Anyone NOT get the Flu vac for themselves and kids?

[Gailmegan]

NEVER. I think they are dangerous as well as ineffective.

[JudyJudyJudy]

I'm immunosuppressed (I wasn't diagnosed as such at the time), and the only time I ever got the flu shot, it kicked my butt. I got sicker from the shot than I've ever gotten from the flu itself. (FWIW, I also reacted poorly to allergy shots, probably because of extreme chemical sensitivities.)

 

Ds had a severe reaction to vaccines when he was 15 months old (he had had less severe reactions prior to the one that landed him in the hospital), so we'd never consider having him get a flu shot. Also, most flu vaxes contain mercury, so we wouldn't get it for that reason even if ds didn't have a history of vaccine reactions.

 

Dh has never had the flu and hasn't had a flu shot since he was in the navy in the 80s.

[elegantlion]

No shot here, and I have a compromised immune system. I usually get some bug in Feb for a few weeks, but I still refuse the shot. I don't believe in its efficacy, my mom got really sick after hers last year (after choosing to avoid it for years), and of the few strains it vaccinates for, I'm probably going to get exposed to a different one.

 

I've upped my vitamin D intake this year, so we'll see it that helps.

[JessicaLady]

Nope, we don't get shots. I am particularly uncomfortable with the H1N1 vaccine. It seemed unsafe and ineffective. So, we def. did not get those. When I worked (RN) I got the shots and I usually didn't get sick. However, I worked in OB so was not a a super 'sick' population. Pregnancy is not an unhealthy state but I thought it was my duty to protect myself for the sake of patients.

 

I have not rec'd a flu vaccine since having my son 6 yrs ago. I also have declined for the kids every year. I even declined for my younger son who was premature. During the flu season (which seems to get longer and longer here in TX) we: 1) greatly reduce our outings. We don't do many playdates, storytimes or high volume events w/ lots of kids. Especially those places that may have more children from the public school setting who just seem to pass around one bug after another. 2) We WASH our hands. I know it's kind of 'old school' but it really seems to work. I say this to people and they laugh and say things like 'oh yeah, we use that sanitizer stuff'. Um, yeah....that's not handwashing but whatever. Good if soap/water aren't nearby but not the same. 3) I bump up everyone's intake of VitC foods. I'd rather not give them a pill (of any kind) if there is a natural way for them to get the immune boosters.

 

My DH is diabetic and although I know he is in a high risk group, he also does not get the vaccine. His company is very 'granola' I'd say and they often will send memo's around peak infection times to encourage you to work from home, conference calls, etc. We are VERY lucky.

 

My kids pedi really dislikes that I decline. However, I smuggly point out to him that neither of my kids (6 and 3.5) have been on antibiotics nor have they EVER had a sick visit. I told him I feel pretty confident on doing what needs to be done.

 

I'd really like to also get into my dislike of flu meds such as Tamiflu but I will spare you for now.

[tiredmommyof8]

We have in the past gotten flu shots but didn't the past couple years. I regret not getting the shot last year. All the kids were sick at Christmas and we just thought they had some knd of bug that was going around. We were supposed to spend Christmas day with my Mom and warned her the kids had not felt good but she told us to come anyway. That night I started feeling terrible and by the next day thought I'd croak. Some of the kids were still sick so we took them to the doctor and he said we had the flu and it had progressed into other illnesses (strep throat, ear infections, bronchitis). We were sick for weeks. The next week my Mom was so sick she really needed to be hospitalized but refused to go. My sister is a nurse and moved in with her for 3 weeks until she got better. Several weeks later the kids and I were all sick again and I took all the kids back to the doctor and he told us we all had a different strain of the flu! As much as I hate shots this year I plan on everyone getting it.

[twoxcell]

We have never gotten them because I never saw a need and I do not think they are effective anyways. We rarely get sick around here anyways. Ironically all the people I know who run in for the shots are sick a ton more than we are.

[CalicoKat]

Never have here.

 

Probably a cross between indolence and living dangerously.

 

:lol: :001_smile: Agreed! Here too.

