Flu shot

Crohn's Disease Forum

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KRT,
Yes, I get one, but if you are on Remicade you need to time it at least two weeks before or after an infusion. Check with your doctor.
 
Got mine 2 days ago....and haven't heard of getting it two weeks before after Remicade .....in fact the give them right at the clinic!

My last infusion was Oct 3 rd....
 
Yes. I was told by my rheumy that I basically had no choice anymore. I realize that I do indeed have the final say, but if it will prevent me from getting sick (most of the time), then I guess I'll get it. I'm on Cimzia.
 
Switalski said:
KRT,
Yes, I get one, but if you are on Remicade you need to time it at least two weeks before or after an infusion. Check with your doctor.
Click to expand...

I've never heard this. What is the reasoning? It's not a live vaccine. Mine was 2.5 weeks after my infusion, though.
 
My son works at a hospital...He says that there's more atuo-immune diseases now then there ever way and it started the same as the flu shot...he also reminded me that I was NEVER sick until I started getting them...I have FIVE auto immune diseases now.
 
I have had them for the last 3 yrs and been ok, but i had one a week ago and am now getting crohns symptoms. it is yet to be decided if it the jabs fault or not :/
 
KRT,

I am not sure if all autoimmune issues can be blamed on the flu shot, but I will say for me personally, I think the shot did something to my system. I even had a doctor at the Mayo Clinic tell me that the flu shot is Not for everyone. There are risks involved that most doctors will not even mention. I know I was specifically told that anyone with any type of autoimmune disease should never get any type of vaccine. I know one of my good friends had lupus and she never gets a flu shot. Her doctor warned her against it.
 
Chrisnsteph,

I was told to have it 2 weeks before or after the infusuion to avoid any confusion if I were to have a reaction to either one.
 
Yes. Every year my NHS surgery gives me a flu shot as Crohnies are in the "at risk" group. My wife gets one as well as she is treated as my carer.
 
About 2.7 people out of a hundred catch the flu in any given year.
About 1.5 people out of a hundred will avoid the flu by getting vaccinated.

If you now calculate the actual numbers of deaths from the flu from that small group, and factor in the fact that they are usually very young or very old, it seems like my odds of having to worry about this are close to zero. Especially since they really do not work at all for the very young or very old anyway.

Dan
 
I don't know that death is the only factor, flu hits a healthy person pretty hard let alone someone immuno-compromised.

If you can afford to take time off work, and have someone who can make you food, look after your kids etc then you've not got much to worry about (other than the inevitable, painful battle to get your guts back to normal after any kind of bug).

If on the other hand you are single, with a terrible boss then you've got something to worry about!

I always get the shot now because I would rather be protected against three strains of flu than none. And it always hits me pretty darn hard. Last time I had it (I swear it was swine flu before the vaccine came out) I was in bed 2 weeks, no kidding. I won't even go into how long it took before I could eat again, a normal cold usually has my guts throw a fit for 1-2 weeks. That first hot meal which stays in after illness is always real good!

This topic has come up alot of times before, so just run a search and you can see people's experiences.
 
I catch absolutely everything that my kids bring home from school (even college), what I might come across at the local college when there for my weekly writing group, and what the hubby brings back from the state house. Someone can sneeze around the corner and I will catch something horrible and unexpected. Then there's allergies and who knows what else could be coming my way, so I always get my flu shot, and so does everyone in my household.

I watched my mother (she also has Crohn's) spend a week in the hospital with the flu when I was in high school. From then on all our doctors have pushed us to get flu shots. I know some people have issues with them, but other than the annoying pain in my arm last week, it's the right thing for us.
 
You can still get the flu even if you get the flu shot. Usually it will be milder than if you did not get the shot from what I have heard though. When my Mom was alive she would always get a flu shot. She still got the flu sometimes. Not sure if it was because it was a strain of flu that was not covered with the shot or not. They cannot predict which strains are going to be stronger when they make the shot up or whether there will be a whole new strain. That has happened a few times in the past where people got a flu shot that did not even cover the strain of flu that was going around.

I mean make no mistake, the Flu is nasty. My best friend got the swine flu when it first came out. It was terrible for her. She said she was pretty sick.
( she has a lot of health issues too). But all in all, she said she still will never get a flu shot or any type of vaccine, she said she would take her chances with the flu again. I think once you get a flu your body does make antibodies to it that will last a long while( unlike the shot, you have to keep getting it).
 
I always get the flu shot every year, 2 weeks before or after as per my GI. No reason to stress the immune system.

IN the last 5 years I had 0 flu. Even with my three kids sick as hell at home I get nothing at all.

A non live vaccine is only information dictating to your immune system what to do in case they get uninvited guests. Nothing more. No reason not to get it.
 
chrisnsteph1022 said:
I've never heard this. What is the reasoning? It's not a live vaccine. Mine was 2.5 weeks after my infusion, though.
Click to expand...

