Forced Flu Shots

[Inkachu]

That's definitely more than I ever had. Typically my illnesses are minor. The worst one, though, was an episode of bronchitis. I was largely okay until the antibiotics they gave me left me in bed for 3 days.

I know, 3 days compared to your 2 weeks, but I keep myself moving as much as I can even when I am sick. I don't want to inconvenience people (and that's a personal thing. I don't fault anyone who needs help).

That's such a guy thing! My husband will walk around with pneumonia and swear he's fine (it's happened more than once!). I'm like "get your butt into bed NOW, mister" lol. I, on the other hand, turn into a recluse when I'm sick, I don't want anyone around me, I shut myself away and just wait till it's over.

 

[Cute Tink]

My husband will walk around with pneumonia and swear he's fine (it's happened more than once!). I'm like "get your butt into bed NOW, mister" lol. I, on the other hand, turn into a recluse when I'm sick, I don't want anyone around me, I shut myself away and just wait till it's over.

I admit to being sick, but I've got kids to take care of (among other things) regardless of the situation I'm in. Even when I had someone to take care of me, there were still things I had to get done (my ex NEVER seemed to clean anything). Ugh.

But no, I don't curl up in bed unless I'm super drained or have a migraine.

 

[parsley]

I heard on the news there were employees who were allergic to eggs, afraid of getting fired. There's a hospital here in town that has had limits to accessing certain rooms, without the vaccine, and that has worked for them without threatening job loss.

I had two flu shots in my life, and got sick within three days both times. Sitting in a room with a hundred germy people waiting to get their shots, doesn't seem to be the way to prevent sickness.

People should not be required to get a live vaccine of any sort, because live viruses and bacteria carry risk, and there is no guarantee the body will fight it off.

The natural way to prevent the spread of illness is keeping everyone's immune systems strong enough to fight off germs.

Idealistic, but that's how we're made. The vaccine stimulates our bodies to fight it off. Is there much difference from just fighting a virus off when it decides to show its hemagglutinin... I guess having control over timing and amount helps.

Instead, why doesn't the CDC require a mandatory nap day?

We could quarantine kids and employees who show up to school sick. Give them immune boosters instead of live germs. Wrap a blanket and garlic necklace around them and prescribe one clove per hour.

Online learning assignments are on the increase anyway... make use of them in small doses.

Last week the news announced that cold germs consider a cold nose a friendlier environment to grow in than a warm one. If so, maybe we can install nose heaters in the schools and workplaces. Instant fever machines.

And then write on an Rx paper, "Don't go out in the rain or you'll catch your death of a cold."

 

[High Fidelity]

For someone who doesn't experience that a lot, I know it can probably seem like you really ARE dying lol. Forgive my chuckling... I probably get something like that once a year or so. It sucks. I guess I'm just used to it.

Hey now, man flu is a very serious thing!

 

[Cute Tink]

Hey now, man flu is a very serious thing!

Is that why you men take it so seriously?

 

[Inkachu]

I heard on the news there were employees who were allergic to eggs, afraid of getting fired. There's a hospital here in town that has had limits to accessing certain rooms, without the vaccine, and that has worked for them without threatening job loss.

I had two flu shots in my life, and got sick within three days both times. Sitting in a room with a hundred germy people waiting to get their shots, doesn't seem to be the way to prevent sickness.

Some people have a mild reaction after a flu shot as their immune system gets activated. They can experience a low grade fever, aches, and fatigue, but it is not the flu. If you got seriously ill just 3 days after a flu shot, you weren't immune to the flu at that point, so it's not that the shot didn't work. I hope next time you can get your shot without being around "a hundred germy people" lol.

People should not be required to get a live vaccine of any sort, because live viruses and bacteria carry risk, and there is no guarantee the body will fight it off.

Flu shots are a dead virus that cannot make a person sick with the flu. Live vaccines include MMR and varicella (chicken pox) and should not be given to someone who's seriously ill, but the vast majority of people handle them just fine.

The natural way to prevent the spread of illness is keeping everyone's immune systems strong enough to fight off germs.

