does anyone else get really sick after they get the flu shot every year??? i got my flu shot last tuesday, and have been coughing my head off, blowing my nose like crazy, and feeling like crap. oh, and i have pink eye <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif" border="0">. i know i don't have a lung infection b/c i'm not coughing anything up, and when i blow my nose it's totally clear. it just confuses me b/c i know that the shot contains a dead virus, unlike the nose spray which is just a weakened one. so if it's dead, how come it makes me sick every year???
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flu shot response
- Thread starter jenhum
- Start date
Hi - You are not alone. Both my son (w/cf) and my husband (w/o cf) get very sick from the flu shot - and the medical community has no answers. My son no longer gets the flu shot because it made no sence and my husband will not get it either. If you do some digging you can find some answers that might make sence to you. Both my son and husband have sensitive nervous systems and the base of the vaccine causes a reaction in this group of people. There is also a thing called the auto immune system response that causes peoples immune system to fight like it has the flu, causing flu like symptons, while it builds immunity to the flu. If you do a search on reactions to flu vaccine you may find interesting reading and an answer you question.
I always get sick for the first couple of days after my flu shot. A couple of years ago I even ended up going to the hospital. My lungs hurt and I could barely get out of bed. It lasted for a couple of weeks. I have only once had a reaction that bad. It usually just lasts 2 or 3 days. Even with the reaction I always opt to get the flu shot. I figure I can handle being sick for a few days if it will prevent me from be sick the rest of the year, I just make sure to plan my schedule so that I can take some time off of work if need. I hope you get feeling better soon.
Ann 25w/CF
Ann 25w/CF
Don't get the flu shot. Wash your hands and keep healthy. I got the flu shot 11/3/05. Within hours I developed severe asthma symptoms which persist today, maybe for the rest of my life. I've had to put my cats in the basement and wear a respirator around them. The flu vaccine stimulates the immune system but in so doing it may also stimulate dormant allergies and asthmatic conditions. Check with the American lLung Assoc. Getting the flu shot has ruined my life and I haven't gotten any answers from my doctor other than denial.
cfgirl2008
New member
I feel fine when i get my flu shots every year, just my arm hurts for a lil bit cuz i hate needles.
tiffany 15 w/cf
tiffany 15 w/cf
Statistically the flu shot has been shown to help more then hinder. To recommend someone not getting it based a personal experience isnt wise. If a person has their own reason for not getting one its up to them, but to scare someone (which is my impression of your post) so they end up not getting it isnt right. Can there be problems....yes. Like everything else if you compare the number of people who get vaccinated versus the number who have complications there is is no comparison. It has also long been in ??? if certain problems such as MS, Asmtha etc were triggered by things such as flu shots. The problem with that ?? (in my opinion) is that if they are triggered that means you were "prone" to them and if it had not been triggered by one thing it probably would have been by another. In addition......the Bird Flu that has been hitting the news as of late. Even tho the chances of someone catching the bird flu is very small (unless you literally sleep with the bird or ingest an infected bird) and even tho it is NOT contagious like the flu we know.......should a person with "regular" flu meet up with a person that did by some chance contract the bird flu.....they are worried that there will be a new mutation of the bird flu which will make it contagious from person to personll Getting a flu vaccine will limit many things so please look beyond the small of potential of complications before deciding whether or not to get it!
CFHockeyMom
New member
From what I understand, the shot is a dead form of the virus so from what "they" say, you can't actually get the flu from the flu shot. Of course, I'm not discounting anyone's reaction to the shot. Sean no longer gets the flu shot because every year his reaction to the shot got worse and worse. His reaction was instant (i.e. within 15 minutes of getting the shot). The first year the injection site was red and swollen for days. We were told that was fairly normal but for every year after the swollen area has increased and finally two years ago he began running a fever and we had to stay in the Dr's office for hours after the shot. Again, these reactions were instanteous. His Dr. felt his reaction was very similar to an allergic reaction. I did some digging and typically flu shots aren't recommended for people with egg allergies. Sean doesn't have an egg allergy that we know of but...
Anyway, every year we struggle with our decision not to get him the flu shot. I worry about it all the time especially as he gets older. There is the nasal spray but that is actually the live virus so you do run the risk of getting the flu with the spray.
All we can try to do is take all the precautionary measures possible and pray.
Anyway, every year we struggle with our decision not to get him the flu shot. I worry about it all the time especially as he gets older. There is the nasal spray but that is actually the live virus so you do run the risk of getting the flu with the spray.
All we can try to do is take all the precautionary measures possible and pray.
I
IG
Guest
CF Hockey mom is exactly right.
Though I must add if you get sick immediately afterwards it's quite possible you've caught another strain of flu, these things mutate so often/frequently that it's quite possible for this to happen. You might have a feeling of malaise afterwards but that's about it.
Oh.. and yes, the flu shot is definitely not recommended for somebody with an egg allergy.
A friend of mine is <i>very</i> allergic to eggs and has to take a daily pill during the flu season in place of the shot.
Though I must add if you get sick immediately afterwards it's quite possible you've caught another strain of flu, these things mutate so often/frequently that it's quite possible for this to happen. You might have a feeling of malaise afterwards but that's about it.
Oh.. and yes, the flu shot is definitely not recommended for somebody with an egg allergy.
A friend of mine is <i>very</i> allergic to eggs and has to take a daily pill during the flu season in place of the shot.
thelizardqueen
New member
Every year when I get the flu shot I get really mild symptoms of the flu for a couple of days i.e. aches, general feeling of unwell. It usually passes in a couple of days though.
My body seems to react in a different way each year to the flu shot. Usually I just feel a bit fluey for a few days. A few years it has made me quite sick. A few years [including this year] I felt absolutely fine afterwards.
I get it for free at work so don't pass it up. I'd prefer to be sick for a few days than getting the flu and possibly dying <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">
I get it for free at work so don't pass it up. I'd prefer to be sick for a few days than getting the flu and possibly dying <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">
I will try not to mention how flu shots are bad, even though I got one last year. I plan on avoiding them next time around. God bless monolaurin/lauric acid <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">
I read somewhere that if you've had 5 flu shots back to back you open yourself up to a much higher chance of getting the big C.
I read somewhere that if you've had 5 flu shots back to back you open yourself up to a much higher chance of getting the big C.