Yeah, I thought I would just skip the flu shots this year!! I was handed my a.. by the flu last week, and still not at full strength yet. The headaches and sore throat were bad enough, but total loss of strength as well. I slept a lot, just wore out. I wanted to play golf so bad, but too worn out till today. The first nine was horrible, then the back nine was great till the last two holes, I couldn't hit the driver past 100 yards, and before that it was my best friend. I really hope tomorrow brings more healing! Merry Christmas!

Sorry to hear that brother. I had a minor bout with it myself and I did get the shot. Don't rush it. It'll be there when you're ready.

About 19 years ago I got a terrible flu. In fact, I think it was the swine flu. Horrible. Came on from no symptoms to barely being able to walk in a couple hours. Started getting the flu shot. 5 years later I got another flu, almost as bad as the previous one. By the way, that first flu was acquired on a business trip in the LA area. A few days after I got over it I saw on the news that it killed several people in the LA area. Anyway, when I got sick again I stopped getting the flu shot. I haven't had a sniffle, cold, cough or flu since. 14 years with nothin other than soft tissue injuries...haha. I recently had a serious heart-to-heart with my doctor about it - asking if I possibly had some sort of immune system issue like an autoimmune disorder. Nope, just an a immune system that's juiced up probably due to my past. I'll take it. My dad was paralyzed by a series of vax several years ago - his antibodies getting cranked up enough to attack his muscular neurons. He was on a feeding tube, unable to move. I am an engineer in the medical industry and I told the doc, "The reason you can't find his stroke is because he hasn't had one." Saved my dad's life as his breathing was going to go down within a week. A few years before that a close friend of mine had her 15-year old son's immune system completely shut down a week after a flu shot. Got MRSA in his lungs and we pulled the respirator a month later and helped bury him. Healthy, normal kid. Probably just unusual genetics. I do a lot of work in epidemiology and am what I call "an infection control Cliff Clavin" - a real geek. I work with various "incidences" in healthcare facilities. It's fun, but can be depressing.

When I retired from the military in 2002, I swore to the moon and stars I'd never get another flu shot. That's because they were mandatory, and twenty minutes after I'd get one, I'd get cotton throat and feel crappy. Lo and behold, all these years later, I haven't had the flu yet. Bad colds, yes; flu, no.

yeah all that is nonsense. That stuff belongs on Facebook. Lol

get the flu shot people

Always get the shot, and never had the flu.

I have not had the flu in over 45 years and have no desire to get the shot. Lucky? Perhaps, but I am just getting over my one annual cold with clogged throat and nose.

Well, you're the expert. Thanks for setting me straight!

I ride it alone when it comes to my immune system, and have never had a flu shot.

I last had the flu in 2004 and have not had any bouts since. I get a cold virus on average once a year and that's about it. Sure helps that I keep to myself for the most part and have little exposure young children (who all my friends and family seem to catch things from).

I don't sweat such things as every day that I get into my car to commute to work is 100 times more dangerous than anything else I come across in life.

If the flu comes to take me outta here then so be it, life has been great.

No paragraphs; can't read. Haha.

this my friend...is real flu. Get better

oopsy

A friend at work takes Airborne whenever fellow co workers start getting sick, and claims to never have a problem. It was like a train wreck at work, one after the other over two weeks. The first got sick in Missouri and brings it back to work, then it spread from there. My worst time is usually in February, so more to come. Yep, I am buying some Airborne.

FWIW, almost 20 years ago when I was living up on Long Island (NY), I felt something "coming on". I went to a local pharmacy and asked the lady there what I might take to ward off whatever was coming.

She showed me this supplement, "Wellness Formula" by Source naturals, and told me that a number of people in the store "swore" by it. OK, why not ?

I was up in NY for another 10 years or so and taking this supplement, never got the flu & a "cold" never took hold. During the warmer months I didn't take any. In the colder weather I took a pill, maybe 2, per day. If I did feel something coming on though, I "bombarded" myself with 2 pills 3X per day. If that didn't ward off whatever was coming, it did seem to severely limit the illness period - over very quickly and not nearly as bad as it could have been (Best guess of course).

