Flu Shots
 

What are everyone's thoughts on flu shots? Good idea? Bad idea? Government conspiracy?


I'm just plain terrified of needles (like, BAD), but I don't want to miss school/work so I'm considering one.

Good idea for old people, but not for me.

Never had one- haven't had the flu since I was in elementary school. Can't say it's a bad idea, there's just something about them that kind of scares me- and I don't have any problem with needles.

Don't take them, THE GOVERNMENT IS TRYING TO KILL YOU.

I don't know why they want to kill you or what the long term gain is, BUT THEY'RE GONNA DO IT.... CUZ..... IT'S THE GOVERNMENT.

if you are particularly vulnerable to catching the flu, its a good idea. understand that a vaccine is going to make you a little sick for a few days, which is why i question the necessity for such a shot. why get sick so you dont get sick?

I'm too terrified of needles as well.
I don't think I'd do it.
I'm sure I've gotten the shot before, my fear of needles is getting worse, though.
No matter how many times I get shots.

I'm sure the flu shot is for the best, though.
Not a government conspiracy.

Not a chance.

I'm not getting a Flu shot this year.
I'm using this Flu season as a self-experiment to see if there's a difference. I've been getting Flu shots for the last 6 years, and my sick-rate during that time was no more than 2 days out of the year in one occurrence.
This year, since I'm not being forced into getting a shot, I won't, out of pure scientific curiosity to see if I get sick more, or not at all.
So far I'm doing great.
A lot of kids at school came down with all kinds of crap, and I'm not trying to do anything different than I'd normally do, and I haven't even gotten so much as a headache this year, outside of hangovers.
(There was that spontaneous allergic reaction recently, but that has nothing to do with it.)

I want to see if my immune system does better or worse without the shot.

I get a flu shot every year, doctor mandated since mono wrecked my system.

I don't like taking any form of medicine if I don't have to. I get my vaccines and such, but I the flu shot is unnecessary. I don't have a problem with it. What I do have a problem with is the addiction our country has to over-the-counter medicine.

ive never had the Flu, and i have a pretty strong immune system. i thank my messy outdoorsy childhood for that :). so i wont be getting one.

I dont ever really get sick, but in the military we would have to suck that crap up our noses quite often, and after becoming sick as heck the first two times i learned to fake inhale and snot rocket that junk out my nose seconds after...not for me, ill stick to herbal remedies and eating oranges because im the best effin MD that ever lived.

Never had a flu shot, not planning on getting one this year either. Sometimes I wonder if those shots do more harm than good...

I'll get one. My opinion is that it can only help. Especially if you work around kids or have any kids of your own.

You don't get sick after the shot, if you get sick it was because you already had the virus in your system. Your arm might hurt for a few days but that's about it.

I've never got the flu shot ever, nor have I had the flu for the past two years. Here's hoping for three in a row.

And yeah, I'm becoming increasingly scared of needles.

I have swine flu right now. To be honest, it's not that bad, it's a lot like the normal flu except without the nausea and vomiting. I mean it sucks to be sick, but I've felt much worse past times I've had the normal flu... It has given me a bad cough though, and I still smoke like 2 cigarettes a day cuz I'm retarded. Never got the shot though, and I don't really care it would have just been a hassle.

I probably have the worst immune system here, never had any flu shots (or any other shots to prevent illness, for that matter) and have never gotten the flu.

YouTube - Woman Disabled by THIS YEARS FLU SHOT (10 days AFTER vaccination )

see, this is why you don't take the flu shot. I can just imagine how many people are going to end up like her after taking the swine flu shot.

I think the ridiculous media hype over the swine flu is just plain wrong. Government folks literally scare people into getting this flu shot so they can rake in the cash they get from their Tamiflu stocks going through the roof. Its disease for profit..

Yeah I can imagine how many people too: almost none. There is some risk involved in any activity. I'm sure I can find one individual case that proves, using your logic, that crossing the street or eating breakfast can be dangerous but that doesn't mean that there is a high probability of catastrophe if you do those things.

Not that I'm saying everybody should run out and get the flu shot, I'm just saying that people should make their decisions for logical reasons instead of basing them on an extremely poor grasp of probability.

I used to hear some people say that and I didn't believe it was true, but some people do have a gene that effects their immunity and prevents or block viruses infecting them.

I think some people can have a similar childhood to mines, and still be pretty illness prone. But most of my friends at that time, who I'm still friends with now, are the same. Hardly ever get illnesses. Probably why I believe the saying, but then again I do have a fucking cold I cant get rid of, right now :( haha

yeah, this winter is being very harsh on me. I haven't been ill for more than 5 years, and now I've got this cold since October 9th.

Yeah I usually get like the usual, runny nose (yuck) and stuff, never an actual cold, but I've got a really bad cough right now :(.

I have a really nasty cough as well. I don't remember coughing for more than a day. Plus, I still haven't gotten any fever, which usually is the only thing that kills it.

Same, my cough doesn't hurt or anything though. Plus I just spent 2hrs in the pissing rain. and it was freezing. If I don't catch a cold I'm indestructable.

