Did you get the flu shot this season?

[apples and oranges]

Do you plan to? I'm still torn. What's the point if I can still end up with a different strain of the flu?

[Lars39]

1. Because it might keep you from getting the strain of flu that could kill you.

[Iwasthere]

53. It might not ...

Go ahead and trust your doc, but ask him what is in the shot? He will say, 'you HAVE to trust the FDA and the pharmacutical company, they have our best interest in mind.' Personally, The concoction that is in that shot scares me. Most people follow docs advice like he is a God, look at the cancer machine mantra, CHEMO, RADIATION, CUTTING, over and over and over, old school fixes that are making families go bankrupt. We should be beyond that by now, in other countries they are beyond cutting, trying many methods and many of them are REALLY working. You don't have to dig very deep to see the proof.

[Lars39]

57. Well, bless your heart...that's a very "righteous" rant, but...

I'm alive today because of much you're complaining about.

[11 Bravo]

61. Ditto. I didn't have chemo, but the "cutting" and "radiation" are the reasons I've been around ...

for the last 15 years. (I've also had my flu shot.)

[RiffRandell]

64. Same reason my husband is around too.

Congratulations on being a survivor. My husband will be coming up on his 7 year remission date from head and neck (also known as oral) cancer.

The treatment was brutal but beats the alternative.

[kestrel91316]

79. Psychic surgery is a fraud, sweetie. Cutting is still very much in use, and very useful.

[MrScorpio]

2. No, I think that I actually had the flu

First time in years, even without any shots during all of that time.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. I got one; I always do.

You can't be 100% sure it will keep you from getting it, but you have a whole lot better chance of not getting it if you do, like 60-80%. Those are decent odds. I had a version of this stuff years ago, and I never want to get that sick again.

[Faygo Kid]

4. Get one. I did, although the new strain got me.

Now I'm home with walking pneumonia. But this is no season to fool around; get the shot.

[Tanuki]

93. Take care of that pneumonia!

For some reason "walking pneumonia" always makes me think of this:

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="

?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[hlthe2b]

5. you betcha.. and as early this year as possible. This year's vaccine is well matched to circulating

strains, but even in years where the global match is less well targeted, we still see 50-70% efficacy. This year should be better, given what CDC (and WHO) are finding in terms of the circulating strains. I'll take those odds.

[Tikki]

6. Yes

The Tikkis

[CBHagman]

7. It's best to get the advice of your doctor, but...

...I can say that I do get a flu shot every season and have for close to two decades, and rarely get sick. For what it's worth, I had my current flu shot back in August 2012.

[MineralMan]

8. I did, but still got a mild case of the flu.

Still had the fever and cough, but was never down and out.

My wife didn't catch it at all, so the shot worked better for her. She's younger. I'm 67.

[Hoyt]

9. Yes. I believe in the miracles of science. If it were a big money maker, I might have second

thoughts about how safe it really is and whether the big pharms were screwing with my life for profits.

[sdfernando]

10. I got mine in late December

The pharm tech even said "getting this a little late aren't you?" I usually get it in October. It can take up to 2 weeks to take so for those 2 weeks you can still get the flu. I haven't had the seasonal flu ever since I started getting the yearly flu shot. I know it isn't 100% effective and they can get the strains wrong or miss one, but I'd rather have partial protection then none at all.

[randome]

11. Of course you should. You can't hide from viruses.

Or is it virii? Whatever.

Listen to your body. Are you prepared to be at Death's door with a violent flu strain? If not, get the shot.

[kestrel91316]

83. Viruses. NOBODY in the medical or scientific community says "virii" that I know of. It may or may

not be correct Latin, but we go with what is common and traditional.

VIRUSES.

[Gothmog]

12. I got my shot in September

I have not come down with the flu but have been fighting a cold for several weeks.

[sharp_stick]

13. Yes and always do.

There are people falling all around me, people falling all around the kids schools... My wife, the kids and I still washing our hands, still standing.

