Flu vaccine

ElizabethSwann · December 2014

OK, so anytime i get sick its because God said it was cool. Got it.

That's the silliest thing i have heard in a while.

[Deleted User] · December 2014

The user and all related content has been deleted.

Scarlettg · December 2014

Thanks @GrailSeeker14!

jamiesc58 · December 2014

All I am saying is that God has our lives planned out and everything that happens to us happens for a reason. I believe in the power of prayer and that God helps to take care of us. There are children in the same school with my children that don't get vaccinated for anything. Our schools got so bad with the whooping cough this year that they were on the news. What else could I do besides pray? I do what I can. If that gets me flamed for saying that someone is not a bad person for not being vaccinated then so be it.

Smash1215 · December 2014

Why did I bother getting a PhD? I could have summed up my entire dissertation by saying, "Just pray and be clean. It's not about the science; it's all about the Jesus juice."

alexis95 · December 2014

Ohh you should never bring religion into things like this. Bad idea.
I haven't gotten the flu shot since I was little, and I've never gotten the flu so I guess I never felt like I needed a yearly vaccination. I only got one this year because I'm pregnant and just didn't wanna risk anything. I think it's a smart thing to do when your immune system is already lowered by being pregnant.

bananafanafofashley · December 2014

jamiesc58 said:
SharkFarts defense...I do not think it is irresponsible not to get the shot. I believe that if it is meant to be you are going to get the flu whether or not you get vaccinated. Nobody in my extended family gets them and they have all been fine so far. My sister has 4 children and neither her nor any of them get the flu shot and haven't gotten the flu in years. I only get it because my son is more susceptible to sickness due to a heart defect he was born with.

Don't be silly. Do what your OB recommends unless you have done the research and made an educated and informed decision otherwise. They don't get paid the big bucks for offering out shitty advise.

Scarlettg · December 2014

jamiesc58 said:

All I am saying is that God has our lives planned out and everything that happens to us happens for a reason. I believe in the power of prayer and that God helps to take care of us. There are children in the same school with my children that don't get vaccinated for anything. Our schools got so bad with the whooping cough this year that they were on the news. What else could I do besides pray? I do what I can. If that gets me flamed for saying that someone is not a bad person for not being vaccinated then so be it.

I can't speak for others, but for me the point wasn't that you said someone isn't a bad person for being vaccinated. It's the fatalistic, "god will take care of me," head-in-the-clouds attitude you seem to have. I'm not religious, and I only bring that up because I feel like it colors my response and therefore is pertinent. However, I don't begrudge anyone their faith. I DO, however, begrudge folks making decisions that can adversely affect not only their health but the health of folks around them solely on the basis of faith. Frankly, that pisses me off. I can't make you get a flu shot, but I can sure as hell tell you how I feel about it, this being an internet forum and all.

bananafanafofashley · December 2014

jamiesc58 said:
All I am saying is that God has our lives planned out and everything that happens to us happens for a reason. I believe in the power of prayer and that God helps to take care of us. There are children in the same school with my children that don't get vaccinated for anything. Our schools got so bad with the whooping cough this year that they were on the news. What else could I do besides pray? I do what I can. If that gets me flamed for saying that someone is not a bad person for not being vaccinated then so be it.

I generally try to not be a dick, but as a (modern day, equal rights, VERY liberal) Christian, I'm asking myself if you're joking. You seriously question getting a potentially life saving vaccination because it could be in gods will for you and your fetus to be sick, miserable, and potentially die? Then fuck Africa. Let them suffer. It must be gods will.

ElizabethSwann · December 2014

jamiesc58 said:

All I am saying is that God has our lives planned out and everything that happens to us happens for a reason. I believe in the power of prayer and that God helps to take care of us. There are children in the same school with my children that don't get vaccinated for anything. Our schools got so bad with the whooping cough this year that they were on the news. What else could I do besides pray? I do what I can. If that gets me flamed for saying that someone is not a bad person for not being vaccinated then so be it.

This is why so many schools require kids to be fully vaccinated. Nothing to do with God.

