Flu shot...to Give or Not?

You say it never prevented him from getting sick... are you sure? Did he get the actual flu? The actual flu virus is pretty HORRIBLE. My 8-year-old caught it one year, and the girl was so ridiculously sick for over a week. I will never let them go without their vaccine, ever.

I'm one of those that catches every danged thing, and after almost dying in 2010 after catching the flu and developing pneumonia, and spending a week in the hospital (most of the time wishing I WAS dead), I would never forgo the vaccine for myself either.

I think anybody who has TRULY had the ACTUAL flu virus would opt FOR the vaccine. Flu is positively awful.

ETA: The flu virus kills thousands every year, and children are most susceptible. I don't see taking that risk as an option at all, especially for very young children.

11 moms found this helpful

The short answer: Yes, you should get him the flu shot. Every year. Because it's simply the right thing to do.

The other, non-influenza sicknesses he gets have nothing to do with the vaccine. The influenza vaccine is for influenza strains. That shot will ensure that he doesn't get the three most common strains of influenza for this season, and if he doesn't get them, he can't spread them.

The seasonal influenza vaccine protects against the three highest predicted strains for the year (as projected by the World Health Organization and CDC). They're very accurate projections.

Getting the shot isn't just about your son not getting sick (yes, he might still get sick with another strain, but it won't be the top 3)...it's about not SPREADING it to immuno-compromised folks who cannot AFFORD to contract it.

By getting your son and yourself immunized, you are protecting someone's premie, someone's grandma, someone's grandpa. In immunocompromised people, the flu often leads to pneumonia, which is all too often lethal.

Just something to consider. I hope you get your family immunized.

ETA: Also, if your son "gets sick all the time," please consider washing hands (his and yours) a whole lot more. And, if he's in daycare, consider talking to them about proper handwashing techniques. Washing should happen when they arrive in the morning, after toileting, before eating, each time they come inside the building from play, and before they leave for home each day. It seems like a lot, but consider all the things they touch and put in their mouths. Also consider buying a couple of cans of Lysol and disinfecting phones, door knobs, toilet and sink handles after he's in bed for the night.

Inadequate handwashing and not covering coughs and sneezes are a huge problem.

To the person above who complained about too many shots...Flumist is an excellent, non-needle option. Just a little squirt in each nostril. No needles and no pain. It even tastes a little sweet.

ETA 2: As a medical professional, this drives me nuts. "The flu shot protects you from LAST YEAR'S flu strain, not the strain that will be infecting people this year. "

Incorrect. The influenza vaccine protects against three PROJECTED strains of influenza. Those projections are scientifically calculated based upon WHO influenza maps and known mutations of the virus.

Also....GETTING THE FLU SHOT DOES NOT GIVE YOU THE FLU! While your body may show some signs of illness due to the natural immune response and manufacture of antibodies, you DO NOT have the flu.

Finally, just because you know someone who had an adverse reaction does not mean you will. Adverse reactions are VERY rare. They can be caused by allergies and recessive immune diseases. You MOST LIKELY do not have either of these.

Thank you for letting me vent. GET YOUR FLU SHOT!

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There's a gigantic difference between catching colds and getting the flu. The flu leaves you bed-ridden, struggling to breathe and just in total misery. It's serious stuff. Flu shots will increase the odds of not having to go through this.

I would definitely still get the flu shots. I had the flu about 15 years ago and ended up in the ER. I can't imagine watching my kids suffer through what I went through. I've been vigilant about flu shots ever since and make sure my kids get the flu mist.

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Of course your child has gotten sick but has he ever gotten the flu? I agree with CAWriter. The flu is not only horrible to get but flu can be deadly. Especially if your child has an underlining condition that you are not yet aware of.

Has it ever occurred to you that perhaps the only reason your child hasn't had the actual flu is because the shot has prevented it?

