'Flu jabs!

I've heard it all before.

I always have a flu jab because I have asthma. One year my husband caught proper flu and was really poorly. I looked after him but didn't catch it so I am convinced the jab can be a good thing.

If you give a jab to hundreds of thousands of people every year a few of them are going to have heart attacks, a few are going to have strokes and quite a lot are going to get ill from mild colds and other flu-like viruses in the days following. These events were going to happen with or without the flu jab . But the flu jab can get blamed because most people look for reasons for things happening.
There are hundreds of viruses that can give you feverish cold symptoms. The flu jab will not protect you from these - but it will protect you from the 3 most prevalent influenza viruses that are circulating in the world at the moment.

I've been having the flu jab for about 5yrs now since my diagnosis of diabetes. I have also had the pneumonia jab. I've never had a reaction to either nor have I had anything more than 48hrs of sniffles since my first jab.
DH and I are both booked in for next month.

Thanks everyone. I will talk to my GP. They haven't called me in yet but I was 65 in July so I am expecting it soon. My brother-in-law's mum died suddenly soon after being given a flu jab and he swears that the jab killed her so he has put the fear of God into me to be honest! I know it is highly unlikely that the jab was the cause but every time I mention it he says 'it killed my mother'. My DH has it and also the pneumonia jab and has always been fine.

The 'flu vaccination itself is dead (attenuated) so it cant give you 'flu but you could be reacting to something else or it could be concidence.

I had forgotten about the shingles vaccination- I've had it so that it for me as the virus stays within you anyway. DH might like it - he is a terrible worrier and fusser when he is ill so he has 2 years to wait for his.

I had a very bad reaction to my one and only 'flu jab; I was ill for eight weeks afterwards so never again. I had a mild reaction to the pneumonia one.

I don't think it is true, KatyK that you can get flu after your jab. Some people get "flu-like symptoms" if they react, as Gagagran and FlicketyB have said, to the preservative or something else in the jab. Talk to your GP about it - do they change the preservative from time to time, for instance?

Thank you Flick. I am going to weigh up the pros and cons.

KatyK I have not been having the flu jab for the reasons given above, like Gagagran I have allergies or erratic reactions to a range of drugs and ingredients, like preservatives used in some topical medications, so I avoid them unless convinced they are necessary.

I am due for my first one this year and am undecided. I have heard so many stories of people getting a bad case of flu after their jab. I have never had flu in my life and haven't even had a cold for about 30 years. I have no health problems (fortunately) except that I take medication for high blood pressure.

I had the shingles and pneumonia jabs (separate arms ) on 11 August and had a really bad reaction to both with hugely inflamed and painful arms.

I went to the pharmacist who gave me anti-histamines but he said that I had clearly reacted to the base solution used for vaccines and should be very wary of having any more. Consequently I am not taking up the offer of a flu jab.

Has anyone else had this sort of extreme reaction?

...and don't forget that if you became 70 since 1/09/13 you are entitled to the shingles inoculation as well. Neither I or anyone in my family has ever had flu, I didn't even get it when at boarding school during the 1958 Asian Flu epidemic but shingles is something else and several people in my family have had that and whether 30, the youngest, or 65, the eldest, that is a really nasty thing to have and can leave you in pain afterwards for months or even years, so I couldn't have that inoculation quickly enough.

My GP started to give me the flu jab long before I was in my 60s. She seemed to think I was vulnerable. Anyway, I haven't had genuine flu since then. I well remember the last time when the whole family got it. Misery!

Not entitled to free quite yet, so thanks for the reminder. I'll do the usual of booking an appointment in Boots for me and DH. Well worth £12 to fend off flu. Proper influenza is a horrible illness and can really waste 2 -3 weeks of your life.
I have been having the jab every year for about the last 20 yrs - if you're self employed you don't get paid sick leave.

Just looked it up if anyone is interested - this year the variants are the same as last year (which is unusual) so I am not going to rush to have it done before my Australia trip. A booster in November for me.
w.cdc.gov/flu/about/season/vaccine-selection.htm

Gosh I hope I get the male Practice Nurse this year the female nurse administers it as though she is throwing a dart at your arm

We'll all queue up at the local health centre on Saturday morning and a team of nurses will deal quickly and efficiently with the hordes. It's quite a social occasion!