To Flu Shot or Not to Flu Shot

Nope. I got it a couple times in college and got terribly sick. I'll take my chances with the flu. I've had full-fledged influenza a couple times. Not fun, but I recovered and I feel my immune system is now stronger for it.

Subsequent blood tests have shown I have a blood-level allergy to eggs. Apparently I can eat them, but not inject them. My kids' blood tests for allergies have been similar, so I'm not getting the flu shot for them either.

My husband gets it sometimes.

My whole family gets it every year. Why? Hubby is a doctor, so he is in daily contact with disease-carrying patients. Oldest is in pre-K with all the other sweet little disease incubators. Youngest is 6 mos and just got his first flu shot yesterday. I also grew up not getting it, and contracted influenza a few times. When I entered the workforce, my company provided them to us each year. I have not had influenza once since getting the vaccine.

Every year. My oldest has asthma and got it one year landed him in the hospital if I can help reduce the chance of him ending up on the hospital or worse then why wouldn't I?

No, never for any of us. So many reasons!
Each year's flu shot is merely a guess at which flu virus will actually be around that year. The developers have no way of knowing.
The ingredients are horrible and dangerous for your health, compromising your immune system. 97% of all flu shots contain 25 micrograms of thimerosal, a form of ethyl mercury that is extremely toxic to humans. Many people are under the assumption that thimerosal has been “completely removed” from all vaccines but that simply is not true. Even the baby shots contain the full load of mercury and according to the EPA safety guidelines; babies should not receive more than .01 - .4 micrograms of thimerosal at any given time (depending on their age and weight). The amount in one flu shot exceeds their own guidelines for one of the most lethal toxic chemicals, subjecting babies to the threat of severe life long injury. The current recommendation is to start infants out with a ½ dose and follow up with a full dose every year after for the rest of their lives. So the question parents must ask, “Is my child at greater risk from the flu or from the vaccine?”

There are no safety studies done with each year's flu shot. None.
We can only guess at the long term effects of the flu shots. There have been no long-term studies.

The vaccine industry is big business. They make a ton of money, billions of dollars off of the vaccines. They cannot be sued for any adverse reactions. The US taxpayers foot the bill for vaccine injured lawsuits. http://www.in.gov/isdh/files/VICP.pdf
http://library.findlaw.com/1997/Aug/13/127439.html
Why is that?
We'll pass, thank you.
We much prefer to be pro-active in our healthcare. We eat healthy foods, use Vit D3, along with other vitamins, cut or limit sugar and white flours, use herbal/homeopathic remedies instead. We maintain a very healthy household. We do get sick on occasion, but are able to fight off illness effectively. I can't even remember the last time we had antibiotics in the house. We just don't need them. We have a large family, so it isn't like we are all sheltered in the house with no outside contact. :) I just don't buy into the vaccine hype. I think it is bad medicine.

No way jose. I feel that it is ineffective- there are NO randomized trials that show that the flu shot actually reduces the mortality from influenza...not to mention how many chemicals you are pumping into your kids' bodies. I am not completely anti-vax but pretty darn close the more research I do. Check out Dr. Tenpenny's page on facebook...she is an anti vaccine doctor who published a LOT of peer reviewed medical journals and other info that outline the bad issues with shots that don't make the 10 o'clock news.

nope. never! Not for me, my kids or my husband. We are very healthy

Besides the obvious risks and toxins in the flu shot, we choose not to because of our general health. When I was in college, I came down with the real flu, was in the hospital and everything. So every year after that, I started getting the flu shot. When I got pregnant, I chose not to get it that year due to the high mercury levels. It was the first winter I had with just one minor cold, instead of the usual series of colds that seem to last for months. The next year I skipped it again and I felt great all Winter. My husband was going to get his and I told him about all the research on the flu vaccine and how it is based on a guess of what top strains might hit us, so no guarantee of protection against a serious flu. I also reminded him that he is sick with cold for 6-8 weeks after getting the shot every year. He decided to skip it and sure enough, no colds!

