[Flu Season] If you haven't taken a flu shot yet, take it now.

you read it wrong, insert a coma after *******

 

I AM NEVER GETTING A FLU SHOT AGAIN FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE

I hadn't gotten one in forever, but I had to get one this year with a baby on the way. It's just something you have to do, apparently.

After I go the flu shot, I started feeling sick about 30 minutes later and it lasted throughout the day. About 8 hours after getting the shot I started feeling terrible. I headed toward the bathroom because I was sure I was going to hurl, and then next thing I remember I woke up laying face down on the floor aching all over, but especially my head. My (very pregnant) wife was shaking me and trying to get me to wake up and was saying something but I couldn't make it out. Everything was blurry and I felt like I was going to throw up still. After 30 seconds or so I got my wits about me and I noticed I was laying face-down in a decent sized pool of blood.

Apparently, I had passed out and my head had slammed onto the hard tile of our bathroom. Fortunately the sound of my skull smashing on the floor woke my wife up from her nap, otherwise who knows how long I would have been laying face down like that.

Eventually I got up and went to the ER and dropped a sh-t ton of cash running tests to see what could have caused me to pass out. Needed some stiches to sew up my head. Huge bump on my forehead became a black eye (the first one of my life!).

Doc says nothing unusual about me that would have caused this. Had I been laying down/sleeping? No. Had I been doing any exhausting work in strenuous conditions? No. I said "Well I did get a flu shot today, for about the first time in 10 years. Could that have had anything to do with it?" Yes, he said. Yes it very likely was what caused me to pass out. It likely didn't jive with my body, he said.

Furkan A, I thought. But, at least I'll have a healthy-ish flu season. Sooo that's something.

But no! I haven't! In fact, I've never been more sickly in my life. Sore throat, runny nose, bad cough, occasional fever. And it's insane because for the first time in my life I've actually been taking care of myself properly: washing my hands all the freaking time; taking vitamins D, C and Zinc; eating better. Sure, my sleep hasn't been great because of a baby, but I'm not pulling all-nighters; I'm still getting plenty of hours of good sleep each night.

I've been sick since shortly after I got the flu shot. I'll be sick for a week or two, then it will subside completely for 4 or so days, and then it will come back with avengence.

So f*** you flu shot. Go f*** yourself. I hate you. My daughter is just over two weeks old and ever since she was born I'm hesitant to hold her too much or get too close for fear of getting her sick. I've been to two different doctors and they both told me to just ride it out and take care of myself. Well, f*** you too doctors. I've been riding it out for about 2 months and I have been taking care of myself; it doesn't change a damn thing.

Anyway TL;DR: Haymitch isn't getting any more flu shots

 

Haymitch, I'm not understanding the issue. Everything that you described mirrors the expected side effects of a flu shot. It's doing exactly what it was intended to do.

Next time, before you get on here crapping all over flu shots maybe you should research exactly what they're intended to do and how it works.

Spoiler

:grin:

 

Sorry to hear that Haymitch. Sucks that you can't spend much time holding your newborn. Out of curiosity where did you get your shot?

For the record I got a flu shot this year and have many other years in the past and never had ill effects. Also never heard of anyone directly having side effects.

I get the flu shot to protect against severe flu, the kind that I had twice when I was a kid (e.g. 102-103 fever, swollen/achy throat and aching all over to the point that you are basically bedridden). If you've ever had severe influenza, the coughing/sneezing is nowhere near the worst part . I do not believe that the shot it is supposed to keep you from getting any sort of flu-ish illnesses/colds like you have been experiencing.

 

For free at work. I'm not sure what place employed the nurses who were giving the shots. There were two of them. One of them looked busted as hell and the other looked like a normal human person. I got the busted one.

I do not doubt that the actual flu is much worse than the cold-like symptoms I have been experiencing. But, I have never had the flu. I rarely ever get sick at all, and if I do it's just for a few days. That's why staying sick for so long right now is so crappy for me.

FTR I'm not trying to use my story as a case against the flu shot for anyone other than myself. I'm not trying to make a philosophical or medical argument. It's just not for me.

 

Have to ask: do you have what you would call... enemies, in the workplace?

 

I do have a secret enemy out there.

Back in high school, someone keyed my car multiple times. Same person I think because they wrote the same thing every time. I moved away and then it stopped. I had no idea who it was; no one did.

Then, maybe 5 or so years later, someone ripped the antenna off my car.

And then in October you have the flu shot fiasco.

So that's several events over the course of about 12 years. I think this would make for an intriguing episode of Criminal Minds.

 

You only had that twice as a kid? Lucky guy.

I had that twice a year every single year until I was like 17. Then it stopped for a few years altogether. Then when I hit 23 or so I started to just get colds or something like that maybe 3x a year every year. Still on that routine sadly.

I have incredibly bad allergies though so I'm sure that has something to do with it.

 

Maybe start checking your coffee, food or medicine for arsenic or rat poison. I'm sure you have a nice fat life insurance policy.

 

This seems extremely anecdotal. I've had several people share similar experiences with me who have sworn off the flu shot and most of the time it seems like they're missing the big picture or don't under stand the limitations of a flu shot.

#1 purpose of a flu shot is herd immunity. Flu shots are designed to prevent you acting as a carrier and limit the spread to vulnerable people, e.g. people who can't receive the vaccine such as your 2-week old daughter or previously pregnant wife.

#2 the flu shot only semi-protects you as an individual because it doesn't cover every single strand of flu virus, only the most statistically prevalent strands during that season.

#3 people can still get the flu despite getting the shot. Yet they are statistically less likely to get it if they get the shot.

There's no magic to the flu shot. It's based on a lot of science and the law of large numbers. It sucks you're an exception to the rule or trend but it doesn't invalidate the concept.

In fact my recommendation as a physician next year would also to get flu shot next year to protect your future 1 y/o as I believe she'll still be to young to get the flu shot. Me personally I'd rather run the odds of me getting flu and surviving vs a 1 y/o getting the flu.

 

I always get a low grade fever and sore throat after a flu shot. I hate that but not as much as the flu and I don't want to spread the flu.

 

No doubt.

Yeah I probably will.