[Jryanbass]

Nope. And EVERYONE in this house got the flu last year, even my 6 month old. And I still wouldn't get it. The type that we all had last year, wasn't even the one they were vaccinating for, according to our pediatrician.:glare:

[Ellesmere]

We vaccinate according to what our PCP advises. She actually refused to give me the flu shot due to one of my allergies. So, no, I don't.

[MissKNG]

We don't flu vax here. And we didn't vax for H1N1.

[clarkacademy]

Would you mind sharing why not? I know my kid's doctor will really push it when we go for a well-baby check and we have done them in the past. (and that was the year they got the flu). Anyways, I am not sure if I want to do them this year and just wanted some opionions.

 

No we don't do vaccines as I feel it is not in our best interest. Doctors will bully those who allow themselves to be bullied. You say no if they persist you give them a straight on dead in the eyes look and repeat NO! I got bullied with my youngest daughter at an appointment for her so she got it. This was years ago. None of the other children got that shot and none of my other children got sick so it kind of proved my point. She got the shot, she is the only one in a house full that got sick.

[mcconnellboys]

I have no younger kids now, but we have never gotten flu vaccines regularly. My husband has gotten them occasionally, as he's subjected to a larger workforce daily.

 

We've been pretty healthy for the past few years, so have not felt the need to get them. We do pay attention to good hygiene practices during the winter months to help stave off illnesses. My older son failed to get a flu shot as a freshman at college last year, and of course came home when he got it in January. We nursed him back to health pretty quickly (at least back info functionality) and none of us got it....

[sparrow]

I've been tempted to stop doing the well child visits because the last one was an absolute waste of time and money. I just feel funny about it because my kids never go to the doctor. I worry about what I'd do if they needed a doctor.

 

What do you do when you need a doctor for your kids (or what would you do) because a lot of doctors don't want to treat non established patients? I actually had to call around to a few places when I moved out of state.

 

I'm not sure if it makes any difference, but we've always seen a family doctor. Someone in our family will inevitably need to see the doctor at least once during the year. It's usually my husband or daughter, since they have asthma. That seems to keep our whole family established enough :001_smile:.

[Mommy22alyns]

The last time we did a flu vax was 4 years ago, when the girls and I got FluMist. Oh. My. GOSH. We were so very sick after that. I never got sick with the shot. Anyway, we've been pretty healthy and I just don't feel like we really need it.

 

And my kids are otherwise fully vaxed.

[laundrycrisis]

We don't. I do not believe that it works or is beneficial at all, and I don't want the stuff that is in it put into our bodies.

[HS Mom in NC]

I've had the flu many times over 38 years of life and have lived to tell the tale. We don't vaccinate at all.

[blessedmom4god]

We don't!

[Joyofsixreboot]

I don't see the need. We all have normal immune systems.

[Night Elf]

No one in my house has ever had the flu, or if we did it must have been super mild cases. We get colds, but none of them make us miserable which is what I hear about the flu.

 

The one time we did think my oldest dd had the flu, we learned it was actually Mono. Ick.

 

We have Kaiser and they always have a big campaign for free flu shots. Fortunately, they don't make a big stink when someone says no thank you.

 

I guess if someone in my family had compromised health in any way, I would consider a flu shot. But we don't, so it just seems unnecessary.

 

My mom gets the shot every year and swears she never has the flu because of it. When I point out that no one in my house has had it either, she just shrugs it off and says we're just lucky.

[Tigger]

I've been tempted to stop doing the well child visits because the last one was an absolute waste of time and money. I just feel funny about it because my kids never go to the doctor. I worry about what I'd do if they needed a doctor.

 

What do you do when you need a doctor for your kids (or what would you do) because a lot of doctors don't want to treat non established patients? I actually had to call around to a few places when I moved out of state.

 

We do well-baby visits to the two-month visit since that's when most issues (congenital) are picked up and it's good to have a chart with a pediatrician at that young an age just in case something does happen and you need to get in right away or need to be admitted to the hospital.

 

After the two month visit (this was the same for our first) we switch to a family doctor who is okay with delayed vax (or no vax, but we do some of them) and actually makes.....ready?.....house calls! She prefers to wait to see babies after they're two months old though, she wants them with a pediatrician until at least 2-4 months. We saw her for a four-month well-baby to get the chart started with her, then we'll see her again for a 9-month visit, then as needed for the baby. My older son sees her once a year, which this year coincides with the baby's 9-month visit, so that works out nicely!

