Flu Shot??? - San Pedro,CA

I will never get it for my child, I don't personally believe the extra ingredients do any good, and that most people who get sick from the shot get sicker than if they actually contracted the disease. Hot subject right now because my grandmother just passed away after getting hers two weeks ago! =(

There is some good information at www.thedoctorwithin.com or in his book The Sanctity of Human Blood, or on Dr. Tenpenny's facebook and website.

I have not vaccinated my children with anything and they have remained very healthy and hardly see the Dr. My daughter last year, we think, got the swine flu, or at least that is what the Dr. said it looked like. She had 105 temp for 5 days. That was it. Then it went away,. My dr. office is great where I can call in every day to talk about what is happening, and we kept waiting. After the temp went away, we went out for Halloween night, and the next day she had 102. Because I thought a secondary illness was setting in, I went to see the dr. That is when she said it was a flu, which one she would not know without tests. But all was fine, and just a virus so no medication. Now she is natually immuninized for that one. I got vaccinated years ago before kids for the flu and my MS was activated. With that I have not done it in years and have had no problems with sickness or MS. I plan to get the homeopathic remedies for flue and whooping cough to help with any prevention or treatment. Yes, I understand the risks, but I fear the medications more, so I have to go with my gut. (my kids are 6 and 8).

Best,
D.

Dear L.:

There are over 1.2 million exact complaints each year in the US. Other countries have the same complaint and many have discontinued the flu shot.

My child is 5 years old and has never been vaccinated for anything.

Also has never even had a sniffle. Many of my friends that did vaccinate are struggling.

You may want to read the facts: http://www.anatomystery.com/index.php?s=vaccines

Good Luck Kim

PS: Why would anyone use a drug that has never been proven to work?

You'll have a lot of responses....even angry ones :) We don't do flu shots. Read the ingredients, all of them, and determine if you want them in your blood stream and ultimately in your brain and other organs. The onslaught of synthetic chemicals is the prime reason that we have all the new diseases that didn't exist 50 years ago. Vaccinations, when I was little, were preserved through refrigeration. Now they are preserved with chemicals. Vaccines, in theory, are not necessarily bad. The way they are manufactured is.

I got the swine flu last year when I took my daughter's friend to the ER for a diabetic related issue. There were 11 cases in the ER and I was exposed from every direction. No one else in my home caught it and they took care of me like anyone would. I learned that it was a mild case as well. My immune system fought it off.

Ultimately the choice is always the parent's. My children don't get sick so they don't get other kid's sick... but I'm proactive in keeping the immune system strong and working properly.

My two cents!

M.
www.squidoo.com/ifyourbabycouldtalk

there are vaccines we need and that are life-savers. i don't believe the flu shot is one of them. it's an over-hyped hysteria-fueled money maker.
a good immune system is your best defense against any flu.
khairete
S.

Education NOT medication. L....you JUST said she was super sick after her last one...why would you want to give her another one?
Here is what I know:
most doctors know ONLY drugs...they have no idea what to do to keep people healthy with food and supplements, so they lean to what they know...drugs.
If she got sick once, she WILL get sick again.
The symptoms of the flu are FAR LESS than the side effects of the shot.
Google it...find out the number of people who got the shot and got sick vs how many didn't and didn't get sick.
You and your child's odds are much better WITHOUT IT.
Education NOT medication. Please.

