Flu Shot??? - Sterling,IL

Thank you Bridgett B. You said it perfectly, people drive me nuts about this whole issue!!!!!!! We get one every year and have never had any problems with it nor have we ever gotten sick after getting it.

I don't/won't give it to my kids. For me, the benefits don't outweigh the risks, so we don't get it. It's a personal choice. (none of them got the flu last year....in fact, its been several years since any of them has had more than a cold).

I have never gotten the flu shot myself, nor has my kids. My husband does every year and gets a mild cold afterwards. He swears there is no coincidence, but I still say I will not get one tis year~ nor will my kids. It really is a presonal decision and because I don't consider it a vaccine either.

I am a firm believer in vaccinations. My kids are up to date on their immunizations and I get the flu shot for myself and my family, I have a 3 year-old in preschool and a 5 month old. The 3 year-old will get a shot (or FluMist vaccine) this year and the baby will get his when he is old enough.
Just to clarify, the flu shot isn't new, it was invented in like the 1940s, they just change the viruses it targets each year, selecting (or trying, some years are better than others) the 3 most prevalent types of flu and tailoring the vaccine to those. H1N1 is just the name of a certain strain of flu, there was nothing different about how the vaccine for it was made, it was just a flu vaccine for a strain we happened to know the name of (and was not in the seasonal vaccine, hence the need a few years ago, for a separate shot), as opposed to most years. For example, the 2010/2011 seasonal flu vaccine for the Northern Hemisphere contained the following:
an A/California/7/2009 (H1N1)–like virus;
an A/Perth/16/2009 (H3N2)–like virus;
and a B/Brisbane/60/2008–like virus.

I work in a doctor's office and get a shot as soon as they are available each year, usually by early October. The only side effect I have ever had is slight soreness at the injection site.

This is an issue that gets lots of people fired up, and there is an alarming amount of really bad information out there, especially on the internet, where opinion often masquerades as fact. Please just be careful about where you get your information so you can make an informed decision. Good luck!

Out of 7 years of being a parent (during which time all of my children have been around a lot of other children), we have gotten the flu shot once. How many times have my kids gotten the flu? Zero. The H1N1 "epidemic" caused everyone to panic and school districts to shut down. In our district, there was less than a handful of kids actually diagnosed with H1N1, but a ton of kids were out sick due to another strain of the flu for which there was no shot available. Best thing is to teach your daughter to wash her hands thoroughly. My 2 school-aged kids have the chicken pox vaccine, but personally I think it's a little ridiculous.

My children have had the regular flu shots, the H1N1, and the chicken pox vaccines. I don't even want to go off on another rant about vaccines!!! :) (See an answer from a few days ago.)

Please vaccinate your children, and give them the flu shot. I realize the flu shot isn't always effective, but I don't believe it's harmful. Again, for my reasoning, see a previous question asked a few days ago.

As far as side effects go, besides general discomfort and a slight fever, only one shot gave my youngest any trouble and it was her last dose of the DTaP vaccine. She had a moderate fever, a LOT of discomfort in her legs (didn't walk for a day and a half, and this is a child who runs), slept a lot, and just general didn't feel well. However, after two days she was fine. And yes, I don't want her to get diptheria, tetanus, or whooping cough (my first had it, it was sooooo, soooo scary) so I will continue to vaccinate my children. Better a little discomfort now than a potentially deadly illness later.

Bridget B has it right. I think everyone should always vaccinate. These "old" diseases are coming back due to people stopping and/or not vaccinating making every child at risk. So, to answer your question, your daughter should have already received the chicken pox vac at her one year well visit. And regarding the H1N1...my daughter received it last winter and the previous winter. No problems and no sickness that year.

I've vaccinated my kiddo against everything I can and I'll make an appt as soon as our ped has this year's vaccines lined up (maybe they have already - I'll call tomorrow). We've never had a poor reaction to any of them and he was the healthiest child in his class last year (missed two days of school due to sickness). Ditto for his extra-curricular activities (gym class, music class).

Never never am I gonna get that flu shot nor will my kids.

It is very very popular here to get flu shots. I have never had one in my life, my kids have not either and they are 11 and 8. We never get sick. It works for us to not do it.........so why start now.

