Flu shot thread 2015-2016 version

[creekland]

Just curious - the poll speaks for itself.  Let me know if I missed any options.

 

Hubby and I will get ours in Oct at our local pharmacy.  This will be our third year in a row getting it after coming up with no good reason to skip it.  Neither of us has ever actually had the flu.

 

Our kids choose for themselves.  Oldest I'm not sure about.  Middle either will get it or already has.  Youngest won't as he hates needles and is convinced he doesn't need it.

 

It's probably too much to ask to skip the controversy, but I'll try.  I'm mainly interesting in seeing what the poll numbers show to see how we, as a whole, fit in with numbers I heard regarding society.  The poll is private, so no worries about others seeing your choices.

[Pawz4me]

I voted October, but that's just a guess.  DH gets it at work, youngest DS and I usually get ours at Walgreens.  Oldest will get his either at his university or at a drug store.  We will all get one.

[creekland]

I voted October, but that's just a guess.  DH gets it at work, youngest DS and I usually get ours at Walgreens.  Oldest will get his either at his university or at a drug store.  We will all get one.

 

Not sure about your oldest, but middle son's shot is free at his university.  It might be if he went to a drug store too, I'm not sure, but it's easier for him just to go to the health center at his school and I know it's free there.

[tm919]

Yes for my husband and kids. I usually try to get it through my work, but since I work remotely most days I often miss the flu clinic days!

[The Girls' Mom]

No, not getting it.  None of the rest of the family is either. 

[Pawz4me]

Not sure about your oldest, but middle son's shot is free at his university.  It might be if he went to a drug store too, I'm not sure, but it's easier for him just to go to the health center at his school and I know it's free there.

 

Yep, it's free at school.  But our insurance covers it fully pretty much everywhere.

[SebastianCat]

We have never gotten flu shots, but I am strongly considering them for myself and the kids this year. We are volunteering both at our church and at an inner city school, so we will potentially be coming in contact with more sick kids than we ever have.

 

Last year I know the flu shot was a poor match for the virus, but both of my kids got the flu. DD developed pneumonia, but DS's case was very mild.

[Night Elf]

My DH and I get it in October at our annual physicals. My youngest dd chooses to get it each year because she's in public school but I can't remember when she is due. I'll have to call her pedi and ask. My oldest doesn't get it but I don't know why. My son had his done this summer when he was getting all his vaccinations updated for college, but he's never had one before that and I don't know if he'll do it again. He didn't care one way or the other and only did it because the doctor recommended it.

[Ottakee]

We will all get the shot here. Between immune deficiencies, asthma, diabetes, previous heart attack, mitochondrial disorders, etc it makes sense.

[creekland]

Just letting people know... I'm ending my likes (due to appreciating your adding to my thread/poll) here or I'm pretty sure I'll run out.  I still definitely appreciate everyone who adds regardless of vote!

[Jane in NC]

My husband always gets a flu shot at work.  Last year was my first.  Like the OP, I could not really come up with a reason for not getting one. It was time for me to be honest with myself:  I am aging, I have continued involvement with the youth of my community.  An ounce of prevention makes sense.

[VaKim]

None of us have ever had one (except DH, which was the only time he ever got the flu in his life) and don't plan on ever getting one, unless somebody gives us one while we are unconscious. 

[Joker]

I've already had mine given for free at work. I work in a hospital so it's mandatory. Dh and both dds will have theirs soon.

 

We all had the flu for the first time three years ago and it was horrible. I have permanent issues due to having it. We had never had flu shots before then but now we anyways will.

[Saddlemomma]

We've never gotten flu shots, and I can't remember the last time any of us got the flu or colds.  We are all home together all day (DH works from home), so we don't get a lot of exposure except when we go shopping or such. I feel that if we keep our immune systems strong, there's no need to worry about it.

