Seasonal Flu Vaccination

Last year my daughter had gotten it and we had no flu (she was 2.5) this year both my son and daughter got the nose spray one - my ped. said it is suppose to last longer than the actual shot and it is a lot easier than dealing with needles.

With the flu season already starting - If it lasts longer I am all for it!

Good luck!

All 3 of my kids had the FluMist last year. The older 2 (13 and 11) complained that it tasted awful, but when asked if they would rather have the nasty taste or the shot they both agreed the nasty taste was MUCH better.

I know many things are dangerous or have side effects, but FYI, there has been controversy over flumist and kids since it's inception in 2001. I think the most controversial thing is it contains the live virus which can make your child sick with the flu and is transmittable.

Doctors are pushing flumist because there is a huge advertising campaign by the pharma company that produces it and it is easier to administer than a shot.

However, there are many reasons for caution. FluMist contains live (attenuated) influenza viruses that replicate in the nasopharynx of the vaccine recipient. The most common side effects include "cough, runny nose/nasal congestion, irritability, headaches, chills, muscle aches and fever > 100° F."[6] These symptoms are nearly identical to those the flu vaccine is designed to prevent. [7]

A cause for significant concern is the vaccine’s most prevalent side effects: "runny nose" and "nasal congestion." It has been documented that the live viruses from the vaccine can be shed (and potentially spread into the community) from recipient children for up to 21 days,[8] and even longer from adults.[9] Viral shedding also puts breastfeeding infants at risk if the mother has been given FluMist.[10]

In addition to shedding via nasal secretions, the virus can be dispersed through sneezing. What is the normal physiological response when an irritant enters the nasal passages? A sneeze…sometimes a big sneeze…sometimes several big sneezes. Therefore, the risk for shedding–and spreading–live viruses throughout a school, church, workplace, or store — especially one which is administering the vaccine. In the section of the FlumMist package insert labeled "PRECAUTIONS," the manufacturer states the following warning:

"FluMist® recipients should avoid close contact with immunocompromised individuals for at least 21 days."

One of the most troubling concerns over the injection of this "chemical soup" is the potential for the viruses to enter directly into the brain. At the top of the nasal passages is a paper-thin bone called the cribriform plate. The olfactory nerves pass through this bone and line the nasal passages, carrying messenger molecules to the brain that are identified as "smells" familiar to us. The olfactory tract has long been recognized as a direct pathway to the brain.

Intranasal injection of certain viruses has resulted in a serious brain infection called encephalitis, presumably by direct infection of the olfactory neurons that carried the viruses to the brain.[19] Time will tell whether the live viruses in FluMist will become linked to cases of encephalitis.

I'm sure this is very rare, but...

FYI: I don't recommend any vaccines, but it's your decision and your choice.

I would definitely recommend that you research flu vaccines as they are loaded with mercury, formeldehyde, ethylene glycol and other horrible toxins. Also, the CDC has even admitted that they don't work, so why inject your poor 3 year old with all of those toxins. Go to Mercola.com and type in flu vaccine and at least educate yourself about them before getting them.

I personally would and have always gone with an actual shot. I want to make sure what they are getting works and isn't going to make them sick from a live vaccine.

Smart mom for giving your son a flu vaccine I appreicate other mom's that take the time to do this because it's one less kid with the possibility of infecting my kids or family. I just made my kids appointments to get theirs.

My 5 year old daughter who was terrified of getting the shot got the flu mist on Friday. Yesterday (Saturday) she threw up and she still doesn't feel great today. No temp though. I am not sure I am confident when the doctors say you can't get sick from the flu shot or mist...especially when it is the live virus. Anyways, we will probably get the mist again next year but if she gets sick every year with the mist I will switch her back to the shot.

My son had the flumist last year and it was so fast he didn't even know it was done. I would recomend it!

This is our 2nd year getting it and my daughter does great. Much less traumatic than a shot! And just as effective. She's never gotten the flu.

Hi M. - my son had the FluMist when he was 3 1/2 and it was not a good experience. He was so uncomfortable and cried for about 20 minutes after. With shots, he might cry just when he gets it and then is fine. He was also not himself until late the next day. Unless your son has a big problem with shots, I would definitely stick with the shot.