I researched the effectiveness/pros/cons of the flu shot (which I would hope most people would do, and then make their own decision) - especially with the H1N1 outbreak and opted out of it for myself and my LO. I've never had the flu shot (even when I was pregnant – twice) and have only had the flu once in the last 20 years - granted I'm pretty healthy, but I attribute my great immune system on me eating right, exercise and good clean living and not on a bunch of shots. Yes when I had the flu – it sucked, but you know what - I feel that by getting the flu naturally in conjunction with clean, healthy living, my immune system is better than those who are injected full of pseudo-viruses in the form of vaccines.

Now if myself or my LO had other underlying health issues, I would probably reevaluate, but for now I would rather continue to build up my immune system than to use a crutch in the hopes that the phama companies/government come up with the right formula from year to year.

To the person who said “These "old" diseases are coming back due to people stopping and/or not vaccinating making every child at risk. “ That’s not 100% accurate. No vaccine is 100% full proof that the recipient will not get the virus. In fact, whooping cough is on the rise even with those who have had the vaccines – my doctor’s answer to this “the vaccines are not 100% guarantee of prevention, however it does help lessen the severity of some the symptoms for those with underlying conditions.” I've also mentioned this before, but if you ask three different doctors/professionals you will get three different variations of what they think is best and why - that's probably what bothers me the most and they are supposed to be the experts.

As a parent it’s a tough job to balance the risks of whether to vaccinate or not. For those that think this is a black and white topic. It’s not that simple and there is no right answer except the answer the families decide for themselves.

Thank you Bridgett B!!!!!!!!! That is exactly what I wanted to say. There is nothing new about the flu vaccine. H1N1 is just one of the many strains of flu. Every year, scientists do their studies and do their best to predict the strains of the flu the need to be included in the flu shot. So, while different strains are in the vaccine every year, it is the same shot. There is no reason to worry about your child being a lab rat!

Just a suggestion, you might want to back off of the anti-bacterial hand sanitiser. Yes, washing your hands is important, but you don't want to eliminate the bacteria from your hands altogether. Your body needs to have a balance of bacteria, fungus and other flora. If you try to eliminate all bacteria, your body becomes resistant to the good bacteria that your body needs. In other words, you can actually cause your body to become more susceptible to other illnesses. Just wash your hands throughout the day, but don't overdo it.

You're daughter is going to be exposed to things. Just do what you can (ie, get the shots) and try to relax. She's going to be fine.

My boys just got their flu shots yesterday and other than a sore arm they are fine :) just like always. My oldest is high risk so everyone in the house gets a shot. He got swine flu two years ago andi wouldn't wish that on anyone. With tamiflu he was out of commission for over a week, needed prednisone, albuterol every 2 hrs, an overnight stay at the hospital....not fun!
Chicken pox he ended up with anyways so he didn't need the vaccine but youngest got his first dose of it and did just fine.

My twins both got flu shots last year at their 6month check up...they were cranky for a day than just fine. I fully intend to get them their flu shots again this year as well.

My two kids get the flu-mist vaccine and have never suffered from side effects. Of course, they still get colds with flu-like symptoms throughout the colder months but that is normal. Both of my kids are also completely up to date on ALL of the recommended and required vaccines for the state of IL...including the chicken pox vaccine and I have never heard of any any child having an adverse reaction that particular vaccine. Keep in mind that vaccines won't give your child 100% immunity...but if they do contract the illness they won't suffer as badly as they would if their bodies had no prior knowledge of how to defend against it. CVS is full of germs! I have a mini panic attack every time I have to bring the kids in with me...but it is the best pharmacy around and it's a job, right?! Good luck with your decision...and remember that it is NORMAL for kids to get sick when they are little and still building up their immunity.

I don't count the flu shot as a vac and so to date neither of my boys have had it. I don't get it either. To date they nor myself have ever gotten the flu. My husband on the other hand has no choice and has to get it every year. He is Air Force. We have a friend who is also enlisted who has to get the Flu shot/or whatever version they are offering every year. Every year without fail he gets the flu...full blown at home in bed flu. It is always within 2 weeks of him getting the shot. He has heard it all that you can't get the flu from the shot. But still without fail he gets it every year. Not saying that to scare anyone just saying it.
I get lectured every year from whatever dr sees my kids and asks if they have had their flu shot. I tell them it is my choice to not give it to my kids.