Idealistic, but that's how we're made. The vaccine stimulates our bodies to fight it off. Is there much difference from just fighting a virus off when it decides to show its hemagglutinin... I guess having control over timing and amount helps.

The difference is that a vaccine allows you to develop immunity without having to become ill and infect everyone around you first.

Instead, why doesn't the CDC require a mandatory nap day?

The CDC can't mandate anything lol. I'd guess people would say that the weekend is our "nap day". Honestly, I think we should have one day of work, one day off, all week long

 

[loveofourlord]

Just to quickly point out to those that say they got the flu and it wasn't bad, you probably didn't have the flu. the flu is a very specific disease that is generally rough on people, problem is there are dozens of colds that give flu like symptoms but arn't as bad, but often mistaken for the flu.

 

[OGM]

I get one every year. One reason is because I travel on airliners a lot. I heard it said that about 30,000 United States Citizens typically die of the flu every year. That is the equivalent of the population of a city being wiped out every year.

 

[Strathos]

As long as the vaccine is proven safe and effective then yes, I have seen outbreaks caused by anti-vaxxer movements.

 

[parsley]

I think we should have one day of work, one day off, all week long

(-:
Medical staff should for sure. On your feet making quick decisions all day.

Flu shots are a dead virus that cannot make a person sick with the flu. Live vaccines include MMR and varicella (chicken pox)

Sorry, I was looking it up quickly and ran across the nasal spray:
Live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV). Thanks for spelling it all out calmly.

My point was not to resist vaccines, but put the emphasis back on keeping our immune systems up to par. These days I hear of so many people on "recreational" substances, or staying up all night studying, or out scaling steep mountain cliffs, it seems we have lost the simple appreciation for staying warm and dry.

The last few years I have kept the fever germ-killing principle in mind, and baked off most of my sicknesses. Not heat and rest all by itself, but those seemed to do half the work.

But... back to people losing their jobs over employer requirements.

That is the equivalent of the population of a city being wiped out every year.

Oof.

 

[Inkachu]

It's not really forced if the option to wear a mask is present. If that option wasn't present I'd say that the health department was way overstepping it's bounds.

If no such choice (mask) were available, I might ask for a written guarantee that said flu shot contained no mercury nor mercury based preservative, nor any other known poison, and would use my right to sue the policy maker, the hospital and the health department for forcing me to take something that contains a lethal substance or lose my job.

People are allowed to request preservative-free flu shots where I work. Not sure how it works in other states, though.

 

[Inkachu]

My point was not to resist vaccines, but put the emphasis back on keeping our immune systems up to par. These days I hear of so many people on "recreational" substances, or staying up all night studying, or out scaling steep mountain cliffs, it seems we have lost the simple appreciation for staying warm and dry.

I totally agree. I know it's a whole other topic, but you're right in that we're a population of over-worked, under-rested, malnourished people.

 

[LOVEthroughINTELLECT]

I am not afraid of being sick with the flu.

I am afraid of missing work, losing my job, and losing my income. That is the only reason why I chose to get vaccinated this past fall.

 

[KitKatMatt]

I got my first flu shot last year. In September, I think? I had been afraid to get one due to a condition I have, but there was no reaction so I'm going to get one every year.

I'm scared of the flu (I don't like being sick, the flu is pretty severe, and any illness triggers my autoimmune disorder to flare), and I also have no paid sick leave at work.

Like someone said on a page way before this one though, if there is an alternative to the flu shot in this place of work (in this case, masks), then it's not forced.

I would much prefer to do both if I had the option, because I've actually had people cough directly into my face (without apology, I hate people) and I don't even want a cold if I can help it. Unfortunately, it's considered bad manners to wear a mask in customer service where I am.

 

[MissRowy]

I have had the flu shot....

I have also had the MMR, Hep B and the tetanus injection as well...I have to as I am a nursing student

 

[FireDragon76]

At any rate, all you nay-sayers - get the flu like I had last summer, and you will clutch at ANYTHING to help ward it off. I promise. I was bed-ridden for two weeks. I cried. A lot. I wanted to die. Repeatedly. It was the most horrible sickness I've EVER had.

