I just got a flu shot today. As self employed musicians, most of us don't have the benefit of 'paid sick leave', so really can't afford canceling those eseential high paying Christmas/New Years holiday gigs due to illness. To act as an insurance preventative, I routinely get a flu shot (every year) which (so far) has successfully kept me from coming down with the flu, and which can keep you out of commission for up to 2 weeks. The only downside is that flu shots don't protect againest the common cold. - Scott

Scott Ditto. I also got my flu jab today. Now being retirement age its free in the UK.
I am expecting the jab to make me feel under the weather for 2 days, but may be not.

Graham UK

Graham: My shot wasn't free as I'm still quite a few years away from retirement, but still think it's worth the cost to help insure against catching the flu as I also perform for & around older people and would hate to unintentially transmit it to them as well. Graham, I hope & trust your post shot symptoms are minimal, as (for myself) other than feeling a slightly sore where the nurse jabbed me (in the shoulder) I'm feeling no noticeable effects from my flu shot this year, as in some past years, I've felt under the weather for a couple days.

I'm curious now how many other people here get annual flu shots (or not) and what kind of reactions (if any) you've experienced.

Scott

Scott,

Good move ..I'm getting my shot tommorow. makes sense!!

Learned my lesson 3 years ago. 12 days of feeling miserable with sweats, chills, sore throat, etc. I had to cancel two jobs and the others I did do were a real struggle. Every year since then, I am first in line to get the shot..and so far, so good.

Unless you have allergies that prohibit you from getting the shot...or want to wear a Michael Jackson mask...I highly recommend taking the precaution.
Eddie

I have gotten Flu shots for the last several years and have had no adverse reactions to any of them. Count my blessings, right? I've heard some people get sicker when taking a Flu shot than they actually get when they get the Flu!! So if you know you're predisposed to adverse reactions from immunization shots like Flu shots you're better off to consult your Doctor first before getting one. One type of situation where you could become adversely affected from a Flu shot is if you have Asthma or Asthma type related symptoms. If you have any respiratory type illnesses please use caution if and when you get a Flu shot. Always check with your Doctor before doing so is my advice.

PS: I get 'free' Flu shots. But for those who have to pay; if you scour around you can find them for as little as $7.00, at least in the area where I live. I'm pretty sure you could find that price anywhere in the Nation especially since the AMA is now promoting Flu Shot immunizations for a wider age category, - even for young people - (at half the normal dose though). I too think they're well worth it. Since taking the Flu shots I've not had the Flu.

Another interesting note: It is better to take a Flu shot later in the Season because if you take it early in the Season you may not be protected 'throughout' the entire Flu season and thus it could result in you getting the Flu in the latter part of the Flu season because the effectiveness has worn off.

Best regards,
Mike

Never had one. Never missed aday's work because of illness.
Honest.
(Worked through some wicked pain, but always made it to the end)

Mike: I too had been wondering about the shot's effectiveness period so asked the clinic RN nurse who administered my shot & she assured me that the shot was designed to last throughout the ENTIRE flu season. On the other hand, I know of people who actually get a second flu shot later on 'mid way' thru the flu season just to be on the safe side. I'm wondering if taking that approach is actually more risky than safe. Here's a a link to more info about the flu and flu prevention shots:
http://www.cdc.gov/nip/flu/Public.htm#When

Scott

Invest in some ear plugs?

Seriously though, I also recommend flu jabs.
As a matter of pure coincidence, I am just putting on my coat to visit my doctor for a jab. I get one free every year and always suffer a little for the first few days (with flu!!!)but it soon passes.
Also, here in UK, the Medics are saying that they are experiencing high incidence of severe cold symptoms from their patients and strongly advise that the old (yes,me) get their jabs right away.
FLu can kill as well as making you feel low, so if you can , then have the jab.
cheers


------------------
Eddie from Rotherham
www.yamahakeyboards.info

my mail is virus-free thanks to Norton Antivirus2002

Scotty...
That CDC site you posted put to rest the myth that you can get the flu from the shots. Yes, you can have a reaction for any number of reasons, but the "dead" virus cannot give you the flu.
Eddie

According to yesterday's Investors Business Daily:

Some 36,000 Americans die of the flu every year. Another 114,000 are hospitalized.

