Pros and cons of the flu shot

amother

White

Mon, Oct 15 2018, 7:36 am

amother wrote:

I absolutely am not making any recommendations. Someone asked me what tamiflu is and I explained what it is.

You have to get it as a prescription, so there's no chance of someone getting it without a doctor's approval.

Do you know anything about antivirals? Tamiflu is an antiviral medication. You may think it's as simple as giving out Motrin or Tylenol, but there is a reason most doctors don't treat simple viruses with antiviral meds. It's not healthy to frequently take antivirals. If your plan is to skip the flu shot and take Tamiflu yearly, I would be cautious.

little neshamala

Mon, Oct 15 2018, 8:20 am

Ok, look at it this way.
Last year was a terrible year. We know about 80,000 people in the USA died of the flu. CNN and other news sites did stories on some of the victims-like doctors were saying, they were often, young, fit and very healthy.

So all these people (and children!)that died....do you think none of them received this miraculous Tamiflu? Or maybe ...they did...and you shouldnt rely on it....because they all died.

amother

Mint

Mon, Oct 15 2018, 8:24 am

My husband used to be stubborn and refuse the flu shot. Until one year we all got the flu, even though I had the shot and made sure the kids got it too.

The kids and I had a milder version. We were sick for a few days, but that's it. Hubby didn't get the shot and ended up in the hospital because he was so sick and tylenol + advil weren't working and he had a 106 temperature. The fever was affecting his brain, his thinking, and he didn't have the strength to get out of bed to get to the ambulance. It's terrifying to see the flu take down such a strong person so quickly.

My mom refused to get the flu shot too, until she got the flu and got pneumonia as a secondary infection.

Now everyone gets the shot. Even if it only offers 10% protection, a sore arm for a few days, and even a low grade fever for 2 days is worth it. It's our hishtadlus.

Chayalle

Mon, Oct 15 2018, 9:16 am

Last year my entire family got the flu - some twice.

What happened is, we moved in November and I was so busy after Succos getting us ready to move, we neglected flu shots. About a week after we moved, in early December, we all came down with the flu except oldest DD was spared that first round.

We didn't realize what it was right away, and were so sick that going to the doctor was a chore....so we didn't get tamiflu, which is effective only if given right away.

Doctor told me there are two types of flu, A and B. One is more severe than the other. We had the LESS severe type. Well, it was bad enough.

That Friday night DH told me he thinks he needs Hatzalah. That's how sick he was. I wasn't much better. I gave him meds (advil for the fever, sudafed for his runny nose, mucinex for the cough) and he felt a bit better, or we would've landed in the hospital.

My 10 year old DD threw up all morning.

My middle DD was coughing so hard all night she couldn't sleep.

After that incident, DH and I got the flu shot. I was planning on getting the girls the flu shot too.

For some reason IDR they never got there. About a month later, the three of them were sick again. It was awful. This time I got them tamiflu. One DD had an allergic reaction to the tamiflu - we now know she can't have it. Her throat became constricted, and she was on benadryl for two days till the swelling went down. All this while having the flu, she suffered terribly. My other two girls were better within 2 days B"H, as the tamiflu was effective.

At that second bout of flu, I felt a bit funny and under the weather. Likely I had it again but due to the flu shot, the symptoms were enormously mitigated B"H. DH didn't get it the second round at all. So I guess those shots were worth it.

BTW, thank you Obamacare and huge medical deductibles. The flu cost my family a pretty penny in deductibles and copayments, what with doctor visits and medicines, both over the counter and prescriptions. I spent over $300 just on the tamiflu for the girls, and one of them is sitting in my medicine chest, since she only took the first one and then found out she cannot have it. I don't think I'm exaggerating if I say we totaled close to a grand from all of this.

Last week I dragged my whole family down to get the flu shot.

amother

Lilac

Mon, Oct 15 2018, 9:26 am

Last year, we all got the flu shot except for dh. We all got the flu. Me and the kids were back on our feet within 3-4 days. Dh was knocked out for nearly two weeks. Just for that, the flu shot was worth it even though we got it anyway. Also, my great-grandmother lost a sibling during the flu pandemic of 1918-19, so even as a child, I was well aware of how serious the flu could be. Great-grandma's sibling was a healthy young adult who was engaged to be married at the time.

flowerpower

Mon, Oct 15 2018, 9:31 am

amother wrote:

I responded to this already earlier upthread.

Last year's flu vaccine was particularly ineffective, which certainly contributed to the high sickness rates.

Nobody is tabulating the amount of people who actually got the flu from the flu vaccine, or got serious side effects from the flu vaccine. So we'll never know the true percentages.

Read Dr. Humphries book for the actual true story why she gave up her prestigious job as the head of a medical department in a hospital to devote herself to homeopathy and writing books about the evils of vaccines.