B.
Family Success Coach

Our family used to get flu shots. My husband was in the military and required to do so and in EVERY case became sick immediately afterward and was severely sick for 2 weeks thereafter. After I got it I'd usually still end up getting the flu that year. My kids, the same. Eventually we began researching other methods which led us to completely new eating habits to include all whole foods (good quality grains, dairy, meats, produce) and very importantly, essential fatty acids like cod liver oil which is high in both vitamin D and A. Those vitamins work together to strengthen the immune system and over all cell health and development. We also religiously took probiotics in the form of kefir to bolster the "good" bacteria. Last year was the first year that we didn't get a flu shot despite the terrorized sensation over the H1N1 strain. (My poor mother was at her wits end trying to convince me to come to my senses as my family's lives depended on it:) In the end we didn't end up with so much as a cold, which is really saying a lot for us (we'd normally get 3-4 over the season). In the springtime, before I'd discovered a source of CLO (cod liver oil) my kids would take, they did end up with a stomach bug after being around other kids who's families had the conformed H1N1 virus. We kept with the usual regimen and in addition, after their one time of vomiting, I gave them a kefir smoothie. Their stomach bug was gone within 1/2 day.
Needless to say, we'll NOT be getting a flu vaccine this year. I've since discovered a good source of CLO for my kids and my husband and I continue to take ours daily as well. Healthy eating and preventative measures really go a long way.
If you're interested in links for information about vitamin D or good sources of CLO, let me know and I'll send you some.
Good luck with your decision!

~J.

I am not getting them for my children because I think the risk outweighs the benefits. I know some will argue with me- BUT flu shots contain preservatives and most have mercury in them. I think that we are meant to interact with our environment- get infections, fight them off, get stronger and so on. I am afraid we are creating a weak society by vaccinating against everything- because the way a vaccination confers immunity is very different than when we actually get the infection! Eventually, I think it will become evident that we are doing more damage than good vaccinating against common viruses, like flus etc. My pediatrician recommended a homeopathic instead (I can look it up if you are interested)- because I think so many of her patients are saying no... Deciding not to vaccinate can feel heavy, but my mom said the same was true of breastfeeding when she had me. My mom had to go against several doctors' strong argument against it. Trust your gut!
all the best,
S.

well..last year we decided not to get the flu shot or the swine flu..b/c every time i get that damn flu shot i wind up sick all winter long..and once i got one and my arm was sore in that spot for 6 months....so last winter my son did get sick once..strep throat..no flu..no swine flu..as for me..i got sick for about 2 weeks...i am really surprised i haven't been sick yet..usually catch it right at the end of sept..and i spend all of october ill...but not this year ..and we won't be shooting that stuff into our bodies this year either..i refuse to buy into the hysteria ...i'm on another mom board and they're always flipping out over the flu and were all in hysterics over the swine flu..everyone survived..most of them do live in colder cities..most are in Chicago..anyway..no shots for us this year again..
if the shot made your daughter sick i would avoid it.

xo

D.

I don't do flu shots for my daughter. She's 2 1/2 now. I have also been very cautious about all of the vaccines and have delayed most of the big ones. I am currently pregnant and my ob/gyn tried to get me to have the flu shot last week, but I didn't. The swine flu vaccine is now included with the regular flu shot and I feel like it's too new to really know what the side effects are, especially on a developing baby in the womb! I had never had the flu shot until I was pregnant with my first and I ended up getting really sick within a few days after having the shot. If you and your children have strong immune systems, you should be fine! You could also use probiotics during flu season. I did this for my daughter last year and she never got sick at all!

We don't get flu shots. Both our boys are healthy. Our ped gives the flu shot in his office but does not recommend it. He only recommends to children with weakened immune systems etc. I asked my doc who also has a young boy and she said she won't get it for her family or her son. My boys are vaccinated and I believe in getting vaccines just not flu since they aren't really sure what the flu season will bring and you can still get the flu even if you are vaccinated. If your kids are healthy otherwise just make sure they are eating a variety of foods (fruits/veggies), washing their hands, and running around (exercise

I didn't read all the responses, but I am with Kim....my child is almost 2, completely non vaccinated and we've had no issues, except meddling and downright inappropriate comments and complaints from family!

The flu shot is particularly controversial because of the politics surrounding it. If you've had a reaction in the past and your gut says don't do it, that's worth a lot! Mom instinct is a powerful thing!

Do your research on ingredients, reactions, etc. It's all out there for the taking and can help you feel better about whatever decision you make because you made it armed with knowledge!

Best wishes!

We never get flu shots and we never get sick.