Talk it over with your doctor. See what he/she says. And if you disagree with your doctor about something like a flu shot, then you are going to the wrong doctor. You need to be able to trust your doctor and heed his advice.

And if you're worried about the pinch, find somewhere that gives the mist. I hear it's great.

6 moms found this helpful

I have never given my kids the shot, I have never taken the shot, I don't recall any of us ever getting the flu.

We get colds every now and then, I had some strange virus last week for a day but no flu.
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I always love the argument well I didn't get the flu therefore the shot works. Hi! I didn't get it, my kids, four of them ranging from 24 down to 11, have never had the flu! or the flu shot!

So if none of us have ever got the flu and we have never taken the shot, kind of sounds like you can go your life never getting the flu even without the shot.

Polled the office area for laughs, no one gets the shot except for the lady with health issues, no one has got the flu! Now my boss isn't here, she gets every shot she can, she is also sick 99% of the winter! She comes in anyway, we still don't get sick!

I am not saying don't get the shot but for crying out loud don't base it on people saying they got the shot and never got the flu because there are plenty of us that don't get the shot and still don't get the flu.

5 moms found this helpful

Well, Flu shots won't prevent the common cold. They won't even prevent all strains of the Flu.

I don't get them for myself and we haven't gotten one for DD since she was in daycare several years ago. For me, the cons outweigh the pros.

I think it's clever marketing by the pharmaceutical companies, quite honestly. Create fear & people will buy flu shots.

4 moms found this helpful

The way I see it, it can not hurt to get the shot. At best, it stops him from getting the flu. At worst, it does nothing at all. The real flu is a horrible thing. Its not a cold or a stomach bug, its a knock down drag out flu that often lands kids in the hospital. As his caretaker, you would also likey get the flu, and then who will take care of both of you? You need the shot too.

Also, at the 3yr old check up there are no other shots so if your visit is timed with the annual check up it will be the only shot.

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Definitely get it. The flu shot does not prevent bronchitis, strep, colds, stomach bugs. It prevents the flu. No one should have to suffer through the flu. Flu kills.

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We've never gotten the shots, are not in any high risk categories, and have only gotten the flu maybe 5-6 times in the past 18 years. Washing your hands is better at preventing sickness than anything else.

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We have never gotten the flu shot....until I did almost 2 weeks ago. My dr pressured me into it. So...I was sick...with classic flu symptoms for 3 days and now still my ibs symptoms....which were well under control, are awful. I am nauseaous, my joints hurt and muscles still ache. I finally am not dizzy but still have headaches. The shot swelled up my arm and my lymph nodes at the colar bone and the neck were so swollen and painful. My arm still itches where the shot was given.

So....when someone tells you it's harmless....that is so not true. I am not sure when my body aches and pains will feel better.

I will never get it again and will never put it in my children's little bodies.

3 moms found this helpful

Nope. My kids were so sick the one year we got them...the oldest were 2.5 and 9 months...we will never get them again. Sometimes I have to fight my hubby on this, but when I remind him that he has no leave and I'm not doing anything to make them sick, he backs down.

No way in this house!

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My son got a flu shot once when he was around 6. He ended up with a softball sized rash around the injection site that lasted for around 9 months. If it was doing that to his skin, what's it doing to his insides? It definitely concerned me. So since then, instead of getting the flu shot, we've been extremely diligent about washing our hands, not touching "stuff" when we're out and about, eating healthy and protecting our immune system with foods, nutritional supplements and good sleep habits. I'm happy to say that none of us have ever gotten the flu. We rarely even catch colds...Maybe we've just been lucky.

I think if my son hadn't had that first bad reaction, I'd probably be getting us all flu shots. Every year our doc asks us if we want one. And every year, I say no thanks and tell her what we'll do instead. And every year she says "Yeah, that's a sensible approach."

3 moms found this helpful

We won't ever get the flu shot in our house. The one year my husband got the flu shot he got influenza so bad that he ended up in the hospital for 3 days.
My husband's uncle was pushed to get a flu shot because he was a transplant patient and they warned him that the flu could be deadly, but the flu shot caused his body to go into rejection mode and he is lucky to be alive!

