Since it's that time of year, I'm wondering about getting a flu shot.
Iv'e gotten lots of mixed messages on whether Lupus patients should get one or not.
Prior to my diagnosis every year I got a flu shot, then 3 years ago I got one & had a bad reaction at the injection site. I had severe pain & could barley move my arm for about 6 months. This was also prior to my diagnosis - all the Dr's assured me that is was NOT from the flu shot but had no explanation for it.
Then I read somewhere that this is a possible reaction due to lupus. The more I read on the subject the more confused I get.
I work in the health care field and my state (NY) passed a law that all health care workers must get the flu shot or wear a mask while on shift. I work a live in 3 day shift, def. dont want to wear a mask that long. Im not opposed to getting a flu shot, just dont want to have the same reaction I had last time and I wonder if the reaction had anything to do with having lupus.....
Anybody have any thoughts / opinions on the subject?
I'm California, also a healthcare worker and I refuse to get flu shots. My main reason is that I honestly feel that these yearly vaccinations absolutely do not protect anyone from the flu and they are actually creating strains that are worse (super-bugs).
Also, last time I had one several years ago, about 4 months later I came down with a flu that was horrible. Went to the dr and she said "yes, you have the flu." When I reminded her that she had given me a flu shot, she said "Well...that protects you from these certain strains...but not from all of these other strains. Those are the ones you have."
After that I said never again. I if getting the shot is going to make it worse, then screw it! I'll deal with the regualar flu.
Hey Flutter! :) .. I get the flu shot every year as I am considered "high risk" due to diseases so all docs insist I get one. This year, I got the flu, pneumonia and TDAP (whooping cough??) - anyway three different shots. In the past, I have gotten what felt like the flu but the downtime was a very bad 3 days (rather than two or three weeks) and it was gone. Just my own history with the shot. I am super sensitive to all infections out there so welcome any help in fighting even the tiniest bug :) Hugs, Dee
Flutter, since they passed a law requiring the shot, could you get a medical excuse to opt out? My own body doesn't handle any vaccinations well, but we are each different.
My daughter is a health care worker, and even though everybody got theirs last year per our law, they held a meeting and told them all that what was given them would not protect from the different strains of flu that were coming into the hospital. They were not included in the shot.
What does your doctor who treats your lupus have say on this? Good luck, and let us know if you learn anything useful please!
Thank you for your reply. Iv'e thought about getting a medical excuse & not get the shot. But part of the problem is that only my immediate supervisor knows that I have Lupus. Not sure if a medical excuse would disclose my health status. Even though I work for a agency that serves individuals with disabilities, they are not very accepting of staff with disabilities. ( Go figure )
I have an appt with my Dr on Thursday & plan on adding this to my list of things to discuss. I'll let you know how it turns out.
ohsoperplexed said:
Flutter, since they passed a law requiring the shot, could you get a medical excuse to opt out? My own body doesn't handle any vaccinations well, but we are each different.
My daughter is a health care worker, and even though everybody got theirs last year per our law, they held a meeting and told them all that what was given them would not protect from the different strains of flu that were coming into the hospital. They were not included in the shot.
What does your doctor who treats your lupus have say on this? Good luck, and let us know if you learn anything useful please!
I also live in NYS and am a healthcare worker , so, very glad that you asked the question that has been on my mind. I also do not believe in the flu shot, they never seem to cover the strain of the year, it is a guessing game and I agree with lone wolf and dang it. I also feel that the "super bugs" are being created because of this. We should never forget that marketing is a very powerful tool and the drug companies know how to use the media to their advantage.
Always worked in health care, ICU, ER, and schools, NEVER had the flu shot or the flu. My good friend always gets the flu shot and has had the flu several times, go figure. why she gets it I can not understand, she also feels ill a few days after receiving the shot.
