Wellness

[LilacTree]

Went to doc yesterday.  I received my pneumonia shot which lasts five years.  It is important for me because I can't take a flu shot due to my autoimmune diseases.  Pneumonia is usually the reason an elderly person dies from the flu.

There are no side effects from a pneumonia shot.

ETA:  Boy, I was sure wrong about that!!  I now have an infection from the shot!!  I wrote about it here in a separate post.

This is why I hate meds!!

[hoosieroriginal]

My doctor wouldn't give me a pneumonia shot - she said I have no underlying health issues and don't need one. 

[LilacTree]

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hoosieroriginal wrote:

My doctor wouldn't give me a pneumonia shot - she said I have no underlying health issues and don't need one. 

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That sounds reasonable.  I have RA and other autoimmune issues and also old age.  I would probably not survive a bad flu attack.  That's why I get the pneumonia vaccine.

[chickenbutt]

I once had a pneumonia shot.  That was some 30 years ago and back then they said it was good for 10 years.

I have to say - I used to get pneumonia every year and I have not once gotten pneumonia since I had that shot decades ago.

They must have changed it up if it's only a 5-year shot now.  But the one I had back then must have done the trick!  

[hckynut]

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@LilacTree wrote:

Went to doc yesterday.  I received my pneumonia shot which lasts five years.  It is important for me because I can't take a flu shot due to my autoimmune diseases.  Pneumonia is usually the reason an elderly person dies from the flu.

There are no side effects from a pneumonia shot.

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@LilacTree

Hello to you. I too believe your post is very important to many that read this forum. I have had 2 bouts with, what I will call, regular pneumonia. Adding to that, also the often deadly, to elder people, Aspiration pneumonia, 2 episodes of deadly lung blood clots(PE), my lungs are definitely scarred.

I got my first shot in 2002 and have gotten one each 5 years since. Plan to follow this same procedure for as long as I am around, and suggest everyone ask their doctors if for them it might be a wise thing to do.

Best to you and your family,

hckynut(john)

[Moonchilde]

I get flu shots every year. I had my first pnemonia vaccine last year, the Prevnar one. Interestingly, I just saw my new doctor (I moved) a week ago, told him that, and he verified to me that I still needed the Pneumovax vaccine - but then didn't offer it to me. Say what?

I had no side effects from the Prevnar, and never have had side effects from regular flu shots, but boy howdy, I did from the senior "quadruple dose" flu shot the one time I had it. Nasty. Almost as bad as the tetanus shot reaction (and my tetanus reaction is more extreme than most). I'll stick with regular flu shots from now on.

[LilacTree]

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@hckynut wrote:

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@LilacTree wrote:

Went to doc yesterday.  I received my pneumonia shot which lasts five years.  It is important for me because I can't take a flu shot due to my autoimmune diseases.  Pneumonia is usually the reason an elderly person dies from the flu.

There are no side effects from a pneumonia shot.

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@LilacTree

Hello to you. I too believe your post is very important to many that read this forum. I have had 2 bouts with, what I will call, regular pneumonia. Adding to that, also the often deadly, to elder people, Aspiration pneumonia, 2 episodes of deadly lung blood clots(PE), my lungs are definitely scarred.

I got my first shot in 2002 and have gotten one each 5 years since. Plan to follow this same procedure for as long as I am around, and suggest everyone ask their doctors if for them it might be a wise thing to do.

Best to you and your family,

hckynut(john)

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@hckynut

You're a sweetheart, John.  ~~~Ford

[Big Sister]

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@Moonchilde wrote:

I get flu shots every year. I had my first pnemonia vaccine last year, the Prevnar one. Interestingly, I just saw my new doctor (I moved) a week ago, told him that, and he verified to me that I still needed the Pneumovax vaccine - but then didn't offer it to me. Say what?

I had no side effects from the Prevnar, and never have had side effects from regular flu shots, but boy howdy, I did from the senior "quadruple dose" flu shot the one time I had it. Nasty. Almost as bad as the tetanus shot reaction (and my tetanus reaction is more extreme than most). I'll stick with regular flu shots from now on.

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@Moonchilde, Hello, I am curious to know more about your reaction to the tetanus shot you once had.   Years ago when I had my first tetanus shot, not long afterwards I had a breakout of hives for almost a year.  I have always wondered if the hives were a reaction to that tetanus vacine.  I will never forget that year, UGLY!

[Moonchilde]

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@Big Sister wrote:

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@Moonchilde wrote:

I get flu shots every year. I had my first pnemonia vaccine last year, the Prevnar one. Interestingly, I just saw my new doctor (I moved) a week ago, told him that, and he verified to me that I still needed the Pneumovax vaccine - but then didn't offer it to me. Say what?

I had no side effects from the Prevnar, and never have had side effects from regular flu shots, but boy howdy, I did from the senior "quadruple dose" flu shot the one time I had it. Nasty. Almost as bad as the tetanus shot reaction (and my tetanus reaction is more extreme than most). I'll stick with regular flu shots from now on.

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@Moonchilde, Hello, I am curious to know more about your reaction to the tetanus shot you once had.   Years ago when I had my first tetanus shot, not long afterwards I had a breakout of hives for almost a year.  I have always wondered if the hives were a reaction to that tetanus vacine.  I will never forget that year, UGLY!

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@Big Sister, I had the "typical" site reaction but more severe. The injection site reddened to the size of a quarter, was swollen about 1/8" high, and the heat from it melted ice cubes quickly. Also, I could hardly move my arm. Redness and pain and sore arm are typical, but according to the doctors I worked with, my reaction was definitely more than typical.

[Big Sister]

@Moonchilde  Thank you so much for explaining your reaction to the Tetanus vacine.  That sounds terrible.