Flu jab, yes or no?

Crohn's Disease Forum

Help Support Crohn's Disease Forum:

Joined
Oct 7, 2011
Messages
167
Ive had a phone call from my gp receptionist asking if I would like a flu jab this October. Im on sulphsalazine and humira for my crohns, should I have it?

2
 
I personally will not ever get a flu shot again. All my health issues started 10 years ago after I got a flu shot. I did some research on the flu shot afterwards and found a lot of stuff that shocked me about it. My whole family will not get the shot anymore. My dad would get it and then that whole year he would be sick with everything, he would catch all kinds of stuff. When he stopped getting it, he hardly ever gets sick now. I had a couple of my doctors tell me to Not get one. I was told that anyone with any autoimmune issues should not really get the flu shot. It can set of an immune response that could make you sick. I know there are people who DO get the shot and are ok with it though. I mean I guess it just depends. It is an individual choice.
 
I got the flu shot last year and apart from some flu like symptoms in the first 24 hours I was fine with it. I will probably be getting it again this year and I have another autoimmune illness. I also have asthma though so my doctors always advise I get the jabs.
 
The flu shot is not a live virus (unlike the nasel spray) so 1st off you cannot get the flu from the jab. It will only cover 3-4 flu virus' (chosen on which they think will be the most common that year), so you can still catch other strains. Although it is not a live virus, your immune system will try to combat it, which may cause flu like symptoms.

I've spoken to the nurses and doctors and they have said that with 1st hand experience on what the flu can do to a weakened immune system it is highly recommended. Having heard that the nurse giving the jab was in hospital for 2weeks due to the flu, I have carried on having it for 3 years now without any reactions to it at all.

Here's some more info on it http://www.crohnsforum.com/wiki/Flu-Vaccine
 
If you are to get one make sure you get the inactivate form of vaccines, generally injectable. Don't get the spray one as it's live attenuated.

I had terrible reaction to vaccines when I was taking cortisone + cyclophosphamine (my immune system was a mess due to these...). It was possibly due to the medication but no one was really able to explain my reactions. I never had other vaccination while taking medication due to that. I have not heard of anyone complaining of similar event as mine though.

I just carry the thought that the least I appeal to my immune system the better...
 
We all got one last year. We all got the flu.
But lasted 24hr or so.. Everyone who got it last
Year was sick for up to a week! My husband already got one
And I'll get one kido's to.
 
I have mixed feelings about it - I have had the shot before without problems, and I have had one winter where I had lots of issues. Not exactly a scientific approach, I know. What I find interesting is the problems they have getting local medical professionals to take the shot. I believe here in Ottawa it is over 20% who don't, and the doctor's and nurse's unions fight to keep them from being mandatory. That gives me some cause to pause...
 
What you say is true, you cannot get the flu from getting the flu shot. BUT, what most physicians will not tell you, is that when you get a flu shot your body will not know the difference whether it is live or not. Your body will naturally go into attack mode. This will lower your immune system and leave the door open for all kinds of stuff. Also, your immune system may over react to the vaccine and this can set you up for a full immune response throughout the body. This is why a lot of doctors will tell their patients who have existing autoimmune issues to Not get the vaccine. I guess it depends on the person really. I mean the flu vaccine really messed me up. It also has formaldehyde in it which is a toxin. You are right, getting the flu can be pretty bad too, but I try and wash my hands as much as possible to help prevent it. If I do get it, well I guess I will hope for the best. For me the risks involved with the flu shot far outweigh the benefits.









The flu shot is not a live virus (unlike the nasel spray) so 1st off you cannot get the flu from the jab. It will only cover 3-4 flu virus' (chosen on which they think will be the most common that year), so you can still catch other strains. Although it is not a live virus, your immune system will try to combat it, which may cause flu like symptoms.

I've spoken to the nurses and doctors and they have said that with 1st hand experience on what the flu can do to a weakened immune system it is highly recommended. Having heard that the nurse giving the jab was in hospital for 2weeks due to the flu, I have carried on having it for 3 years now without any reactions to it at all.

Here's some more info on it http://www.crohnsforum.com/wiki/Flu-Vaccine
 
It also has formaldehyde in it which is a toxin.