 

To help boost our immune systems, we hardly ever touch processed foods; we drink water 99% of the time - no soda; I put dried kale (from our garden) into just about everything we eat year round (including scrambled eggs).  Personally, I drink a lot of tea - hot and iced - that I make at home (no one else likes it).

 

Last year I worried somewhat because our DD was taking Band at the local PS.  We were there two times a week (I do my lesson planning there in the teacher's lounge while DD's at class), and the school had a lot of students & teachers out sick with flu and colds off and on.  Fortunately though, we stayed healthy.  This year DD's taking Art there.  We'll have to be at the school 3 days one week and two days the next (classes are 80 mins. long).

 

I'm 51.

[Pippen]

Stem cell transplant survivor in the family, so we will be getting flu shots the next week or so.

[edelweiss]

My whole family will get the flu shot.

[SKL]

Nope, no thanks.  We would consider it if we had specific risk factors, but we don't.

[73349]

DH and I will get the shot. DS gets the mist. (I counted that as a yes.)

 

I never get the flu, but I get the shot anyway to help protect them.

[purpleowl]

Last year my family got the flu the week before the kids were scheduled for their vaccines (which was mid-October).  I asked a month ago when we could get their vaccines and was told to call after Labor Day, so it's on my schedule for Tuesday morning, with an email reminder in case I forget.  The girls are both old enough for the mist, and DS will get the shot.

 

I figure I will call my dr's office the same day and get myself scheduled (my dr and the pediatrician are in the same building).  Prior to last year, I had not gotten the flu shot due to what I assumed was an egg allergy (and a doctor's recommendation based on my description of my symptoms).  After I actually GOT the flu, I went and got a skin test done to see if my body can handle the flu shot; turns out I have an intolerance for eggs but not an allergy.  So sign me up for a flu vaccine!  I do not ever want to get the flu again if I can help it.

 

DH has a strong dislike for needles.  If I can convince him to, he will be getting the shot anyway.  

[gingersmom]

Anyone 50 and under can get the flu mist.

 

Both my kids will get the flu mist. If I'm brave enough I'll get the shot. I have to do at doctors office in case I faint :)

[creekland]

Ah yes, count mist as a yes!  I just forgot it was an option this morning.  It's probably superb for the needle phobic.

[Katy]

Well not anyone.  There's actually a lot of additional contraindications for flu mist.  The ones I can remember - If you have low thyroid or even just a low running body temperature it will actually infect you with the flu.  It works by inserting a gene that makes it sensitive to high body temperatures, so it just stays in the throat normally.  But if your body temperature runs a degree a little low, you're going to get SICK.

[Rachel]

I've been getting the flu shot yearly for close to 20 years. I've had the flu once, a year or two ago when flu vaccine was not readily available in my area and I didn't get the shot. I have no intention of ever getting the flu again. In general though my family is pretty healthy.

 

I never knew the vaccine was controversial until I was pregnant the year of the big H1N1 outbreak and hospitals weren't allowing visitors. Being pregnant I wasn't sure if I would get the vaccine. The day I went in for my appointment planning to talk to my OB about it, she was distraut because she had lost an otherwise healthy patient to H1N1 the night before. I got the shot. My OB ended up losing 3 patients due to flu that season.

[melmichigan]

The whole family descends on the local Rite Aid one early morning in September and all get it then.  The kids love it because the needles are smaller than at the pediatrician's office, so they are all willing without complaint.  I love it because I go in and fill everything out and wait and everyone just goes in when it's time to line up, no long drive and no wait at the office.

[gardenmom5]

I have only rarely had the flu, and usually present as mild.  I've had a flu shot exactly twice in my life.  both years when I had a compromised immune system. 

 

the first time, I honestly feel like God was pushing me -hard- to get a flu shot.  six weeks later, I was as sick with flu as I've ever been. I am convinced I would have required hospitalization had I not had the shot. with no medical insurance. (I actually had the flu twice that season. the 2nd time was much more typical of how I present.). 