Are you certain it was the flu, and not a cold? Flu is rare in the summer. I've had colds in the summer before, here in Florida, but never the flu (it's actually not so bad having a cold when it's 90 degrees out as you don't really notice the fever as much).

I know its considered an old wives tale by most doctors now days but I believe there's some truth to the idea that getting chilled gives you a cold. I live in an apartment here in Florida and in the winter the temperature swings around a lot (could be 85 one day and drop to 45 the next), and the walls are not well insulated . I've gotten mild hypothermia a few times due to where the bed is situated against a wall, and sometimes its made me feel under the weather for a day or two, in some cases I've developed symptoms that bordered on walking pneumonia (fatigue, malaise, mild chest discomfort). And last week I remember shivering in bed while I slept because the wall was so cold (I wasn't conscious enough to really do anything about it, just kind of slept through it); even though I bought a space heater last year- its thermostat is finicky and there's alot of heat loss through the wall. At least I did the smart thing 2 days ago and moved my bed even though its a little inconvenient.

There's even been a few studies that show that exposure to cold weakens immunity: 29 percent of volunteers exposing their feet to cold water developed cold symptoms: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/22/health/22real.html?_r=0 The hypothesized mechanism is that exposure to cold lowers immunity.

 

[brotherChristian]

Is that why you men take it so seriously?

Hey, now! A man having the flu is nothing to sneeze at.

All male persons should have to get vaccinated, there just aren't enough warm beds and bowls of soup to handle us all.

Seriously, though: in the military we all got vaccinated and in law enforcement we do as well. Which is how it should be with anyone in public service or attending public schools (if they are medically able to).

 

[Inkachu]

Are you certain it was the flu, and not a cold? Flu is rare in the summer. I've had colds in the summer before, here in Florida, but never the flu (it's actually not so bad having a cold when it's 90 degrees out as you don't really notice the fever as much).

I know its considered an old wives tale by most doctors now days but I believe there's some truth to the idea that getting chilled gives you a cold. I live in an apartment here in Florida and in the winter the temperature swings around a lot (could be 85 one day and drop to 45 the next), and the walls are not well insulated . I've gotten mild hypothermia a few times due to where the bed is situated against a wall, and sometimes its made me feel under the weather for a day or two, in some cases I've developed symptoms that bordered on walking pneumonia (fatigue, malaise, mild chest discomfort). And last week I remember shivering in bed while I slept because the wall was so cold (I wasn't conscious enough to really do anything about it, just kind of slept through it); even though I bought a space heater last year- its thermostat is finicky and there's alot of heat loss through the wall. At least I did the smart thing 2 days ago and moved my bed even though its a little inconvenient.

There's even been a few studies that show that exposure to cold weakens immunity: 29 percent of volunteers exposing their feet to cold water developed cold symptoms: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/22/health/22real.html?_r=0 The hypothesized mechanism is that exposure to cold lowers immunity.

This makes complete sense if you think about it. Your body has to mete out its energy use, depending on what your body is doing and what it needs at any given moment. If it's using large amounts of energy trying to keep itself warm, then it's using less energy in the immune system department, leaving you more vulnerable to an infection.

 

[jayem]

Flu shots are a dead virus that cannot make a person sick with the flu. Live vaccines include MMR and varicella (chicken pox) and should not be given to someone who's seriously ill, but the vast majority of people handle them just fine.

Correct. For the record, Flu-Mist is a live vaccine. So it's not indicated for people with certain medical problems, weakened immune systems, and pregnant women. It may provide better immunity for children age 2-8. But it also may be less effective in people over 50. So it should only be prescribed for otherwise healthy people age 2-49.

 

[selfinflikted]

Are you certain it was the flu, and not a cold? Flu is rare in the summer. I've had colds in the summer before, here in Florida, but never the flu (it's actually not so bad having a cold when it's 90 degrees out as you don't really notice the fever as much).

I'm positive it was the flu. Verified by a flu test. Influenza B. We had a relatively large outbreak this past summer in my city.