The FLU. How are you doing this winter???

fuzzybuddy

fuzzybuddy

SF VIP
Location
The Sticks, Northeast PA.
I live in a "home", and I got a flu shot in October. I did get a bad cold about a month ago, but it was not severe enough to be the flu. But now, at least two residents have come down with the flu just this week. How are you doing this winter???
 

I've never had the flu!!! Knock on wood lol!

It "flew" (hahaha...yeah, I know, a real groaner!!) through Ron's family right after Christmas. I don't know where he got it from, but he came down with it first. Within a couple days both his daughters had it, and then his two grandsons. I stayed FAR away that weekend...not only for myself, but for my own family and grandkids who I'm in constant contact with. I spent a week waiting for symptoms, but it just never happened. It took Ron a few days to get his energy back, after all his symptoms had disappeared. I'm glad it didn't hit him worse than it did, he didn't get a flu shot. Now he's thinking that maybe he should start.
 
I've never had a flu shot. I have no confidence in it. I had the flu 38 years ago & never since, despite constantly working around sick people in the workplace. It's sorta funny how we hear the same old line every flu season "Well, this year's vaccine didn't include this year's flu in it, so it may not be effective." Ya know, I hate needles & dealing with insulin & testing 3 times a day is enough for me. At my last Dr. visit, he asked, "Have you had a pneumonia shot?" and "Have you had a colonoscopy?" He LOL'd at my answer: "No. Just 'cuz there is an orifice, doesn't mean I want anything in it."
 
I have never had a flu shot and never had the flu. We don't go out much and I do take all the precautions I can. Washing my hands often, and when I go to the food store I use the wipes they provide to wash off the handle to the cart. This takes me several minutes because I wash the baby seat off as well because that's were I put my purse. I take a couple to wash my hands off halfway through the store also. No bags from the store or purse on the kitchen table either. I wash off the phone,computer,and steering wheel often. This year people around our area are dropping like flies from the flu. Most had flu shots. Makes you wonder.
 
I always get the flu shot and never get the flu, since one year a looooong time ago when I didn't get one & got it & lost 2 weeks from work because of a really bad attack of it. You folks who brag that you don't get the shot & don't get the flu, it very likely could be because you are benefiting from the "Herd Immunity " conferred by the rest of us who get the shots. Our immunity means you have a lower chance of being exposed to it.
 
I only get hit every few years or so. I actually have a doc that doesn't think it's worthwhile to get the shot, but leaves it up to me. As you can read in many articles, it's a bit of a crapshoot what strain of the flu will hit your area and whether you have the vaccine that works for that strain.
 
..... At my last Dr. visit, he asked, "Have you had a pneumonia shot?" and "Have you had a colonoscopy?" He LOL'd at my answer: "No. Just 'cuz there is an orifice, doesn't mean I want anything in it."
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It's your decision, but imho, you're just opening yourself to the possibility of illnesses that could be prevented (excluding flu shot).
 
Got mine last November before the ankle break so I'm not out and about much....hope I dont pick up something nasty from the PT facility just before Spring gets here.....
 
retiredtraveler said:
It's your decision, but imho, you're just opening yourself to the possibility of illnesses that could be prevented (excluding flu shot).
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That's what we're told, but after detailed research on the usefulness of what a colonoscopy can detect & the questionable need for more invasive procedures, as well as the risk, IMO, I'm better off without it. I also learned why it's being pushed on us. BUT, (just as with the flu shot), I always say, "If it gives you confidence, go for it. Confidence is half the battle.
 
Geezerette said:
I always get the flu shot and never get the flu, since one year a looooong time ago when I didn't get one & got it & lost 2 weeks from work because of a really bad attack of it. You folks who brag that you don't get the shot & don't get the flu, it very likely could be because you are benefiting from the "Herd Immunity " conferred by the rest of us who get the shots. Our immunity means you have a lower chance of being exposed to it.
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When people say they don't get a flu shot, they are not "bragging." They are simply answering a question & voicing their opinion about the effectiveness of the flu shot.
The "Herd Immunity" phrase is getting old. We usually hear it from medical professionals who are having more & more trouble selling people on the flu shot - as more & more people get the shot, then get the flu. That leads to racks of unsold flu vaccine that can't be used again & has to be disposed of - also known as "Cash in the Trash."
An additional desperate tactic: "Well, you got the flu shot & still got the flu BUT getting the shot makes the flu less severe when you do get it." Really? Everyone I know who got the flu after getting the flu shot did not have a less severe illness.
Another common sales tactic on banners (hanging on hospital walls) uses guilt: "If you don't get a flu shot, you're making other people sick." Well, it only works on sheep who lack common sense. If you got a flu shot & it works, you CAN'T get the flu from someone else because the vaccine would protect you. The only reason unvaccinated people would concern you is if you lacked confidence in the vaccine you got.
 
win231 said:
I've never had a flu shot. I have no confidence in it. I had the flu 38 years ago & never since, despite constantly working around sick people in the workplace. It's sorta funny how we hear the same old line every flu season "Well, this year's vaccine didn't include this year's flu in it, so it may not be effective." Ya know, I hate needles & dealing with insulin & testing 3 times a day is enough for me. At my last Dr. visit, he asked, "Have you had a pneumonia shot?" and "Have you had a colonoscopy?" He LOL'd at my answer: "No. Just 'cuz there is an orifice, doesn't mean I want anything in it."
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I used to get flu shots when I was younger, but then started reading up on them and decided to stop taking them. Last time I had the flu was when I was getting the shots, haven't had it for decades since I stopped the vaccinations. I feel the same as you with a colonoscopy, never had one and don't intend to get one at this point in time.

