I’m a young healthy person, but I’ve been getting flu shots years and years and years, since before my grandmother passed she lived with us and everyone in my family got the shot. Gran was in failing health and quite weak, and she passed away last October, at which point I’d already gotten my shot. So this is the first in several years that I won’t have any burning need to get a flu shot, and I think I may as well. It’s free at my workplace, and hell, I had the flu once in my life already. Once is enough. Damn, but it’s a horrible bug.
I have an impaired immune system, have no spleen, and am allergic to many antibiotics, and my doctor has never mentioned an extra-strength flu shot. I have been getting a pneumonia vaccine periodically since 1977/78, or whenever it came out, because my doctor said that getting that kind of pneumonia would be very dangerous for me (although I have had pneumonia and it wasn’t fun - different kind than the shot is for). If there is an extra-strength vaccine, it’s not that well publicized. Or perhaps I’m really in pretty good shape!
I work in a large hospital, and where I work, if you want to work with patients during the flu season and not wear a mask, you’re getting the flu shot. They started that regulation after all the unusual deaths from H1N1 last year (including at least one pregnant woman here in the Chicago area), and I’m fine with it. I used to work with patients with AIDS, and I wanted to stay as healthy as possible to avoid infecting them with anything.
My husband got influenza (confirmed by antibody test in his doctor’s office, who returned with the news wearing a face mask) a few years back, and he was absolutely wiped out for several days, and not up to par for a few weeks after or so. He’s a strong, healthy guy and it actually caused him to become so exhausted while walking inside our home that he fell to his knees and had to crawl to bed.
Never had any side effect from the vaccination other than an achy bicep.
I work in a hospital and have never heard of the extra-strength flu shot.
Mine not only didn’t make me sick, it didn’t even make my arm sore after which is unusual for me. When I got my diptheria/whooping cough/tetnus shot a few months ago I thought my arm was going to fall off.
(emphasis added)
I was going to bring this subject up. If it’s not too much of a hijack . . .
What about those tetanus boosters? Who here keeps up with those? I have since 1975 (once every 10 years or so).-- In 1975, I was young and very queasy about shots (still am, somewhat), nearly fainted and had to lay down for about 3 hours. The nurse was muy pissed at me, but I argued that it still seemed like something really better to do (get the shot, that is) than not to do. ETA: Besides, I didn’t know ahead of time it was going to be THAT bad!
– 1985, no problem.
– 1995, really sore arm for several days, just like voguevixen says.
– 2005, no problem.
– Oct. 17, 2011: Getting queasy just thinking and writing about the above… 
Tetanus shots seem to be the worst for me in terms of post-shot pain and a low level fever.
This year about a day after my flu shot I had a 2 inch red itchy welt at the injection site. That’s never happened before. I also felt slightly feverish for a day, but that’s not unusual with some shots for me. See above tetanus shot reaction.
I have had one twice and have never had an adverse reaction. FluMist gave me a headache, but it went away with Advil. No reaction whatsoever to the regular jab in the arm.
I am 24 and healthy, but I’m working in a nursing home at the moment, so I’ll be getting the shot with the rest of the employees on Thursday. I hate getting poked but I don’t want the flu and if I did get it and passed it onto an elderly resident, I might never forgive myself.
I got a TDaP (tetanus, diptheria, pertussis) booster last year through work because of a major pertussis (aka whooping cough) outbreak at the time, and especially because adults don’t necessarily get the characteristic “whoop” but can still pass it around. My arm was sore as hell for a few days (way worse than the flu vaccine), but I don’t recall other symptoms.
Last time before this year I got a flu shot was about 12 years ago through work. This year my midwife strongly recommended it and I decided it was a good idea. Because, the flu on top of pregnancy? Not something I wanna experience.
Only had a bit of soreness in the arm for a couple days and a minor dry scratchy throat for about 1/2 a day.
Here is some information in the “high dose” flu vaccine. It is only approved for patients over 65 years.
Good on you for taking the midwife’s advice. I had H1N1 in September 2009 (about a month before the vaccine was available in my area) while pregnant. “Not fun” is pretty much the understatement of the century.
I have a checkup next week, and plan to get my shot. I’ve had the flu twice, and hope never again.
Got my flu shot two weeks ago. It was the regular strength one AFAIK. I got it when I went in for lab work. One tech drew the blood from my right arm and the other one gave me the flu shot in my left arm. I didn’t even notice the flu shot as I was focused on the needle in my right arm to draw the blood. No pain in either arm and I felt perfectly normal with no ill effects.
I got the squirt up the nose (FluMist) this year and last, and didn’t have any problems either time. I got the shot three years ago and immediately felt feverish and sore, and stayed that way for several days. You’d think the live vaccine in FluMist would produce more of a reaction than the inactivated vaccine in the shot, but not for me, at least.
Never had the slightest reaction for flu shots (or any other). Last year, however, I did catch flu, although not serious case (so did my doctor). I haven’t heard anything about shots this year yet. I voted, not realizing that it was for this year.
I don’t get side-effects from drugs either (with one exception: although I didn’t know it, weight loss is a side-effect of metformin and I lost 20 lb in the first two years after I started it; alas I stopped).
But that’s just the thing - I’ve never had it. When I have it for the first time, I figure I’ll start getting shots the following year. But in all my life, knock on wood, I have avoided it.
I lined up at work & got the shot. Regular strength, I’m pretty sure. After my first flu shot, years ago, I had a touch of fever the next day. Since then, nothing. Not even a sore arm.
It helps herd immunity. And I’ll gladly reduce my chances for getting flu again; it’s much worse than The Annual Cold. (Which I didn’t get last year; does that mean I get two this year?)
For the first time ever, I was sick after the shot. The regular one.
Just for one day, I felt…icky (I rarely ever take my temp), tired, stomach was off.
I sat at work all day then after work took a nap and spent the rest of the night on the couch. I had to make myself eat around 8.
The next day and every day since I’ve felt completely fine.
Last year I missed the flu shots at work and ended up with a real nasty bout of the flu. I was out of work for 3.5 days and felt lousy for a week. I usually get the flu shot, but for some reason I let it slide last year. I had my flu shot in September and had no major effects. I did experience minor soreness at the injection site.
I had my tetanus booster in March and that did give me a lot more pain and injection site soreness than the flu shot.
My arm didn’t even get sore - some years it does.
Got one today, as usual (I teach classes). Arm hurts a tad as usual, feel a bit fuzzy/meh as usual, and tomorrow I’ll feel fine. If I’d never had the flu I might fantasize from the fuzzy/meh that “I feel sick”, but I have had the flu as an adult and this feeling is nowhere even near the ballpark.