MitoRachel · December 2014

Hello, this is your friendly neighborhood hippie. I'm here to remind all of you that there are things you can do to help you resist the strains that the vaccine doesn't cover. As much as pregnancy will allow you, take your vitamins, eat nutrient dense food, avoid processed sugars, exercise, get plenty of rest.

jamiesc58 · December 2014

I absolutely love this community and all of the A15 moms I have had the pleasure of getting to know over the past several months. Yes, I might have my head in the clouds a little and feel like God has a huge role in my life but that is just me. I will not apologize for my difference in how I might perceive things but I am sorry this has gotten so out of hand. I don't mean to push religion down anyone's throat, that is not how I am at all. I know that we still have our own free will and are adults with brains to be able to make our own decisions.

tdmloverrn · December 2014

MitoRachel said:

Hello, this is your friendly neighborhood hippie. I'm here to remind all of you that there are things you can do to help you resist the strains that the vaccine doesn't cover. As much as pregnancy will allow you, take your vitamins, eat nutrient dense food, avoid processed sugars, exercise, get plenty of rest.

I agree with all of the above info in addition to getting your flu shot!

darynleee · December 2014

I am not getting the shot and haven't in the past 7 years. We are actually fighting off illness so much harder while pregnant that it is very unlikely that you'll get the flu this year while pregnant when you haven't in the past.

kamomo1 · December 2014

My MW highly recommended the flu shot. I got mine at 15 weeks when they were first coming out and didn't know they weren't as effective. She said at my 20 week appointment that they weren't as effective but it will help because the last thing you want is the flu while pregnant. I took a sick day when I got mine because I hate needles and was being a wuss after. I highly recommend it if you can get one.

darynleee · December 2014

Yep!

DixieNormous330 · December 2014

apperdoodles said:

The 1918 flu was a very unique strain. The lower mortality rate cannot just be attributed to advances in modern medicine.

ETA: I'm not referring to God at all.

Every strain of the flu is a very unique strain. It's constantly evolving and changing, hence the change in the vaccine and the use of tri or quad strain formulas.

knjzacher · December 2014

darynleee said:
I am not getting the shot and haven't in the past 7 years. We are actually fighting off illness so much harder while pregnant that it is very unlikely that you'll get the flu this year while pregnant when you haven't in the past.

This is in response to more than just your contribution, but I was napping so I chose the most recent dumbass comment to respond to:

darynleee · December 2014

Yeah, I'm not going to share what I think because obviously this isn't a forum of grown up women. The majority of you are acting like high school bullies. It's ridiculous.

pistachio&blush · December 2014

Scarlettg · December 2014

darynleee said:

Yeah, I'm not going to share what I think because obviously this isn't a forum of grown up women. The majority of you are acting like high school bullies. It's ridiculous.

Who's bullying? This is a forum where ideas are exchanged. We're exchanging ideas. No one, to my knowledge, has attacked anyone else personally. We've all given our ideas and our opinions on those ideas; I haven't seen any name-calling or personal affronts.

Basically, if you post something (anything) on the internet, you should be prepared for folks not to agree with it. You should also be prepared for some folks to express their disagreement in appropriate measures, which I think we've done. In short, if you can't take criticism then the internet is no place for you.

missab · December 2014

Who knew the flu thread would be the one to pull the curtain back on ALL the dumb??

DPandMB · December 2014

dana1047 · December 2014

The CDC has declared a flu epidemic. Children have died. As others have posted, it is dangerous for children, elderly & pregnant ladies.

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/15-children-dead-cdc-declares-flu-epidemic/story?id=27895739

ETA: I don't normally get the flu shot. I talked to my OB and determined that of course the benefits outweigh my thinking. Of course this is my choice alone. Your doctor should have your medical history and can determine if the vaccine is right for you.

megjxo · December 2014

I got my flu shot at the end of November and now I have influenza A, and a bad case too. I've been hospitalized for 3 days now

mombod · December 2014

After reading about the poor woman hospitalized with the flu everything about this thread is making me ragey! Also as a believer in God AND a woman of science I am so offended. Discuss it with your doctor, God doesn't make people sick, the flu is horrible. I know someone who's father died from the flu five years ago.

marisa00 · December 2014

And I thought the "how much weight have you gained" threads were bad. I can't wait for this one to die too.

[Deleted User] · December 2014

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Smash1215 · December 2014

darynleee said:
I am not getting the shot and haven't in the past 7 years. We are actually fighting off illness so much harder while pregnant that it is very unlikely that you'll get the flu this year while pregnant when you haven't in the past.

This is the opposite of true. You are much more susceptible to the flu and other illnesses while pregnant.

Smash1215 · December 2014

darynleee said:
Yeah, I'm not going to share what I think because obviously this isn't a forum of grown up women. The majority of you are acting like high school bullies. It's ridiculous.

Science isn't an opinion or a feeling.

Cliffhaven · December 2014

darynleee said:

I am not getting the shot and haven't in the past 7 years. We are actually fighting off illness so much harder while pregnant that it is very unlikely that you'll get the flu this year while pregnant when you haven't in the past.

Um, that's exactly the opposite of how these things work. I'm sorry that you feel we are acting like high school bullies. I think the snark reflects genuine shock and surprise that someone this far along in her pregnancy doesn't know this yet...and also some concern that someone equally naive could read your response and be influenced by it.

Bottom line is your immune system is suppressed when you are pregnant therefore you are MORE likely to get sick with anything including the Flu. Moreover the risks resulting from having the flu are higher since they can lead to complications with the pregnancy in addition to your own illness being more severe. There are even correlations between exposure to the flu in utero and developing schizophrenia 20 years later! Please don't encourage people to make bad decisions and expect support from this group.

codeeodee · December 2014

There are many routine procedures that your obstetrician will recommend that are just routine. If you are a normally healthy woman having a normal and healthy pregnancy you can take some of the recommendations with a grain of salt. This is as long as you have throughly researched and understand the pros and cons. A flu shot is not one of these things. I think it is important to get a flu shot for your own health every year.

sarahlve · December 2014

I never got one in the past but I decided to get one and I am happy that I did

AmCheri · December 2014

darynleee said:

Yeah, I'm not going to share what I think because obviously this isn't a forum of grown up women. The majority of you are acting like high school bullies. It's ridiculous.

No, I don't think that's what's going on here. What you think you know about immunity and pregnancy is wrong. Please do not spread that kind of destructive misinformation. Yes, the general prevailing understanding is that the immune system of a pregnant woman is lower than it would normally be. However, there's actually newer evidence that when it comes to influenza, a woman's immunity actually kicks into overdrive and reacts too strongly, resulting in a more severe infection! Very interesting article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on this.

"In the new study, Stanford University researchers took blood samples from pregnant and non-pregnant women, and then they exposed that blood to the influenza A virus. Immune cells in the pregnant women’s blood showed a more vigorous response to the virus than cells in blood of non-pregnant women, the team found. Two types of immune cells, natural killer and T cells, appeared supercharged, producing more molecules involved in a response. This outsized inflammatory response may “tip the balance from a healthy immune response into one that is destructive, resulting in increased disease severity,” the authors write."

The point is, education does a body good.

Smash1215 · December 2014

RHoPA1109 said:

Smash1215 said:

darynleee said:
I am not getting the shot and haven't in the past 7 years. We are actually fighting off illness so much harder while pregnant that it is very unlikely that you'll get the flu this year while pregnant when you haven't in the past.
This is the opposite of true. You are much more susceptible to the flu and other illnesses while pregnant.

But this is what she thinks, @Smash1215‌. Don't bully her with your fancy, frivolous facts.

But I'm so fancy! I just can't help it.

AmCheri · December 2014

An excerpt from the fall 2014 Proceedings article:

Pregnant women are subject to increased morbidity and mortality after influenza-virus infection. Pregnancy-induced suppression of the cellular immune system to promote fetal tolerance has been suggested as a potential mechanism. Here, we report that, whereas pregnant women indeed have decreased natural killer (NK)- and T-cell functional responses after nonspecific stimulation with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate and ionomycin, they have significantly increased NK- and T-cell responses to influenza virus compared with nonpregnant women. Intriguingly, these differences were present prior to influenza vaccination and were further enhanced after vaccination. Collectively, our data suggest a model in which an enhanced inflammatory response to influenza during pregnancy results in additional pathology in pregnant women, providing a potential explanation for their disproportionate morbidity and mortality.

Everyone has a right to an opinion, but you're not entitled to your own facts. Make a decision that's right for you after you talk to your doctor and engage in a bit of your own due diligence.

AshleighK305 · December 2014

klingspwn said:

Hahahah I couldn't help myself after hearing all the "that's now how this works" comments. I fucking love that esurance commercial. Please tell me everyone has seen it?

One of my favs too haha!!

SunnyBeachBum · December 2014

This thread...

darynleee · December 2014

My mistake, I shouldn't have said bullies, I should've said bitches!

jesslfar · December 2014

Assuming you have never had a reaction to a vaccine before it is perfectly safe. This is a particularly bad year for the flu and the East Coast US is getting hit by it very hard. Your OB recommends it for a reason and I would follow that recommendation. I am very careful about exposure to chemicals and do not get vaccines without doing my research.

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