[LizzyBee]

We have never gotten the flu shot. We are pretty healthy, and even when one of us gets the flu, everyone else doesn't get it. (We have done tamiflu in that situation, though.)

 

We may end up getting flu shots this year for the first time because of me having leukemia. My wbc's are low, although not dangerously low at this point. I am planning to discuss the flu shot at my oncologist appt next week. I am still inclined not to get the shot, but if my wbc's get much lower, we probably will.

[Medstudent]

Most of us (one son and both my husband and I) do because we have a child with a compromised immune system and a metabolic condition that ups his complication potential. This year the geneticist wants him to have the flu vax and he's anti-vax for his patients unless benefit outweighs harm potential. He said the H1N1 is in this season and already in the US and that concerns him enough to want the vax for his patients. This will be the first year that this son gets it.

 

I'm not convinced it will necessarily prevent flu but I do think it might reduce symptoms and it does prevent sometimes.

 

I don't see any way an inactivated flu vaccine can make a person sick. Maybe their immune system is already run down and the extra activation of the vaccine knocks it a little more temporarily to catch something else? In that case, imo, they might need the vaccine. I think it's more likely circumstance though.

 

We have healthy vitamin D levels and I think that is likely a far better preventative.

 

Inactivated vaccines can't actually give you the flu. However, when your immune system is working hard, you may (not everyone does) have symptoms like a fever, lack of appetite- feel pretty crummy all around without a real source. It's your immune system doing its job.

The "flumist" vaccine (i think they had that one for h1n1 last year if I'm not mistaken) is live-attenuated. This means that if you're generally very weak and have a pretty terrible immune system, you may get the disease from it, and if you're healthy you'll probably get a much milder version of the disease (similar to what I described above- you just won't feel very good for a few days). Most people have this kind of reaction to the FluMist.

 

We're required to get the flu shot. I had never had it before. I've had the flu exactly once in my life and it was miserable, and I get those icky, feel-like-crap symptoms a few days after the flu shot every year. I guess I trust that those symptoms are better than the real thing...that, and I'm required to get the shot anyway :tongue_smilie:.

[Hot Lava Mama]

and those were the SICKEST winters we have ever had. We skipped one year and we were fine. Then, the following year we got them again, and again, had one of the sickest winters we have ever had. I literally couldn't stand up to hold a bowl under my childs mouth for him to vomit into. Ugh. It was terrible. We stopped getting them and have gone back to our mild winter sickness type of a year.

Never again!

Hot Lava Mama

[LauraGB]

We don't get vaccinated for the flu, either. I did once, a long time ago, and it was the only time I got the flu.

[justamouse]

Nope. Wash hands, take vitamins, eat well, get enough sleep. Wash hands again.

Edited September 20, 2011 by justamouse

[weddell]

Both my kids have severe egg allergies (they need epipens) and the regular pediatrician's office won't even give them the shot. People with egg allergies can get the shot if they get it at an allergist's office. They skin test for it and then give the shot in multiple small doses over a couple hours rather than as one shot. This gives them time to make sure there is no reaction. Even our pediatrician has told us it isn't worth that kind of effort to get it without a good reason.

 

The pediatrician always wants me to get it since the kids can't. Some years I do, some years I don't; it really has more to do with whether or not I'm somewhere convenient that gives the flu shot.

 

Last winter we were in the middle of our move to India (we are still in India now) and since we would be traveling and flying we did all get the shot. I took the kids to the allergist to get it and to get a final checkup before we left. Since we're in India now, I don't even know if we can get the flu shot here. I certainly wouldn't let the kids get it with their egg allergies. We will be traveling to the US for Christmas and I could see me getting the shot at a walk-in clinic but I hadn't really thought about it. The main reason I would for me is again because of the international travel and being trapped on a 15 hour flight filled with people from all different countries. I figure any immune boost I could get is probably worth it, especially so I could take care of the kids if they got sick.

