OT: Pneumonia Injection

[DoriC]

We get the flu shot every year, got it in Oct this year. Got last pneum shot 7yrs ago, Dr says after a "certain" age, he doesn't recommend it. I'm going to question him about that again now that we got sick.

[Renie]

my son died from septic pneumonia. doctors at the time said he should have had the pneumonia shot update, but never told me to prior to his 19th birthday. then he left home and would not listen to anything i said again. i used to often ask him to just get a flu shot, he always hung up on me.
he was 30 when he died. he had never had pneumonia before. thank God one doctor that i spoke with assured me that the shot only covered ONE pneumonia. i am sorry to say that but i think that despite our best efforts, sometimes we cannot control everything. just some food for thought.
sorry to be so depressing.
i am still grieving, probably will never be over it. i do however send love.

[ems]

Got last pneum shot 7yrs ago, Dr says after a "certain" age, he doesn't recommend it. I'm going to question him about that again now that we got sick.

I would like to know his reasoning. My doctor said that it's particularly important for people of a "certain" age to get the pneumonia shot. That pneumonia in people of a "certain" age is extremely dangerous.

It's so hard to understand how opinions from one doctor to another can vary so much. It's no wonder that we are so confused and never know who or what to believe.

[sleeplessinaz]

I got my first one in my fifties. I want to be protected! I also get a flu shot every year. I also got the shingles vaccine. I have insurance and I HATE bring sick so that's is why I get it.

PS - getting a flu shot does NOT give you the flu.

[ems]

my son died from septic pneumonia. doctors at the time said he should have had the pneumonia shot update, but never told me to prior to his 19th birthday. then he left home and would not listen to anything i said again. i used to often ask him to just get a flu shot, he always hung up on me.
he was 30 when he died. he had never had pneumonia before. thank God one doctor that i spoke with assured me that the shot only covered ONE pneumonia. i am sorry to say that but i think that despite our best efforts, sometimes we cannot control everything. just some food for thought.
sorry to be so depressing.
i am still grieving, probably will never be over it. i do however send love.

Renie - so very sorry for your terrible loss. Sending warm hugs.

[ems]

PS - getting a flu shot does NOT give you the flu.

No, it doesn't... but it can give you flu like symptoms for 2/3 days - runny nose, tired, etc.

And, some people get a mild case of the flu several months after getting the flu shot. I'd still rather get a mild case (which is more like a cold) rather than a full blown case of the flu.

[jaye8898]

I used to skip both the flu shot and had never heard of the pneumonia one. However, after I was diagnosed with diabetes my endocrinologist encouraged me to get both. I think it's worth the slight risk of getting a weak version of the flu to be protected against a full blown version. I have to say that the only reaction I've had to either shot is a sore arm and my doctor has said the pneumonia one is good for five years. No one has mentioned that shingles one to me so I'm guessing it's not widely used yet or shingles is not life threatening?

[ems]

No one has mentioned that shingles one to me so I'm guessing it's not widely used yet or shingles is not life threatening?

I would do whatever it takes to avoid getting Shingles - and I have. Had the shot a few years ago. I don't think it's life threatening (?) but it's not something you want to get if you can help it. The people I know who did get Shingles say it's miserable beyond belief. Who needs that?

[jaye8898]

No one has mentioned that shingles one to me so I'm guessing it's not widely used yet or shingles is not life threatening?

I would do whatever it takes to avoid getting Shingles - and I have. Had the shot a few years ago. I don't think it's life threatening (?) but it's not something you want to get if you can help it. The people I know who did get Shingles say it's miserable beyond belief. Who needs that?

lol! EMS, I have to agree. I will ask my doc about it. To be honest, I don't realy know much about it except that it's painful and comes from the chicken pox virus, I think.

[ems]

No one has mentioned that shingles one to me so I'm guessing it's not widely used yet or shingles is not life threatening?

I would do whatever it takes to avoid getting Shingles - and I have. Had the shot a few years ago. I don't think it's life threatening (?) but it's not something you want to get if you can help it. The people I know who did get Shingles say it's miserable beyond belief. Who needs that?

lol! EMS, I have to agree. I will ask my doc about it. To be honest, I don't realy know much about it except that it's painful and comes from the chicken pox virus, I think.

Hey jaye... yeah, if you had chicken pox as a child you can get Shingles. I remember having the pox as a teen and I was miserable. It was in places, well, you figure it out - and I wouldn't want to deal with that again. From what I've heard, Shingles is much worse.

[bwexler]

I have had pneumonia twice, in the early 1970s and the late 1970s.
I have never had a flu shot nor a pneumonia shot and don't plan to. I don't trust the wonderful ingredients they tend to include like mercury.
I certainly hope the government does not take total control of our health care during my lifetime.
I am already experiencing enough problems as my body gets older. It is really hard to believe I am no longer in my 20s, but my body keeps reminding me.

[jaye8898]

No one has mentioned that shingles one to me so I'm guessing it's not widely used yet or shingles is not life threatening?