We stopped getting them for the past 5 years and we barely get sick and no one has had any type of flu. We practice sanitary efforts to protect ourselves, such as frequent hand washing using soap and water as its far more effective than sanitizers. We eat well to boost our immune system and get plenty of fresh and exercise. Best choices we've ever made!

Our experience with flu each year is taking homemade chicken noodle soup to friends and family that are sick even though they are vaccinated. That's good enough reason for me. Do a little research on the safety and effectiveness of the flu shot and you'll most likely choose to skip it and avoid the immune system overload lzsting all winter too!

My husband does because he was in the Navy for 21 years and is just used to it. I can always tell when he does though because he gets sick. My two oldest kids (8 and 6) got them when they were 2.5 and 9 months and thank God I was a SAHM then. I have never spent so much time in the ER. My daughter had two febrile seizures (from being sick and getting hig fevers) and my son got pneumonia. I will never get them for my kids again...ever. My husband wants to, but I refuse. They rarely get sick, and I'd rather fight off the flu than all of the side effects that they get from it.

Yes, we get them every year.

Our daughter is now in college and still gets them up there. Tired, living with a ton of people.. she needs it. I have a best friend with Cancer so I cannot be ill around her.

No--not worth the risk.

My husband has to since he is enlisted but myself and our boys do not get it. And I have a couple of reasons. I grew up without getting it and rarely get sick. I have seen a few friends who oddly enough get sick with the flu every year they get the vaccine. My boys also rarely get sick and figure why mess with something that seems to be working just fine as is.
I get lectured every year by their doctor that they need it. I point out to him/her every year that they rarely see my boys for illness and the subject is dropped.

Never, ever, ever, ever!

The one year I didn't get the flu shot was the one year I got the flu. Now I know why people die from the flu! I have NEVER been so sick! I couldn't even open a tylenol bottle! Since then I get the shot and once we had children and they were able, they got the flu shot too. I couldn't imagine them being so ill. Our insurance covers the cost for all of us, so it's not a financial issue. Aside from never, EVER wanting to get the flu again, I'm the primary care giver so if I get, I wouldn't be able to care for the kids properly and would likely, inadvertently pass it on to them!

I do get it, I have fibromyalgia and am therefore immune-system compromised and can't afford to get the flu, am raising a 2.5 year old, he gets his vaccine, too.

In our household the only one who doesn't get it is my 10 year old nephew, he's allergic to eggs and the vaccine is processed somehow with them and he got deathly ill from the vaccine the one time he had it.

NO NO NO! The flu shot is a crapshoot, it may work and it may not. Usually its the latter. There is no evidence the flu shot works (and I can't find the link but it was admitted by the drug companies in a test situation that it didn't help or its effects were not found to work.

well, now that my daughter is in preschool, I take her to get a flu shot, and I'm going to go with her. I guess the tradition is starting now that she's getting older.

Well my oldest shouldn't get vaccines while on his other meds, but I have neve done it. I just feel it is unneccessrry with regularly healthy kiddos. I do have a friend who has a kid with severe asthma. She gets get shot every year. It's cool I don't judge. Edit: none of us have ever had the flu either.

Yes, we always get ours. My hubby won't, but the youngest and I get the shot and since my oldest is so insanely scared of needles, she gets the mist.

I haven't had one in over a decade, and haven't gotten the flu since I quit taking them, and never plan to take another one. Used to get the flu every year when I did take them. Not saying they GAVE me the flu, but they sure as hell didn't prevent it.
My daughter is 21, has never had a flu shot in her life, and has had the flu twice, so she has no plans to start taking it either.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/0...
Check out Mercola.com & look up vaccine in the article section. This is a very thorough Doctor.
My vote is no. The risks outweigh the benefits. My family doesn't get any vaccines, we have had them in the past & had bad reactions because we were uninformed.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/1...
National Vaccine Information Center
http://www.nvic.org/default.aspx

I never used to get the flu shot - until I finally got the flu one year. Just about everybody that I work with got it and I was gloating a little because I hadn't gotten it yet and then it hit me. I was super sick and out of work for two weeks and then it was another two weeks before I felt like I was completely back to normal. Thank goodness that was before I had my daughter so I didn't have to worry about taking care of anyone but myself. I can't afford to be sick like that again so I always get my flu shot now. I also always take my 5 year old daughter to get a flu shot. One of her friends got the flu last year and was running a fever and very sick for 10 days. I could just imagine if we didn't get flu shots and then we all got sick. I could be out of work for 2 weeks just for me and then another 2 weeks with my daughter. Financially, we just can't afford that.

