Yes, it’s that time already. This year’s shots protect against either three or four strains. We got the one for three because the other one doesn’t seem to be available anywhere. So quit yer whining and march your asses down the clinic and get your damn shot. No, it doesn’t make you sick unless you’re allergic to it for some reason, so don’t even think about trotting out that tired old excuse. Just do it.
Well, “some reason” would be if you had an allergy to eggs. My understanding is that if you’re allergic to eggs, you shouldn’t get the flu shot.
They’ll do them at my workplace - the nursing students give the shots, so I always just pay them instead of going to my doctor. I can stick it on my calendar, it’s convenient and I can file my insurance afterward to get reimbursed.
I make sure I do it because I do have a close friend with a severe egg allergy who can’t get the shot. Herd immunity and all. 
Allergy to eggs meaning *allergy *to eggs, though. As in, eggs make you have trouble breathing, so you spend your days wistfully looking at cakes in the bakery that you can’t eat without an epi-pen chaser.
“Scrambled eggs are gross and make my stomach complain,” doesn’t count. Even “eggs give me hives” doesn’t count for most doctors. Severe life threatening allergies to eggs or previous flu vaccines only. And there are some flu vaccines now without eggs, although whether they have them at your local pharmacy isn’t a sure thing.
There are a couple of other contraindications, such as if you’ve ever had Guillain-Barré Syndrome (if you’ve never heard of it, you’ve never had it), and if you’re really sick with a fever, then reschedule.
Got mine Thursday.
Got mine a few weeks ago during a routine follow-up visit. When he offered the shot, I started to do my usual hemming and hawing and he told me, “You ARE getting it…the only question is when. Now or at your next appointment?” So I told him, “Okay, now.” and got it done.
Alright, I won’t call it an allergy but the last time I had a regular flu shot I broke out in hives, my various bits started swelling up, I had difficulty breathing, and started to go into shock.
On the upside, supposedly they do have a new version of the vaccine this year that doesn’t contain egg of any sort so I am going to look into getting it. If I can. If it’s not to expensive or my insurance will pay for it without giving me a ton of crap over it.
Going to line up as soon as my workplace (a hospital) has its mass flu vaccination day. And I got my husband a gift card to Walgreens so he can just go over there and get the shot. (It’s a nice reminder, instead of me reminding him how much the flu sucked when he got it and how I was vaccinated and ended up immune to the strain he had and was able to take care of him.)
Too early for me. I wait until last week of Sept for my shot. I want to be protected in Jan and Feb in case a late round of flu hits.
I just started doing the annual flu shot thing about 3 years ago. Never got sick before, always struggle a few days after getting the shot now.
I really wonder if they are necessary. Maybe they are just a sham, but my doctor seems to think they are important. He probably gets a nice cut of each shot. It’s a racket!
As far as I know they’ve always had a version with no eggs. Like WhyNot said, you just have to ask ahead of time.
Get the nasal spray version and you are fine
My company offers them for free on site. I’m signed up and I think it’s next week.
I think it’s probably meaningful to mention that I used to get the flu about once every two years. And it was absolutely miserable.
Since my employer started sponsoring free flu shots (about 7 years ago) I have gotten the shot and since then never gotten the flu.
The maddening thing is that I work with chemists and engineers and there’s a few vaxxers in there. And they get sick far more often. And miss more work. And FFS, you’ve got a hard science/engineering background, you should know that the whole vaxxer thing is conspiracy nonsense.
I don’t think I’ve ever had the flu. I’ve occasionally suffered illnesses of varying severity*, but none, as far as I know, were influenza.
*Last year I had a horrible lung infection, the first illness I’d had in about four years. Luckily the Olympics were on to entertain me while I hacked up green globules of gunk
Great thread timing for me…I have a doctor’s appointment on Tuesday and I’m sure he’ll be happy to give me a jab.
Flu shots make people sicker than if they got the flu and fought it off naturally.
From the descriptions I’ve read online of having the flu, I don’t think that’s possible.
Bearing in mind the flu I had last Easter, which lasted two weeks and ISYN, that’d be a shot you’d need hospitalizing for.
Last time I had the 'flu I was six years old (I’m 53 now). I suggest folks man up and stop calling a cold or a minor URTI ‘THE FLU’. It’s not.
Go get your shots if it makes you happy…but ffs, stop scaremongering the risk.
:dubious: