Just got my flu shot for the year.

[oc_in_fw]

I used to avoid them but I would always get an aggressive flu a few times during the year. I finally got a flu shot last year (it might be a coincidence) but I was flu free for the full year.

That was my experience, so I got my first one last year. Twice during the flu season I got flu like symptoms, but only lasted 3 or 4 hours each time. I am scheduled to get mine on Oct 5 at work. If I am going to wait in line to get shot, I may as well get paid for it

 

[Eeyore]

You have a responsible employer, our winter sick records are going through the roof. If half the people took the jab we wouldn't have such stressful winters in the office.

A society where people cannot afford the flu anymore is sick in itself. I am not talking about the high risk groups, but about the general population.

If being ill costs too much money, maybe it is time to reevaluate our values? A company that cannot accommodate normal life events is too lean.

 

[DrumZalot]

That was my experience, so I got my first one last year. Twice during the flu season I got flu like symptoms, but only lasted 3 or 4 hours each time. I am scheduled to get mine on Oct 5 at work. If I am going to wait in line to get shot, I may as well get paid for it

Talk about a coincidence! The few times the flu almost hit me I too had minor symptoms that lasted only a few hours and that was it. Everyone around me was getting sick except me. I am also getting the shot early October though not at work but my insurance covers it.

 

[dklaiman]

My parent unit is medical, so every year they herd us up and try to do 100% in quickest time possible just so they can make numbers.
I'm good with the shot, the flu mist is gross. .

I get one, mainly to keep SWMBO happy. Also, I'm a big believer in vaccines, so it would be hypocritical of me not to get one. That being said, I go for the mist (well, until next year when I'll be too old). It's not that bad.

 

[gibsonx4]

Woohoo! No adverse reactions to this year's flu shot so far.

 

[Edcculus]

My employer used to offer them on site. I did it then because it was just so convenient. I also got them when I was in college because they offered them for $10 at the student center. The flu ran pretty rampant through our college 2 years in a row, and I never got it.

I probably should now, and I'm pretty sure my insurance will reimburse me, but I just don't bother anymore. I work in a manufacturing facility, have my own office and make sure I start washing my hands all the time during flu season. Our daughter is only 2, and doesn't go to school yet, and my wife stays at home. All things equal, I feel I have a fairly low risk for catching it. Also I'm lazy.

I'd get it if our employer offered them on site though.

 

[Edcculus]

A society where people cannot afford the flu anymore is sick in itself. I am not talking about the high risk groups, but about the general population.

If being ill costs too much money, maybe it is time to reevaluate our values? A company that cannot accommodate normal life events is too lean.

Welcome to America.

 

[emt88]

Just got mine today. Mandatory for work, so not much choice in the matter. But I would probably do it anyway even if I wasn't told to. The same goes for regular boosters of previous vaccines and the usual health screenings.

 

[Wood Badger]

I can't get it anymore. I had a reaction a few years ago, and Doc said "no more".

 

[Edcculus]

The Doctor said "No More"?????!!!!!!

 

[August West]

A society where people cannot afford the flu anymore is sick in itself. I am not talking about the high risk groups, but about the general population.

If being ill costs too much money, maybe it is time to reevaluate our values? A company that cannot accommodate normal life events is too lean.

True story. 15 years ago, at my former place of employment, a colleague tragically passed away while performing his duties on the dock. Resuscitation attempts failed and he was taken away, respectfully covered, and gently rolled into an awaiting ambulance. The shift Supervisor and I(union steward), went into the office to decipher protocol. First order of business, as stated in the manual, was to punch him off the clock.

 

[Wood Badger]

The Doctor said "No More"?????!!!!!!

View attachment 499992

Yes! He most certainly did! He even carved it into a wall!

 

[Corey]

I work medical. I'll be getting it in a week or two. It has worked well for me the last half dozen or more years.

 

[Shantytownbrown]

A society where people cannot afford the flu anymore is sick in itself. I am not talking about the high risk groups, but about the general population.

If being ill costs too much money, maybe it is time to reevaluate our values? A company that cannot accommodate normal life events is too lean.

Tell that to all the young folks who we admitted to our hospital last year with respiratory failure due to Flu, whom had refused the shot, for whatever reasons they had. Non-smokers too.

Whatever excuses you all have for not getting them, sans allergy or known severe reactions, do yourself a favor and reconsider, especially if you smoke.

Remember if you have an egg allergy there is an alternative, speak with your doctor.

Flu is not "just a bad cold", remember that.

 

[Dools]

Had to....got it Tuesday.

 

[gibsonx4]

Day 2 and still no reaction - looks like it's a good year.

 

[oc_in_fw]

My employer used to offer them on site. I did it then because it was just so convenient. I also got them when I was in college because they offered them for $10 at the student center. The flu ran pretty rampant through our college 2 years in a row, and I never got it.

I probably should now, and I'm pretty sure my insurance will reimburse me, but I just don't bother anymore. I work in a manufacturing facility, have my own office and make sure I start washing my hands all the time during flu season. Our daughter is only 2, and doesn't go to school yet, and my wife stays at home. All things equal, I feel I have a fairly low risk for catching it. Also I'm lazy.

I'd get it if our employer offered them on site though.

Doing it on site is a big factor on me getting it. No extra trips- I am at work already, and getting paid to get a shot.

 

[oc_in_fw]

Tell that to all the young folks who we admitted to our hospital last year with respiratory failure due to Flu, whom had refused the shot, for whatever reasons they had. Non-smokers too.

Whatever excuses you all have for not getting them, sans allergy or known severe reactions, do yourself a favor and reconsider, especially if you smoke.

Remember if you have an egg allergy there is an alternative, speak with your doctor.

Flu is not "just a bad cold", remember that.

I think something got lost in translation. I don't think Eeyore is advocating not getting flu shots.

 

[Shantytownbrown]

I think something got lost in translation. I don't think Eeyore is advocating not getting flu shots.

No. I know. I was too commenting on the loss of productivity point. My point was that the loss of productivity is the last thing we should worry about. It's the loss of ones life to what everyone thinks is "just a bad cold".

 

[docholliday77]

Tell that to all the young folks who we admitted to our hospital last year with respiratory failure due to Flu, whom had refused the shot, for whatever reasons they had. Non-smokers too.

Whatever excuses you all have for not getting them, sans allergy or known severe reactions, do yourself a favor and reconsider, especially if you smoke.

Remember if you have an egg allergy there is an alternative, speak with your doctor.

Flu is not "just a bad cold", remember that.

+1

[On Soapbox]
Just a couple quick reminders, debunkings, rants, etc.
1. Unless you have an ALLERGIC REACTION to the shot, you CANNOT - repeat - CANNOT, get sick from the flu shot. Unfortunately, there are many other respiratory illnesses going around at the same time, and every time someone gets one of these +/- 1 month of getting the flu shot, they blame the shot...
2. Unfortunately, you CAN still get the flu if you get the flu shot. There are dozens or even scores of strains of flu. To get the production ramped up in time for peak season, the final decisions on what to put in the shot have to be made in the late spring. Sometimes the researchers get it spot on, sometimes not so much. If you do get the flu shot and then catch a strain that isn't covered, there is still a good chance that your body will have some immunity and you won't get as sick as you would have.
3. Very unfortunately, we all refer to viral gastroenteritis as "the stomach flu." This viral illness is entirely unrelated to influenza (aka "the flu"), which is a respiratory illness that sometimes also causes nausea and vomiting. This is another "failure" that the vaccine gets blamed for.
4. It was my understanding that Thimerisal (the mercury-containing preservative) was going away because of public hysteria (not because of data). I cannot say for sure if it did (the above poster felt that 1/3 of shots still contained it). We all have to make our own decisions about exposures. I can say that if you've ever eaten a fish, you probably got more mercury from that exposure than the flu shot. What taking Thimerisal out of vaccines did accomplish was to require them to be packaged in single-dose vials, which resulted in a huge cost increase to an industry that is already basically performing this service to the public gratis.

As in all things medical, you need to make your own decisions for your own health and body after speaking to your own physician and getting your questions answered to your satisfaction. Please just don't make your decision based on faulty information.

[/On Soapbox]