This flu vaccine is over 60% effective and is effective against almost all varieties of flu seen this season including the 4 most common.

Even if you get the flu after the vaccine the illness will probably not be as severe or long lasting as it would without the shot.

[kestrel91316]

86. Same here. Hospital emergency rooms and doctors' offices are overflowing with flu victims,

but I have escaped it. Though I did get this stupid head cold - but I was on antibiotics for a UTI at the time and that apparently stopped me from getting my usual horrific laryngitis and bronchitis, lol.

[nadinbrzezinski]

14. Yup, every year.

[bunnies]

15. Nope. Never have.

& Ive never had the flu. Ive also never had chicken pox. Now excuse me while I find some wood to knock on.

[sharp_stick]

20. That's what my supervisor said

when I was in graduate school. He's an MD/PhD and he never bothered to get the flu shot. He didn't work with patients so he said he wasn't that worried.

Then one year he was out sick for almost two weeks with the flu and he's never missed a shot since.

Good luck with the wood.

[bunnies]

22. Im honestly more afraid of the chicken pox!

Watch... now that I opened my big mouth I'll get both.

[kestrel91316]

88. GET THE EFFING CHICKEN POX VACCINE RIGHT NOW!!!!!! My favorite uncle DIED

at age 72 of chicken pox encephalitis. He had never had it as a kid because the family was in a very remote, tiny community in NV.

I think the chicken pox vaccine was available when he caught it, too. Which makes it a double tragedy because it could have been prevented. He died horribly, too - ranting and raving and delusional and violent, and it lingered for weeks.

Get it. RIGHT NOW.

[bunnies]

111. Theres a vaccine?!

Seriously? I honestly had no idea. Perhaps not having insurance for decades has played a part in that. I remember my mother making me stay with my cousin while she had chicken pox (we were 6) in hopes that I would catch it. She was covered. In her throat, eyes, everywhere. I never did catch it though. Boy was my mother PISSED.

After that I thought I was probably immune or something. Kinda the same way I dont get a reaction to poison ivy. Sounds like I should look into the shot anyway. Just to be safe. Thanks for the heads up!

[LeftInTX]

103. I agree with everyone else here. Get the chicken pox vaccine!!!

Adults don't handle chicken pox the way kids do. It can be really bad.

[sdfernando]

25. You need to be very careful with regard to Chicken Pox!

Getting Chicken Pox can have some very serious complications such as Encephalitis. I had a very mild case as an infant and then got it again as a child, maybe around 6 or 7. Kind of rare for someone to get it twice.

[Mrs. Overall]

16. I'm torn also. I did insist my college age child get one, but

I'm not sure about myself. I hate shots and I'm afraid of a reaction, but about every seven or eight years I get very ill from the flu and I'm due this year.

Also, a child across the street from my sister just died and four people have died at my mother's assisted living complex.

I think I'm leaning toward getting one.

[markpkessinger]

41. Your college-age child's immune system...

... is likely a whole lot more robust than yours! Get the shot!

[Mrs. Overall]

43. Yeah, you're right. I was thinking the same thing--just get the damn shot.

[Sekhmets Daughter]

52. The Spanish Flu of 1918

hit those healthy young adults the hardest.

[markpkessinger]

55. Yes, there are exceptions . . .

. . . But under most circumstances, an older adult will be at greater risk than a younger adult.

[kestrel91316]

90. 1918 was an aberration. Don't base medical decisions on fear of aberrations.

[Sekhmets Daughter]

95. I don't fear the flu at all....I don't get it.

[kestrel91316]

89. The typical reaction is "oh, gee, my arm is kinda sore if I press on it" for a day or so.

Don't avoid it because you are afraid of a very rare bad reaction. That's like being afraid of lightning strikes when the sky is clear.

[benld74]

17. November for mine

[LondonReign2]

18. No, we skipped the middle man

and went straight to the flu. Got it traveling over T'Giving

[csziggy]

19. Yes, in September - and got the flu

My husband was sick with it when I got my flu shot. I was probably in the incubation period so the shot was too late.

