Flu shots or what I did in my spare time

[Georgina]

So who's getting shots this season? Seasonal flu, H1N1, both? Why or why not?

[wheelspinner]

I got a flu shot when the season started. No H1N1 available then, or I woul dhvae got that too.

As a self-employed person, I can't afford days off for preventable causes, so I get immunised.

[MacBeth]

We are not in the target age group for H1N1, so our natural inclination is to do less rather than more - so no flu shots for Richard. I am discouraged from them for other medical reasons, so I am sort of off the hook making that decision.
But we wash our hands like crazy all through flu season

[Georgina]

I've generally stayed away from the seasonal flu shots, because my GP didn't recommend them as I'm not in a high-risk group. I had it last year because I travelled out of country, and that puts you at greater risk for exposure. This year, I work with someone who's in chemo, so he has a compromised immune system, and we're all doing what we can to limit his exposure.

If it weren't for my friend, I'd have only got the H1N1 simply for the sake of trying to help stop the spread of this one because it keeps crossing species. With the seasonal flu shot, they take an educated guess at which three flus may be most popular in a given year and give you shots for those, but if something else takes off, it won't help you. H1N1 is targeted, so, in my mind, the more people who get inoculated, the better shot we have of wiping it out altogether.

Mind, I got my flu shot last week and my arm was curse-worthy sore the next day. I got the H1N1 last night, and the soreness in my arm makes me want to cry. Plus I feel horrible. Normal potential side-effects, but still. I want to go back to bed.

[Calluna]

The side effects of the shot sound worse than the illness. Keep in mind, I think I may have already had the swine flu when I went to Africa this summer (all my symptoms fit in retrospect), and considering that it wasn't until I returned home and found out that other people had the same symptoms and it was flu did I even realize it was flu and not just things like jet lag. The worst part of it is the few days of GI issues near the end of the illness, but in my case, it didn't cause any loss of appetite or nausea, so dehydration was never even an issue.

As for the seasonal flu, I never bother getting that vaccine. I'm not in a high risk category, and again, I think the known side effects are nearly as bad as actually getting the flu, and all that for a gamble that it might protect against the right strain. The CDC doesn't have any serotyping of this year's seasonal flu virus available yet, but I suspect that the seasonal vaccine has not protected against it. We have a lot of seasonal flu cases going around right now among the students, and a handful of swine flu cases too. Most of my students got vaccinated against seasonal flu, since they are in the clinics (I'm not), but they are coming down with flu anyway. So far, the only thing I caught from them was a head cold that's been annoying me for the past three days, but is getting better now.

I think the biggest hazard this flu season is that I'm more likely to hurt myself tripping over the stands with hand sanitizer dispensors on them that have suddenly sprouted up all over campus. Every time I get off an elevator, I walk into a hand sanitizer dispensor. I have yet to see anyone actually using them though. It's complete overkill.

[Georgina]

As I said, I'm around a couple immune system compromised people so -- and there's no predicting how well their immune systems will respond to the vaccine -- we're making an effort to try to stop the spread of H1N1.

The hand sanitisers everywhere, I agree with you, Calluna, I could do without too. I'm not sure, exactly when I'm supposed to be using them. They've installed them at the entranceways to our office building, and I can't figure out if I'm supposed to be using the things on the way out or the way in. I'm super-extra-careful about handwashing, though. Not that I didn't wash my hands frequently before, but I'm making sure I do a more thorough job of it.

And yes, I'm whining about a sore arm and sore muscles today, but I know this is nowhere near flu symptoms, so I can live with it. It's just making me a bit grouchy.

[MacBeth]

Grouchy every now and then is just fine