No. It is usually only 40% effective. IMO if you are healthy and eat right you shouldn't need it.

I don't get the flu shot for myself or my daughter.

Interesting, though, because I guess I would classify myself as pro-vaccine???? My daughter has been vaccinated for everything else, including varicella (chicken pox) and Pneumococcal, as well as hep A and B. My daughter is 11 and will get the Guardasil vaccine in Dec along with her 2nd hep A in the series. I don't get all bent out of shape about the chemicals in vaccines because I eat processed foods anyway, so I'm getting processed stuff from many sources as it is... (and really, if I had to give one up.... I'll take the MMR and give up the antifreeze in ice cream or the what-ever-it-is in chicken nuggets anyway!!!!!!!)

So, why don't we get the flu vaccine, you ask?

Well, I guess my general rule of thumb when I make a vaccine decision..... If I (she, he they, you) get the disease will there be life-altering consequences that are greater than the risk of any adverse affect of the vaccine? So, neither my daughter nor I are high-risk for the flu. neither of us have compromised immune systems or work around someone who would be compromised if we got them sick or who themselves have a compromised immune system - basically..... we are normal, healthy people who are around the general public and could probably kick it if we actually got one of the 5 strains of flu that the vaccine protects you from (whereas with Gaurdasil, for example, that only prevents 4 types of HPV, the consequence is cancer).

Now, when my daughter was younger than 1st grade, she did get the flu shot because she was in day care and still building her immune system. We wash our hands... which, if you aren't around other compromised people, is the #1 prevention technique. Also at this age we can look at someone else and not put the toy they just had in their mouth into our mouth. At 3, you don't really have those skills, so I feel like it was important for her to be vaccinated at that age, whereas not so much as an 11 year old.

However, my BIL works in an ER and he gets the flu shot religiously ever single year without fail. he will tell you horror stories about people who come into the ER with the flu.

Hope that helps. Good luck with your decision.

I feel the same way each year I always second guess myself. Last year I did not get it for my daughter but my younger sons as well as myself received the flu shot. We did not get the flu. My daughter seems to get the flu when she gets the shot but the years she has not gotten it does not get sick. The doctor states its just a coincedence but I am not sure about that I feel that some people do actually get sick from it, but im not in the medical field.

We just got ours!
Why?
My great grandmother died during the Spanish flu epidemic of 1918.
Her dying words to her eldest child (my grandmother was 12 at the time) was to keep the family together but all 6 kids were adopted out across New York and Pennsylvania.
Flu can be deadly and we don't play around with it.

We don't get it. Our risk of contracting the flu is so low that it's not worth the risk of the vaccine, especially a vaccine that they are guessing on to work. I'm a full supporter of vaccines, but I think some are unnecessary based on your circumstances. I'm a SAHM and she does go to preschool 2 days a week, but for the most part we are homebodies during the flu season.

I get the flu shot ever since college when I got the flu really bad. I get it for my daughter, too, since she's in daycare. The year I got her first one, my husband hit the roof, saying it was unnecessary, blah blah, then my dd and I got the sniffles and he got the full blown flu. He's never complained after that.

We get the shot. Last year we did not. I am still not sure about the H1N1 addition so I passed last year. In January of this year, my son had pneumonia causing bacteria in his bloodstream as well as an issue with his lungs due to a bleeding disorder. If the pneummonia had gone full-blown, his lungs would have suffered greatly. It turns out that even though they are 2 different things, if he had also gotten or started with the flu (several kids in school were out with it around that time), he would have been worse off. I will not sacrifice my kids again. I got my shot last month. My kids are due===thanks for the reminder. I need to get on the phone.

yes, yes, yes. the flu shot is safe and it's better than getting the flu!

