[danamco]

Interesting enough, my wife and I both got flu shots last October, mainly because our small grandchildren would come home from school and day care centers with cold and flus and give it to us. We both got the flu, however, and my wife has been in bed now more than two weeks! We do take several nutritional supplement for our immune systems. Also her parents at 85/83 are taking the supplements (good for their heart conditions,) but refused to take flu shots, and they are doing much better than my wife. Maybe we should have abstained from taking the flu shots?

[catonsville]

Sorry ,have to disagree with you. You are taking a risk if you are a senior citizen and DO NOT take a flu shot. As we age our immune system begins to deteriorate so flu /and or pneumonia at that age can be life threatening.
My internist specializes in geriatric medicine. He listens when I offer alternative solutions to prescription medications, but he insists on flu shots.

[NautiNurse]

Your anecdotal story speaks strictly for your own personal experience with your immediate family.

The flu vaccine takes up to two weeks to build immunity in an otherwise healthy patient (excluding immnunocompromised persons). If someone is exposed to the flu during that time, they will likely come down down with the flu. A prevalent strain of flu this season was not included in the vaccine--which is derived from the previous year strains.

[DainBramage]

They guess at what strain will be needed in the vaccine based on overseas reports.

[Manic_Episode]

I trust the germs way more than I trust the shot.

[OldBlondBabe]

In 1979, my 89-year-old grandmother died from pneumonia that developed after she first contracted influenza. Other than hearing deficiencies and arthritis, she was healthy and was reported by her physician to have had a very strong heart.

I had the flu a few years back (I'm in my mid 40s and healthy)and it's no picnic. I was exhausted for about a week and had an awful, painful cough that made my ribs ache for about 6 weeks after. I've been told that I actually had a mild case.

I can see why the elderly and those with already compromised health are recommended by their physicians to receive the shot. Obviously, the flu is very tough on and sometimes fatal for the old and frail.

[EdReform]

BTTT - read later...

[ClearCase_guy]

I think this is complicated. I understand that the flu shot does not guarantee immunity, and in fact this year's shot was prepared ahead of time (as always) and did not really target the variant that eventually hit the US.

However, I was struck this year by the fact that I knew 5 people who got the flu -- and 4 of them had received the flu shot. Those are really funny odds.

[Agnes Heep]

I don't take flu shots either, simply because I'm in good health and don't want my immunity to other, potentially more serious, illnesses weakened. It's still an open question to me as to whether tumors can develop more readily in a person whose immunity has been compromised by an immunization. I'm 51 years old and in pretty good physical health; I've had the flu once in the past twelve years, and so it's just not worth taking the chance that in trying to stave off what will only be an unpleasant, short-term illness I might leave myself open to something infinitely worse. It's strictly my call--I'd never try to push it on someone else.

[hgro]

I'll see you later in Heaven. Be sure and prepare the way.