This is where it gets tricky-my best girlfriend is a registered nurse at a large hospital, and according to her there is a miniscule amount of live virus to provoke an immune response. Even if it doesn't actually give you the flu you may have a flare as a reaction, so it's best not to do it too far or too close to an infusion

BTW I don't get the flu shot. I've had the flu shot twice and both times I had the worst case of flu I've ever had and ended up in the ER. Coincidence-who knows? I did get a pneumonia vaccine and it was fine.

Does anyone know how it should be taken if you are on Humira or another weekly injection of a TNF inhibitor?
 
I think once you get a flu your body does make antibodies to it that will last a long while( unlike the shot, you have to keep getting it).
Click to expand...

The reason for requiring an annual flu vaccination, should you choose to have one, is because the viruses mutate from year to year.

The Flu vaccination is designed to protect you against the 3 or 4 of the deadliest strains circulating during the flu season. Of course there are any more strains than that out there so it is not going to protect you against them. Being vaccinated against the most virulent forms still doesn't mean you won't contract one of them but hopefully you will only contract a mild form of the illness as opposed to risking death.

Being immunosuppressed is why many doctors recommend you do get vaccinated. The bodies reaction to a dead virus may not be pleasant for some people but in the mind of the doctor it is far better than the effects of full blown influenza.

Whether you choose to be vaccinated is a personal choice and you make that choice based on your own beliefs.

The worst influenza pandemic to occur in written history was the 1918 Spanish Flu. It killed between 20-40 million people worldwide and most of them were young healthy adults. There is no rhyme or reason to influenza, it is an unknown quantity.

Dusty. xxx
 
Both my doctors told me due to me being immunocompromised I should Not get the flu shot. I was told that the body would react badly. Which is absolutely true in my case since a lot of the health problems I have today are because of a flu shot I got back in 2003 when all my health issues basically started. From what my doctor told me, it does not make a whit of difference if the flu shot vaccine is dead or alive. Your body does not know the difference... If you have an over-active or messed up immune system, then you may have a really bad reaction( possibly even worse that if you got the flu naturally). I mean they are putting chemicals in your body that are posion. There is formedlahyde in the flu vaccine! I did a ton of research on the vaccine after I became sick because of it. I learned so many things about the flu shot that it made my skin crawl. I know everyone is different and some people will have no problem with the shot. But I just know I do. Also consequently, I do not have a single family member who gets a flu shot. They have all had bad experiences. ( even the ones that are healthy!)

Yep, the spanish flu was a nasty one for sure. The flu is always is going to be out there. They can protect only from a few strains, the ones they "think" will be the dominate ones. But there is no guarantee with even that. Years ago my mom when she was alive use to get the flu shot. Three times she got the shot, she ended up with the flu really sick. She just stopped getting it. In my opinion, I think it is just a huge Pharmacy money maker. I mean they scare the bits out of people saying go get your flu shot or you could die as the flu is going to be bad this year( and a lot of times it was just a mild flu season).

I just wash and wash my hands and just pray I do not get the flu. That is all I can do. The flu is no fun that is for sure. Just I know for me personally, the shot is not an option..









DustyKat said:
Being immunosuppressed is why many doctors recommend you do get vaccinated. The bodies reaction to a dead virus may not be pleasant for some people but in the mind of the doctor it is far better than the effects of full blown influenza.
Click to expand...
 
D Bergy said:
About 2.7 people out of a hundred catch the flu in any given year.
About 1.5 people out of a hundred will avoid the flu by getting vaccinated.

If you now calculate the actual numbers of deaths from the flu from that small group, and factor in the fact that they are usually very young or very old, it seems like my odds of having to worry about this are close to zero. Especially since they really do not work at all for the very young or very old anyway.

Dan
Click to expand...

I think the main issue for people with crohn's is that many are on immune suppressants. This puts them in that category of people who can die from getting the flu. The very young, very old, or anyone with a compromised immune system is at much greater risk for complications and death from the flu.


My son gets one every year.
 
My close friend got the swine flu when it first came out. She was pretty sick with it. It was nasty. But she said she still would never get a flu shot...

I just hope I can escape the flu again this year.. I have been pretty lucky and hope I stay that way.. I just try and wash my hands A LOT and take care of myself as best I can.
 
Here in the UK swine flu took down the young adults and healthy people. Very scary indeed. Only a few were elderly. Apparently the elderly had been exposed to some variation in the past, so were for most part the least affected group! We lost a very popular Dr here in Dunstable where I live, in fact, Michelle's GP (Misty-Eyed).

Flu is nothing to mess with, healthy immune system or not. I'll keep getting my flu shot yearly (I work with the general public) and hope that it keeps me from getting too ill this flu season. Now, if I can keep the sick people away from me!
 
Got my annual flu shot last Thursday. Jokingly said to the nurse "you couldn't do me a B12 shot as well could you as I'm due one?" To my surprise she replied "I'll just go and get one from the fridge. That will save you another appointment". Result!
 
Update - got mine a couple of weeks ago, normally I get it at work, but the schedule didn't work out so took the trsk to the GPs office with wife and 7 month old and we all got jabbed. Anyone with small children in the household is con sidered a "high risk" group and also covered under the Provincial Government's flu shot program.
 

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