If you are anti-vaccine and want to brainwash everyone here then take your agenda to the natural parenting board. Thanks!

amother

Ecru

Mon, Oct 15 2018, 9:41 am

A close friend of mine died of complications from the flu. At the shiva, her parents were telling everyone to get a flu shot every year. She had not gotten one for herself, and she caught flu from one of her kid's friends.
My pediatrician (who is quite mainstream) recommends the flu shot. However, he is very hesitant to prescribe tamiflu unless the child has asthma (which would increase chances of complications) because it often has bad side effects, such as hallucinations. He recommends using sambucus (elderberry) for flu. I was absolutely shocked when he told me this, as he's not really the crunchy granola type. But apparently there is very good research that bears it out.
He also says in terms of risk, the flu shot is a better bet than getting flu. Although many bounce back quickly, others can get sick enough to be hospitalized or die. Even if the shot is not 100% effective, it will result in a less serious case of flu.
If you still don't want to vaccinate, please read up on the flu pandemic of 1918. Something like that can happen again quite easily. It killed more people than the number killed in combat during WWI.

amother

Copper

Mon, Oct 15 2018, 10:49 am

amother wrote:

I'm wondering if some of the people who think Tamiflu made their flu so much better actually had only a cold to start out with.

I was waiting for someone to say this!

My doctor will not give tamiflu unless the person tests positive for the flu virus. Again, this is real medicine, not sone hocus pocus. And my kids were back in school in three days. Without tamiflu? Three weeks, and they were still weak.

southernbubby

Mon, Oct 15 2018, 10:54 am

My sister has an autoimmune disorder and can't be vaccinated and really suffers when the flu hits. It really can take weeks to recover.

The CVS pharmacy told me to come back at 11:30 and I saw that there were other people in line for the flu shot so it appears to me that people are going for it. I did go a few days ago and the pharmacy was sold out of vaccine so I would encourage people to grab it while they can.

Meanwhile they don't give stickers or lollies to brave adults; only a coupon for a discount on merchandise.

Ema of 5

Mon, Oct 15 2018, 11:17 am

My kids all got the flu last year, the longest it lasted was 3 days. Yes, they all had positive swabs. I didn’t give any of them tamiflu because it has terrible side effects, and anyway I wasn’t sure that I was within the window, so why put them through that if it’s too late anyway?
I did not give flu shots, I never do.
Regarding the people who died from the flu, there is no record of who died from the flu itself and who died from something else, like pneumonia. I’m not saying people didn’t die from the flu, just that he number is inflated.
And before you jump on me and say I’m anti-bad and I have an agenda, my kids are all vaccinated.

amother

Seagreen

Mon, Oct 15 2018, 11:23 am

One year in my early twenties I caught a terrible flu. I was going to go snowboarding with friends, woke up early feeling kind of okay, we drove the couple of hours to the mountains. By the time we got there I started feeling funny, realized I could barely stand, told them I'd rest in the ER until we're ready to leave. Slept the whole day.

When I got home, I had the worst flu I can ever remember. Bedridden. Could barely move. Too weak for anything. I somehow managed to get to the doctor at some point, and could barely sit on the table thing. Kept lying down. He gave me tamiflu, although I doubt it was within the first 24 hours. It was worse. I kept throwing it up. It made me sicker. I had to go back to the doc and had the car service driver pull over on the way there so I could open his door to vomit outside the car. It was so bad. Somehow I recovered.

Since then I always try to get the vaccine. I know that they won't always predict the exact strain perfectly but I want to at least try to prevent that from happening. I've definitely gotten viruses the same year that I've gotten the vaccine. Who knows, maybe it was even the flu. I've never gotten anything remotely close to that when I was vaccinated, b"ah. Don't risk it. Take the vaccine.

southernbubby

Mon, Oct 15 2018, 11:24 am

eema of 3 wrote:

Once the virus is in the body it can overwhelm the body very quickly chas v'sholem, even of healthy people. The lungs fill up very quickly which is pneumonia so I don't think that the numbers are inflated. Of course there are people who are sick with something else already and the flu is just one thing too many but there are lots of stories about people who were in the best of health who died of the flu.

amother

Linen

Mon, Oct 15 2018, 11:34 am

eema of 3 wrote:

The nerve of u!!! Exploding anger

I lost my five year old niece last year to the flu and u tell me it was probably something else... U have such chutzpah! If u r anti flu shot please keep ur kids home thank you! My niece got it from someone in daycare who doesn't vaccinate and my sil had given half her kids the flu shot but not this niece yet.... And it hit her so hard, within 24 hours of getting sick her body went into septic shock and she was nifter a day later. So watch what u say and keep ur brilliant advice to yourself! Exploding anger