Flu Shots!?!

[Asherdan]

I tend to get one this time of year depending on convenience. I figure it won't likely hurt me and it may help but some people I've spoken with are dead against 'em.

So how about you? Do you mind a short dose of the poison or do you just plan to luck your way through the season?

[greenkoolayd]

i got'em when the company i worked for payed.

[side_show]

I've never had a flu shot.  When I worked in the medical field, I found a surprising number of my coworkers, including doctors, were against them, mostly because the long term effects haven't been sufficiently tested, and the clinical trials, especially when it came to the H1N1 vaccine were not sufficient enough for their liking.  Probably because I was working with HIV care workers, who have seen decades of humans being treated as guinea pigs to sometimes catastrophic effects, their concern was more heightened in this regard than the average medical health provider or person in the general populous though.  

I have considered it in the past, as I do have auto immune problems and therefore tend to get really sick when I do get sick.  I don't get sick that often though.

[JorgeFabregas]

I'm generally a fan of vaccines and building up immunities.

I've seen some stuff about our fortified immune systems being tied to allergies (immune system is designed to search and destroy, and lacking any significant threats it targets benign material). Any thoughts on this from med/science folks? I'm not talking about autism or anything like that--just allergies.

[wombat]

What a vaccine does is give a weakened form of the virus to develop a reaction to. The immune system does get challenged, it's just that it's by something that can't make you sick, which is pleasanter for you. But as far as the immune system is concerned, it is a threat. So even if it were true that an immune system with nothing to do went after harmless stuff, I don't see how vaccines would cause that. They're doing the opposite, giving it something to work on, so they wouldn't cause you to have an immune system that was, like bored and looking for stuff to beat up on.

[theinevitable]

I have gotten the shot in the past. the one year of college that I said "yeah, right" and was all rude to my mom about it (you can't tell me what to do!) I got hit really bad right in the middle of exams. Puking in garbage cans on the way to my exam, etc.

I don't know if I'll do it this year. I probably should.

[Choop]

never bothered. if i get the flu, it probably won't kill me.

[littlefallsmets]

Every time I got the flu shot, I got the flu that year.

About half the years I didn't, I didn't. I dunno.

[Nabubrush]

The only times I've ever gotten them are the last two years (just got mine yesterday) because the state pays. I don't know if it makes a difference or not, because I'm not big on recognizing that sort of thing.

[pmcd9]

I got a flu shot for the first time last year.  I also got the flu last year. 

[wombat]

I get the shot every year and can't remember the last time I got the flu. That is good enough for me to keep getting them.

[JorgeFabregas]

What a vaccine does is give a weakened form of the virus to develop a reaction to. The immune system does get challenged, it's just that it's by something that can't make you sick, which is pleasanter for you. But as far as the immune system is concerned, it is a threat. So even if it were true that an immune system with nothing to do went after harmless stuff, I don't see how vaccines would cause that. They're doing the opposite, giving it something to work on, so they wouldn't cause you to have an immune system that was, like bored and looking for stuff to beat up on.

I understand the concept of vaccines. The question is whether the antibodies developed via vaccines make life too easy for the immune system.

Edit: It may go without saying, but I will specify that I would rather risk developing a peanut allergy than risk getting polio or the like. I'm just wondering about the net benefit of vaccines against the flu, chicken pox, etc.

[wombat]

Right, and what I am saying is, why should they make life any easier? What is the argument that the challenge presented by a vaccine is any different from that presented by other stimulus? Making antibodies is the immune system's job, and vaccines make it do its job.

[miles]

To those who got sick the same year you had a flu shot, were you actually diagnosed with influenza or did you just have symptoms and self-diagnose?

I get one nearly every year and I haven't had the flu in at least a dozen years, but I don't get sick all that often anyway.

[jay-ell]

I only get a flu shot if there's not a shortage. I make sure the kids get theirs, though. Pedro's company pays for all of us, so cost isn't the issue, but I feel like if I get the flu it won't kill me, but it might kill a child or elderly person, so if there's a shortage I go without.

Wow, when that's all typed out that way, it sounds embarrassingly smug. Sorry about that, it's all true though.