topic Re: Flu in Community Chat

Flu

SunSprite — Thu, 06 Feb 2020 13:17:03 GMT

My employer requires us to get a flu shot; they come on site and provide it at no charge. I received that the first week of November/end of October...somewhere in there.

Due to an autoimmune disease my physician required me to also get an over 65 flu shot as well as the pneumonia shot. I got those around the holidays.

As of yesterday I was diagnosed with the flu.

This year's vaccine either was a pretty good match OR my doctor's extra precaution has helped.....whatever it is I don't feel like I'm about to die. The last time I had the flu was in 2018 and I really did just about kick the bucket.

I'm at home, alone, so not spreading it any further. Pretty hardy body aches, an annoying dry cough, and steady fever. It wouldn't be quite so bad if I could sleep, but I'm not able to do that for longer than an hour and a half or so.

Mainly I was curious if any of you had the vaccine (or more than one) and if you noticed the flu itself wasn't quite as debilitating as previous rounds?

Type A was what I was told.

Re: Flu

cherry — Thu, 06 Feb 2020 13:20:14 GMT

We have had the shot and so far so good. I usually get hit hard, and I shudder to think what it would be like for me without vaccine

One thing I think has also helped me is Vit B12 shots ,and massive doses of Vit D, both prescribed by my Dr

Re: Flu

KingstonsMom — Thu, 06 Feb 2020 13:20:14 GMT

@SunSprite

I get the flu shot (have had the pneumonia shot) every year and I've never had the flu (knock on wood!).

Hope you're feeling much better soon!

Re: Flu

I am still oxox — Thu, 06 Feb 2020 13:36:03 GMT

@KingstonsMom

There are two pneumonia different shots and both are taken once not yearly like the Flu shot

@KingstonsMom wrote:
@SunSprite

I get the flu shot (have had the pneumonia shot) every year and I've never had the flu (knock on wood!).

Hope you're feeling much better soon!

Re: Flu

millieshops — Thu, 06 Feb 2020 13:54:57 GMT

@SunSpriteSorry you got the flu, but happy you had the shots - could be the reason you're doing as well as you are.

It's been over a decade since I skipped getting a flu shot. What convinced me was that the year I didn't bother, I really hit bottom and fainted twice. Scary when you live alone at best, worse when one of those faints came close to sending me tumbling down a set of steps!

We don't get guarantees, but I'll take all the potential help available.

Re: Flu

KingstonsMom — Thu, 06 Feb 2020 13:58:52 GMT

@I am still oxox wrote:
@KingstonsMom

There are two pneumonia different shots and both are taken once not yearly like the Flu shot

@KingstonsMom wrote:
@SunSprite

I get the flu shot (have had the pneumonia shot) every year and I've never had the flu (knock on wood!).

Hope you're feeling much better soon!

@I am still oxox

Yes, that's the pneumonia shot I had, that's why I put it in parenthesis after the flu shot comment.

Maybe I should have put it after "every year" to be more clear.

Re: Flu

Jersey Born — Thu, 06 Feb 2020 14:07:22 GMT

I think this year's flu shot is a failure. I know people working at a hospital who are forced to take a flu shot every year, and in one department 5 have already been diagnosed with influenza despite having taken the influenza vaccine. Interestingly, both Strain A and Victoria B strains have been diagnosed through lab testing done there, so it is not only one strain that is hitting them.

Re: Flu

Goldengate8361 — Thu, 06 Feb 2020 14:10:32 GMT

@SunSprite just hoping you feel better soon! Take care!

Re: Flu

chrystaltree — Thu, 06 Feb 2020 14:28:34 GMT

Yes, that should be commonly known. If you get the flu after the shot, it will be a much milder and of shorter duration. That happened to my 6 year old niece this year.

Re: Flu

Dusty1 — Thu, 06 Feb 2020 14:36:15 GMT

How do you judge if it is milder & shorter duration than it would have been without the shot?