Everyone has the right to make their own choices and decisions of what to put into their bodies, what injections to get, what xrays, tests, etc. I respect their choices and don't criticize anyone for decisions they make medically, it's very personal for the individual. Like you said in another post, if it gives you peace of mind or confidence, then go for it.
 
I took a flu shot ONCE.... 3 weeks later had the flu.... have avoided the flu past several years even with being exposed to it constantly at work.
 
That's what we're told, but after detailed research on the usefulness of what a colonoscopy can detect & the questionable need for more invasive procedures, as well as the risk, IMO, I'm better off without it. I also learned why it's being pushed on us.
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Win, a colonoscopy often saves lives. It can miraculously detect malignant polyps which present no symptoms yet. A routine colonoscopy saved my son's life. Multiply that by all the other thousands of lives that have been saved, and suggesting that it's a useless, unnecessary test being "pushed on us" is simply irresponsible, right up there with the people who spread false rumors about vaccines.

However, it is true that colonoscopies aren't usually done on senior citizens, I'm not sure at what age they stop, probably around 70. I don't know the reason; maybe at that age the risks outweigh the benefits.
 
Linda said:
So far the husband and I haven't had the flu or even a cold. He sometimes gets the flu shot and I never do. Several years ago I got a flu shot and was sick all winter.
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My sister had the same experience. We're both diabetic & her doctor strongly suggested flu shots due to diabetes causing a "compromised immune system." She did as she was told & we'd sometimes have heated discussions about it. But after she had to take weeks off work being sick after every single flu shot, she told her doctor where he could stick it. She's very stubborn but she finally figured it out - the fact that I rarely get sick & I don't get flu shots.
 
Sunny said:
Win, a colonoscopy often saves lives. It can miraculously detect malignant polyps which present no symptoms yet. A routine colonoscopy saved my son's life. Multiply that by all the other thousands of lives that have been saved, and suggesting that it's a useless, unnecessary test being "pushed on us" is simply irresponsible, right up there with the people who spread false rumors about vaccines.

However, it is true that colonoscopies aren't usually done on senior citizens, I'm not sure at what age they stop, probably around 70. I don't know the reason; maybe at that age the risks outweigh the benefits.
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Telling the truth is not "irresponsible." Parroting whatever you've heard from others (including doctors) without researching & gaining knowledge is irresponsible.
And, take a hint at the fact that they won't do colonoscopies on older people. There is a real risk of Propofol - which is a drug used during the procedure and another more serious risk of perforating the intestine - which is always fatal.

A similar situation: Joan Rivers' doctors caused her death by doing an endoscopy; that's why they quietly paid a huge sum to her daughter to settle. Her death was directly caused by Propofol - as was Michael Jackson's. Ya know, the information is out there; all you have to do is look for it. It's better than being a sheep.

https://www.foxnews.com/entertainme...ath-predictable-complication-during-procedure

https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/joan-rivers-death-revealed/story?id=25264318
 
So many associated issues with the flu, flu shot and/or getting sick. Over the decades once I START to feel off or ill I do things like increase vitamin C among other vitamins, cut out certain foods as to not make fluids thicker or give intestinal tract fuel, get extra rest and use every trick in the book to keep my sinuses and lungs clear ie steam, moisture etc. Once that sinks into the lungs it's a prolonged annoying cough or pneumonia. I was my hands even more, I don't try to carry on as normal for a few days. I've known too many who made things worse by continuing to workout, go out and drink & eat as usual, dress for fashion not the actual weather or body, try to keep the same hours routine without extra sleep relying on otc or prescription medications to cure them. People need to know how to be sick because believe it or not the body does a pretty good job of fighting these things.

I know people all drugged up getting their shots and 2 times over the last 6 months they've experienced a flu or nasty cold. But they eat, drink and workout as normal until flatout sick. They also frequently do corticoidal steroids for their arthritis which can weaken the immune system. They rely on prescriptions for everything that ails them. I know a drinker who has had bouts with walking pneumonia because they drink so much it affects their breathing when sleeping. Point being if your breathing slows down too much fluids can start accumulating in the lungs which can make any cold, flu or infection worse making it harder for the body to handle things.
 
A few years ago, I read that the sulphur compounds in onions & garlic (the stuff that makes your eyes water when you cut them) are immune system boosters. I tried adding it to salads a few times per week. Well, maybe there is something to that; I only get maybe one cold every 4-5 years. Previously, 2-3 per year. I thought it worked because they gave you bad breath, which keeps other people away from you. :) The catch is they have to be raw. Cooking kills the effective ingredient.
 

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