Was your flu shot less painful this year?

[Clash City Rocker]

Usually I feel a little pinch when I get the shot, and then there’s a dull throbbing for awhile. I got my flu shot tonight and it didn’t even feel like a shot. I didn’t think much of it, until my mother and wife both said the same thing. I wonder if the shot, or the needle, are different this year. Was your experience similar?

[CanonRay]

1. No, more. My arm was sore for 3 days

I think the pharmacist hit a bad spot.

[MissB]

2. Yes.

No pain going in and no pain after. I got the quad shot.

I did lift four 50-lb bags of soil a few hours after getting it, so maybe that helped too!

[johnnyplankton]

3. Yup.

I didn't feel it at all. Funny you asked.

[grantcart]

40. +1

[catbyte]

4. It was the same for me. I had my shot in September at my doctor's office. I didn't feel the shot,

my arm never got sore and I usually like crap for a few days afterward, but I was fine this year.

[dawg day]

5. Yes-- I usually feel muscle pain in that arm--

None this year. I forgot I'd gotten it till the bandaid fell off in the shower!

But it could just be that the person who gave me the shot was more adept.

[underpants]

6. I felt nothing and haven't had any pain.

Got it at Target while running errands on Saturday

[mokawanis]

7. Not painful this year

just a little pinch when they gave me the shot. No pain or discomfort at all after leaving the clinic.

[dameatball]

8. Didn't notice any difference .

[stopbush]

9. Yes

[Shrike47]

10. Yes, and no lingering effects. I didn't even feel 'a pinch.'

[Wednesdays]

11. Didn't feel the needle at all.

Slight soreness in the muscle in the area for a few days; nothing excruciating though.

[NutmegYankee]

12. Seemed the same.

The ache is normally dull for me. It’s the tetanus shot that normally makes me sore.

[The Genealogist]

13. No

I've had years where I questioned whether I was even administered the shot, and only a little stiffness later on confirmed it. It burned like fire this year. This didn't set well with my anxiety disorder. I nearly passed out on the car ride home. Luckily, my partner drove me to get it. I had to lean the seat back, put my feet on the dash, and say the names of the streets out loud as we drove past in my fight to remain conscious. This was not my first rodeo; I have had vasovagal syncope (I sometimes faint or nearly faint due to emotional stress) several times before. My most recent experience with it was last year, when I had a blood draw at an urgent care. The result that time was a lovely $2000 out of pocket trip to the ER.

Most health care professionals aren't like this, but I have a burning resentment of those who think it is funny when people are squeamish around blood draws and shots. I don't find mocking someone with a diagnosed mental condition to be very professional.

[Blue_true]

20. What I have learned to do is turn my head so that I can't see the needle

coming near me. If I don’t do that, I will pass out when the needle touches me. The situation has gotten worse as I have gotten older.

By turning my head, I avoid the anxiety of seeing the needle move to my arm. It is better for me to just feel the puncture and sense that as the start of everything. The surprising thing is that I am not afraid of seeing my own blood, I have done that plenty of times.

[The Genealogist]

24. Seeing the needle does seem to make it worse

I did my best, but I did see the needle just before they did the shot. See, they put this circular kind of patch on my arm, I guess it helps them aim or something. Since sometimes I barely feel the shot, I thought what I was feeling might be it, but it was just that patch. Nope!

Last week was a disaster all around, very stressful and terrible for anxiety. which probably contributed to it.

I'd have waited til later to get the shot, but I had to get it by today to keep my job. I feared that I might not get it done and documentation submitted and validated soon enough if I waited too long. Some places don't even have shots available yet! Time was, flu shot was in November. My employer starts in mid September now!

[hauckeye]

14. Flu shot was ok but I got pneumonia vaccine in the other arm

And man it is painful today - swollen and hurts like heck.

[customerserviceguy]

15. If I leaned up against the injection site

for a couple of days, I could feel it. After that, no problem.

[Blue_true]

16. I guess mine was gentle or not abnormal. It was my first flu shot ever.

Of course I whimpered like a little puppy because I really hate needles going into me. But surprise, surprise, it didn’t hurt when injected. I did have my normal 5 day tenderness after though, but it wasn’t abnormal after a needle is put into me.

[Luciferous]

17. I didn't feel mine but it was a little sore after

[Lisa0825]

18. Same - didn't even feel the shot, and no pain at the injection site afterward either. nt

[tavernier]

19. The past few years my arm ached like a sore tooth

for about two hours. This year, nothing.

[unc70]

21. No pain from shot, but rather sore arm afterward

For about 24 hours afterward, I felt like I was trying to get sick -- aching muscles and such.

[RainCaster]

22. Same as always, 2nd day is worst. nt

[Peacetrain]

23. Question? Did your provider lift or pinch the area that the shot went into this time

It really makes a difference in how you feel the fluid from the vaccine going in or the initial poke with the needle..

[MustLoveBeagles]

25. Normally the shot hurts like hell

Otherwise I have no other complications other than injection site soreness for a few days.

This year was different. I got the shot at the end of September. I hardly felt the needle going in but few hours later I felt mildly nauseous. A few days later I had very mild flu symptoms that went away after a day. The injection site was sore for a week and felt hot to the touch. I had redness over the site thats only faded in the last few days. Very strange. I skipped the shot last year. I don't think that would make a difference.

[Ilsa]

29. I wonder why you had mild flu symptoms? The nasal

Spray vaccinations are live virus, but not the flu shot.

[MustLoveBeagles]

31. I'm not sure

This was atypical for me. I'm usually fine after getting it. It was very weird.

[Ilsa]

32. You must have been exposed to something

prior to getting the vaccine, maybe be a couple of days?

[MustLoveBeagles]

33. It's possible

My husband had a mild scare a couple weeks before I got the shot. https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=14268345
I don't think it's Covid. Maybe I had a mild reaction to something in the shot? I see another poster had the same prolonged soreness and redness I had. Or it's from sleeping with the fan running and I caught a chill. It's hard telling. I'm still glad I got it.

[Owl]

26. Yes. No pain at all.

[grobertj]

27. I'm 66 so I get the extra strength version. I had some very mild soreness right around where they

gave me the shot. No big deal!

[Ilsa]

28. Very little soreness afterwards this time. Some people get a larger dose

if they are older, which may make the muscle more sore.

[ellie]

30. The actual shot

was hardly noticeable, but my arm has been sore and red since.

[Poiuyt]

34. I didn't feel a thing. Nothing

[IBEWVET]

35. A bit sore for a couple of days, not bad.N/T

[Iggo]

36. This year and last year, I felt nothing when they stuck me.

Better nurses or better needles.

Edit add: My arm was way more sore than usual, for about an extra day-and-a-half. I'm usually good by the third day. But I got the shot last Thursday afternoon and I still felt the mildest of bruise-like soreness this morning. It's gone now, though.

[Tanuki]

37. I felt injection but no pain at all after the needle was removed.

[Gothmog]

38. I got my shot six weeks ago and it was painless

[Olafjoy]

39. My arm usually aches for 3 days

This year, 1/2 a day 👍🏻

[GulfCoast66]

41. Haven't had mine yet. But never experienced any pain.

Neither from the shot itself or the after effects. The needle is ridiculous small.

Luck I guess.

[tormadjax]

42. I got sore from mine for a few days n/t

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

43. It was a little sore. I moved my arm around for a while, it got better.

I had the high-dose shot for geezers.