[kestrel91316]

91. Yep. That's what happens sometimes, and unfortunately the shot gets blamed.

Get it in Aug next time.

[csziggy]

106. Yeah, I had several people say I caught the flu from the shot

But I know better!

I couldn't get my shot any earlier due to the timing of my surgeries. I had total knee replacement July 25 and they wouldn't let me get any vaccinations until two months after.

[LeftofObama]

21. I got mine in early December.

I felt a cold coming on the day after the flu shot. It lasted about a week and I've been fine ever since. Don't take any chances, get the shot.

[PotatoChip]

23. No, but I tried.

I had planned to get my flu shot during my annual physical on Wednesday. However, my doctor informed me that they were "temporarily out". He told me that I could get one at WalMart or CVS though. Both of those locations are a distance out of my way, but I will try to get there this weekend.

I had H1N1 in 2009 and would never risk going through something like that again. I'm not understanding this ambivalence among so many posters on this subject.

[rightsideout]

24. Better get the flu shot quick

I heard the supply of the vaccine is running low. One manufacturer has run out and is already starting on planning for the next years dosage. Apparently, they under anticipated the demand. Also the liquid version (kids version) of Tamiflu is in low supply.

Although there are several strains of the flu out this year the shot will still help.

My son got the flu shot and ended up getting the flu a week later but his temperature didn't go above 100 degrees and his symptoms only lasted a couple days then he was out snowboarding 3 days after seeing the doctor. The doctor said the flu shot made enough antibodies to keep it from getting worse. She said if he didn't get the flu shot his temperature probably would have gone up to 104 for up to 3 days and he would have been pretty sick for a week.

So getting the shot does help, even if you get the flu shot and get the flu a few days later.

My son and I need to get it for our Asthma. Our doctors send us a reminder in the mail. We never had any side effects. If you are allergic to eggs then you shouldn't get it. Other then that you should be fine.

[southernyankeebelle]

26. I got it. It has helped me so far not even getting a cold.

[elias7]

108. No, it hasn't

It will not protect from anything except the influenza strains that researchers incorporate into the vaccine. You did the rest all by yourself...

[southernyankeebelle]

113. Well I know that. I wash my hands often and try not to be around people who are sick. It's

hard when I have my son, his wife and kids who get colds.

[closeupready]

27. No, but I did ask my doctor about it -

I told him that if he thought I should, I would do it, and he said that he didn't feel strongly either way. So on that basis, I decided not to - I haven't had it any of these past years, and haven't had the flu except maybe one time.

[elfin]

28. Yes, in October, so far so good. Eom

[Roselma]

29. Since my brother's heart attack following flu, I always

get the shot. Flu can cause a rise in c-reactive protein (inflammation marker). My very healthy, normal cholesterol/trigliceride/blood sugar, average weight, athletic brother got the flu - almost a week of misery. On the first day back to work after feeling like the flu was gone, he had the big one - the elephant on his chest. The cardiologist said that he had excessive arterial inflammation, likely due to the recent flu. The cardiologist recommended getting the flu shot every year. It might not work every season, but then again, it might. It isn't just about feeling crappy during the flu. It is about maybe getting pneumonia with the flu. Or worse, experiencing unseen arterial inflammation.

[rustydog]

30. I always get it. through work.

As luck would have it, I am down with the flu! Not a bad case, but still missing work.

[tularetom]

31. I haven't had a flu shot since I retired 12 years ago

And I was feeling pretty smug about it until last weekend because in all that time I never had the flu.

Right now I feel like shit.

My wife on the other hand goes and gets a shot every year and she has had 2 or 3 bouts in the same time frame.

She feels like shit too if that proves anything.

[Siwsan]

32. Never had the flu, and don't get the shots

I have a pretty robust immune system and don't really even get colds, anymore. It might be a gamble, but I am just not comfortable getting injected with something that is, at best, a shot in the dark.

