Got Flu Despite Shot

[misanman]

The gene pool needs a dose of chlorine every now and then.

My mother's parents died from the 1918 flu. She was 11 and she came close to death as well.

 

[TromboneAl]

My mother's parents died from the 1918 flu. She was 11 and she came close to death as well.

I can appreciate that more, now. That is, I was so exhausted the other day, I could understand how someone could die from it. I had weird, delirious dreams. I feel a little better in the days. Last night was the worst night.

Today, were it not for the flu, I'd be skiing at Winterpark in 16 inches of fresh powder. Oh, well, I'm probably getting too old for skiing anyway.

It's as if the holidays were designed by the cold and flu viruses. People are stuck indoors together, they travel, hug their relatives, shake hands.

I figure Lena caught the flu from someone in her two choirs. Now Lena and I have brought it from California to Colorado.

 

[W2R]

Al, take care. I hope you feel better soon. You sound pretty miserable right now.

As for the 1918 flu, at least a half dozen of my grandfather's family, his parents and siblings and so on, died in the winter of 1917-1918 of pneumonia on their tiny farm in rural Missouri. Given the timing, I speculate that they got the flu and then it progressed into pneumonia. What an awful way to go.

I used to get the flu shot every year, until I retired. Now I am not exposed to as many people and I don't always get a flu shot.

A few years ago I got my free flu shot at CVS and they INSISTED on getting my phone number, which they had not had before. I refused and they said that the CDC required it so I finally gave it to them. A couple of weeks later the constant robocalls began, as one might predict. I have not been back to get another flu shot. I was feeling guilty about not getting the shot this year, until I read that this year's shot is pretty ineffective.

 

[travelover]

Give a false phone number next time, like the CDC's number.

 

[REWahoo]

It's as if the holidays were designed by the cold and flu viruses.

Got another book in you?

 

[W2R]

Give a false phone number next time, like the CDC's number.

Good idea. I should have been more devious.

 

[rodi]

I had my DNA test via 23 and me. It said I wasn't susceptible to influenza (I can't remember exactly how it was worded.) I still get the flu shot. The last time I had the vomit flu was probably 50 years ago.

This made me curious. I've done 23andme.com genetic testing but hadn't remembered seeing anything about susceptibility to the norovirus.

A google search led me to this blog post.
https://blog.23andme.com/23andme-research/genetic-armor-in-flu-season/

About 30 percent of people with European ancestry and about 20 percent of those with African ancestry carry the AA version of SNP rs601338 in the FUT2 gene. For these lucky folks need not fear the most common strain of norovirus like the rest of us. They lack the molecules noroviruses use to enter the digestive tract cells. It doesn’t mean they are bulletproof from getting sick, but they are protected against most strains of norovirus. Unfortunately, very few people of Asian ancestry carry the resistant genetic variant.

So I browsed my raw data for the rs601338 SNP and, fortunately, I have the AA variant. Yay.

Still got my flu shot this year.

And I agree that the new needles are MUCH less painful... and no sore arm afterwards.

 

[socca]

Never had a flu shot & never had the flu.

I hope I haven't just attracted the attention of malevolent gods who enjoy humbling overly-proud humans.

 

[redduck]

Sorry, the link I just tried to post does not work, apparently. Here is an excerpt from the article I was trying to link to: (from Dr. David Williams)

.... In fact, about the only thing flu vaccines are truly good for is lining the pockets of bio-pharmaceutical companies.
note: highlights by redduck

Gosh, you neglected to mention that David Williams is a chiropractor and not an MD. He claims to be a "medical researcher." Ever since I compared Kirkland's baby aspirin to Bayer's baby aspirin (while in Costco) I, too, can claim to be a medical researcher, but I won't.

Did you know that he sells his products on Amazon? They seem to be pretty darn expensive to me. Below are examples of two of the about 20 products he sells. Talk about lining pockets. But, for a chiropractor to develop an eye health supplement...?

What exactly do you like about this guy


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[Rianne]

The docs keep telling me it takes 2 weeks for the flu shot to be effective. Possible the flu was already in your system when you got the shot.

 

[Walt34]

Give a false phone number next time, like the CDC's number.

Whenever someplace like that wants a phone number or address I give 'em my old work address/phone number. I've been gone so long I'm sure the reaction is "Walt34 WHO?"

 

[TromboneAl]

>It's as if the holidays were designed by the cold and flu viruses.

Got another book in you?

Uh, jeez. Now you've given me an idea for a really silly short story. Like:

The representative from the influenza viruses brought up the next slide, showing a long tube with people packed inside. He tapped it with his pointer. "We'd like to put the humans in these tubes and recirculate the air. That could give us an infection rate of over seventy percent."

A cold virus raised its hand. "But how are you going to get the humans into those tubes?"

"Yeah, we haven't solved that yet."