We used it this year for the first time (ages 8 and 10). our pediatrician who I trust very much and have been with for 10 years insists it gives better, more long-lasting protection than the shot so we tried it this year. The kids preferred it WAY better than the shot. quick and painless, we'll see how it protects...

my daughter had it last year, a few months before she turned 3. I was a little apprehensive about it but it was fine. No sputtering, coughing, dripping down into her throat.... nothing at all. It was over before she knew what was happening.Hoping we have that option again this year!

Just check with your insurance first...my friend had to pay for this method, and the shot was free. It generally isn't a big deal, but she was livid that it wasn't covered, and she had no idea until she received a bill.

My children (10 and 7) and I have all gotten the FluMist vaccine for the past several years and have had no side effects or flu symptoms. It's quick and painless. There is a sweet "taste" in the back of your throat right after the mist but that's it. I've read that the mist is more effective than the shot because of the "live" virus it contains. We've been very happy with the procedure and the results.

my daughter (DOB 5.28.96) received one last year. it was a nice change from a shot! she didn't seem to mind too much!

We have done it for 2 years now. My now 6 year old loves it. She much prefers it to the shot. Our friend who is a nurse also said it is more effective in smaller children.

My son just had his 4 year check up and received the flu-mist for the first time. He always gets the shot, but this year the doctor said they didn't have the shots in yet. I was concerned because it is a live vaccine and told the doc that. He said it is only a concern if your child has asthma and that he has never personally seen a child get the flu from the flu-mist. I went ahead and allowed it but I did give my son some tylenol before the visit. He did seem to have a lack of appetite for 1-2 days after, but he also received a hep A shot that day. I don't know if there was a connection to the appetite/shot/flu-mist. I think I will probably get him the flu-mist again next year.

My daughter is 3 years old and she got the FluMist version this year (first week of Sept 2009). She did not get it last year (they ran out of the FluMist before we could get in). It was so simple, they shoot the mist up each nostril, no pain and my daughter only had a small cold a few days later. I was told by the nurse that the main thing different about the FluMist is that it is a live virus unlike the shot.

My husband did the mist last year. He described it as a liquid that is sprayed up your nose...the word mist is misleading. He said it was unpleasant and recommended that our son get the shot instead eventhough the ped said our son was old enough for the mist. In short, my kids and I all got the shot and my husband got the mist. My husband was the only one that got mild flu like symptoms that laid him up for a weekend. Although they say that the mist is better because it protects you from the flu virus more than the shot, none of us got sick (except for my husband from the flumist vaccine). It is up to you, but I would do the shot...we are ALL getting the shot this year!

After reading about what gets put into vaccines and being a Poor Metabolizer--all three of us in my family--there is no way short of having martial law state we have to get one that I will probably ever have another vaccine, nor my husband or daughter. My daughter had all her "baby shots" and, at the age of nine is current on all her vaccines; that is where I'm almost positive she came down with Sensory Processing Disorder, a form of Autism. She also suffers from OCD, anxiety, and is a highly sensitive child.

I wish I'd known before she was ever born that I have three mutations on a gene that helps the body detoxify itself; it's hereditary, and since she has the EXACT same mutations that I have, genetic counselors have told us that my husband also has the same gene mutations. My daughter and I suffered from severe heavy metal toxicity and have both detoxified our bodies three times. We are taking another urine heavy metals test this weekend to see where we stand now with toxins in our body.

One of the adjuncts, Squalene, has been implicated as the cause for the Gulf War Syndrome. Squalene causes neurological damage.

Enough said.

2 of my 3 kids had the FluMist twice with no problems. My youngest was too young the first time (she was a month away from 5yr- they must have lowed the age requirement since then) and when we did the mist last year (2 years later) she had it on a Wednesday. By Saturday night she was running a fever and by Tuesday or Wednesday she was diagnosed with pneumonia after a few days of a high fever. Her Dr was certain she developed the flu/pneumonia from the FluMist. I don't plan to use the FluMist again! Yes, it more tolerable than a shot but not worth taking the chance!