[SKL]

It's injecting toxins into our bodies. I am not a fan of doing that without a very compelling reason. None of us has compromised immunity, or any other condition making it likely that we would die of the flu. I do not consider it wrong or scary to accept the risk of contracting a disease that is very unlikely to cause permanent damage or death.

 

I'm neither pro-vaccine nor anti-vaccine. I just weigh the pros and cons of each vaccine for each person. If the doctor recommends a vaccine, I smile politely and say "thank you" for his advice, but I don't allow him to pressure me into it. Chances are I've already made my decision before I entered his office.

[YLVD]

We just..don't.

 

We are all fully vaccinated. But, I don't go for optional ones. Not sure why.

[gardenmom5]

I've only had a flu shot twice in my life, and both times I had an already compromised immune system and needed extra protection. Otherwise I don't. I've never gotten it for any of my kids. I've rarely gotten the flu, and seldom been very sick when I did.

 

My 2dd will have to have it, but she works in a hospital.

[StaceyinLA]

My dad had a flu shot the December before he died. He used to get one every year because he had congestive heart failure. Every year after the shot he got the flu - it lasted for weeks.

 

That last year he got the flu as well. It kept him down nearly 2 months. Worse than giving him the flu, it caused terrible fluid buildup in his lungs that never went away. He died 8 months later having never really recovered from the effects of that shot.

 

He isn't the only person I know who has had horrible flu after the shot.

 

I will never get a flu shot.

[desertmum]

Our ds had the flu short early this year because dh said there were too many people sick around the office and he was worried about bring a bug home.

 

The following day after the shot my son could not stand the pain in the leg where he got the shot and could not put any weight on it. We flew to the GP's office and she gave him some pain killers and something to rub on -but first she ordered blood tests and she was pale -as in sickly white- the entire time we were there with our boy. Clearly she was very concerned even if trying to cover it.

 

No more flu shots. We never even went back for the booster.

 

Now I am scared for going with the mmr booster (ds had the first one). :confused:

[Pippen]

Last time I had the flu shot, I got 3 documented cases of the flu that year including two of the strains that were in the shot. It destroyed my faith in that vaccine. .

 

This happened to me the first year that I got a flu shot, only undocumented 3 times. That was a year they really missed predicting which strains would be making the rounds.

 

The next time I got a flu shot was H1N1 at the insistence of my gyn. post hysterectomy. I was run down, anemic and was having a flare up of asthma and he figured I'd be toast if I caught it so I didn't argue with him.

 

I did get the flu shot this past week as I'm spending a lot of time subbing in a large public school. We'll see. The biggest improvement in my health in terms of cold and flu happened the year I started chiropractic care.

 

My kids have never had it.

[Denisemomof4]

we have never gotten a flu shot, and we never will. If someone falls ill and has an immune disorder, we will discuss it then. I think they are unnecessary, they used to MAKE my parent sick after the shot, and they continued to get viruses through out the season. I think they are a waste.

[mryann]

We all got the shot one year. That year, I ended up with bronchitis and pleurisy and took over 8 months to finally feel normal. Could have been a coincidence but considering that we rarely ever get the flu anyway, it's not worth the risk.

 

I think Vit D is far more important for keeping you healthy in the winter.

[mom31257]

We've never had the flu shot. I don't know if this is true, but I heard that if you get it, you have to get it every year because it makes it harder for you to fight it off. I also believe that they try to vaccinate for far too many things. Our bodies need to be able to fight as many things off ourselves as possible.

 

Another reason is that we are a family that rarely catches illnesses. We are not prone to colds, stomach viruses, or anything like that. We are rarely sick. There has been flu in our family 3 times in the 20 years my dh and I have been married: he and I when dd was a baby, ds the week of his first Christmas, and dh and the kids last fall at the same time.

[KidsHappen]

We don't vaccinate. This past winter my hubby and I had our first case of the flu in 15 years and my children had their first case ever. I am comfortable with that.

[Paisley Hedgehog]

nm

[SeekingHim77]

We don't get the flu shot. I've heard too many bad things about it. Most nurses I know refuse to get it as well.

[LidiyaDawn]

I see some people saying they got the flu from the flu shot… but that just isn't possible.. :confused:

 

Common Flu Misconceptions

 

Despite the benefits of the flu vaccine, several misconceptions persist. The most common myth is that the flu vaccine can actually give you the flu.

