FluShots

[ladymoreta]

I get the flu shot every year. I also want to get the H1N1 vaccine when it becomes available. That strain has a much higher mortality rate for pregnant women than the general population, so it seems like as long as it passes the clinical trials, it's worth the risk. If you're one of the people who sometimes (or always) gets the flu after getting the flu shot, then you should probably skip the H1N1 vaccine, but you'd probably skip the regular flu shot, too.

I usually get the shot at work, but since the layoff will be next week, I'll probably get it at my OB. If they don't offer it, I'll get it at CVS.

[SoonerTexan]

I'm considering getting the H1N1 vaccine... I don't know if the strain is any worse than the regular flu, but supposedly young adults (18-24) are a high-risk group for it. I'm 25, but I'm around college kids a lot, so I figure I'm at least higher risk for H1N1 than I am for the regular flu. Once it's released, I'll look more closely.

Already had a classmate get H1N1. (I'm a college student) and they are expecting cases to rise in next few weeks. He said he went from a 99 to 102 degree fever while in the waiting room for 45 minutes and the next 4 days or so realllly sucked.

I don't get the flu on a regular basis, but I am taking Vitamin C...

[Bittersweet]

I'm a total needle-phobe and have never had a flu shot. I'm considering it this year.

[Meenah]

I gave my first flu shot on Friday this season to one of my asthmatic patients. It is funny, in the past we would have to coerce patients who needed it to get it, now they are calling to find out how soon we can give it. We will be officially giving it starting the first week of October, but for patients with scheduled appointments we have started offereing it.

[DCJenn]

We have already had two different clients come in with H1N1 diagnoses. They were parolees so they had to come in w/ notes for their counselors and parole officers.

I'm trying to impress upon our medical director exactly how many pregnant women and small children we have in the clinic every single day.

It's going to be bad.

Jenn

[MarissaNicole]

I will for sure get the flu shot from my internist (I'm asthmatic) and I'd like to get the H1N1 shot if I supply/demand allows for it because I am one of those people who seems to have a weak immune system and I always get everything...and then it triggers my asthma. (Lucky DH however only gets sick about every two years).

p.s. I don't know if I live under a box or what but I've never even heard of this "flu mist" that you speak of.

[MarissaNicole]

I usually get the shot at work, but since the layoff will be next week, I'll probably get it at my OB. If they don't offer it, I'll get it at CVS.

You say this so casually... Did I miss something? Are you worried about getting laid off or has it been suggested?

[ladymoreta]

You say this so casually... Did I miss something? Are you worried about getting laid off or has it been suggested?

Oh yeah, I put it in my blog, but I forgot that I restrict my blog to my contacts. My stupid company ran itself into the ground, and now they're doing layoffs next week. I volunteered since I was planning to quit once the baby was born.

[SoonerTexan]

I volunteered since I was planning to quit once the baby was born.

Wow--that's really altruistic of you!

[MrsC]

I gave my first flu shot on Friday this season to one of my asthmatic patients. It is funny, in the past we would have to coerce patients who needed it to get it, now they are calling to find out how soon we can give it. We will be officially giving it starting the first week of October, but for patients with scheduled appointments we have started offereing it.

I've seen a huge increase in T.V advertisements for the flu shot. I think a lot of people are concerned about H1N1 but don't realize that the regular flu shot won't protect against it.

The H1N1 shot is supposed to become available the first week in October. I'm going to make DH get it. He never gets the regular shot. If there's enough available, I'll get the H1N1 shot too. Whatever about regular flu, this one is killing perfectly healthy people in their 20's and 30's now. Imagine what it will do once it combines with other flu strains over the winter and mutates.

[MrsK]

Funny, my mom just called me about this. Mom's flipping out because my great-grandmother died in the 1918 Spanish Flu epidemic. Great-grandma in her early 30s and about 7 or 8 months pregnant at the time.

I used to get the vaccination at work. Mom wanted me to go to Walgreens this year but I'm going to get it from my OB. I saw the Cleveland OB last week and she said I should wait until I'm in KS. I don't want to go to Walgreens or anything because I'm not sure why my OB recommended waiting and I don't want to take any medication or vaccination that my OB isn't prescribing. (I even had to drop out of prenatal yoga because the dippy instructor was pissed that I wouldn't use some herbal supplement for morning sickness that my OB did not recommend.) If my KS OB recommends it, I will get the H1N1 vaccination too.

[Pollyanna]

Pregnant women are first on the list (after healthcare providers) to get the H1N1 vax because when a flu becomes a pandemic (which all the signs are pointing to the possibility this year) a disproportionate number of deaths comes from that population. I don't remember the numbers exactly but something like 1% of the population is pregnant women but when a pandemic rolls around they account for 15% of the deaths. This is not true of the general flu although if you are pregnant you should get the flu shot. We are not huge flu shot folks but will get both this year. Our boys had some type of mild flu a few weeks ago and it was scary as hell because it started in their lungs, they both went from healthy, running around, normal kids to wheezing and needing the nebulizer in a matter of hours.

[spotty_dog]

DH has seen a few cases of H1N1, well, strongly suspected, in the past few months. When it's Influenza A and occurring outside of flu season, chances are it's the pig flu.

He's getting the H1N1 vax when it comes out and has joked about swiping doses for me and the kids. I don't think we're high enough priority to get it though. Undecided about the seasonal flu. Last year we all got our shots (Eddy got the mist, I was ineligible for the mist due to pregnancy) because I would be having a newborn during flu season. This year, well, I guess I still don't want to be laid up with the flu -- I got it about 5 years ago and it sucked -- but one case of flu in a lifetime is pretty good odds, and I am not convinced any of us are at any particular risk of getting it this year (I guess we play with the neighbor kids who go to elementary school and are probably Typhoid Marys but still...)

[Rapunzel]

It was my understanding that there was going to be much more of the H1N1 vax available than previously thought, because it turns out you don't need to get two doses (two seperate shots).

Called today. The H1N1 isn't approved for kids yet and they said they don't know when they will get it. Typically, there is a 4 week wait between vaccines. We are doing Flu Mist next week.