The ONE TIME I let my daughter's pediatrician scare me into getting her a flu shot at her one year checkup, she was horribly sick for the next 4 months and wound up having to have emergency surgery to permanently remove part of her skull that had become hopelessly infected because she was so sick for so long. She was perfectly healthy before she got the shot. She now has a hollow behind her ear where the skull was removed and will for the rest of her life. :-(

That was 4 years ago. No more flu shots for us. And by the way, none of us have ever gotten the flu. Like another poster said, we eat well, get good rest and wash our hands frequently. That does the trick for us.

Good luck!

The fact that they are full of toxins and don't work is reason enough for our family not to get them.

We had the same thing you did. We got our kids the flu shot when they were 2.5 and 6 months. NEVER again. Now they are 7, 5, and 3. I would NEVER give any of them the flu show. My daugher, now 7 but 2 at the time, had two seizures following the flu shot because we could not keep her fever down all winter long. My sone ended up with pneumonia at 9 months. They neve got healthy after getting sick from getting the shot. So no. My family will never ever get them again. A lot of people do and it works for them. I don't judge those who do or don't, we just don't because of our experiences.

My kids and I never get our flu shots, and we hardly ever get sick. My husband has to get his for his work, and when ever he does he usually ends up ill afterward. I do get all real vaccines, but all the flu shot does is protect against last years flu. Although my family are all healthy, I do think they shots can be a good idea for the very young, old, or those with compromised immune systems.

We used to get the flu nasal spray every year, and this year we're not. I've just read too much about it and now I'm leary. Have never had any side effects, but I don't want to take any more chances. We'll stay healthy by hand-washing, healthy eating and getting enough sleep. I never once had the flu shot while growing up, don't think they had any at that time. I got the flu a couple of times, but I survived, as we all did.

My son got a very high fever on the first half of his flu shot. All he had was a fever but it was very scary because it was almost 105 at it's highest and it lasted for about 2 days. He was fine for his 2nd half though. The next year he got the flu mist and was fine. Then last fall he got the flu mist through a clinic that came though my daughter's school. We they gave it too him all up on side of his nose and had a horrible nose bleed 2 hrs later. Come to find out they were giving it to all the kids like that so they could just give it too them and not have to deal with crying kids on the second half of the spray!! This year I started hearing how the H1N1 is in it and that there is an additive in it to thin the shot out so there is more to go around and it's making kids really sick in other countries. This is also supposed to be the same version of the vaccine that we will get too. It's my opinion that the H1N1 is nothing more that a pharmaceutical BS to make money off of us and the government. Less people died last year from the swine flu than regular flu!!! There is also a laundry list of bad side effects attached to this version of flu shot this year. You can read them on the CDC website.

And if you read about how our vaccines are made and what's in them, you'd really start to question them!! (grown on fetus cells) I am for getting kids vaccinated, mine both are but I do believe in being a informed parent and consumer and just because some Dr, government person or drug company says I need something doesn't mean I'm going to take their word for it!

We don't do the flu shot. My husband is active duty Army and gets one every year. I know "they" say you can't get sick from the flu shot but he ends up sick every year and feels miserable. He's had both the shot and flu mist depending on what they're using that year. The kids and I stay hydrated, get plenty of rest, and eat well and take vitamin C & D through flu season.

As T.J. mentioned, Dr. Tenpenney has done extensive research on vaccines and has great information on her site and facebook page. Ultimately, it's your choice. I encourage you to do your research and make a decision that you feel is best for your family.

Why is it that those that choose not to get the shot are seemingly the ones that are putting others at risk? The flu mist is a live virus! This means that people who receive the flu mist can spread the virus for 7-10 days following the shot. I find it odd that health care providers aren't sharing that information with the general public though...of course, it's always those of us that choose not to get the flu vax that are endangering the health of others. If you've chosen to get the flu vax then you've got your prevention so why worry(I get there's no guarantee though)?

Peace,
J.

