Can we discuss the flu vaccine please?

MJN9510

So, maybe this has been discussed.  But I am not able to be on here as much as I used to be, so humor me.  My pedi strongly encourages getting DD the flu vaccine.  Last year and this year, I have gotten her the flu mist.  Last year, I got the flu shot, but this year I havent gotten anything yet.  I keep hearing people talk about the negative things about the flu vaccine.  So I was just wondering, do you guys get the flu vaccine?  Do you have your kids get it?  What are the pros and cons in your opinion?  Regardless of if I get the shot or not, I still get the flu at least once a year and so far, so has DD.

s0ulchicken

I get the flu shot, my dh gets the flu shot, and all four of our children get the flu shot.

CinemaGoddess

The girls always get the flu vaccine.  The benefits outweight the risks, IMHO.  They don't have any allergies to any of the ingredients, so that's not a consideration.

I haven't gotten one yet because lazy.  

shadypines

No to all questions.

DH gets it from VA...

ppants

Both of my kids have astma and get the flu shot yearly and have without incident for years.  They've never had the flu.  DH and I also get them yearly.  My work required it this year unless you had a doctor's note.

MJN9510

Yes, this is what I was thinking.  I was told once, that the flu vaccine doesnt mean you wont get the flu, but is supposed to help prevent it from getting really bad.  But I dont know.  I am going to continue to get DD the vaccine every year.  I guess I should go get it for myself too!

ASmallWonder

You're right that it doesn't guarantee you won't get the flu but it protects you from certain strains.  Good enough for me.  We all get it and only the baby hasn't gotten his yet because he isn't quite 6 months old.

lildevil968

Myself, and my kids get the vaccine every year. DH does not get it, and he usually gets some form of flu every year. In my head, the benefits outweigh the risks.

cedenton

DS and I get it. From now on I'll ask more details about which shot he's getting. The multidose one has a bit of mercury in it so I would prefer he not get that one. Also, the mist is live so I don't want that. We've had no reactions. DH refuses to get it which is dumb considering the people he deals with as a cop and also dumb to chance giving it to DS.

MJN9510

The mist is nice for kids because they dont have to deal with the shot, obviously.  They just squirt it up each nostrile...its no biggie.

klondikebar

We all get the flu vaccine. I have a compromised immune system and like to increase my chances of avoiding a hospital stay.

RondackHiker

Estwd2 said:

We all got it and will do so every year. I just don't see any real negatives.

DD got the mist this year. No tears and she thought it was funny.

This. The only negative I can think of is if you have had a past reaction or if you're allergic to the ingredients.

Do you mind sharing what negative things you hear? That might help us reassure you.

Two common concerns are the mercury and formaldehyde in the shot. There's 3x more mercury in a can of tuna than the flu vaccine and WAY more formaldehyde in a pear than in the vaccine.

CinemaGoddess

The only reason we don't use the mist is because it's the live virus vs. the shot which is the dead virus. 

aforst

DH and I have gotten one.  DS2 got his at his 3 yr appt and DS1 will be getting his this weekend.  I've only waited so long b/c I keep hoping our pedi will get them in, but it's not happening.  So, we'll have to go to CVS or a Medcheck.

DH works in a hospital so they pretty much force him to.  I'm pg so I definitely got one, but would have anyways.  My kids are in school/daycare and for me, the risks of the shot far out weigh the risks of the illness.

Pips09

I get it for me and my child. Why would I not want to take as much precaution as I can against getting sick?

Helenahhandbasket

Yes-- me, H and DD have all gotten the flu shot.

The virus in the the shot is not live. 

LuckyDad

It's delicious.

The spray is bad if you are around people with compromised immune systems, and DW had a bit of a reaction to the shot this year; just a couple days of redness and swelling in her shoulder. But way better than the Flu.

aglenn

We get it every year.  The only con from my perspective is a teeny bit of soreness in my arm, which translates to days of dramatic whining in DD's case.  (She can't get the mist due to asthma).

Nechie122

I find it hard to believe you get the flu "at least" once a year. Maybe you get particularly bad colds. But getting the actual flu more than once a year, regardless of whether you've had the shot?

Nechie122

CinemaGoddess said:

The only reason we don't use the mist is because it's the live virus vs. the shot which is the dead virus. 

We got DD the mist because the nurse cited a study that it's more effective in young children than the shot. I was concerned about the live virus too, but she said it's basically incapacitated and can't give you the flu.

Hesterlicious

I wad slammed with influenza during set up for Ike's birthday party last year. By the end of the party I couldn't talk. This year I got the shot at Ellies 6 month check when she got hers. DH is going today and ike is going with him but ike says he doesn't want to be vaccinated. I didn't even think he could say vaccinated.

