Got your flu shot?

[donheff]

Got my flu shot at Harris Teeter the other day. Looks like I have to see the doc to get a pneumonia shot now that I hit 65. Anybody know how useful that one is?

 

[Jack_Pine]

My doc suggested Shingles shot and I am 57. I get flu shot every year.

Question, how often does one get the shingles shot?

 

[kramer]

My doc suggested Shingles shot and I am 57. I get flu shot every year.

Question, how often does one get the shingles shot?

It is a one-time only vaccination.

I guess that is another thing going in favor of it.

Very roughly: reduces your chances of getting shingles by about 50%. More importantly, reduces your chances of getting the most severe form by about 75%. And it attenuates the symptoms when you do get it.

The protection is more valuable as you get older because, on average, the severity of a typical shingles case increases with age and the probability of you getting it in any given year increases with age.

 

[Walt34]

DW made the appointment for both of us for this week. She had shingles in her early fifties. Very painful.

 

[Vudu Beer]

Got the Flu shot yesterday (sore arm), but I am not convinced that the Shingles vaccination is such a good idea. My Dr. usually tells us what we need to prevent, and she has not said that Shingles vac. is recommended. I am not a do-it-yourself physician, so I will wait until Dr. says so.

 

[Jack_Pine]

Got the Flu shot yesterday (sore arm), but I am not convinced that the Shingles vaccination is such a good idea. My Dr. usually tells us what we need to prevent, and she has not said that Shingles vac. is recommended. I am not a do-it-yourself physician, so I will wait until Dr. says so.

Have you asked about it?

 

[Meadbh]

Got the Flu shot yesterday (sore arm), but I am not convinced that the Shingles vaccination is such a good idea. My Dr. usually tells us what we need to prevent, and she has not said that Shingles vac. is recommended. I am not a do-it-yourself physician, so I will wait until Dr. says so.

You are assuming your doctor is aware of all the facts and is able to make the best judgment for you. Neither condition may apply; trust me, I'm a doctor!

The same goes for financial advisors, auto mechanics, plumbers, and other "experts". My motto is "trust but verify".

 

[martyb]

My doctor hasn't mentioned it to me, either. That has no bearing on whether I'm going to get it, though. He also has never told me to get a flu shot.

 

[donheff]

Sounds like at least a couple of you have doctors who don't recommend much of anything to you. Why bother visiting them? The research shows routine physicals are a waste of time. If your doc isn't even going to alert you to consider a well regarded standard vaccine what use is (s)he? But I'll bet the doc has you on statins.

 

[Vudu Beer]

Point taken... guess I will ask

 

[NoMoreJob]

Another consideration is that the shingles shot is expensive ($200+) and not all insurance policies pay for it. If you're in a position to get it paid for you may want to do it now.

 

[MBAustin]

Got my flu shot last week at CVS MinuteClinic. I have started going there for all minor things (vaccines, ear wax, pink eye, etc.) - close to home, no appointment and have never waited more than 20 minutes.

 

[easysurfer]

I got my flu shot a few weeks ago during my annual physical.

The nursed asked..."Do you want a flu shot?". I said no.

Then when I saw the doc, he said, "I see you declined a flu shot?" so I said.."Okay, give me one."

 

[MRG]

Got mine yesterday as part of routine Dr. appointment. I meant to ask about shingles but got side tracked on ACA discussion. He said they weren't sure about every plan(only 2 payers here). He did say that the hospital he's associated with may not take 'low end' plans. He reassured me I was grandfathered in to his pratice. I couldn't get a definition of what a low end plan meant.

MRG

 

[Walt34]

DW and I both got it today.

I asked about a shingles vaccination, they don't keep those at the office because it has to be kept frozen (they don't have a refrigerator?) so I asked if there was any reason not to get it at the drugstore or pharmacy at the grocery store and was told there is no reason not to. So I'll do that.

 

[travelover]

My doc recommended both a shingles and flu vaccine at my annual physical, but I had already paid for the shingles vaccine at a local drugstore. Incidentally my flu shot this year was given through a pediatric needle and it was literally painless. The nurse giving the shot said vaccine was less viscous than in the past, thus the thinner needle.

 

[Khan]

Got shingles vaccine back in March (insurance covered it).
Will probably get flu vax (for free) when I give blood in Nov.

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

Interesting. Thanks for the info. When I was young, all the mothers in the neighborhood would send their kids to the house of someone with chicken pox, so that their kids would catch it and be done with it. It worked for my brother and sister, but to the best of my knowledge, I never caught it. I wonder if there is a test to determine whether I had an undetectable case. I would think there are some antibodies running around still.

REW got it right -- you can't get shingles without prior chicken pox. But, if you are over 50 the odds are very high that you will test positive, so much that testing is considered more useless and costly than helpful. Also, you can get chicken pox late. So, I got mine years ago. To date, benefits >> risks.

 

[jollystomper]

Megacorp provides free flu shots and I'm sure to get one. I do enough traveling on planes that it is well worth it. The last couple of times I got the flu were years when I didn't get the shot and came down with it right after a flight.

 

[Notmuchlonger]

Got my flu shot er nasal spray. Poor lady was supposed to shoot it up half each side. Instead she went full bore up the left...


you have to laugh.

Her words." Oh noooo". Oh it will be ok honey...

Haha even incompetence can be cute.

 

[Al in Ohio]

My doc suggested Shingles shot and I am 57. I get flu shot every year.

Question, how often does one get the shingles shot?

I have heard you should only re- shingle one time, then the next time it's a complete tear off and replacement.

 

[travelover]

I have heard you should only re- shingle one time, then the next time it's a complete tear off and replacement.

I think that this rule of thumb depends on snow load. This can be judged by the amount of white on the top.

 

[psweath]

Got my first flu shot ever yesterday because two weeks ago a simple cold (no fever, no chest congestion) laid me out for a couple days (no energy, felt really bad). I thought, "Geez, if a cold can do this to me, what if I did contract the flu?"

I was going to get the small-needle intradermal because I am a wimp, but I ran into one of the docs in the lobby, and she said she got the intradermal, and it stung more and left a big mark, and she'll never get it again. Then the receptionist chimed in with the exact same report. So I got the "regular" shot - no big deal.

 

[Mulligan]

I don't know why, but I have never gave any serious consideration to getting a flu shot. People around here seem to use the word "flu" with every little sickness they have.
But, that shingles stuff really sounds bad. I will take that shot when I am old enough though.

 

[Dawg52]

Got my flu shot this morning when I had my annual physical. Asked the doc about the shingles shot and he said there are mixed opinions on when to get it as previously discussed here. He said he generally uses 60 as the date to give it. So I decided to wait until next Fall.