I don't get it for myself, and I don't plan on it for my baby. I had no choice when I was in the military, they MADE me get it, and I was horribly sick. (before, I had NEVER had the flu. Ever.) Now, 4 years later, every flu season I get sick at least once. Last year, I wound up with the H1N1 while pregnant!!! I know I am probably just paranoid, and I don't have any proof or medical info. to back me up, but I feel like getting the shot trashed my immune system... I figure that if (when) I get sick this year, baby girl will just get my antibodies through my milk. If that's not good enough, then I will just have to take her to the doctor while she is sick, just like the millions of mothers that did BEFORE the flu shot existed.

FWIW, I do not ever get the flu shot for anyone in my family. My daughter is almost 10 and has had the flu 1 time, yes seriously 1 time. I personally am against it for various reasons.

Good Luck with your decision.

This years flu vaccine has 3 strands in it. We get our kids done every year. And I will never skip another year. We were lucky and didn't get the H1N1 flu last year but a little girl not far from here died from it.Before she got it she was a perfectly healthy 8 yr old. I'd never forgive myself if my kids contracted and died from a disease I could have prevented by simply getting them a shot. I will not do the mist version. If you have an irritated throat, allergies, or if your throat gets sore before you get sick ( ie you get sick before you get sick) , It will likely irritate your throat and make you sick. My kids also have asthma so if they get sick it is 10x worst.

There is a version of the flu shot that does not contain mercury this year.

I never get the flu. I have had it 3 times in my life. my son has never had it so I am not going to get it for my youngest son. jmo

I am a mom of a 12 and 8 year old. I don't do flu shots. Ever. The one time my kids had the flu shot, we had just moved to a new state with new vaccine requirements. We had to update the vaccines to get them in school, and the nurse offered a flu shot at the same time. Hubby took them, I wasn't there.

My kids never get sick. No colds, no flu, no strep, no ear infections, nothing. They've only been sick after that flu shot. I wouldn't have chosen to have them get the shot that day, and I will not, for the foreseeable future, have them, or myself, get a flu shot.

Eat right, get plenty of sleep, and wash your hands. Your body's own natural immunity will ward off colds and flu.

For those with compormised immunity systems or other risk factors, the thought process needs to be longer and more in depth. For my kids, with no other immune issues, no flu shots.

We've never had the flu shot. My 17 month old will never get the flu shot. My sisters entire family gets the flu shot and ends up with it every year. They ALL got the swine flu a couple months after getting the swine flu vaccine last year!! The problem with the flu shot, is they cover a couple of strains. There are WAY more strains of the flu, then a couple. Every year, scientist have to guess what strains might be bad that year and develop the vaccine, for those strains.

I have had 10 years of great luck without flu shots. My two kids never get sick. They just have a great immune system I think. I am not starting now since we have been so lucky this long.

if you are feeling ill after the flu shot,it means your body is making antibodies for it..........i got flu once and it is way,way,way worse than good results from shot.......no shot and you are playing with fire and putting everyone else at risk.....

The sheer number of flu questions is almost a bit on the spammy side, but I guess a few a week is about par for the course this time of year. The same people line up on the for vs against sides. You might try using the search function though it'd be better if you could sort results by date (most recent to oldest - when I'm searching for something I don't always want to slog through the questions from 2008 or earlier). Anyway -

I'm in favor of the whole family getting flu shots every year.
A disease will cause more harm than a vaccine will.

Some of these people did not vaccinate and some of their children died.
It's not something I ever want to find out about first hand.
http://shotbyshot.org/story-gallery

At it's height, the bubonic plague killed 2 million people per year.
The Spanish Flu of 1918 killed 25 million people per year (my great grandmother died of it during the 2nd wave).
With more illnesses becoming more antibiotic resistant, prevention is crucial.
I get very tired of the anti-vaccine rhetoric.
Still, there's a purpose for everything, so invest heavily in funeral homes and crematoriums. It'll pay off big time sooner or later.

We are a family that strongly believes in vaccinations.