 

"Many people believe the flu shot can cause the flu," Chen said. "There is no live virus in the vaccine so it truly cannot cause the flu. However, some people do experience one of the common fall or winter viruses shortly after vaccination and will simply mistake those infections for the flu."

 

Some people are concerned that the side effects of the flu shot may be worse than the flu itself. In reality, only a minority of people experience any side effects from the vaccine; these side effects tend to be mild and of very short duration, according to Chen. "Typically the worst side effect is a sore arm as seen with other needle-using vaccines. Nonetheless, the vaccines are manufactured with chicken eggs, so if a person is allergic to eggs they should not receive the vaccine. Otherwise, for most people, the vaccine has no side effects."

 

Finally, some people might reason that since the influenza vaccine isn't 100 percent effective, they're better off getting the flu. Even if the vaccine doesn't prevent you from getting the flu, you are still likely to be far less sick than you would have been without the shot. The vaccine also greatly reduces the chance of severe complications.

 

"It cuts down, eliminates the flu or decreases the severity of the illness," Edelman says. "It dampens it [flu] down so much that you don't get very sick."

 

link (it's a medical university thing, not just some random site)

 

Although most people recover, the CDC estimates that in the U.S., more than 200,000 people are hospitalized and more than 36,000 die from the flu and its complications every year.

 

That's why we get them… I don't want any of us to be one of those THIRTY SIX THOUSAND people.. I don't want anyone to be - so we protect ourselves, and we protect others as well - if we're vaccinated, we're waaaay less likely to get the virus and therefore aren't transferring it around to other people. (Particularly babies and people who can't get immunized)

 

Influenza is scary. :(

 

[and I have a new baby right now… heading into flu season… I don't even want to leave the house.]

[Momof3littles]

I see some people saying they got the flu from the flu shot… but that just isn't possible.. :confused:

 

Common Flu Misconceptions

 

Despite the benefits of the flu vaccine, several misconceptions persist. The most common myth is that the flu vaccine can actually give you the flu.

 

"Many people believe the flu shot can cause the flu," Chen said. "There is no live virus in the vaccine so it truly cannot cause the flu. However, some people do experience one of the common fall or winter viruses shortly after vaccination and will simply mistake those infections for the flu."

 

Some people are concerned that the side effects of the flu shot may be worse than the flu itself. In reality, only a minority of people experience any side effects from the vaccine; these side effects tend to be mild and of very short duration, according to Chen. "Typically the worst side effect is a sore arm as seen with other needle-using vaccines. Nonetheless, the vaccines are manufactured with chicken eggs, so if a person is allergic to eggs they should not receive the vaccine. Otherwise, for most people, the vaccine has no side effects."

 

Finally, some people might reason that since the influenza vaccine isn't 100 percent effective, they're better off getting the flu. Even if the vaccine doesn't prevent you from getting the flu, you are still likely to be far less sick than you would have been without the shot. The vaccine also greatly reduces the chance of severe complications.

 

"It cuts down, eliminates the flu or decreases the severity of the illness," Edelman says. "It dampens it [flu] down so much that you don't get very sick."

 

link (it's a medical university thing, not just some random site)

 

Although most people recover, the CDC estimates that in the U.S., more than 200,000 people are hospitalized and more than 36,000 die from the flu and its complications every year.

 

That's why we get them… I don't want any of us to be one of those THIRTY SIX THOUSAND people.. I don't want anyone to be - so we protect ourselves, and we protect others as well - if we're vaccinated, we're waaaay less likely to get the virus and therefore aren't transferring it around to other people. (Particularly babies and people who can't get immunized)

 

Influenza is scary. :(

 

[and I have a new baby right now… heading into flu season… I don't even want to leave the house.]

 

The way that flu deaths are counted has been called into question many, many times. It has been debated in mainstream press and medical journals more than once.

 

In terms of healthy people getting in in order to prevent transmission, pneumonia and other complications:

http://www2.cochrane.org/reviews/en/ab001269.html

 

Healthcare workers who work with the elderly getting the flu vaccine:

http://www2.cochrane.org/reviews/en/ab005187.html

[The Girls' Mom]

I know you aren't supposed to be able to get it from the vaccine, but the one time in my life I've had the flu: Yep, it was the one time I got the vaccine.