Interesting that you've had the cold since October 9th since that is the month and day John Lennon was born and your avatar is a parody of a Rolling Stone cover featuring John Lennon. Instant Karma?

I get the flu shot every year because I get it for free... but if you really don't want to get it then I don't think it's really THAT necessary. I still get sick lots despite having the vaccine with flu-ey type things, and there are so many different mutations of viruses and colds and things similar to the flu that it is impossible for your body to build antibodies to every single one of them anyway.

Since I don't really see the harm in getting on and I hate getting sick, I got the flu shot along with the staff and kids at my school. I don't consider it as "Now I know I won't get sick" shot but I feel a bit relieved (along with my husband!) that I did get it . Though the lines here to get the shot are ridiculously long with some people waiting up to as much as four hours to get the shot only to be told "Sorry we are all out" by the time they get to the front of it...

i have h1n1. fear me.

If your immune system works better, it is not because you did not get the shot, it is because you just got lucky this year. The way vaccines work is by making your immune system immune to things. The flu shot, will make you immune to the strain of the flu that the shot pertains too. There is no way it would do otherwise unless you were one of the very rare cases where the dead or extremely weakened flu virus injected into your blood so your immune system can taste and become immune to it, suddenly gains super powers and infects you.



That said, I wont be taking the flu shot because I am lazy.

Okay so, flu season is on the way and I'm wondering whether to get a flu shot. I've usually always gotten them, because I could get them for free in Aus. But now that I'm currently in NZ I'm wondering if I should go to the bother of getting one, plus I'm not sure how much it'll cost and such...

I have a terrible immune system and have often been in and out of hospital for various things. I actually DIDN'T get the shot last year and I got swine flu. My parents are medical scientists and I asked them if the shots are worth it and they said yes - they are configured to prevent you from suffering from the most dominant form of influenza strain at that point in time and the success rate is pretty high.

I don't know what to do, whether I should get it or not! There seems to be so many mixed opinions... I also heard that immediately after the shot you can get sick? I don't know if I want to risk this!

there are two people THAT I KNOW BY ASSOCIATION in a 50 mile radius of where i live who received an H1N1 vaccination and now have debilitating ailments. mystery ailments, at that, in one case having started to clear, and in the other - over quite some span of time - has only gotten worse.

effects similar to but not as extreme as this:

YouTube - H1N1 Swine Flu Vaccines Side Effects!

are being experienced by the latter of the aforementioned victims of "Population Stabilization."



DON'T BELIEVE THEM!!!

^ I'm pretty sure thimerosal laced flu shots have been banned here, and people who have very extreme reactions to the shot are usually allergic to or do not react well to chemicals like mercury that appear in the vaccine. I have had the vaccination probably more than 10 times in the past so I'm pretty sure I will be fine. On top of that, like I said my parents are medical scientists and are actually involved in producing and administering the vaccine in Australia, they told me it's largely safe and worth it in my case.

But like I said, now that I'm over here and I don't get the shot for free, I'm not sure if it's worth getting or not. I bet if I don't get it, I'll get sick again :(

i can't argue that!

but still, i've been sick. i don't get needles. i survive. sure, it sucks to get sick. but i'd rather go through something that sucks rather than become a willing participant in a scheme to desensitize people to the idea of getting needles regularly and when is prescribed by the media.

Well, I get sick, but I don't 'survive' like the ordinary person because I have a shitty immune system. Last year I got tonsillitis and was in hospital for 5 days. Then I got sick again in the middle of the year and was in hospital for 3 weeks. This is why I'm wondering that it might be worth me getting the shot...

I think if you feel you need to get a flu shot, then it might be worth it. If you don't get it and then get sick for a week, that's a lot of time off from work and/or school. There is a trace amount of thimerosal in the vaccine, but it shouldn't make you sick. It's a more stable isotope of the poisonous mercury, and there's less of it in the vaccine than there is in a can of tuna. I wouldn't worry about it. I got the H1N1 shot in October only because we were visiting my grandmother in the hospital, and she was in a sterile room. Didn't have any side effects except for the soreness in the spot where they put the needle.

Thanks for the info Burning Down :) Yeah like I said, I've had the flu shot every year for as long as I can remember because I got it free in Australia. I never had any side effects or anything, not even a sore arm. Now that I'm in NZ and I just don't know if it's worth me going out and getting it, but I guess I should... like you said, if I got sick I'd regret it and all the time I'd have to take of uni.

I skipped my flu shot last year with no ill effects, so I'll continue to skip it from now on.
I always use hand-sanitizer and am rather careful in public, but as far as carrying on with my daily activities, I've found the flu shot to be of no consequence either way.

Freebase, what's the process of getting the flu shot like in the US? Just curious. Because I only had to pay $5 for mine in Australia unless I was working for the public service and got it for free, and I have no idea what I'm supposed to do in NZ, I'll have to suss it out.

Another thing is that it's very difficult to remain free of germs when you're around 30 germy, dirty little children every day! I think I'm going to have to go get it just to be safe!