I never use to get the shot, never believed in it and was sick all the time. I use to get the flu two to three times a year. And then started getting pneumonia and bronchitis and everything else under the sun. My doctor then convinced me to get the flu shot and I have not had the flu since. I had bronchitis once in 5 years and that is because someone at work kept coughing on me. I now have the flu shot every year and have never felt better, well in respect to the flu. I get everything else I totally changed my mind on the shot!
A medical excuse does not have to disclose your diagnosis- it should be enough tha the doctor says you should be exempt because you are under his care and he does not want you to have one.
Flutter said:
Thank you for your reply. Iv’e thought about getting a medical excuse & not get the shot. But part of the problem is that only my immediate supervisor knows that I have Lupus. Not sure if a medical excuse would disclose my health status. Even though I work for a agency that serves individuals with disabilities, they are not very accepting of staff with disabilities. ( Go figure )
I have an appt with my Dr on Thursday & plan on adding this to my list of things to discuss. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
ohsoperplexed said:
Flutter, since they passed a law requiring the shot, could you get a medical excuse to opt out? My own body doesn’t handle any vaccinations well, but we are each different.
My daughter is a health care worker, and even though everybody got theirs last year per our law, they held a meeting and told them all that what was given them would not protect from the different strains of flu that were coming into the hospital. They were not included in the shot.
What does your doctor who treats your lupus have say on this? Good luck, and let us know if you learn anything useful please!
I get one every year and always get the flu, so I thought I would skip it last year. Well i ended up with the flu 3 times, so i guess I’m getting it this year.
As a nurse and a lupus patient ; I never get flu shots- and actually am made to wear a mask at my job for the full 12 hours I am there due to the fact I refuse the flu shot-
1. too many chemicals are in those shots- I do not believe in
2. When I see the doctors I WORK with refuse the shot and talk about it - I question it
3. its only for certain strains and the H1N1 is new in the flu shot- hasn't even been researched long- no idea what its affects are even on a normal non chronically ill patient.
I have gotten the flu shot for the last few years because of healthcare requirements and what not. I don't get a reaction, just a sore arm for a day or two.
Most super bugs are bacterial, not viral. Millions of livesare saved all over sthe world because of vaccines. There are multiple.strains of flu because viruses mutate all the time.You can only have a vaccine for one strain...that said, it should be a decision based on personal experience. I never have reactions to the vaccine. My children have never had reactions. So we get them.
I’m confused. Last year I was told NOT to get a flu shot because of the immunosuppressant drugs that we are all on. So it’s ok to get one? I have to remember to bring this up next time I go to my rheumy.
Yes get a flu shot! immune system already compromised with the steriods and other drugs. I have kidney problems and I get 2 flu shots. I get another in December
there are 2 vaccines this year, one for 3 strains and the other for 4. but I am with Potslupus on this one,
Kerrigan said:
Most super bugs are bacterial, not viral. Millions of livesare saved all over sthe world because of vaccines. There are multiple.strains of flu because viruses mutate all the time.You can only have a vaccine for one strain...that said, it should be a decision based on personal experience. I never have reactions to the vaccine. My children have never had reactions. So we get them.
i will not get the flu shot,i had it one time and it caused a lupus flare that lasted forever,i was in so much pain and i said that i wouldnt get one again,but i dont get the flu or colds or any common virus i dont no why but i have always been that way,not that im complaining,but i get things most people never heard of,
3 years ago when I got my flu shot I had a similar reaction, a lot of pain in arm and shoulder and couldn't lift my arm much. It lasted several weeks for me, not as long as for you. Never thought to connect it with Lupus. I remember hearing that year that the shot was "tough" and a lot of people reacted, don't know if there was something special about it that year. I haven't had a reaction like that before or since and I have been getting it for something like 9 years now.
I have had lupus for more than 20 years. During that time, i got deathly ill after getting the flu shot every single time, so i finally stopped getting the shot. I don’t know what to do. I hope more people offer advice on this subject, because i am conflicted about what to do, too.
I totally changed my mind on the shot! 