify your actions, but Steph had asked for opinions and is confused! I am am trying to give some actual facts. When I said "you" I meant it generally, not specifically at you. Sorry. Can we be friends?

You talked about "unknowns", I'm trying to give info showing that it is actually "known". The thing about not knowing what is in "each strain", is that it is "just" the killed virus - it is the same virus you would be exposed to if you get sick by catching it from someone, only you won't get sick from it.

And the egg allergy thing is because the virus is cultured (grown) on egg protein, and some ends up in the shot, so if you are allergic to eggs you can be allergic to the shot, otherwise, it is not a big deal (unless you are vegan, I guess! ).

I would really recommend everyone read the article I linked to, or google and find the AAP take on the flu shot.

I'm not trying to be preachy, but the flu shot saves lives and keeps kids (and adults) out of the hospital needing IV fluids or worse.

PS I just double checked the article, and ACOG and the CDC recommend the flu shots for pregnant women because the flu makes them more susceptible to complications such as pneumonia and even miscarriage. Not trying to be a scaremonger, just paaing along what I've read.

 

[JAE]

Plenty of us are exposed to the flu virus and don't get sick w/o getting the flu vaccination. I think it's in everyone's best interest to eat healthier, get sleep and exercise and wash hands. That's what should be promoted by the CDC, and if the government is going to spend money on preventing the flu, they should be promoting and/or handing out fresh fruits and vegetables.

 

[gingertannery]

I have had the flu 2 times in my life.. One time was after the shot. I had a terrible winter that whole year. Dr told me I can't get the flu from the shot... not sure I believe him. (I know others who say they think they got it from the shot) I haven't had it since (25 yrs ago) And I was an educator exposed all the time. I just don't get things like that and rarely a cold. Maybe 10 years ago. So I'll pass.. I hope no one gets it this year. Take Vit C, wash hands.. eat right.. plenty of rest ..