Isn't that like using an anti aging product? Maybe it works. Maybe it doesn't. You can't really compare unless you use it on one side of your face as you age & see if one side looks younger after 10-20-30 years.

I have had the flu that was really awful. I have had flu that is mild & I go on in a day or so.

Schools are closed here because so many teachers & students have the flu.

I wonder how many of them had the flu shot?

Re: Flu

chrystaltree — Thu, 06 Feb 2020 14:45:29 GMT

@Dusty1 wrote:
How do you judge if it is milder & shorter duration than it would have been without the shot?
Isn't that like using an anti aging product? Maybe it works. Maybe it doesn't. You can't really compare unless you use it on one side of your face as you age & see if one side looks younger after 10-20-30 years.
I have had the flu that was really awful. I have had flu that is mild & I go on in a day or so.
Schools are closed here because so many teachers & students have the flu.
I wonder how many of them had the flu shot?

If think if you every truly had the flu, you wouldn't ask that question. Influenza is nothing like a cold, it totally incompacitates you with a high fever, serious body aches, loss of appetite, weakness, a cough that sometimes leads to pneumonia. Flu symptoms last about 7 days but the cough can last for couple of weeks and the weakness or just feeling ill can Las t for a couple of weeks. So, yes. If you are diagnosed with the flu and you had a flu shot; you KNOW that the symptoms are mild when your symptoms are more like a cold and you are back on your feet and and recovered in 3 days. I get it. You are one of those who don't get the flu shot and nothing anyone says about the benefits will ever change your mind.

Re: Flu

dex — Thu, 06 Feb 2020 14:58:57 GMT

@chrystaltree wrote:
@Dusty1 wrote:
How do you judge if it is milder & shorter duration than it would have been without the shot?
Isn't that like using an anti aging product? Maybe it works. Maybe it doesn't. You can't really compare unless you use it on one side of your face as you age & see if one side looks younger after 10-20-30 years.
I have had the flu that was really awful. I have had flu that is mild & I go on in a day or so.
Schools are closed here because so many teachers & students have the flu.
I wonder how many of them had the flu shot?

If think if you every truly had the flu, you wouldn't ask that question. Influenza is nothing like a cold, it totally incompacitates you with a high fever, serious body aches, loss of appetite, weakness, a cough that sometimes leads to pneumonia. Flu symptoms last about 7 days but the cough can last for couple of weeks and the weakness or just feeling ill can Las t for a couple of weeks. So, yes. If you are diagnosed with the flu and you had a flu shot; you KNOW that the symptoms are mild when your symptoms are more like a cold and you are back on your feet and and recovered in 3 days. I get it. You are one of those who don't get the flu shot and nothing anyone says about the benefits will ever change your mind.

You are so right.I had the flu last year and honestly I was so sick that I didn’t care about anything.I didn’t even get out of bed for a week but just slept...couldn’t eat.My dh was really worried because I never stayed in bed when sick or slept night and day in my life.

Re: Flu

Imaoldhippie — Thu, 06 Feb 2020 15:13:49 GMT

Getting any kind of immunization does NOT prevent you from getting the illness, but a milder case. So what you are experiencing is a mild case of the flu and your immunization worked. Hope you feel better soon.

Re: Flu

SunSprite — Thu, 06 Feb 2020 15:17:44 GMT

@chrystaltree YES. You hit the nail on the head. Because it was just two years ago when I had the flu, I can compare it to how it is hitting me this year and it is NOT the same effect.

The only thing I'm not sure of is it because the vaccine is a better match, or is it because I had two shots (one being the over 65 one). Since I have no way of knowing for sure I think I will just do the double shot thing from now on. It sure as heck beats how I felt in March of 2018.

Also, I work for a hospital organization, on the non-clinical side. The entire employee population is required to be vaccinated for the flu, unless you have a medical/religious reason that you cannot. I have always received a flu vaccine, even back in 2018.