[DogPawsBiscuitsNGrav]

72. Same here. Never got the shot, never got the flu. My kids never had any immunizations and

never had anything more than a simple case of chicken pox and cold here and there. The youngest one is 6. I think it depends a lot on your lifestyle.

[Siwsan]

74. I think it's a combo of lifestyle, diet and genetics

I eat a lot of Indian food - lots of garlic, chili, cumin and turmeric. And, during the winter months I try to avoid big indoor crowds. I was given the whole range of immunizations, when I was in the Navy, but never had any sort of reaction.

We all kind of joke that our immune systems are so strong because we used to play outdoors from sun up to sun down, in the woods, in the the fields and even the local creek that was little more than a drainage ditch. I guess if we could survive that without coming down with some sort of hidious microbiotic infestation, we can survive just about anything.

[gkhouston]

33. Have you ever had the flu? I mean, really had the flu, not one of the milder viruses

that we commonly call flu? There's nothing like running a fever for days and coughing for weeks afterwards to make you realize that getting a flu shot to reduce your chances of getting sick again would probably be a good idea.

[appleannie1]

34. I always get a shot. Hubby did still get the flu but it was not a bad case. He is 76 and a

bad case of the flu could easily kill him. People that don't get shots are one of the reasons it spreads so much. They don't try to prevent it and then pass it around to others.

[Bjornsdotter]

35. No

No flu shot.

I'm allergic to eggs.

[womanofthehills]

94. same here - I'm only allergic to the whites of eggs

plus I don't want the thimerosal (containing mercury) or formaldehyde in my body. From CDC:


The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved several formulations of the seasonal flu vaccine, including multi-dose vials and single-dose units. (See Table of Approved Influenza Vaccines for the U.S. 2012–2013 Season.) Since seasonal influenza vaccine is produced in large quantities for annual immunization campaigns, some of the vaccine is produced in multi-dose vials, and contains thimerosal to safeguard against possible contamination of the vial once it is opened.

If you vaccinate your kids, I would make sure I get the vaccine without thimerosal.

[Bjornsdotter]

97. The white's only

I'm only allergic to the whites also.

Strange thing, my Mom can't have the flu shot either it causes severe chronic bladder infections for her.

Thanks for the info on the thimerosal. When I was in college during the early '80's, I worked in a pharmacy and the pharmacist warned me about thimerosal. I actually stopped wearing contact lenses because at the time thimerosol was in all of the solutions.

[kestrel91316]

96. I get flu shots in part to protect people like you from my germs.

So should everyone else who ISN'T allergic to eggs.

I don't get why people are so wilfully thick-headed about basic herd health.

[Bjornsdotter]

98. Thank-you!

As someone who can't get the vaccine I really appreciate when those around me do.

[northoftheborder]

36. yes. I've been getting the shot for years. Haven't had the flu since started getting shots.

My few times with the real flu - not fun - really sick - can't run the risk of having it at my age.

[Lugnut]

37. Yep.

This is the first time I've ever had one. I had the flu once and I never want to do that again.

[markpkessinger]

38. Yes -- I am diabetic and thus my doctor insists on it...

... But I am puzzled by the reasoning underlying your "why bother" question. Why bother protecting yourself from the strain of flu you are most likely to get merely because there's a chance you might contract a different flu strain? That makes no sense to me.

[TwilightGardener]

39. This year, yes. Worst goddamn flu case of my life last year.

[backscatter712]

40. Was too lazy to this year. Now I'm getting immunized the hard way.

[RebelOne]

42. Nope. Never had one and never will.

And fortunately, never had the flu. Of course, it is said to never say never, but I hope my luck will hold out.

[laundry_queen]

44. Yesterday

granted, I meant to get it in the fall, but was busy with school and moving. Then was sick in December (for like 3 weeks - was probably just a cold) so didn't want to get the flu shot while sick. Went to one place to get the nasal one and had a really snippy lady there, twice said, "oh, sorry, can't give you one, going on my lunch break" just as I got there. So I went to a different place yesterday and was in and out in 18 minutes. 3 minutes for paperwork and shot, 15 min sitting around after. Easy peasy.

