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Don't know whether to get the flu jab

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I am 22 and I have never had the flu jab. I have only ever had the flu bad once. Every time I get a letter from the doctors every year I just ignore it. I know I should get it because of me being type 1 and I am thinking about getting it as I start a job in a few weeks working with people with disabilities. I have read things in the past that have put me off from having it I have heard that some people have had serious side effects from it. I think if it wasn't for this job then I probably wouldn't have it but still not sure what to do
 
Hi,
Obviously this is a matter of individual choice.
The most common side effect from the jab is that it contains albumen from egg. If you have an allergy to this then it can cause you problems. The vaccine itself is not "live" so cannot cause people to get the flu. However, some people suffer a pain like a dead arm or get a bit hotter than usual. These effects tend to last for only a day or two.
The fact that is important to consider as a T1 is that if you do catch the flu the effect on your diabetes can be quite serious. I had the flu as a child, within 2 years of being diagnosed T1 and because there was a lot of snow at the time, the doctor was considering getting me airlifted to hospital due to the effect it had on me!
Needless to say, I have the jab every year.
 
Being a carer, whether paid or voluntary is definitely a reason to get a flu jab, so you can't infect those less able to cope with infection than yourself.
 
mrburden said:
However, some people suffer a pain like a dead arm or get a bit hotter than usual. These effects tend to last for only a day or two.
Click to expand...

This is along similar lines to what I usually get. My arm aches for a while but by the next day, it's fine again. Certainly isn't anything worth not having the jab for.

I've always had my flu jab every year. I'm not going to be bothered by scare-mongering stories when I know illness like flu has been proven to be potentially fatal. We're offered it free for a reason!
 
Hiya!

Had mine last week. It made my arm ache this year, but not too bad. Last year it didn't hurt at all. I very nearly decided against the flu jab last year, but got talked into it. Lucky for me! My partner had a really bad dose of flu over Christmas and I dread to think how I would have coped if I'd been that ill, but I didn't even get a sniffle. This year I was first in the queue for the jab!

Smidge
 
I suppose because your be working with a few people it might be an idea, but do remember the flu jab only contains certain flu strains does it not? I only mention this because some people once they have the jab think they are immune to anyone with flu, you have to be aware of catching the flu weither you have had a jab or not!

Ps. Had the jab as a teen one year and caught the flu anyway so havent bothered since.
Pss. That was twenty years ago and havent caught the flu but then i am usually a hermit!!!!
 
sicko666 said:
I suppose because your be working with a few people it might be an idea, but do remember the flu jab only contains certain flu strains does it not? I only mention this because some people once they have the jab think they are immune to anyone with flu, you have to be aware of catching the flu weither you have had a jab or not!

Ps. Had the jab as a teen one year and caught the flu anyway so havent bothered since.
Pss. That was twenty years ago and havent caught the flu but then i am usually a hermit!!!!
Click to expand...

Yes, you are correct, the flu jab is not a guarantee against ALL strains of the illness, but it is adapted every year, once the most prevalent strain is realised.

PS. Catching the flu one year might be down to you being infected by a strain of the virus being different to the most prevalent one that year. Not going out will be far more effective than a vaccine in preventing you from contracting ANY infectious germ
PPS. In the last 20 years, the ability to identify the most likely strain of flu virus has become far more accurate, making the vaccine much more effective than it used to be.
 
It's quite simple - anecdotes from individuals one way or the other are of no use, it's all about the scientific evidence. Though there are a few rare cases of serious side effects, far more serious illness and death are prevented than caused. The bottom line is that the numbers show you are better of having the jab that not. Generally this is the case with all medical treatments, but we're perhaps more cautious of injections containing some part of the disease itself.

For various reasons there are a number of websites, organisations and individuals who are against vaccinations and love to spread alarm and panic about them. They sometimes talk in a pseudo scientific way, but essentially I think a lot of it is superstition.

The trouble is, you mostly hear anecdotes from people who have had problems - you never can hear the anecdotes of the people who, had they not had a simple jab and maybe a sore arm for a day, would have gone on to get flu and die of it, because they were simply fine.

I had mine the other day at the co-op chemist while I was picking up my prescription, I could have had one free at the GP's, but the days there were doing the drop-ins weren't convenient for me, and it's only £11 and you can just pop into the little room and get it over with there and then.
 
Otenba has hit the nail on the head! If they could find an excuse for not giving it to us, when they are trying to save money in every direction, they would surely have stopped giving us flu jabs if it wasn't worth it.

