OT: seasonal flu shots for those of us over 65

[Okie bipap]

We usually get ours mid to late September. The last few years, we have gotten them at Sam's Club. I have gotten the flu shot every year since they were first required in the military. I have not missed a year since.

[boxofrain]

Got mine while I was in Walgreens a week ago or so. Totally fine, no pain, no side effects! I would certainly recommend it!

[Pugsy]

I haven't got a flu shot since the Swine Flu shot that was rushed through FDA eons ago and I had a bad reaction to it and got the GB syndrome from the flu shot.

I have a friend that got GB some time ago. His doctor has said no, not yet. Until this year ... now it's a go.

He described what happened to him and if it were me I would be scared silly to get the shot no matter what the odds were.

Definitely a tough choice

Yeah, a tough choice this year for sure. In the past not so tough. I knew the risks and weighed them and accepted them. Most years I came out ahead. Yeah, I got some sort of flu occasionally but nothing that was nearly as bad as what I got from that Swine flu shot.
There's never the guarantee that the flu a person gets would have been prevented by the vaccine anyway. I think the last bad whatever flu I had came from a visit to a doctor's office and being in the bathroom with a little old lady obviously very ill and hacking her lungs up. If I hadn't needed to pee so bad I would have ran like hell out of there. I think that was 4 yrs ago.

I do have a bit of time yet to mull it over though. My biggest risk...hubby....he brings bugs home and gives them to me because he's out in the world a lot more than I am. But now he has to wear a mask just about everywhere he goes except when alone in his truck...so that risk has been minimized.

I don't have to decide by tomorrow though. I will continue to mull it over. I always weigh the risk vs rewards things with anything and do my best to make my best educated choice. But I will admit that the Swine flu shot left me with a real bad taste in my mouth about flu shots. I know in my head the risks now aren't the same but I still have that bad taste in my mouth.

[Lucyhere]

Friends, our immune system becomes less effective as we age.

For those of us over 65, what CG said is exactly the point. As far as Covid-19 is concerned, one of the reasons that we are in the high risk group is because our immune system isn't what it was when we were younger. It's also the reason why doctors say to get the higher (senior) dose.

[palerider]

was wondering about this. saw a wee ad in a game app i play. walgreen's urging those over 65 to get their seasonal flu shots. i didn't click it because i HATE giving them more information than i have to.

but it DID get me to thinking.

when ARE we old birds suppossed to get our shots?

I got mine at Costco last week, even though I'm not an old geezer like you

Seriously, get one as soon as you can, free at Costco... screw walgreens.

[chunkyfrog]

I couldn't believe how painless the shot was this year!

[zonker]

was wondering about this. saw a wee ad in a game app i play. walgreen's urging those over 65 to get their seasonal flu shots. i didn't click it because i HATE giving them more information than i have to.

but it DID get me to thinking.

when ARE we old birds suppossed to get our shots?

I got mine at Costco last week, even though I'm not an old geezer like you

Seriously, get one as soon as you can, free at Costco... screw walgreens.

sounds like a plan.

particularly with the senior hours. i might actually spend some money on macaroni and cheese.

yum!

[palerider]

was wondering about this. saw a wee ad in a game app i play. walgreen's urging those over 65 to get their seasonal flu shots. i didn't click it because i HATE giving them more information than i have to.

but it DID get me to thinking.

when ARE we old birds suppossed to get our shots?

I got mine at Costco last week, even though I'm not an old geezer like you

Seriously, get one as soon as you can, free at Costco... screw walgreens.

sounds like a plan.

particularly with the senior hours. i might actually spend some money on macaroni and cheese.

yum!

I got advised by one of my friends there to come in a little after the opening rush of seniors cleared out, much more parking, and fewer people

But yeah, quick, painless and free (well, $20, but covered by most insurance including Medicare.)

[palerider]

I couldn't believe how painless the shot was this year!

And a tip, when you get an IM injection like that, massage it a bit to help it distribute, less likely to hurt later... one of the nurses told me that, and it seems to work

[ChicagoGranny]

I have a friend that got GB some time ago. His doctor has said no, not yet. Until this year ... now it's a go.

He described what happened to him and if it were me I would be scared silly to get the shot no matter what the odds were.

You fail to mention what caused your friend's Guillain-Barre Syndrome.

GB as a result of vaccine is rare. Most cases are caused by something else. Influenza is not rare. https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/Pat ... Fact-Sheet

[ChicagoGranny]

i'm a grown-ass adult

Thanks for the news.

[khauser]

You fail to mention what caused your friend's Guillain-Barre Syndrome.

GB as a result of vaccine is rare. Most cases are caused by something else. Influenza is not rare. https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/Pat ... Fact-Sheet

I believe it was a result of a flu ... but he was advised by his doctor not to get the flu vaccine for fear of it recurring. That advice was repeated for decades but always with the knowledge that at some point the risk reward balance would tilt back towards getting the vaccine.

[ChicagoGranny]

I believe it was a result of a flu

Well, this is the opposite of how people will take your first comment which may scare them away from the vaccine. If your friend had been getting the flu vaccine every year, he might not have contracted the flu and then might not have contracted GB.

[khauser]

I believe it was a result of a flu

Well, this is the opposite of how people will take your first comment which may scare them away from the vaccine. If your friend had been getting the flu vaccine every year, he might not have contracted the flu and then might not have contracted GB.

You're making an incorrect assumption. He did get the vaccine. As you know it does not fully protect against every virus floating around.

[ChicagoGranny]

You don't seem to get the point, so I'll try to help anyone reading this thread who has some level of vaccine fear.

I have a friend that got GB some time ago (Edit by CG: probably from influenza, not a vaccine).