Flu Mist - Charlotte,NC

I wanted to share my opinion of this with you. My father is a pediatrician and he actually recommended this to us. I have a 4 year old, she, my husband, both my parents, and I all got the flu mist. He is said it is just as effective if not more effective than a shot. It was easy on my daughter and not too bed on us either :) I would definitely recommend this over the shot anyday!

My 5 year old son had it last year. He had no symptoms. He freaks out when he has to have shots so the flu mist made it easier for me and him.

My kids age 7 and 4(will be 5 next week) just got it on Tuesday (2 days ago) and have had no symptoms so far. They have never had the mist before (just the shot). My daughter was very relieved not to have a shot. She said she never wanted a shot again.

My duaghter just got the Flumist last weekend...and we had no problems. The nurse just put a syringe w/ the vaccine in her nose, told her to sniff, and it was done. One on each side. My daughter didnt cry, said it tickled, and had no side effects from it. This was our first time using it, and we'll definitly do it again.

a few years ago when we had that shortage of vaccines, my daughter wasn't within the guidlines for getting it. Everyone else in the family had already gotten it before the shortage. She unfortunately did get the flu and it was horrible. She is very against shots and is petrified at the thought of getting one, so the flu mist the following season sounded like a great alternative. I was a little aprehensive becuase it is a "live" vaccine, but after her having the full blown flu it I got over it quickly. She has now gotten the mist 3 more times and we have had no problems nor have we seen that nasty flu again. She does have asthma so they are hesitant about giving it to her, but when it comes down to either getting the mist or no vaccine.....If your kids are old enough I highly reccommend the mist, but check with your MD before sceduling it as some offices need MD permission before approving the mist over the shot.

hi my 2 year old daugter just turned 2 sept 27th and had her 2 year check up sept 29 and they gave her the flu mist and they just told us to stay 20 mins after it and shes fine had no symptoms or anything

My son is six and he had it last year. No problems. It was actually easier for him. No shot no pain. Just a little drip from the nose after the mist. I love and he's gonna get it again this year. No symptoms for him or my husband and I. It was my third year having the mist. It's quick.

My daughter had the flu mist a couple of weeks ago. She is 3. It was so easy and painless. She has not had any symptoms.

A.

I have had it myself once, my five year old just had it for the first time, and my eight year old has had it every year since she was five. None of us had any symptoms afterwards, no have we gotten the flu.

hi, both my children 3 and 2 received the flu mist at their at check up. that was a month ago. i saw no reactions to it. it was tolerated much better than the shot.

My 9 year old son has to be bribed to get shots. We were up to $20 a shot there for a while until my husband said no more!!! He was getting quite a little nest egg! LOL!! Anyway, last year our pediatrician recommended the flu mist and my son and 4 year old son had it. No problems at all. They are actually asking for it again this year! The only problem would be that my insurance company which is Blue Cross/Blue Shield, refused to pay for it and it costs about $90 each. They covered the shot but it doesn't cost as much. I had to fight them on it and eventually they did pay it! Check with your insurance first. I didn't know this, but they change their policies EVERY year, so what was covered last year, may not be covered this year!

My boys, 5 and 8, got it last month with no problems.

I'm a single and mother of two a boy age 11 and a girl age 4 they both had the flu mist last year and it worked great... I didn't have any sick children last year and it felt great hoping to get it this year also...

you dont get the flu b/c its a dead vaccine..... i watched a little girl i baby sat almost die from the flu... not an easy thing to see.... the shots wont hurt them....(health wise that is) save yourself from the flu get the shot!

I am like you and am wary of vaccines. In fact, my 1 year old had a bad reaction to one recently (fever, fussiness, loss of appetite, etc). Therefore, when I went in for our flu mist appointment this past Saturday, I decided to not have my 1 year old receive the flu shot yet since I wanted to give her more time to recover from her recent vaccines.

However, I did let my 4, 8, and 10 year old get the flu mist and I could not believe how easy it was! I was expecting that they might have to inhale it like a nasal spray, but they didn't even have to do that. According to the nurse, it goes in with such force that inhaling is not necessary.

All three of them got the flu mist squirt into their noses, one side then the other, then were done! No crying, no discomfort, and so far no side effects! None of them have had any symptoms or have missed a beat.

I hope if you choose the flu mist that the process will go as smoothly for you!