But after testing positive yesterday I am fully aware of the difference in severity between now and 2018. I am a strong advocate for the flu vaccine, because when they get it right.....well obviously it helps. Something went right this year.

Thanks to all for the well wishes! I'll be ok, just a lousy patient and really don't like being sick and isolated

Re: Flu

2blonde — Thu, 06 Feb 2020 16:07:13 GMT

@SunSprite I'm sad for you getting the flu, but happy that it's a milder case, and I hope you feel better very soon.

The last time I had the flu was well over 20 years ago, but I remember it well. I live alone, and even though I was too sick to eat, I couldn't stand up long enough to get any food anyway. You definitely know you don't have some other virus when you have the full blown flu.

Since then, my employer has offered free flu shots on campus every year, and I have gotten them, although many others don't. I've been getting the 65+ dose the last couple years, and the worst I got from the higher dose was a very sore arm.

I couple weeks ago, I totally felt the early signs of the flu, and was mortifed because I have asthma, and have had many bouts of bronchitis over the years. I prayed my shot would give my body the strength to fight it off, and when I woke up the next day I was fine! Thank God!

Re: Flu

Pecky — Thu, 06 Feb 2020 16:18:09 GMT

I have never gotten the flu shot and this year for some reason I did. I thought I was coming down with a cold but I had symptoms that I had never experienced before. My cough was really loose and I heard funny noises in my chest. The worst sore throat I had ever had. It felt like I was swallowing needles when trying to drink water. Fever 102. After three days of feeling horrible my DH took me to the doctors. He says to me"you are very sick" I really got scared. It was pneumonia that I had. That was last week and with the antibiotics he gave me I am feeling much better. Still have a cough but nothing like before. I also still feel tired. It was quite scary.

Re: Flu

Nightowlz — Thu, 06 Feb 2020 16:38:47 GMT

IMO no business has the right to tell anyone they have to have the flu shot. They work on the shot for the strain they think it will be. Have they ever got that right? I don't know because I don't take the shot. Everything today revolves around MONEY.

If you take the flu shot for over 65 I would tell my employer I already had my flu shot & am not taking that one.

I don't even know why they came out with the shot for over 65. I have read these flu shots don't work after a certain age???

I doubt your flu was not as bad because you had the flu shot. IMO the flu that was going around here this year was mild so you cannot go by that. I know several people that had it including me. It started with body aches & headache next a sore throat with it moving to my chest with coughing. I never went to the doctor as there is nothing they can do. I took aspirin, Zand zinc lemon lozenges, extra vitamin c & lots of OJ.

Re: Flu

Krimpette — Thu, 06 Feb 2020 16:44:52 GMT

I would never NOT get the flu shot. Many, many, many years back, I had the Hong Kong flu. Sickest I have ever been. Don't want to go through that again...ever.

Re: Flu

beckyb1012 — Thu, 06 Feb 2020 16:47:35 GMT

I am 58 and have never had the flu shot. Got the flu at the age of 8, 17, and 48. Hopefully more years ahead flu free.

Re: Flu

Alison Wonderland — Thu, 06 Feb 2020 17:03:25 GMT

That's a known thing with the flu vaccine. You may still get the flu the vaccine was for or a variant, but it may be less severe because of the vaccine.

If you get the flu, with or without a vaccine, you can also see the doctor for a test and the flu medications. One of them requires you start the medication within 24 hours of the onset of symptoms and the other 48 hours. The last time I had the flu was in 2017. I went to an urgent care clinic with a fever of 102.8 and the doctor tested me and told me to get the medication and take it in the parking lot of the drugstore, don't even wait to get home. I did. That day I felt so miserable I don't even remember the rest of the day.

The next day I had no fever at all and felt tired, but otherwise had very few symptoms. I saw my dad that day and he questioned whether or not I had even had the flu. Even after I told him they tested me and the test came back positive, he was still skeptical because I seemed to have no symptoms at all. That stuff is as close to a miracle drug as I've ever seen.