My husband and I get our flu shots every year and are both up to date on our tentanus/pertussis shots.

Both my sons have gotten all their scheduled shots and both have the flu shot every year. All it took for us to be believers was one year where none of us got the shot to get over any of that...we're in as soon as they are available each year! There's enough childhood illnesses I have to deal with, if I can avoid the whole house getting the flu, I plan to do so!

Good luck...and vaccinate!
-M

My daughter was born on Oct 1, the first day of 'flu season' for flu shots. Except for her first year, she has received the flu vaccine every year and has never (knock on wood) had the flu or anything like it. My husband and I also receive it yearly will our 16 month old son. As for the mercury, ONLY the multi-dose vial contains the Thimerosol. The vials have about 20-30 vaccines (enough for 20-30 people) and the TOTAL amount of Thimerosol in the whole vial is less than a can of tuna. State law in California is any child under the age of 3 cannot receive a vaccine with thimerosol. Just make sure your child is getting the single dose vaccine. Also, as stated previously, you can't get the flu from the vaccine. Your daughter must have been sick already. Unless of course it was the nasal spray, that does contain the live virus. They talk about education against the vaccine. Check on the education for the vaccine and all the diseases that are no longer around. Good luck on your decision!

I think it is just coincidence that your daughter happened to get sick after getting her flu shot. I have done a lot of research and chose to vaccinate both my daughters since they've been born. Neither has been sick from the vaccine. Let me preface that by saying that my oldest daughter was a preemie, so I was extremely cautious in what I exposed her to. I breastfed both exclusively, when I introduced solids I made their baby food with organic ingredients, cloth diapered, etc.!!

Last year when H1N1 came along, I was up in the air about getting them vaccinated as there was a lot of controversy. However, even before I had the chance to vaccinate them my youngest (then 2 almost 3) woke up with a raging fever and shallow rapid breathing. I rushed her to the doc first thing, and she was diagnosed with H1N1 and she was extremely ill. The doctors debated a long time about hospitalizing her, and ended up sending us home. The following week, a young boy died with the same symptoms as my daughter and it was confirmed H1N1. Up until this time, the doctors were being careful not to hype the H1N1 drama. I'm sure had my daughter become ill after this boy's tragic death (he had been to doc and sent home as well) I'm sure she would have been in the hospital ASAP - no fooling around.

She ended up recovering and was fine, however, whenever anyone asked me if I was choosing to vaccinate my resounding answer is "Yes!!". If your child was as sick as mine, you would not question it. I am a single Mom, so I
was up many nights holding her on my chest so she could breathe better and be comforted. I had both my daughters and myself vaccinated last year as soon as it was available to us and I will be vaccinating again this year ASAP. Plus it protects other members of your family, and if you or your child becomes seriously ill, they can eliminate the illness you've been vaccinated with and focus their resources and what else it could be. Sorry for the long post!!

You've gotten lots of responses, I read through quite a few and as I suspected, people are mostly on one side or the other.

So here's mine...my daughter is 8, just got hers. My son is 4 and will get his pretty soon. They have gotten one EVERY year, the shot, not the live virus. Our pediatrician is very level headed, doesn't freak out over the little things, and has nailed everything with our kids from the get-go! SO, she encourages it. We've talked about it...bottom line, the VERY SMALL risk of having a bad reaction to the flu shot is better than getting the flu (not the "flu" everyone thinks they have when they don't feel good, but true influenza). The complications from influenza are deadly and much more real and probable.

Those that say they got the flu from the flu shot are 99.9% of the time wrong!!! They were either already getting the flu or don't even have the "flu" because again, so many people call it the "flu" when it's really a virus. It's so frustrating when I hear "oh I got the flu shot and got the flu" when really, they didn't get the "flu" they got some other sort of virus. Or maybe they ate something that didn't agree with their stomach...whatever!!!

I'm curious, why was your daughter "super sick" after the shot? Did your Dr confirm it was because of the shot? Was it a bad reaction to the shot, or was it something totally unrelated?