Our pediatrician gave us a choice between the flu shot and the mist. I asked which was better. They said that the mist is actually a live virus and it protects against a larger variety of flu strands. We opted for the mist since my 6-year-old was already melting down about getting a shot. The mist was quick and easy. He had absolutely no reaction or side affects at all.
I'll let you know about the effectiveness after flu season.

All my kids have flu mist each year (ages 8/6/and 3, which is her first year). It is much less traumatic for them than a shot, so I am glad that it's available. No symptoms after the mist. It's easy and painless, although it's a bit strange for most kids to have anything squirted up their nose!

My now 7yo son got the flu mist 2 yrs ago when he was 5 because they were out of the flu vaccine. At 5 he was "just" old enough to get it. He had no problem with it. The nurse that administered it however said that every adult that worked in the drs office that got it did come down with what felt like a slight case of the flu. But she went on to add that they were all very run-down because it was such a busy office..so probably there immunity was down. She said she hadn't heard of any kids having a problem with it.

My two kids (ages 7 and 3) just got the Flu Mist this week and haven't had one symptom. Our doctor said that having a runny nose is the most common side effect. Good luck with your decision.

My 2 yr old had it on her 2 yr well baby check up. I wasn't going to give her the shot but since they had a mist I allowed her to have it. She got a little cold (kind of) after for about 4 days along with not really feeling so well but not really sick.... kind of bla.... if you know what I mean. No flu symptoms though.

I don't like the flu vaccines, I don't think they help very much, however, lots of vitamin C and I have had a few relatives and doctors tell me about using a menthol rub under the nose will keep a lot of viruses from entering your child.

Btw, I am not against all vaccines, just the ones they come out with and try to push on all people like the flu vaccines and the chicken pox vaccines; especially when they have not fully studied the side effects.

Hi Sarah,

I never take the flu mist, only the flu shot. My friend just got the Flu Mist at work and was sick as a dog! They encouraged anyone who was under 65 and had never had a reaction to the Mist to get that instead of the shot. (I think it must be cheaper or something.) Big mistake. She was sick for several days. Was it from the mist, who knows? The mist is live flu virus, the shot is dead flu virus. I would only take the shot, but it's your call. If you're like me, I don't know what I would do if I got the flu and had to take care of my kids at the same time. Good luck! L.

We just got the flu mist for our child (just turned 2) last weekend. She actually tolerated it much better than the shot as far as the administration and had no symptoms. My understanding is that it covered more strains than the shot which is why we chose it this year.

In Imus's book about living green and vaccines recommends the flu mist because it is a live virus and has fewer preservatives/chemicals. I am apprehensive about vaccines as well, but did do the flu mist for our 3yr old, myself, and husband.

My 2 older kids (9 and 7) had it last year as did I and we had no symptoms. My 2 year old would not sit still for it so he had the shot. For us, it worked . I was expecting flu-like symptoms but never experienced any.

J.

Hi Sarah,
My daugther just got the flu mist in early September. She did get a fever a day after but I just gave her tylenol and then motrin every suggested time. After a day her fever went away and have had no problems. My ped. says that she will be protected for a year comparaed to the shot that only covers her for 7 months. Hope this is helpful.

Good Luck!
R.

My 13 year old has been getting flu shots because she has asthma since she was 7 yrs old. No problems ever up until last year. She had flu like symptoms and some wierd symptoms for over a week. Her doctor did say that the strain they had last year was not correct - the mixture of the flu shot was not productive. I know this because my oldest 15 yrs old got the shot and she got the flu for 7 days.
I was told at her physical to skip the shot this year. If she gets any symptoms bring her in within 24hrs. and get Tama flu for her. Now her Asthma doctor said he is pro Flu shot. He said it was up to us if we get her one or not.
I am almost leaning towards not getting her one since she had that weird reaction last year.
Ask your physician what he thinks about your youngest, your 9 yr old should be fine.

A little About me:
Mother of 2 teenage daughters and 3 teenage step children. Busy mom, Works fulltime in the Mortgage business.

Dear Sarah,

This article might help you decide:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/0...

Or you can just go to www.mercola.com and search "flu mist vaccine" or something like that. You are right to be apprehensive about vaccines. The best defense is a good offense, build up your immune system ,use good hygienic practices and stay away from sick people as much as possible. My daughter is rarely ever sick and when she is, she gets over it very quickly often times a couple of days instead of the usual 7-10 days or two weeks! ;-)

I had the flu mist the last two years. It worked fine for me and it is totally pain-free. I never had any type of cold-like or flu symptons after taking it.