# Flu shot! Please get one.



## Paul (Oct 18, 2011)

Do you plan to get the flu shot? I got my flu shot today. In Manitoba we are provided with a flu shot by Manitoba Health free of charge as MH has determined that it is cheaper to provide the flue shot free of charge then to have to deal with the cost of patients who end up with complications from the flu. In other words it cost more to treat those who get the flu than to provide a free flu shot to all Manitobans free of charge.

Please if at all possible, get the flu shot. A year and a half ago I got the flu which later developed into pneumonia. (I suspect I already was sick with the flu and didn't know it just before getting the flu shot.) Apart from the danger pneumonia poses (you can die) the only times I have felt worse is when I had a migraine headache--you do not want to get pneumonia! Please get the flu shot.


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## spacce (Oct 18, 2011)

I don't think I ever had a flu shot in my life, in my 30's, I try not to take medicines if I don't have to, I hate doctors. And I usually am naturally getting healthier each day. If sickness will take my life, then the gods have chosen so, but I won't give up without a fight.


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## JerseyGirl07093 (Oct 19, 2011)

I just got my flu shot yesterday. Last year was actually the first time I got the flu shot. 

Paul, I think it's great that they provide free flu shots where you live. The reasons make a lot of sense to me. 

I hope we all stay well this flu season!


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## CarlaSixx (Oct 19, 2011)

Flu shots have been free where I am for as long as I can remember. But also for as long as I can remember, I never got shots outside of what was needed for school/legal reasons. 

I know someone who ended up with that neurological disorder after getting a flu shot. Something like Guillant-Barre syndrome. Whatever the G name is. It's a scary thing, and seeing it is scary. Knowing that it was caused from a simple vaccination scares the shit outta me and I refuse to get shots done until a job requires any.


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## Miss Vickie (Oct 19, 2011)

They're definitely not safe for everyone. I'm allergic to the preservatives and so have to get preservative free, single use shots which is a huge PITA.

Plus, I don't know if the flu shot is the same in Canada as it here in the US, but the formulation is the same this year as it was last year. A question I've been asking and not gotten answered to my satisfaction is, "Why, if we were vaccinated last year, do we have to get one again?" (Usually we get them yearly because they change from year to year as new strains of influenza come to light. But not this year).

Do they somehow make flu shots to create a 12 month immunity, versus other immunizations that can last for decades or more? (I don't know how such a thing is possible). If not, and if the formulation is identical, why re-vaccinate? Seems a poor use of health care resources.

I have a friend getting his PhD in public health and he's been asking people in the know and they... don't know. I'd love it if anyone here has an answer.

I'm not saying don't get a flu shot. I'm just asking questions. And if you're at risk from getting particularly ill from influenza, given that no vaccination is 100% effective, it may be worth it from that standpoint. I just wish that I could get my questions answered so I can look at my patients with a straight face when I tell them to get a flu shot.


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## Gingembre (Oct 19, 2011)

I don't believe in over-medicating and have concerns about resistance, so I won't be getting a flu shot. Obviously if you're in a high-risk group or work amongst particularly vulnerable people, then fair enough. But I'm only 25 and my immune system is in good nick, so I'll be facing flu season armed with eccinachea (sp?!), vitamin c, lemon & ginger tea, paracetamol and tissues!


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## Surlysomething (Oct 19, 2011)

It's recommended that I get the flu as I have a compromised immune system. (Diabetes). And I did for the first couple years after I was diagnosed. But as I have never had the flu, I stopped getting them. They're free for everyone in BC that are compromised in some way. (age, health etc) 

I take enough medication as it is.


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## CastingPearls (Oct 19, 2011)

My doctor says they can't make a 'one-size-fits-all' vaccine because each flu virus is different. It's not the same one going around.

I got mine yesterday. I DO get a reaction. For years (and in a lot of medical pamphlets and websites) I've been hearing that you can't get the flu from a flu shot because it's not a live vaccine, and it's possible you had it before you got the shot but that didn't make sense because I've been getting it every year because I'm in an at-risk group and I get it EVERY TIME, but finally got my answer from the CDC.

Sometimes a body's immune system mistakes something harmless as a threat and mimics an allergic reaction which is what can cause flu-like symptoms in this case. Either way, those symptoms are rarely as bad as the real flu so for me, I've made a conscious decision to take it. 

Allergies to thimerisol and also eggs will cause a reaction to many immunizations. I have to schedule my flu shot in advance because of my allergy to the former, but still think it's worth it.


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## Dromond (Oct 20, 2011)

I get a flu shot every year, because I have a badly compromised immune system. One doctor quipped that my white count looks like I just finished chemotherapy. Even though the formulation is the same as last year, I take no chances. Fortunately I'm not sensitive to vaccines.


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