 

the 2nd shot was just a precaution because I'd been hospitalized with pneumonia that year and was pg, and I never got sick with flu. (there was a shortage that year, so they were hard to get. I actually had one pharmacy pull me out of line at their flu-shot clinic because I was pg. - even though the local news kept reporting on high risk groups having priority - i.e. pg - to which I belonged on two fronts.  My ob didn't get any doses - but if he'd only had one, it would have gone to me.)

 

2dd get's one every year - but she is in a healthcare field. (and gives them to other people.;p) 

dh has usually gotten a flu shot in the past, not sure about the last few years.  don't know what his plans are.

[chocolatechip]

I will be getting it in October to remain in compliance with my school program. The rest of my family won't get it. I wouldn't either if I didn't have to. 

[Spryte]

I am very tempted to get it. But my doc is adamant that I not get it. So I probably won't. Ugh. Same for DS.

 

DD and DH will probably get their shots in late Sep.

[Greta]

I had planned to get it this week, but I came down with a particularly nasty cold, so I'm sure it's not a good time. ASAP, though, I will get it. I've had the flu three times in my life, and that was three times too many.

 

A coworker and friend of my husband died from flu complications. She was in her late 40's, a marathon runner, very active healthy person. :( That same year, my husband didn't get the vax and was sick for a month. It made his atrial fibrillation permanently worse. And several of my friends who didn't get the vax ended up in the hospital. Luckily, my daughter and I had gotten the vax, so we were fine. That year convinced me - I will get the vax every year!

[RootAnn]

Kids into the pediatrician yesterday & the nurse told us the flu shots weren't in yet. 

 

None of us get the flu shot. We figure we'll just take the risk of getting the flu. (At dh's work, they give the flu shot to them for free if they want it. DH says some of the guys who get it always come down sick right after it, but most of those continue to get the shot. I'm assuming they would be the ones who would get really sick if they got a full blown case of the flu.)

[redsquirrel]

I voted that all four of us will get it, but really I just NEED dh and ds1 to get it.  DH works at a university and there are all kinds of exotic illnesses up there, and ds1 is at the public high school. Last year wasn't a bad flu year at the high school, but some horrible virus ripped through that place last winter and it was horrible.  ds1 caught it and I have never seen him so sick in his life. At least when I called about it the school was super nice. His teachers all gave the sick students extra time to catch up etc.  But that was bad. I am getting at least him a flu shot this year.

[Tap]

We will all have the flu shot in September.  I work in healthcare.  Dh deals with medical waste.  1 of my kids has asthma.  1 kid works with vulnerable people. 1 is in public elementary school (worst place for getting sick IMHO)

[Tap]

Anyone 50 and under can get the flu mist.

 

Both my kids will get the flu mist. If I'm brave enough I'll get the shot. I have to do at doctors office in case I faint :)

Flumist is only available to some people.  It is a live virus and it is unlikely, but possible to get a light case of the flu-like symptoms from it (but not the flu).  Anyone who is considered high risk, if they get the flu, can not have flu mist.   The shot is a dead virus, so there is no way to get sick from it.  It is recommended to most other people. 

 

From the CDC on Flumist:

 

Some people should not get this vaccine

Some people should not get LAIV because of age, health conditions, or other reasons. Most of these people should get an injected flu vaccine instead. Your healthcare provider can help you decide.

Tell the provider if you or the person being vaccinated:

• have any allergies, including an allergy to eggs, or have ever had an allergic reaction to an influenza vaccine.
• have ever had Guillain-Barré Syndrome (also called GBS).
• have any long-term heart, breathing, kidney, liver, or nervous system problems.
• have asthma or breathing problems, or are a child who has had wheezing episodes.
• are pregnant.
• are a child or adolescent who is receiving aspirin or aspirin-containing products.
• have a weakened immune system.
• will be visiting or taking care of someone, within the next 7 days, who requires a protected environment (for example, following a bone marrow transplant).