Around 10 years ago I moved down to Florida - don't need it down here,,,,,

Anyway I took a look at the ingredients. A ton of herbs and whatever but a megadose of Vitamin C, something like 14X the recommended daily dose. LOL

Just now I just took a quick look at Airborne and saw that it was chock-a-block with,,,,,,,, you guessed it,,,,,,,,, Vitamin C.

I get a flu shot annually. No side effects and no flu........so far. Hope you get over it soon.

Get better soon. Normally I do get a flu shot. Pales in comparison to the load of shots I got on the military with repetition. And gives me a perceived shot statistically to avoid the flu. I feel I am better off for it.

Flu and pneumonia shots- wouldn't think of not getting poked by a friendly nurse.

I should have as this is still going on. The cough refuses to go away, and still have sweats and chills.

Doctor said I was over the flu, but now have a very serious upper respiratory infection. Yesterday was a most horrible day. I am now on anti-biotics to clear it up. This will be two weeks tomorrow. I am worn out.

Probably a good case of bronchitis secondary to your flu. Along with the antibiotics you may need a steroid burst to help calm the inflammation in your lungs.

Whatever people are getting I guess it is two solid weeks of hell. I got the flu shot and am actually hopefully this is what people are getting so I am at least somewhat immune.

My sister in SLC was in bed for two weeks straight and is just now feeling somewhat normal a month later. And she is an avid hiker and generally fit. Yikes.

Flu shot yearly and Co-Q10 daily. No flu or significant cold in decade.

As a practicing MD... getting a flu shot doesnt stop one from getting a flu virus. The shots are designed yearly to cover the most common ( as best the CDC can ) based off of flu virus strains from the last year and the current strains. There are many diff strains of the virus and you can get them even if you have had a shot. Everyone should. My wife got the shot and still got a flu virus... then got a secondary upper respiratory infection and sinus infection. The data shows that your avg length of being ill and the severity is lower after having a flu shot. The people that die from “ flu” usually get post-viral pneumonia then develop sepsis septic shock and die from that. I see it weekly in my Hospital. Bottom line get a flu shot!! If you do get the flu... rest hydrate ( water is best). We had flu literally wipe out a local nursing home this fall... mutated vital strain plus sickly infirm folks = bad outcomes.

I can't remember where but I thought I read that the CDC/WHO advised that the flu shot was somewhere near 60% effective for this year, yeah? Either way, that's a solid amount given the amount of strains throughout the world. I have never gotten the flu shot up until a few years ago when my wife put a 9i to my head and said you better get it. Needless to say, I have been getting it ever since.

Now the whole family is sick. This just gets worse. My doctor will not give me the steroid shot because of high blood pressure, but I feel so much better after that steroid shot.

A steroid burst is typically given as an oral medication, not an injection. But it can increase your bp mainly because of some fluid retention. But if your bp is under control it shouldn’t be that much of an issue. But your pcp knows you much better than any of us. Follow your pcp’s recommendations.

That steroid shot does wonders!!

Not an MD here, but there have been serious discussions about combining a certain class of antibiotics (flouroquinolone) and steroids causing tendon and ligament damage either shortly after combining, or even having an onset months later. If your antibiotic was a flouroquinolone it may warrant discussing it with your doctor. Good to hear you're feeling better.

My luck is not holding up. I was moving exercise equipment outdoors, and a brown recluse decided to go along. he then crawled into my pants and bit me just below the waistband. I was very lucky to be on antibiotics at the time or it would have been much worse. I cut the top off the bite area and applied a mush of antibiotics(crushed) and olive oil. As soon as I applied it to the bite area, the poison started to bubble up, weird. Anyways the swelling finally came down, and the sore is healing, and all this after I hurt my back moving one of those electric couches that way a ton. The last 6 months have been horrible. I guess at least it is not the Chinese flu going around shutting down an entire country!

every one has the "flu" until they get the real "flu". You sure did.