I have it every year, and have no side-effects from the injection at all. I did get flu one year, and I honestly thought I was going to die - I have never been so ill! Flu is a killer - it might not kill you, but you could pass it on to someone who might die. Get the jab, is my advice. :)

Viv 8)
 
hmm this is all very interesting.
Personally I get worse side effects than the ones most people describe above - not with the ordinary flu jab, which is fine, but with the swine flu jab. It makes me ill for a couple of days, guaranteed - not just a numb arm but proper curl-up-under-the-duvet fuzzy head ill. In my area they give the jabs together so I can't have one without the other any more. I wonder if anyone else has had a similar problem and/or has been able to get the jabs separately, or ask for only the ordinary one?
 
viviennem said:
Otenba has hit the nail on the head! If they could find an excuse for not giving it to us, when they are trying to save money in every direction, they would surely have stopped giving us flu jabs if it wasn't worth it.

I have it every year, and have no side-effects from the injection at all. I did get flu one year, and I honestly thought I was going to die - I have never been so ill! Flu is a killer - it might not kill you, but you could pass it on to someone who might die. Get the jab, is my advice. :)

Viv 8)
Click to expand...

I was going to say that this year I had only had the standard flu jab, without the swine flu. But I've just been informed that the clinic letter said it was the combination jab.
I just saw the flu jab heading, date and times and went to get it. Just goes to prove I should read the clinic letters!
 
I don't bother with flu jabs, I throw the letter in the bin.

I don't get colds or flu any more because I make use of the natural immune system boosting properties of bacteria and fibre which works very well for me. I used to get every cold and flu going around before I started this approach and now I would not go back to how it was before.

Two bowls of porridge because one doesn't provide enough carbs, some natural yoghurt cultured from Culturella bacteria (Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG), some FOS to subtley sweeten and the latest addition, some Coconut oil. Tastes quite nice too.

I used to use supermarket (sainsbury or Aldi) yoghurt as a starter to make my own yoghurt but have stopped doing that in favour of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG which I purchased in capsules on eBay and then cultured to make my own yoghurts. A lot cheaper doing it that way than buying capsules.

http://www.vrp.com/digestive-health...-probiotic-strengthens-digestion-and-immunity
 
I'm 28 and up until I was 23/24, never bothered with the Flu Jab, the usual "It won't happen to me, I'll be fine if I do get it" thoughts of a young bloke who thinks they're partly invincible I guess. I ended up catching the flu in the winter of 2007, I can't really remember much about it, was slipping in and out of consciousness a lot, was in hospital for around 4 weeks, family thought I was on the way out, thankfully I fought it off and luckily I'm here to tell the tale!

That was obviously a wake up call, I had a wee boy who was only 1 year old at the time, and I think I matured overnight! I've had the flu jab every year since then as soon as it's been available with no ill effects, it's pretty much a painless injection, I only had a sore arm once and that was down to the nurse hitting a muscle I think, all other times it's been fine and I've felt great the whole winter.

My advice, get it done, chances are you won't catch flu, but you're better safe than sorry, and you've got a responsability to the vulnerable people you'll be working with, so I don't really think there's a decision to be made.

Hope you make the right choice and you have a healthy winter! :)
 
I am going for mine next Tuesday.
I did get flu a few years ago, it was horrendous, couldnt speak for a week and couldnt move generally, I stayed in bed for 2 weeks and managed to feel better during the third week. I would never want to go through that again and so I now get the flu jab as a preventitive measure.
I hopw you can reach a decision soon and good luck with your new job.
 
I had mine done last week (Monday) had a very sore arm for a few days, plus mild flu like symptoms till the Saturday, with a very painful headache, it really put me off, however.. My dad who is also diabetic didnt have his jab last year, he caught flu in February this year and 2 weeks later was in intensive care with pneumonia for 7 days, they were pretty sure he wasnt going to make it, but thankfully he did. He was one of the first to have his jab this year, and I was a close second :)
 
Had mine last week - I have never had any problems but this time I too had a very sore arm - though nurse had warned me about this so was prepared - had a flu like feeling too a couple of days after but not sure if that was the jab or a surprising arrival of a period - not had one for a few months! - :evil:
 
I had both flu (combination flu and swine flu) and pneumonia jabs last year, and had no side effects other than a slightly tender arm. I'll be having this year's flu jab next jab. As others have said, it's free, and in the current economic climate, if the health teams didn't think it was necessary, they wouldn't give it free of charge.

One thing to bear in mind this year is that there is no funding available to promote the flu jab. Some health trusts and surgeries aren't sending out reminder letters and there won't be a national campaign to remind everyone. So if you don't get a letter, don't assume the jab isn't available, because it is - contact your doctor and ask for it!

As an aside regarding 'side effects'. The flu jab doesn't give you flu - or even a slight hint of it. Any flu-like symptons you may get in the days following the jab, is as a result of you already picking up a virus/infection about 2 to 3 weeks prior to the jab. :D
 
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