During the vaccine manufacturing process, it’s [formaldehyde] used to inactivate live virus, and traces do remain after manufacturing. Why on earth would those traces be allowed to remain? Remember again: The dose makes the poison. In trace amounts, formaldehyde is not dangerous. Also, it doesn’t last long in aqueous solution, such as vaccines. It breaks down to formic acid and carbon monoxide. Moreover, exposure to far more formaldehyde than any vaccine contains is ubiquitous in modern life. It’s in auto exhaust, and various substances found in virtually every household emit it

http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/toxic-myths-about-vaccines/
 
I get what your saying, and yes, we do breathe in tons of toxins from the environment as well( which probably explains why so many people are coming down with all these orphan diseases that effect the immune system). When they say the the flu shot is safe for everyone( except those allergic to the ingredients), well this is false. A teacher my friend worked with got a flu shot and came down with Guillain-Barre syndrome which is an obvious attack on the immune system reacting to the toxins in the vaccine. Granted coming down with Guillain barre is one of the rarer side effects of getting a flu shot, but it does happen nonetheless.

In any event, some people have no issues when getting the shot, and that is great. Everyone's body is different in how it is going to react. I mean my pet peeve is that when you go to some doctors offices they right away want to push the flu shot on people. They will tell you that there is NO side effects accept for maybe a little soreness in the arm or slight tiredness the day after. This is just not true though. I got very sick due to getting a flu shot( it is what started off my whole battle with being sick to this day and that was 10 years ago). I also know more that a dozen people personally that have had issues after getting a flu shot and will never get another one again, so I know it is not just me. I still remember going to my current primary care doctor for the first time and it was in the middle of the fall season. She asked me a bunch of questions about my health and I kind of told her how all my issues started after getting a flu vaccine. I thought for sure she was going defend the shot. To my surprise she told me she thought I should NEVER get another one. She said people with a weakened immune state ( anyone who has immune issues) should Never get a flu shot. She said she never could understand why a doctor would even recommend one to a person who has any kind of autoimmune issue. It is playing with fire from what she said to me. She also said she will Not get a shot either. She said the flu shot caused her to develop chronic asthma.

In the end it is an individual choice. Some people do ok with it, yet some do not....








 
I've had the flu shot every year for about the past 10 years. I have never had a bad reaction to the shot. I sometimes still get the flu, but the flu is less severe if you've had the shot. In years past, before I got the flu shot, the flu would last days and days and I'd be so miserable. The last time I had the flu, which was a couple years ago (I had the shot that year), it lasted maybe 2 days and I was only really miserable for about 12 hours or so. Not bad at all. The shot is way less risky than the full-blown flu itself is, especially for people like us who already have chronic health issues to contend with. For me it's a no-brainer, I'd way rather get the shot and have some protection against an illness which could cause potentially lethal complications.

If you really want to prevent the flu, whether you get the shot or not, wash your hands! Wash them often, wash them thoroughly. Don't rely too much on hand sanitizer because that stuff doesn't kill all pathogens (I believe I read somewhere that it doesn't kill norovirus). Stay away from people who seem to be sick, avoid large crowds if you can, don't touch your face if you can avoid it, and wash your hands. Common sense stuff like that can help a lot.
 
Not about flu jab but to add to what Cat said about hand sanitizer it also doesn't kill c dif so its better to wash your hands.
 
Kayleigh, thanks, I didn't know that about c diff. For those who are interested, I googled and found this article which confirms that hand sanitizers do not kill c diff.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/c-difficile/DS00736/DSECTION=prevention
In the event of a C. difficile outbreak, using soap and warm water is a better choice for hand hygiene, because alcohol-based hand sanitizers do not effectively destroy C. difficile spores.

I also found this specifically in regards to norovirus & hand sanitizer:
http://www.wcvb.com/health/Hand-san...says/-/9848730/18278254/-/ba727y/-/index.html
While alcohol-based sanitizers may help kill and reduce some strains of the flu, studies show they may be useless against norovirus, an acute gastrointestinal illness.

Sorry to get this thread a little off track, but since we're talking about flu protection - hand washing, hand sanitizer, and the flu shot all seem to be effective against the flu. But for these other things like c diff and norovirus, which obviously none of us can really afford to get, the options are more limited. There's no vaccine and hand sanitizer is out, so washing your hands frequently and thoroughly is your best bet.
 
Yes, agree with Kayleigh and Cat, hand sanitizer will NOT be effective against C-diff or Norovirus which is Not the flu, but a stomach bug. Bleach is the only thing that will kill the two. So yeah, hand washing is extremely important. Unfortunately I wash my hands like crazy, but I have a 21 year old son who does not believe in hand washing. When I get sick, it's usually due to catching it from a family member who brought it home and sneezed it in the air...
 
I get a 'flu shot, I've never had a bad reaction from it, and I've never had 'flu either. :) (I get those bugs that get described as "'flu-like" where you have a cold and are shivery and just have a general malaise for a few days, but it gets better with no treatment.)
 
Back
Top