Another place I called said, "oh, sorry, we only do our flu clinics from Oct-Dec." Wow, really? Do they not know flu season lasts until April? wow. I was shocked, as this was a major national pharmacy chain here in Canada. Oh well, another local chain was more than happy to pick up their slack. January is not too late for the flu shot. Also, sometimes strains carry from one year to the next so if a particular strain you had this year is causing illness next August or September, you're protected until your next vaccination.

I shouldn't have waited so long this year - I have asthma that reacts nastily to the flu. Usually I don't even need medication for my asthma, but every time I get the flu, my lungs slam shut and I end up in the ER needing breathing treatments. Then I spend 3-4 months with a hacking cough while taking large doses of inhaled medicine trying to get the inflammation down. I need to be more diligent. The years I've gotten flu shots, I never get sick at all (usually not even colds).

[Odin2005]

45. Got it in October.

[watch the sky]

46. nah, I don't do the flu shot

and it's all because years ago I was one of the one in five million people that came down with the flu from the vaccination itself, and I'm STILL not over that, heh.

[rbixby]

47. Anyone else amazed this didn't turn into a vac/anti-vac shitstorm?

[In_The_Wind]

48. I have not gotten a flu shot this year..

I've thought about it. Then I decided not to get one.

[Motown_Johnny]

49. I'm on the fence too. Almost went to get it today....

but talked myself out of it.



I am not high risk so even if I get sick odds are I won't die from it. It also takes ~2 weeks for your body to develop the immunities after the shot.

I might still go do it but maybe not. I saw something on the news last night that some areas are starting to run low on the vaccine. I hate the thought of taking a shot away from someone who is higher risk and might need it.

[1-Old-Man]

50. Yep, first time I've had one, but my Doctor insisted

I'm pretty deep into chemo treatment and he didn't want me getting some additional ailment to go with my current problem.

[Sekhmets Daughter]

51. Nope and Nope...

I will be 65 next month and have never had the flu. I've met other people who also seem to be immune. I often wonder why studies haven't been done on people like us.

[xchrom]

54. Every year.

Even if you get a flu - it can help minimize.

[southern_belle]

56. Yes, when i was getting discharged from the hospital

after being treated for pneumonia (also got the pneumonia vaccine). First time in my life I ever get either one of those vaccines. I've been out almost 2 weeks and still very sick.

[MrSlayer]

58. No, I never do.

And I've never had the flu.

[aristocles]

59. No, it's a plot by the Illuminati

Got it once when I was 20 and became horribly ill.

Never had it since, and have been perfectly healthy.

I'm almost 70 now.

[sense]

60. Used to get one, without question,

then I realized I was just blindly following my doctor's advice on far too many things and taking all sorts of prescribed drugs, which were never intended to cure anything, just to "treat". Of course, then I needed more drugs to "treat" the side effects of the first drugs.....

When I developed type 2 diabetes (more than likely caused by one of the drugs she prescribed) she wanted me to follow the ADA's advice about eating for diabetics (yes, of course you can eat starches and sugars......) and simply add more drugs. No, they weren't to cure me, just treat the symptoms, allowing the disease to progress. I finally woke up. Instead of following more rote advice she got from pharmaceutical reps I did my own review of the research, cured my type 2 diabetes and quit taking all of the drugs I'd been blithely prescribed that had never cured me of anything.

I'm healthier than I've been since I began taking many of those drugs 30 years ago.

The ptb have admitted that the flu vaccine they developed for this year doesn't include the strain that is the most prevalent and is having the most adverse affects.

Lots of info online, but you won't find it if you only follow the party line. Kind of like the Geico commercial though.... can't believe everything you read on the internet......Reminds me quite a lot of the political situation in this country. Before the internet it was really easy to hide what politicians were doing and saying. Now, not so much.