Sometimes LAIV should be delayed. Tell the provider if you or the person being vaccinated:

• are not feeling well. The vaccine could be delayed until you feel better.
• have gotten any other vaccines in the past 4 weeks. Live vaccines given too close together might not work as well.
• have taken influenza antiviral medication in the past 48 hours.
• have a very stuffy nose.

[DesertBlossom]

No. DH gets the shot with the military, which he's not happy about but is required to do. He says he always gets sick after the flu shot.

[Pippen]

Kids into the pediatrician yesterday & the nurse told us the flu shots weren't in yet. 

 

None of us get the flu shot. We figure we'll just take the risk of getting the flu. (At dh's work, they give the flu shot to them for free if they want it. DH says some of the guys who get it always come down sick right after it, but most of those continue to get the shot. I'm assuming they would be the ones who would get really sick if they got a full blown case of the flu

 

We never did routine flu shots until an elementary aged child in our school district died of Influenza B. Scarily fast, and without signs such as high fever or breathing problems to signal that the child was seriously ill. 

[Ali in OR]

The shot typically becomes available in October here--at least that's when our doctors' offices offer them. We always get the flu shot as our seizure kid could have major problems with a flu (happened when she was 2, shots ever since). Another dd and I had flu-like illnesses that led to pneumonia last year. Not sure if it was "the" flu because of the failed vaccine, but we'll do whatever we can to avoid that happening again.

 

[Catwoman]

Well not anyone. There's actually a lot of additional contraindications for flu mist. The ones I can remember - If you have low thyroid or even just a low running body temperature it will actually infect you with the flu. It works by inserting a gene that makes it sensitive to high body temperatures, so it just stays in the throat normally. But if your body temperature runs a degree a little low, you're going to get SICK.

Thank you for posting that, Katy -- I had no idea that body temperature could have that kind of effect! I may need to get a flu shot this year (due to my dh's illness) and my normal body temperature is around 97 degrees. I had been considering the mist, but not any more!

 

Thanks again!!!

[MomtoCandJ]

I have to for school and will probably also be required when I start working (nurse). Dh got really sick when he had one so he won't get it again (and has adverse reaction to tamiflu). Dd1 also got mildly sick after one (though it was the year of the H1N1 scare and she had both shots as a 1 yr old) (also allergic to tamiflu). Dd2 hasn't had any flu shots yet, though I will probably have both girls get them once I start working. Dh can make his own choice at that point.

[Loowit]

Neither DH or I will.  Youngest can't because of health issues.  Middle always gets either a shot or flu mist.  We get it for him due to a medical condition that makes him more high risk of complications if he got the flu.  Oldest gets to decide for herself.  Typically she decides to get one, but not always.  She can't get the mist because of asthma.  I am not sure when the shots will be available at the pediatrician's office, but I will keep an eye out.

[Butter]

I voted that I am not sure when I will get it, but I will.  Everyone in our family will.  For the little guys, it will probably be this month and for the rest of us early October as that is when the doctors we see (two practices which is why the months are different) expect to get them in.  This will be the first time my children have gotten the flu shot.  My husband and I have not gotten one since before any of them were born (note: my daughter is 15).  BUT, this year, my dad is on chemo for pancreatic cancer and will likely soon be having the surgery to remove the tumor.  My parents are planning to move in with us mid-winter.  We are getting flu shots to protect him.

[luuknam]

Got the quadrivalent one last Friday when picking up meds at Target and they asked "want a flu shot with that?". The first time I got the flu shot I was 23yo, despite being in a high risk group (I was diagnosed with chronic bronchitis as a kid), and then only because I had a newborn. Before the flu shot I got the flu every 2-3 years (I only had a test once, but when I go from being fine to being really ill in just a couple of hours, with all the flu symptoms, and it lasts as couple of weeks, I'll count that as the real flu, as opposed to the zillion common colds I also get every year). My wife will probably get the flu shot, but I'm not sure. I probably won't bother with the kids, but not completely decided yet. They're not in a risk group, and I think there is some (psychological) benefit from getting quite ill and miserable and surviving it, so that if some other illness hits you some day you know that even when you feel terrible, it doesn't mean it's (necessarily) the end. I did get them both the flu shot last year because I was mildly concerned about the possibility of ebola spreading in the US, and if one were to get ebola, it'd probably be better to not have the flu at the same time.