A few years ago I was the only one in my workplace that didn't get a flu shot and I was one of 3 that didn't get Influenza A. Everyone else was out for 3 weeks minimum and I raked in overtime like a crazy person.

The flu shot protects you from LAST YEAR'S flu strain, not the strain that will be infecting people this year.
The Mayo Clinic did a study among children with asthma who get the flu and children who have been vaccinated have a much higher rate of hospitalization due to Influenza than non vaccinated kids.

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The flu is a sickness like no other...if it only keeps him from catching the flu...it is worth it!

The flu shot doesn't prevent all the other childhood, colds, coughs and sore throats...but it does keep several strains of flu away.

I caught flu Type A and spent ten days wanting to die!! The real honest to God flu is horrible. Get him the shot.

3 moms found this helpful

There is quite a difference between getting a cold and getting the flu. The "flu" is influenza, unfortunately, people throw the term "flu" around meaning they got a stomach bug or a bad cold. They are not the same thing and are not interchangeable.

If your son doesn't have any respiratory conditions that would make getting the flu particularly more dangerous for him, then I would consider foregoing it. Ask your doctor for their opinion. Remembering it is just a doctor's opinion--not something you are REQUIRED to follow.

I got the flu vaccine last year (first time in over a decade) and had my son get it as well for the past 2 years. He had pneumonia when he was 11 1/2 and began having exercise induced asthma in the months following his bout with pneumonia. Since then, his doctor recommends that he get the flu vaccine.
Husband gets it every year at work.

I plan on getting it again this year, and son will be getting it in a couple of weeks. Daughter, probably won't. She has no respiratory issues whatsoever and is generally very healthy. She is the person in our family who gets sick the LEAST of any of us, and always has been.

2 moms found this helpful

I've never given it to any of my kids or gotten it myself. No flus either.

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None for us, never will. Vitamin d all winter is all my doctor friends recommend, who don't get the flu shot for themselves of their families!

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The flu shot will not prevent anyone from getting sick. It will prevent you from getting the specific strand of flu that the vaccine is for (which varies each year AND isn't ever protection against all mutations of the flu). Last year, they combined the regular flu shot with the H1N1 vaccine (rather than being separate like it was before). I used to let me daughter get the flu shot...the last time she got it, she ended up with such severe bronchitis that they treated like pnemonia because it was acting like it. I KNOW it was not because of the vaccine but my point is that she still got incredibly sick and missed a week of pre-school. Because I don't want her to have the H1N1 vaccine, I pass on the flu shot now.

You have to do the research and make your decision for yourself but I would not.

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I have always got the flu shot for my son who has asthma, and it has helped him. Last year, we ALL decided to get it, and none of us got sick either. Well, we haven't got the flu shot yet this year, and my son with the asthma was really sick this weekend with the flu. We are getting it soon. Maybe if you get it for your son it will prevent him from getting really sick.

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i wouldnt if it hasnt helped but washing hands and covering mouth when coughing and sneezing is important as not to get others sick as well.

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The flu shot only prevents influenza. He can still get colds and other viruses, but the flu is much more serious than a cold. My kids and I get the shot every year.

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The flu is terrible. I had it several years ago and never again!!!! I get the shot now especially since my company pays for it! =)

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The poor kids get so many shots from birth onwards. My daughter hates the doctor because almost every time she has gone, she gets a shot. She's two. On the other hand, when your son gets sick, is it just a mild form of the flu or is it full blown? Personally, I will still have her get the shot because if it prevents her from getting the flu or only getting the mild case of the flu I would rather prevent it. I never used to get flu shots until I had children and now I make my husband get one as well.