An airborne virus jumped up. "We'll put wings on them."

"How will that help?"

"Well, in the holiday season, they'll want to travel ..."
​

 

[CaptTom]

Gosh, you neglected to mention that David Williams is a chiropractor and not an MD. He claims to be a "medical researcher."...

Did you know that he sells his products on Amazon? They seem to be pretty darn expensive to me. Below are examples of two of the about 20 products he sells. Talk about lining pockets. But, for a chiropractor to develop an eye health supplement...?

I have witnessed first-hand the misery caused by scammers who use their chiropractic doctorate to masquerade as medical doctors.

We used to play a game each week when our little local newspaper came: "What Can Doctor D Cure This Week?"

There would always be a quarter-page ad strongly implying that he was a medical expert on some incurable illness. He used every cheap snake-oil salesman's trick and emotional "hook" to recruit new suckers. He'd have them provide a complete financial write-up so he could calculate how much he'd be able to soak them for. It was not unusual for him to ask $10K or $20K up front, non-refundable, just to start some phony "treatment" program.

One day the ads mysteriously stopped and his office was "relocated" over the border to the next state (just a few miles.) I can only assume our state regulators were catching up with him.

I'm going to be blunt. If you're basing your opinions about any non-chiropractic issue on something a chiropractor said, there's a very good chance you're delusional and need to totally re-think your belief system.

Apologies to all the legitimate chiropractors out there. But you folks really need to better police your own ranks.

 

[braumeister]

Today, were it not for the flu, I'd be skiing at Winterpark in 16 inches of fresh powder. Oh, well, I'm probably getting too old for skiing anyway.

Oh, I truly feel for you. I once came down with something (I think it was norovirus) at Crested Butte. Probably the sickest I've ever been in my life, and it hit me before we had even been there 24 hours. Spent the rest of the week in bed, absolutely miserable, while DW skied. Then when I was just beginning to recover, it was time to go home. On the way back home, DW came down with it. What a miserable excuse for a vacation!

 

[Grabberson]

Actually you've probably contracted the flu virus many times, but didn't know it. Your immune system is trained by the immunization to recognize the virus and dispatch it before it causes any symptoms. The difference this time was that this particular flu virus made it past your immune system for some reason enough to cause symptoms.

 

[RAE]

I have witnessed first-hand the misery caused by scammers who use their chiropractic doctorate to masquerade as medical doctors.

I'm going to be blunt. If you're basing your opinions about any non-chiropractic issue on something a chiropractor said, there's a very good chance you're delusional and need to totally re-think your belief system.

And I have witnessed first-hand the misery caused by medical doctors giving out bad medical advice and/or prescribing drugs or treatments that did more harm than good.
The excerpt I posted listing potential downsides may have been written by a chiropractor, but I could just as easily posted the same information (and more) from a medical doctor.
Look - the only point I was trying to make in my earlier posts is that I choose not to get the flu shot for a variety of reasons, after gathering as much information as I could. As I said earlier, if you choose to make a different decision, based on your doctor's advice or anything else, that is perfectly fine with me. But please don't insult those of us that make a different decision, or imply that we are somehow not as intelligent as you. OK? No need to beat this horse any further, it's time to move on.

 

[CaptTom]

No need to beat this horse any further, it's time to move on.

Very much agree.

 

[Walt34]

T-Al, that's just sick....

Uh, jeez. Now you've given me an idea for a really silly short story. Like:

The representative from the influenza viruses brought up the next slide, showing a long tube with people packed inside....
​

 

[REWahoo]

Uh, jeez. Now you've given me an idea for a really silly short story.

You're welcome.

 

[TromboneAl]

Got home and found that I'd lost seven pounds (at 155). That was just from not being hungry.

I probably shouldn't have gone on a full-day trip to Breckinridge. Here I am trying to not give in to the altitude-sickness vomiting:

Take a few steps, feel nauseous, rest, feel better, repeat.

Nine days since I got it, and I'm still coughing every five minutes, but I'm feeling better.

Could have been a lot worse. I guess.

 

[REWahoo]

Anyone else in your group catch it?

 

[FUEGO]

A kid at my son's elementary school just died from what we think was the flu. Bet he wish he got the shot.

 

[TromboneAl]

Anyone else in your group catch it?

I think I got it from Lena, though hers was milder. No one else has gotten it, surprisingly.

 

[GravitySucks]

Glad you're feeling better.
I still need to get my shot.

 

[TrvlBug]

Spent the afternoon in Urgent Care getting my hand stitched up and the place was packed with people coughing, sneezing and otherwise hacking away. Dr. stitching up my hand said it seems everyone has either the flu or pneumonia. I'm hoping DH and I don't end up with either. We've had our flu shots and get them early every year. Dr. also said this year's flu shot is not at all effective.