The chicken pox vaccine should have been given at her 1 yr well child appointment. The booster gets done prior to starting kindergarten. Our daughter (3 1/2) has had the flu shot every year without any issues. I have an egg allergy and can't have to flu shot, so I have to make sure my kids get it or we'd be in a real mess if the flu came into our house.

No one in my family gets any shots, including flu. My huband and I have not been sick in more than 20 years and my kids are rarely sick. In fact, my 11 yo had perfect attendance until the last month in 4th grade. We are not really "healthy" eaters but we do all take multi vitamins and Omega 3's every day. It seems like all my friends that preach all the shots are the one's that are constantly out sick and have sick kids running around. Just my opinion. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

We don't get sick very much (my little one and I). She had the H1N1 flu shot when it first started getting big. My mom had the "swine flu" and it passed. I personally lysol'd everything so it didn't spread. I haven't heard of any bad side effects. My daughter and I take after my dad, we don't get sick hardly at all. I think she has been sick once in her almost 3 years. Chicken Pox vaccination she got, there are a lot of disastrous cases from not getting one. While there is a rare case of a bad case with one that is an individual immune system/genetics of that person not the vaccination not working. Each person's body reacts to the vaccinations individually.

I really hope this doesn't turn into another vaccination war lol.

I had the same thoughts last year and did not get the shot for myself either. But, in January my son had pneumonia causing bacteria in his lungs and a port he had to have taken out. I had no idea that this could cause extreme pain-plus he has another medical issue that I had no clue could cause an issue in the lungs. The flu shot would not have prevented pneumonia but his problem might not have been as severe and painful as it was. Luckily the bacteria was mainly within the port line and did not progress further into his bloodstream. This year, everyone is going in for the shot.
For the chicken pox vaccine, I have never had them though the doc thinks i might have carried the virus because my sisters, little brother and best friend all had them when I was little and my friend and I would sneak to play together while she had them. I never broke out. I could have gotten an immunity to them, my kids could have also inherited that immunity from me so I am told. I got their shots because even though it will not 100% prevent them the pox, it can lessen the severity. My husbands niece and nephew had them when they were little and you would have thought it was a heat rash because it was so light.

Our family does NOT get them, and there are multiple reasons.

Check the archives for lots of comments on this issue.

Exactly, Minimes&Mommy! ;)

The only time my DD has ever gotten the flu were the years I allowed her to get Flumist.

Now that I am older and wiser...no, no, and no again to the CP vaccine.

My daughter is 18 months and last winter she got four colds or flu then we it her a flu shot and she didn't get a cold unilateral last week so it was effective with no negative side effects and I'm glad she got it an shell will get it again as soon as she is over this cold so hopefully it goes just as well as last time. Btw she has never attended day care but was around sick ppl so I guess that's why she got sick when she did

We all get all our shots as soon as they are available.
When our son had a booster TDap to start middle school last year, we all got it.

I get the flu shot every year. I remember having the flu when I was 16 years old - there was a fever, sore muscles...and it lasted for a whole week. I had the chicken pox when I was little and all three of my kids had the chicken pox (before the vaccine was available). My kids usually get the flu shots. My son missed getting a shot at school and got the flu. My oldest daughter skipped the H1N1 shot and got it and was ill with a fever for days but recovered fine. Youngest daughter got shingles (complication from having earlier had chickenpox) and is okay now. It was miserable for her because this happened while she was at college. I would talk to your family doctor or pediatrician about your choices.

I do all other vax's except for the flu shot and chicken pox. I have never had the flu shot, my kids haven't and neither has my husband and we never will. My daughter had the actual chicken pox twice. My son will not be getting the vax. It doesn't work and it just increases his chance of getting it when he is an adult.

We all get the flu shot in my house, as my hubby is a doctor and, obviously, is in contact with tons of sick people. Since getting the vaccinations, none of us have ever gotten influenza. We will be getting it again this year. (The h1n1 vaccine is now combined with the regluar flu shot).

I have a 4 y/o daughter as well, like you, I didn't get her the flu shot last year because I felt the same way, it was too new, and she didn't need it since she was home with me & not in pre-school. This year, she's getting it, she started pre-school and I don't want her to have to go through the flu. Also, I was somewhat against the chicken pox shot, but I gave in and had her get that as well since she's in school. I personally don't like giving her shots that are 'optional', BUT, since she's in school, I feel a little differently about it. If she was home schooled, things would be different.