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get it-it doesn't necessarily prevent illness-it serves to prevent the flu from becoming extensive enough to cause death. children will still get colds, ear infections, tonsillitis, strep throat, etc-they just won't get the flu-and if they do get a mutation, the hope is, it won't be as bad.

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I used to, until the combined it with H1N1. Now, we don't. Because...look up the side affects of Gillian Barre Syndrome from the 70's. And, if you have GBS, the dr will tell you not to get the vacinne.
Therefore, we aren't either.

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We do it every year for all members of our family. Our son (he is 8) has asthma and even colds are bad for him. He has never gotten the flu but does get several colds a year.

Doesn't your son have asthma? If so, the flu could be dangerous to him. He should get it.

I'm with Jo W. I have never had the flu and neither have my sons. My oldest son is 16 and the youngest is almost 12. They have never had a flu shot and while I make those choices for them they won't get it. My husband has no choice in the matter and has to get the shot/mist every year.
I do agree see what the dr says but make your own choice based on what YOU think is best for your child.

My kids dont go to daycare and they are too young for school. They are only watched by my husband and myself. Neither of us have jobs were we come in contact with many sick people. So we dont do the flu shot. Last time I got one my arm/shoulder hurt so bad I couldnt lift it for 3 days, and I still caught bronchitis. Once my kids are in school, we will start giving them a flu shot. I taked this over with my doctor and he said with their limited chance of catching it, its not a necessity that they get it. We do all the other vaccines, just not the yearly flu shot.

getting sick with a cold and getting the flu are two entirely different things. We all get a flu shot every year. i recommend it to you as well :)

Well speaking from the side of being somewhat anti-vaccine, I still recommend and get the flu shot for my entire family. My kids are not up to date on their other vaccines but they always get the flu shot. I started out not giving it to my daughter, and when she was 3 she got the flu and ended up in the hospital for a week. We have gotten the flu shot every year, however the year h1n1 was around we took precautions because the vaccine was not available yet and she still got it and still landed another week in the hospital. We all got the vaccine as soon as it was available and we all still get it yearly. I am not willing to risk my kids health in any way and I do not get unnecessary vaccines and I do not vaccinate according to schedule, but the flu i don't mess around with anymore having my child almost die twice from it. Now the flu shot will not prevent colds and other viruses, it will not prevent stomach bugs, it will only prevent or lessen the severity of actual flu. You may have never actually gotten the real flu, I never had it until that year when my daughter was 3, and I was 37 then and that was my first time and that is common as children are often the ones to catch it and pass it to a parent who may not have had it since childhood themselves. Let me tell you there is no comparison between a cold and the flu. Flu will put you in bed for at least a week and may land you in the hospital, even if you are healthy. You feel so sick you can't get out of bed, and you are so exhausted you feel like sleeping 24/7. Everything in your body hurts and aches,and then there is the running nose, fever, cough etc. I guarantee your child has not gotten the flu yet or you would know it without a doubt. Get the flu shot if you don't want to experience it but understand it does not prevent other illnesses and viruses which are rampant throughout the fall and winter months. and remember a lot of people say is the flu is not actually the flu, many people who never had a real experience with will say they or someone they know had it, but often it isn't true. Often they had a really bad cold or other virus. Real flu makes you so sick even a healthy person is in bed for at least a week, even a healthy person can land in the hospital. You will know if you actually ever had the real flu. It is something you will never forget. Most people never get it, and so the question of should we get flu shots I understand, because many, many people will never be exposed. But having dealt with the real flu, diagnosed through testing which is the only way to confirm if it is flu, and believe me most people who have it either get tested because they are so sick they think they are dying or else they are too sick and never make it out because they physically cannot get up and out. Being anti-vaccine I still recommend the flu shot and it is the one and only vaccine I get for my family. The risk of the side effects are not greater than the risks of almost dying if you or your child happen to be exposed to flu one year. So coming from someone who does not vaccinate, but has dealt with the real flu twice, and watched my healthy child almost die from it, I will protect my family from it every year.