Just a couple of links..... this post will quickly be followed by the usual suspects claiming that anything not in the mainstream is woo.... can't wait!


http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/05/reassessing-flu-shots-as-the-season-draws-near/

http://www.ahrp.org/cms/content/view/879/9/

[WinkyDink]

62. Yes.

[Agschmid]

63. Check this post with poll!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022146072

[RiffRandell]

65. Yes, the whole family gets it every year.

Ours were given pretty early--late September or early October.

I am also (and instilled it in my 2 kids) a massive hand washer and constantly use hand sanitizer (staple in my purse) whenever I leave a public place and wash my hands as soon as I get home. Today I ran into a woman I know that was telling me she's been sick with bronchitis and other things then wanted to hug me when she was leaving and I said sorry, please don't hug me you're sick. She understood.

[Shrike47]

66. We got ours Wedneday; now they're out of vaccine.

I've got a host of physical issues and I'm old, too, so the doc recommends the shots and I get them.

I remember in 1969 (maybe late '68?) almost everybody in our fairly large office got the flu. Sick as dogs for days. Not pretty.

[Blue_In_AK]

67. No, I never get one.

I had the Hong Kong flu really bad in 1968 and have never had the flu since except for really mild cases. I think it immunized me.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

70. I got that, too. It was nasty.

I haven't had anything that bad since but I'm not taking any chances - I never want to feel that crappy again. So I get the shots. I'm not counting on being immune; they say that wanes with age.

[Blue_In_AK]

71. That was one of the two sickest times in my life that I can remember.

The other was when I had viral meningitis/encephalitis in 1980. I wouldn't wish either of those on my worst enemy.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

73. I got scarlet fever when I was about 10

and that might have been worse. But not much. Viral meningitis sounds wretched, too.

Since I am now kind of old, I'm not taking any chances of getting something that might take me out.

[Nay]

68. Get it. I got my shot in October, and this past week I caught something very flulike. I can't say

definitively that it was a mild case of the flu, but it sure didn't seem to be a simple cold. Low fever, sudden headache/sore throat/intense body aches, lasted 7 days. I wasn't bedridden, but on the 5th day I did a simple chore (took book back to the library) and it wore me out. Ding, ding! That's how flu usually affects me -- with excessive fatigue. I don't get that feeling with a cold.

[pnwmom]

69. I had gotten viral pneumonia after a bout of the flu for three years in a row,

and then I started getting annual flu shuts. Since then (18 years ago) I hardly even get a cold.

Yes, if you take the flu shot you could still get a different strain of flu. But if you don't take the flu shot you could still get a different strain of flu -- in addition to another bout of flu caused by an organism that the shot could have protected you from.

There's no rule that says you can only get one flu in a season.

[tabasco]

75. Fuck yeah.

I'm not a dumb fuck.

[Ilsa]

76. Yes. Tried the subcutaneous vax.

Didn't hurt to get it but arm soreness lasted longer.

The vaxes are supposed to be about 62% effective in preventing flu, with milder flu illnesses if you do get the flu. I think that's worth the risk if you can take the vax, even though the outbreak is slowing down.

[Cleita]

77. Nope. I put it off and got the flu instead over the holidays.

I wish I had gotten the shot. Most likely it will target the right strain.

[kestrel91316]

78. The point is, you will be participating in blocking the strains you WERE vaccinated against

from propagating through the herd and killing people who CAN'T get vaccines or whose bodies respond poorly. And you will carry that immunity with you for many years.

Contributing to herd health is ALWAYS the responsible thing to do.

And no, you CAN NOT catch the flu from the vaccine. It's physically impossible (though you can get sick from the flu if you got exposed prior to your body responding to the vaccine, which happens when people wait until late in the season, lol).

[smirkymonkey]

80. I was debating, but the flu has been so virulent here in Boston that I finally decided to

go ahead with it today. We have a health clinic on our worksite and the shot was free. It took 2 seconds and was painless. I may come down with a lesser form of the flu sometime this winter, but I really don't want to catch the the most deadly form of it. I hate being sick. Last time I was down with the flu, it took about 3 months for me to really feel back to normal.