Have always gotten it and always will. Never want to have to flu again in
this lifetime!

I never will after getting this year-made me so sick for a hole month + I spend 300 $ for getting better....Thank you flu shot!!!

HI J.-
:-) A and I get the flu shot but hubby never does. Because A has reactive airway and every little bug she gets turns into something bigger, so I have chosen to get them. And since I spend the most time with her and around other kiddos(working in the classroom,etc) I choose to protect myself too, to help keep her from getting sick too. Hubby's work schedule doesn't really allow him a lot of freedom to be home and take care of things if I am sick, so I have to do what I can to keep myself well.
I never got them before I had A though.
I go thru the same thought as you every flu season....

Didn't use to get flushot until my entire family got the flu (first time ever) in january 2008. Then my husband, me and our teen received our first flu shots. Luckily we did because I got pregnant in April 2008 and gave birth to our second daughter in January 2009. We all continue to get flushots and so does our 2 year old. Its a good thing to get the flushot especially if you are going to be around young children, the elderly or anyone with a compromised immune system (like my dad was getting chemo and no one could be around him unless they had up to date shots. understandable.)

We never had reasons before to get the shot, I never had it as a child to early adult, neither did my husband, and neither did our first child. But things change. Now we get the shots every year. Especially our oldest now works at a church daycare too. We do it now to protect ourselves and our daughters. In the end...do what you feel is best for you and your family.

We never used to get it, but both my husband and I got it this year. We are going to try for a baby soon (ssshhh, don't tell :)), so we don't want to get sick while we're trying to get it on! Plus, we both work in offices where people come to work even if they're deathly ill. It drives me nuts when they do that.

We do the flu mist for our daughter because it's preservative and mercury-free and I get the regular shot. Last year, we didn't get the flu vaccine and our daughter had it for 5 days and I had it for 8 days and missed an entire week of work. I've never missed that much work in my life! And I'm very, very healthy and rarely get sick.

The one year I did not get my flu shot...my husband brought the flu (the real deal) home from the office. We were so sick that we both went to the doctors office and couldn't decide who was safer to drive us home. Both kids had the flu shot, so neither of them got the flu.

My brother had to drive in from out of town to take our son home with him. My daughter who was breastfed and would not take a bottle spent a week in her crib except when my husband would crawl...yes, crawl down the hall to get her and bring her to our bed...I fed her and crawled back to put her back in her crib.

I have never ever been so sick in my life...death actually looked like a good thing. The body aches were so bad I actually took a vicoden...didn't help because I threw it up. Fever over 102...runny nose...cough...sore throat...did I mention the body aches from Hades?? (my hair actually hurt...and my teeth felt like they were on fire) Ten days to recover...none of our family would come help because they didn't want to catch it...thanks so much!!

I got my shot yesterday...my husband last week and my kids are scheduled for a week from now.

I will take any chance I can take not to ever get that sick again!!

I just got my 2.5 yo son the intranasal flu vaccine yesterday. I will not be getting the flu shot. I used to be required by my employer to receive the vaccine - working at a hospital - but I am a SAHM now and do not have health insurance. My son got very sick with the H1N1 flu, despite being vaccinated (he got sick days after the vaccine) and I do not want to risk him getting that sick again. With all of the places we go - children's museum, library, zoo, aquarium, etc, etc - and all the germs we encounter, no matter how much we wash hands, I just don't find it worth the risk not to vaccinate.

No, I don't do flu shots. My kids do get all the regular vaccinations, but flu shots, which change every year (and have to be based on last year's flu) and may or may not work, are not worth the risk.

I got the flu shot, fo me and kids last year - and it was so nice, we never got sick at all. This year I am running, sprinting to Kroger to get my flu mists

no, no, no. Doctor friends of mine don't either, my mom died last year after getting the new one, it's about 10% effective, can be harmful, etc. Take vitamin D.