A slim majority of Americans 65 and older get annual flu shots. 41% for those 18-49 and 15% for those 18-49. A total of 80 million Americans got flu shots last yr.

There is now a pain-free alternative... Flu-Mist, a vaccine that can be inhaled like a nasal spray. It hit the market last month. It is currently approved for ages 5-49 - the group with the lowest vaccination rate. It is currently being tested on subjects 50 and up. Another problem... FluMist costs $46 a pop. But in time, should come down. A sign of better things to come.

hi Glen: Yeah, the Flu-Mist vaccine was offered as an option to me but it uses a LIVE flu virus whearas the Flu-Shot uses DEAD virus' only. In addition to the high cost of Flu-Mist, I still don't feel comfortable with the idea of being misted (blasted) with a LIVE flu virus. I'll perhaps feel safer about going the Flu-Mist route after it's been around a bit longer and the price drops significantly as well. Till then, I'll continue to endure the needle. Ouch! - Scott

Just got back....Got the shot...didn't hurt a bit !

Donny, good going.
Did the nurse give you a lollipop?

Scott

No Flu shots for me. I've never had one, but everyone I talk to end up sick anyway.

I encourage head colds, it really helps my Barry White and Lou Rawls impersonation sets!!!

Al

Dreamer,

If you are reading this topic. You are a doctor. What is you recommendation? I have heard that it is better to allow one's own immunity to build up by its own without flu shots. What do you think?

Probably the most valid reason for NOT getting a flu shot, if you are healthy and < 60, is that their are some who profess that it can hinder your body's natural immune system.

SK880 user,
thank you for asking my opinion

From a medical point of view, vaccination against influence (flu) is strongly adviced for people who are at particular risk, like children or elderly people, because in these two categories the immune defences are supposed to be less effective, compared with young or mature subjects. For this reason these are the categories that are more susceptible to complications, sometimes fatal.
Vaccination is also adviced for health care providers, who work in close contact with a great number of people who are often ill and, for this reason, are exposed to a greater risk of infection.
For all the other categories, the choice is a personal one and has to be weighed against the risk of contracting the illness: since the influence virus is diffused by air (most often through small liquid particles like the ones we expel when we sneeze or cough), it's easy to understand why a guy like Al, who commutes daily to his working place in NYC and maybe travels in a crowded train, has a greater risk of infection compared with someone like Bluezplayer: they live in the same state but their habits are quite different!

Re. the issue of live vs. dead viruses, it has to be said that, even when live viruses are inoculated (or inhaled) they are "weakened" beforehand and thus the risk of introducing them inside the organism is comparable to the use of dead viruses.

Finally, speaking of side effects, the most significant is a slight malaise (comparable to a mini-flu) that usually last two or three days (the time-interval the organism needs to develop its immune response).

Okay, that was all, I guess; if you have more questions, feel free to ask and...
...have a safe winter!

Was supposed to get my Flu shot On Oct,10th. Had to cancel because I came down with the Flu on Oct.2nd.
Just got over the worst of it today...Oct.14th. No Fun!!
I didn't know there was that much snot in the world!!

Leon: Sorry to hear you have the flu now, but the GOOD thing is you won't need a flu shot later as you're now immune to getting it later during the critical busy holidy gig season. - Scott

Andre...
Thanks for insight into the flu shot. On Scott's point, is it possible to get the flu more than once during the flu season...or have a relapse?
Eddie

Scot...
No Lolly Pop this time ...
But allot of "Eye Candy" the Nurse who jabbed me was a Doll!!

Donny, you going back for seconds?

Eddie,
it's actually possible to have a flu relapse, but since the virus strain is the same as the first time (influence viruses usually change only from one year to the other), the organism -being already immune- reacts much quicker.
It all depends on the velocity it takes to produce enough antibodies to kill all the viruses present in the organism: the first time it takes about a week (the average length of a flu attack), the second time just a couple of days.
Andrea

Scott,

Maybe next time I go...
I'll ask to get the flu shot it in the Derrière !! [ouch]



[This message has been edited by Dnj (edited 10-16-2003).]

...what kind of perverted guy are you?