 

Sorry, but it only vaccinates against a tiny portion of the flu strains out there, so I really don't see the point. I'll focus more on keeping our immune system healthy instead.

[LidiyaDawn]

I know you aren't supposed to be able to get it from the vaccine, but the one time in my life I've had the flu: Yep, it was the one time I got the vaccine.

 

Yeah…but when do you go to GET that flu shot? During the time of the year when flu is running about. I mean, a person could say that "snow causes the flu" because it snows during flu season.. yes it's a silly example :p but you know what I mean? That's why it makes sense to me.. it's the timing.

[LidiyaDawn]

The way that flu deaths are counted has been called into question many, many times. It has been debated in mainstream press and medical journals more than once.

 

In terms of healthy people getting in in order to prevent transmission, pneumonia and other complications:

http://www2.cochrane.org/reviews/en/ab001269.html

 

Healthcare workers who work with the elderly getting the flu vaccine:

http://www2.cochrane.org/reviews/en/ab005187.html

 

I don't pay that much attention to "the press" (news/etc) so I've never really seen any debates… I'll go look at those links again after I have my coffee because their "plain language" isn't very plain. :laugh:

 

[i'll check 'em out though yes. and the website.]

[Lizzie in Ma]

We have never gotten the flu shots for any of us.

[JeneralMom]

I cannot get the flu vaccine (I am allergic to some things on the list). The one time the kids had the vaccine was the year I ended up with horrible pneumonia, and DH was leaving for fieldwork for a month. He got the vaccine (shot) and the kids did too (nasal mist) because the doctor said that if they got the flu it would land me in the hospital.

[The Girls' Mom]

Yeah…but when do you go to GET that flu shot? During the time of the year when flu is running about. I mean, a person could say that "snow causes the flu" because it snows during flu season.. yes it's a silly example :p but you know what I mean? That's why it makes sense to me.. it's the timing.

 

I see your point, but it was actually BEFORE flu season hit, and there have been many, many times that I have sat at the docs office during flu season with sick people all around and have not gotten the flu. Also, out of the 35 years of my life, being exposed to the flu virus just as much as the next person, the one time I get the virus is the one time I receive an injection that is related to the virus? Pretty strong correlation in my eyes.

 

Reading through 10 pages of people that have said the same thing only confirms it for me :001_smile:

 

Of course after saying all that, we will all get the flu this year. :glare:

[Ksol]

We used to, not anymore. Two years ago, my mom had her flu shot and contracted Guillain Barre from it, after watching her go through that, be hospitalized for 6 months and still not be recovered, I've decided against it...

[mommaduck]

I see some people saying they got the flu from the flu shot… but that just isn't possible.. :confused:

 

I don't believe any of us are saying that we got the flu from the flu shot (I'm not). However, we do know that the flu vaccines are a crapshoot at best. They are guessing what strains will be virulent and to vaccinate against. They aren't vaccinate against all strains (that would be impossible as the strains are constantly mutating). What we are saying is that there seems to be a corelation between the flu vaccine and a weakened immune system, making one more susceptible to other strains of the flu. Do you have any other theory to why so many people get the flu or get sicker with the flu in years that they get vaccinated with the flu vaccine vs years that they don't?

[PiCO]

I used to be very "flu shot? pffft. Nah." about it… until I learned, a few years ago, that influenza can actually kill you. [i seriously didn't know that!]

 

So can Chicken Pox, apparently.;) (Kind of kidding! I know influenza is a lot worse than Chicken pox.)

 

I don't get the vaccine, because I don't think they do a good job of forcasting what strains of flu will be making the rounds. It also doesn't seem like my friends who do get the flu shot are any less likely to get it than me.

 

I keep my vitamin D levels up through the winter to help with prevention.

[YourFidgetyFriend]

We don't get flu shots. I've had the flu a time or two and I don't think it's so serious that I feel the need to get a shot to prevent it. If we were not otherwise healthy and getting the flu would be a big deal, I would have no qualms about receiving the vaccination.