Good luck with your decision!

After last year's swine flu scare, I got my kids shots this year because it includes the H1N1 in it. But my kids are older. For a young child, I would do the same thing, because they get more sick than older kids. My doctor recommends the shots.

i think that when they say "mother knows best" that mother really does know best.

I always wonder if getting sick from a shot is a coincindence, especially for the flu shot, but I guess it could happen. I would have a very long converstaion with your doctor about what happend to your daughter, and your conclusion about it, before I rejected something so important.

There is a real risk from the flu. Not just to your family, but to the people you spread it too before you realize you are sick. You may never know who died because you gave them the flu. Your family will probably be fine after a few weeks of being really, really, miserable, but someone else may not get that chance, and you never know, that someone else, could be you too.

Find out if there is an allergy. It is rare, but find out, and get professional advice to overcome, or confirm your fear of flu shots. You should really be more, as at least just as much, afraid of the flu.

M.

Both my kids(6 and 3) have gotten the flu shot every year. My oldest has never had a reaction, but my youngest had a reaction this year from having the shot in his arm. He had swelling, redness, and fever in his arm which made him quite cranky. The second dose(kids had 2 because of the H1N1 added to flu shot this year) was given in the leg after I mentioned his reaction to the first shot. He has had no reaction to the shot in the leg. I get the flu shots for my children because my oldest son has asthma and simply to protect them from getting the flu.

We have 3 kids. Every year since my oldest was about 1 1/2 yr we all get the flu shot. The kids and I seem to have respiratory issues that just arises in the fall.

at 15 months my son got other shots so are you positive that it was the flu shot? The flu shot cannot make you sick but it does take a few weeks for it to work so she very well could have been coming down with something to begin with. My boys always get it because my oldest is high risk plus so aren't both of my parents and my parents because of their health issues cannot get the flu shot. My question for you is if your daughter gets the flu badly and needs to be hospitalized or god forbid worse how will you feel knowing you could have done something to help prevent it but didn't.

Oh and I agree with B people should try searchng first because it is crazy how many flu shot questions pop up on here and they generally are pretty much all the same question.

Influenza kills, the flu shot doesn't. We get the shot. It is dependent on each family, but that is the bottom line for our family.
Good luck!
R.

Everyone in my family always gets flu shots. It is a common misconception that you can get the flu from the flu shot-you cannot. The flu shot (the nasal spray is a different story) contains in inactivited (read: dead) virus, so it is impossible to give you the flu. It was probably just an unfortunate coincidance that your daughter became ill at the same time as receiving the shot.

Of all of the people that I know that receive the flu shot, not a single one of them has ever gotten the flu from the shot.

I had the flu once (before I started taking the annual shot), and it was one of the worst experiences of my life. Whatever I can do to protect my daughter from going through that, I will do it.

They say you can't get sick from the shot. Maybe she had it already in her system. I use to give my kids 1 dose of tylenol after a shot. I never had a problem. I would also recommend it because of the H1N1 is combined with it also. GL

My husband, my 20-month old son, and I (I'm 4 months pregnant) have never had the flu shot and don't plan on ever getting it. Everyone that I know that has gotten the flu shot were horribly sick for weeks after it. Now, we figure ... why on earth would you want to make yourself or your child sick on purpose. It just doesn't make sense. We have never been really sick and I can't even remember the last time that my husband or I had the flu. Our son hasn't really been sick (a few colds but nothing serious) either. I know that this topic is huge and a lot of people feel it is very important to have but we think that if you are taking care of yourself then you should be able to fight the flu off (if you happened to get it). That's just our family's personal opinion. I would say if you have any doubts about the flu shot and it is making your daughter sick, then don't do it. Good luck with everything!

Both my boys (ages 2 1/2 and 7 mos) got the flu shot. We travel during the holidays to be with family on the East Coast and I just feel its one more barrier to all the germs they are exposed to. They both did fine with the shot, no side effects afterwards. I plan to get myself one too.