# Flu jabs



## Easyriders (May 16, 2011)

John and I both had flu jabs on 7th November, just after we returned to the UK after 5 months in Europe.

Since then, we've both been feeling really rotten, tired, achy, loads of snot, tight chests, sinus headaches, sore eyes, feeling blue...

Could be coincidence of course, we may have just caught another virus, but this miserable state of affairs has dragged on for a month now.

Has anyone else had a bad reaction to a flu jab?

Thanks for your time reading this,
Linda


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## Spacerunner (Mar 18, 2006)

We've both been having flu jabs for 9 years and never had a bad reaction.

Of course this time of year minor illnesses are rife so you could have picked up loads of germs and viruses from any where.


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## 100127 (Jul 20, 2006)

Have a flu jab, get the flu. Simples. Never had one and touch wood never had the flu. :lol: :lol:


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## 747 (Oct 2, 2009)

Only ever had one and felt like you for half of the Winter. it's no joke when you have to drag yourself a few miles every day with the Dogs.  

We have had our names removed from the GP list for Flu jabs now.


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## waspes (Feb 11, 2008)

Me and the wife have had them 3 weeks ago and both feel fine.   

Peter.


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## pippin (Nov 15, 2007)

Waspes - you might feel fine but you certainly look a bit rough if your avatar is anything to go by!

Had shingles, flu and pneumonia jabs a few weeks ago.

Didn't bother me but 'er indoors felt a bit off for a few days after the pneu injection.

Perhaps that's why they call it _pneu_monia because it makes you feel a bit _tired_.

Geddit? :lol:


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## wobby (May 1, 2005)

My wife and I have also had the flue inoculation, she felt a bit low for a day or so but hey it's better than full blown flue, which was the demise of my mother at about my age now. However there is a lot of colds about, both Mary and I have had a right dose, she has just got over hers

Wobby


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

My Doc keeps trying to get me to have the jab, no ta matey, As soon as I get the slightest tickle twixt nose and throat, it's Lemsip time, never had more than a bit of a sniffle since I started with it, Liz says it a load of crap, but it works for me and I have a pretty bad chest most of the time.


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## javea (Jun 8, 2007)

Wife and I had ours early October, no ill effects to either of us. Perhaps you cough something around, or just after, you had the jabs. I believe it takes a week or so for them to be effective.

Hope you both feel better soon.

Mike


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## MEES (Apr 20, 2006)

I had the flu injection before we went to Spain for 5 weeks with no effect
However when we returned to uk in Nov we had 4 weeks of your symptoms think it is body protesting about coming away from the sun .


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## peribro (Sep 6, 2009)

I think there is no doubt that some people can have an adverse reaction to the jab but for many people that is preferable to the life threatening risks of having flu itself. I've only ever had flu once and I am prepared to take the chance and not have a jab but I'm not in a high risk group. My wife had flu last year so paid to have a jab this year and felt poorly for a couple of days. However she is more than happy to have had two days of inconvenience compared with being wiped out for a week.


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

The flu jab is not a live vaccine so it can't give you flu

The combination is the best guestimate for current strains

Flu kills young and old and those whose health is compromised in other ways

It seems to me that if we are offered ,shingles, pneumonia ( one off lasts the rest of your life) and protection against the most likely strains of flu this coming year we should take it

Flu is not a cold or a chest infection, is not intimidated by antibiotics, relieved by cold remedies ect

Why take the chance ???

Aldra


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## lifestyle (Apr 27, 2008)

When ever i say to my wife,i think i have flu .She says You have not got flu it`s only a cold.So why do men have the flu jab :? :?   if they only get colds   

Les


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## jo662 (Jul 27, 2010)

I had mine on monday,and feel fine so far.Had one for the last 4 years and never had any side effects touch wood.


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## pippin (Nov 15, 2007)

Just goes to prove that you don't have a wood allergy :lol:


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## HermanHymer (Dec 5, 2008)

pippin said:


> Just goes to prove that you don't have a wood allergy :lol:


Most men I know have a won't allergy!


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## greygit (Apr 15, 2007)

I had a flue jab around seven years ago and was very ill for three months, never again. Mind you saying that I seem to get negative reactions to most medications, probably being allergic to shell fish doesn't help.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

greygit said:


> I had a flue jab around seven years ago and was very ill for three months, never again. Mind you saying that I seem to get negative reactions to most medications, probably being allergic to shell fish doesn't help.


OH so tempting, but I won't be selfish


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## jeffro (Jan 13, 2009)

*flue jab*

Had the flue when i was younger and belive me its not a cold dont think i could cope now that i"m a old man.Have the flue jab every year just makes my arm ache 2 weeks to go to my Spanish escape whoopee!!


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## autostratus (May 9, 2005)

As I worked in the NHS I was offered the flu jab as an employee and had it yearly.
I've been having it every year since I retired and in the 30 or more years in total have never had an adverse reaction.


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## greygit (Apr 15, 2007)

My sister in law (kind of) is a doctor and she doesn't have the jabs either as, like me, she gets bad reactions to um.


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## 113016 (Jun 5, 2008)

I remember over 40 years ago, when our group of 24 sales persons were working at the Earls Court Boat show.
All, except my wife and I had the flu jab, which I think was a live vaccination at that time. Guess what? all of the 22 who had the jab, caught the flu and were off sick.
It did put me off for years, but over the last 5 years, on doctors recommendation, and knowing it is no longer a live jab, I now have it.
Never had any side effects, until this year, but even these were only a stiff neck and sore arm  
Well worth the price for the protection  
I am amazed at the number of people who say they caught the flu after having the jab. The experts say it can't happen, but?