I would do whatever it takes to avoid getting Shingles - and I have. Had the shot a few years ago. I don't think it's life threatening (?) but it's not something you want to get if you can help it. The people I know who did get Shingles say it's miserable beyond belief. Who needs that?

lol! EMS, I have to agree. I will ask my doc about it. To be honest, I don't realy know much about it except that it's painful and comes from the chicken pox virus, I think.

Hey jaye... yeah, if you had chicken pox as a child you can get Shingles. I remember having the pox as a teen and I was miserable. It was in places, well, you figure it out - and I wouldn't want to deal with that again. From what I've heard, Shingles is much worse.

I actually had chicken pox twice! Once as a child, once in college...go figure! I found this information online on the vaccine:

Shingles Vaccine: Expert Q&A
Never Too Late to Seek Protection Against 'Debilitating' Virus

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WebMD Feature Archive
By Scott Harris
WebMD Feature
Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD

Shingles can make everyday tasks -- from getting dressed to getting into bed -- a painful proposition. The culprit behind this agonizing rash, which is especially common in older people, is the same virus responsible for another common but debilitating condition: chicken pox.

"Most of us never get rid of the chicken pox virus," William Schaffner, MD, president of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, tells WebMD. "It lies dormant like a bear in a cave during winter. When a person gets shingles, the virus has reawakened."
Recommended Related to Adult Vaccines

Checklist: Vaccines for Adults

Keeping up-to-date with your immunizations can be difficult. From when you had your last tetanus booster to whether you should get the flu vaccine, it's easy to lose track of which vaccinations you've had and which you need. But you should keep tabs on your immunization history. Better to do it now than wait until after you step on that rusty nail or find yourself with adult chickenpox. Following is a rundown of the vaccinations recommended in the CDC's Adult Immunization Schedule for 2010.

Read the Checklist: Vaccines for Adults article > >

Fortunately, a vaccine is available that greatly reduces the risk of shingles. Schaffner, who is also a professor in Vanderbilt University School of Medicine's infectious diseases division and chair of the school’s department of preventive medicine, spoke with WebMD about getting protected.
Which adults need the shingles vaccine?

The shingles vaccine is recommended for everyone age 50 or older who is not profoundly immunocompromised, which means their immune system is functioning and they have not recently had treatments like chemotherapy or high doses of steroids.
When do I need to get it, and how often?

"It is a one-shot vaccine. Coverage is available through Medicare, but it can be tough to get approval. You have to work the system a little."
I already have shingles. Is it too late for the vaccine to help me?

"No. It can still be very effective, although it is recommended that you wait for up to a year after the episode to get the vaccine."
What are the risks and benefits of this vaccine?

"Shingles is not life-threatening per se, but it can be pretty debilitating. If it involves your face or eyes, it can threaten your eyesight. Even after the rash abates, you can be left with pain in that section of the body that can be set off by even trivial stimuli, such as the touch of a shirt against the skin. Sometimes it can prevent people from leaving their house. The older we get, the greater the risk. If you survive to age 80, you have a 25% to 50% chance of having had shingles."

"This is an extraordinarily safe vaccine. A few percentage points of people get chicken pox blisters around the site, but they are harmless and they go away."
Is there any reason I shouldn’t get it?

"Only if you have a compromised immune system."


Definitely worth looking into. A shame people have to fight with Medicare to get it. I actually am on Medicaid because I'm unemployed at the moment so it will be interesting to see if it's covered. I also don't know if it's indicated with Grave's Disease as it is basic an immune system issue (thyroid attacks itself). Pretty scary that it could affect your eyesight!

Appreciate the info!

[ems]

Thanks jaye... very informative article

PS - Just remembered that I did get it through Medicare - without a fight fortunately. I believe I had a co-pay and was around $30.00.

[robysue]

Re flu and the flu shots: I usually remember to get a flu shot, but not always. The last two times I had the flu?

Second to last time I had the flu was back in Oct. 2009. That was the year the flu started really early---my whole family got the flu a month or more before there were any flu shots available in Buffalo. The absenteeism rate in the local schools was sky high for about 2 weeks because everybody was getting the flu. By the time the flu shots arrived in Buffalo, almost everybody had already caught the flu ...

The last time I had the flu was Late April/Early May 2012. I'd had a flu shot the previous fall. But that spring some kind of new flu bug started to circulate that was NOT part of the fall vaccine. I was sick as a dog that time. Daughter who was away in college in Michigan caught the same bug that spring. It was a really, really nasty one that caused a lot of problems nationwide the following fall.

A pneumonia shot has never been suggested for me. I had a very mild case of pneumonia as a kid and my son had a moderate case as an infant. If/when my PCP suggests a pneumonia shot, I'd be inclined to get it. Pneumonia is not something I want to deal with.

[Goofproof]

I doubt if I will get the shingles injection. At age 3 I got chicken pox, I scratched it and developed blood poisoning. The doctor came to the house and treated me with penicillin, I turned out to be allergic to penicillin and spent a week in a oxygen tent at home. Not a fun time...