[Evergreen Emerald]

81. My doctor guilted me into getting one

She asked I was around young or elderly...and why would I want to put them at risk?

[jberryhill]

82. It won't prevent pregnancy either

Getting a flu shot will not prevent a different strain of flu. It will not protect you from venereal disease. It will not reduce your risk of auto accidents. There are many things it won't do.

[brewens]

84. I always get one. I'm working in school and hospitals all the time. I register donors at blood

drives. Only one time did I feel any ill effect. I forgot about the shot and at the gym the next day, I was worthless! I had nothing! Then I had that kind of achy, chilly feeling you get when you are coming down with something. Maybe it wasn't the shot but I remembered getting it and thought that might be the case. It only lasted that day though and I didn't get sick. One time out of about 20 years of getting shots.

I still tend to get one bad cold/flu every year. You just don't know if it helped or not, but I'd say it does. I've been around plenty of sick people when you'd think you would catch it from them and never did.

[littlemissmartypants]

85. You get the shot to keep from being a vector for spreading the flu.

Twenty children have already died this year, at last count, from the flu. I got the shot. I have had the flu. Death is surely worse than both.

[union_maid]

87. Yes

I started getting it a few years ago. There were still shortages then, but the doctor urged me to get it because I'd had an immune system disorder and then treatment that further compromises the immune system. I've gotten it every year for about the last five or six years except for skipping it one year. That year I got something...don't know for sure if it was the flu...but i was sooo sick. I haven't skipped it since. So far so good, but I'm not counting on anything. I am convinced it helps, though.

[tjwash]

92. No...caught the flu in November...been healthy as a horse since then

[FreeJoe]

99. Yes, my company makes it easy

All I have to do is print and sign a release form. Then the company doctor walks around the building giving flu shots. Takes just a minute out of my day and doesn't cost me anything.

[madrchsod]

100. tomorrow morning.. thanks to medicare it`s free!

[doc03]

101. I have taken flu shots for the last 10 years or so. I haven't had a bad flu

since but I have still got a mild case a couple tiimes.

[seabeyond]

102. no. i never had the flu. no need. nt

[GoneOffShore]

104. Got one early on.

Have had a flu shot every year for the past 15 except for last year (don't remember why I didn't but whatever). Don't avoid doing it.

[Midwestern Democrat]

105. I've never gotten a flu shot and don't intend to - I've been very blessed healthwise my entire life

- I almost never get sick.

[cali]

110. You sound like me- until I got the flu

10 days ago and now I have pneumonia.

[SteveG]

107. The one and only time I got the flu

was the one year I got the vaccine. I got a different strain. I work in Education and am very exposed to it every year for the last 40+ years, I seem to be very resistant to it for some reason, so I don't get the vaccine.

[rox63]

109. Got mine in November

When I had my annual physical. With the virulent flu virus that has hit this year, I'm very glad I did. There are now shortages of the flu vaccine, and I'm all set.

[cherish44]

112. I don't get the flu shot

This year I got what probably was the flu but it only lasted for about 3 days and was no big deal. No one else in my house got it.... First time I've ben sick in probably 10 years....I owe my strong immune system to being a subpar housekeeper. My sister is obsessed with cleaning, germs and buys disinfectant, bleach and antibacterial soap in BULK and her family is ALWAYS sick. Me and my family live in a reasonably clean but overall unsterile house (I'd give us a 5.767434 on a scale of 1-10). We're exposed to the germs so we've got MIGHTY immune systems. That's my theory (and my excuse for not being clean freak)

[Le Taz Hot]

114. I have severe asthma

Last edited Sat Jan 12, 2013, 02:17 PM - Edit history (1)

and no insurance. A bad flu for me could be fatal, so yes, I got the flu shot.

[flamingdem]

115. It has 60% efficacy this year, better than other years

I live in California, we're not on the list but every other state is -- and NY just declared State of Emergency BUT it's leveling off already.