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## cabby (May 14, 2005)

I believe that I am correct when I point out that you are asked and told that if you have had a cold, fever etc over the previous 2 weeks delay having the jab until it has cleared.
When travelling abroad by plane I often found that on return I ended up with a sore throat and a colds/flu type symptoms. I was told that on short haul flights the capacity of air cleansing was not as much as it could be.So any germs from other passengers was circulated and not fully cleansed.

cabby

Have not flown for 15 years now, well Concord is out of service. :wink: :wink:


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## oldtart (Mar 18, 2006)

Hi. Dave and I had ours on Wednesday.

The only adverse effect is that my arm is very red, painful and hot around where I had the jab!

Dave is fine.

Val


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## suedew (May 10, 2005)

Haven't been as good after having the jab this year, but, I was under the weather a bit when I had it, should have known better, also had the pneumonia jab at the same time, so perhaps that didn't help. 
Only started having flu vaccine when swine flu came out, worked in NHS, patient care, it was that or move to an 'administrative' role, don't suppose i would have done any worse a job than some of those employed in the role.
Had a really bad experience in the 60s with flu jab, yes it's been about that long.

Sue


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

According to our Practice Nurse the jab doesn't give you the flu, but it does lower your resistance for a short time while it builds up antibodies for the strains it is meant to protect you from.

Since the jabs always seem to be offered in late Autumn when half the population have got the sniffles, it's no surprise if you catch one of the other strains that it doesn't protect against. There are plenty of them out there! :roll: 

I have to wonder why they don't offer the jabs in July or August, when most people would be fit and well.

Dave


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## wakk44 (Jun 15, 2006)

I have had the flu jab every october for the last 4 years since being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.I must be one of the lucky ones as I haven't had any symptoms apart from a slightly sore arm where the needle entered on one occasion,haven't had flu either.


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

Wen have been fine

EspeciallyAlbert

He can't afford to fight off flu and Cancer

And for me me too

With heart problems

I don't need to either

So modern day medican

Men'<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd">


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## BrianJP (Sep 17, 2010)

one point missed by all the doubters is this.
If you have ever been unfortunate to have had flu you would give anything for a quick cure as it is so debilitating. So why would you turn down a vaccination that for the vast majority of the population will give you an effective protection against this illness ?????


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

lifestyle said:


> When ever i say to my wife,i think i have flu .She says You have not got flu it`s only a cold.So why do men have the flu jab :? :?   if they only get colds
> 
> Les


Les

This is man flu

No known antidote

The best treatment
Is a female telling you
Its a cold 

Science is batteling with it

But as yet 
They haven't bettered the female diagnoses

Aldra


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## greygit (Apr 15, 2007)

BrianJP said:


> one point missed by all the doubters is this.
> If you have ever been unfortunate to have had flu you would give anything for a quick cure as it is so debilitating. So why would you turn down a vaccination that for the vast majority of the population will give you an effective protection against this illness ?????


If you had the adverse reactions that I had for three months, you wouldn't need to ask that question.


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## Easyriders (May 16, 2011)

Many thanks to all who replied. I know the flu jab is not a live vaccine, but this doesn't mean you can't get a reaction to it.

I know flu is terrible, can be deadly. The TV ads for stuff for "colds and flu" should be banned, they can do nothing for flu.

If you can get out of bed, it isn't flu!

So we'll probably still go for flu jabs in future, but I hope we don't get such a nasty reaction again - if indeed that's what it was. It could just have been some horrible British bug we had no resistance to after being away for so long.

Finally starting to feel a bit better - but after 2 months, so we should be!

Thanks again, and a Merry Christmas and peaceful New Year to you all.
Linda.


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## Tan-all-over (Jun 26, 2010)

Had the flu jab and just had the worst flu in years with it all on our chests and coughing till' our chests/head/eyes pained like mad, eyes streaming for the last three weeks. On top of all this feel that all energy sapped but I think its best to rap up warm and get out in the fresh air. I don't believe in staying in bed, the old saying "starve a cold" is best. Happy new year to all and lets hope 2015 will be another great summer.


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## blondel (Jun 12, 2005)

Tan-all-over said:


> Had the flu jab and just had the worst flu in years with it all on our chests and coughing till' our chests/head/eyes pained like mad, eyes streaming for the last three weeks. On top of all this feel that all energy sapped but I think its best to rap up warm and get out in the fresh air. I don't believe in staying in bed, the old saying "starve a cold" is best.


I thought the saying was "Feed a cold. Starve a fever"

That's what I am doing at the moment - feeding my cold which started on Christmas Day! Must have been a bad girl this year as the cold was the only thing in my stocking


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## Tan-all-over (Jun 26, 2010)

Ok Pat you probably are right but what ever it is I still think getting out is the best. lol


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## pippin (Nov 15, 2007)

Well Tan-All-Over "best to *rap* up warm"

There is nothing like a bit of *rapping* to make you feel better :lol:

Sorry, I do sympathise - it's just the eagle-eyed pedant in me


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## blondel (Jun 12, 2005)

Tan-all-over said:


> Ok Pat you probably are right but what ever it is I still think getting out is the best. lol


Yes! Just been out and feel a lot better - and hungry again too!!


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

If you can get out of bed it is not flu, just a really bad cold. We both had the Flu jab and caught a cold off our friend who never has the flu jab because he thinks it gives you a cold or flu!!!


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

Possibally

After the flu jab

You could catch a strain of flu they didn't identify

Unlikely if hundreds of people haven't gone down with it

You are covered

How good is that???

Aldra


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