[mommaduck]

Hell no.

[wapiti]

We used to.  Now a couple of my kids have immune system issues, so no, probably not ever again.  (In their cases, they have immune deficiencies that are less likely to lead to a sufficient response to the vaccine and they also have messed up situations whereby the immune system is implicated in neuropsychiatric issues and immune triggers can cause behavioral flares.  At least one of them also has genetic polymorphisms leading to methylation and liver clearance issues.)

[Junie]

I've been getting the flu shot yearly for close to 20 years. I've had the flu once, a year or two ago when flu vaccine was not readily available in my area and I didn't get the shot. I have no intention of ever getting the flu again. In general though my family is pretty healthy.

 

I never knew the vaccine was controversial until I was pregnant the year of the big H1N1 outbreak and hospitals weren't allowing visitors. Being pregnant I wasn't sure if I would get the vaccine. The day I went in for my appointment planning to talk to my OB about it, she was distraut because she had lost an otherwise healthy patient to H1N1 the night before. I got the shot. My OB ended up losing 3 patients due to flu that season.

 

We were kind of hit and miss about the flu shot until that year.  I also was pregnant, with a compromised immune system.  The flu shot was very hard to get that year, but after a friend from high school died  :crying: , I made sure that I got one.  My friend was pregnant with her first child.  They took the baby 2 months early, and AFAIK she is OK.  

[SweetMissMagnolia]

got mine a few weeks ago at a local pharmacy....whenever I can get the hubby in to get his he will get it there too..... They also have the flu mist that my son usually gets at his pediatrician's office....we will probably stick with the pediatrician because my son in comfortable with it.....if he wants to switch to pharmacy we might go there--depends....

[Catherine]

Not sure if my response should count, as we are both required to get it because we work in hospitals.  I haven't honestly seen the need for my kids, but the one remaining who is not grown will be allowed to choose for himself.  

[Lady Florida.]

We usually get ours in  mid-October at the pharmacy unless the flu season comes early to our area. Ds has always had to go to the doctor to get it because our state law doesn't allow pharmacies to give it to minors (except in the rare cases where the pharmacy contracts outside nurses to give the shots). He's 18 today. This year we can finally skip the doctor's office and have him get his at the pharmacy too.

[wendyroo]

We will all get flu shots.

 

Most years DH and I get ours done at his work, but they usually schedule their flu shot clinics toward the end of October and this year I would rather have everyone vaccinated before the baby comes in mid-October.

 

The kids will all get theirs done as soon as the ped office has the vaccine in stock - probably mid-Sept.  DH and I will have ours done at a pharmacy around the same time.

 

Wendy

[HRAAB]

Dh will get his first and then remind the rest of us, and we will make our annual trek to Walgreens.  

[AmandaVT]

DH gets his at work (hospital). I have a Dr's appointment in October anyway, so I'll get it then. DS will have his annual well child visit sometime in Oct/Nov, still have to make the appt, and he'll get the mist then. 

 

DH did not get the shot last year, he was not on call the day the nurse came, and was sick in bed for almost 2 weeks with the flu. Pretty sure he'll make sure that doesn't happen again this year!

[mom31257]

We never take flu shots.

 

Dh and I have been married 24 years, and we've had very few episodes of flu without ever taking the shots. Dh has worked in education the entire time. Dh and I got the flu 17 years ago. Ds had flu when he was 6 months old. Dh and kids got the flu 5 years ago.