MJN9510

The main reason I have heard not to get it is because of the ingredients.  Others just say they have gotten it in the past, but still have gotten sick.  I know that is always a possibility, but not reason enough for me to not get the flu shot.  I was just curious what all of you thought about it.  Sounds like we are on the same page.

MJN9510

Nechie122 said:

The only reason we don't use the mist is because it's the live virus vs. the shot which is the dead virus. 

We got DD the mist because the nurse cited a study that it's more effective in young children than the shot. I was concerned about the live virus too, but she said it's basically incapacitated and can't give you the flu.

This is what our pedi said as well.

LissaLee

SunnyDays26 said:

At what age can a LO get the mist instead of the shot? My pedi didn't offer the option for DS, who (at the time) was 13 months. It was his first flu vaccine, so two shots, one month apart. Just wondering for future flu vaccines.

LissaLee

WTF? None of my responses are showing up when I quoted. Am I doing something wrong? Anyway, in response to @SunnyDays26- They can have it once they turn 2. In response to OP, we all get our shots every year.

MJN9510

SunnyDays26 said:

At what age can a LO get the mist instead of the shot? My pedi didn't offer the option for DS, who (at the time) was 13 months. It was his first flu vaccine, so two shots, one month apart. Just wondering for future flu vaccines.

Im not sure.  Last year was the first year they offered it for DD and she was 2 then.

MJN9510

SunnyDays26 said:

Don't buy the bullshit.  There is nothing wrong with the flu vaccine.  It does not make you sick.  They stopped using live viruses WAY back.   People just hang onto info like that and won't let it go for some reason.

The flu shot is good.

I thought the mist was live virus? I'm asking honestly, not trying to be rude.

The pedi said the mist is live but that doesnt mean you will get the flu right away just because its live.  DD didnt seem to have any issues with not feeling well after the mist.  Pedi told me that the mist is more effective for kids.

jorkz821

I work in healthcare so get it every year. DD gets it too, she got the mist this year and thought it was funny. I convinced DH to get it this year because of the baby but he doesn't usually, mainly because lazy.

portentosa

I've never gotten the flu shot before this year just because I'm lazy. DH gets it every year because he works at a hospital where his options are to either get the flu shot or sign a waiver and wear a mask at work every day of flu season.

My pedi said I didn't need to get DS a flu shot if he is not in DC and doesn't have any older siblings in school, but then I told her where DH works and she changed her mind and recommended it so we did it and then I went out the same day and got mine.

The pros of avoiding the more severe strains and getting over it faster if I do catch it are good. The CDC says that the flu vaccine is most effective in healthy adults, less effective for children under 2, so DH and I getting vaccinated was really important to me in order to help protect DS. Source

Ursulala

Ursulala

My husband works in a pediatric ICU; my sister works in an adult ICU.  Every year, they take care of lots of patients who are critically ill with the flu.  Some of those patients die.  Some of the patients who have died had no underlying health issues.  We all get the flu shot, as soon as it is available.

Edited because can't spell.

CinemaGoddess

I really do think that people in the healthcare field (like direct patient contact or even working in a hospital, clinic, doctors office, etc.) need to get the flu shot every year (barring any medical reason not to get it) as part of their employment contract.  

No shot, no job.  

Mrs.adambabycakes

Can I get a flu shot if I have a cold or what seems like a cold? I've been having a sore throat for the last couple days but I really need to get a flu shot.

outnumbered

For all you science lovers here is a great article about the influenza vaccine  https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/sites/default/files/public/downloads/ccivi_report.pdf  It is long, but convincing in our need to get more people vaccinated and develop a better vaccine.

To the OP:

An estimated 3,000 to 49,000 individuals in the United States die every year from seasonal influenza. The World Health Organization has estimated for more 

than a decade that seasonal influenza results in about 3 million to 5 million cases of severe illness worldwide and about 250,000 to 500,000 deaths annually, but this is likely an underestimation of the disease’s true global impact.

portentosa

CinemaGoddess said:

I really do think that people in the healthcare field (like direct patient contact or even working in a hospital, clinic, doctors office, etc.) need to get the flu shot every year (barring any medical reason not to get it) as part of their employment contract.  

No shot, no job.  

It's a requirement at my husband's job, he works in the ER. This year DH was somehow missed during the hospital's employee flu shot rounds and he was sent home over labor day weekend because he had not gotten his flu shot yet so was suspended until he got it and HR opened again on Tuesday to notate that he got it.

I was a little miffed at DH because, for once, I was on top of getting the shot for myself because of DS. And of course DS got his.

Eleventy11

Jenny McCarthy says vaccines are the devil...so of course I get the flu shot!!

Everyone in my family gets it, including the kids. I also got the mist several years ago around swine flu time. I actually got a mild case of the swine flu, and it was no joke either.

chardonnay24

We all get our flu shot because we don't want to get the flu and I want to do my part to protect others who cannot get the vaccine.

We have never had negative side effects from the flu shot or flu mist.