Winter is well and truly upon us and as if to remind me, I’ve got my first cold of the season already!
So as I sit at home with a lovely bowl of chicken soup wrapped in my dressing gown feeling sorry for myself, I’m trying remember that:
1.A cold is not the same as a flu – a flu is awful! and,
- Decide whether or not it’s worthwhile going in and getting the flu vaccine from my GP or not this year
I did go and get the vaccine last year but I got the flu anyway and so I wasn’t totally convinced it was worth it (even if it made it not so bad as it would have otherwise been).
That, coupled with the fact that the whole swine flu panic last year turned out to be a bit of a fizzer is making me think twice about it. I’ve never read any info on how effective it is at preventing/reducing flu related deaths overall so I can’t talk about that side of things but maybe some of you have and can offer some info? Normally I just suck it up, whack in some extra insulin to fix the highs and soldier on, much to the dismay of my mother and partner.
Would you get the flu vaccine for yourselves, kids with T1 or parents with T1 just to be sure – better be safe than sorry and all that. Or are you of the opinion that it’s just a storm in a teacup and the body will sort it out itself?
- Aaron
Posted in Science & Research
Tagged as colds, flu, flu vaccine
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19 comments have been made on this post
Saffy wrote
Aaron, I’m normally anti any extra jab but having had a baby in the hospital with swine flu quite sick, I swear that it changes your opinion on these things. In the vulnerable, it is serious. So heading into DD’s second winter we’ve had EVERYONE in the family vaccinated. Talk about converted.
chris wrote
We’re just pondering this one ourselves. Normally we wouldn’t – we all did it one year to support Kelly and have never been more ill tho that was likely a coincidence. We don’t tend to get very ill with anything – man flu aside!
This year has thrown us a curve ball with my husband due to have surgery to remove a brain tumour in a few weeks. So does he get the jab this week? It would be tough to finally have the date in sight and suddenly get the flu. Its taken 5 months to get this far. I should probably get the jab too. I should also insist that his entire medical team avail themselves of this one as well..NOW!
One thing for sure, the needlephobic diabetic won’t be lining up for one no matter what!
Gail wrote
First off..Chris, I wish your husband all the very best for his upcoming surgery.
The one and only time I didn’t have the annual flu’ vaccine, I ended up in hospital with pneumonia which fair near put me under…so…..I am now a fanatic about fronting up each year. But.. Aaron, you are much younger than me so maybe you are able to fight these dreaded germs better than myself. I would never advise anyone to be vaccinated against their better judgement, just offering my story for what it’s worth.
Karen wrote
I am in favour of getting the flu jab. I ended up in hospital with DKA after a minor cold because I didn’t realise how quickly a minor illness could stuff me up, diabetes-wise. If I got DKA after a cold, I’d hate to have the flu and be worrying about getting DKA when I was already feeling awful with the flu. I had my flu-shot about a month ago and have been getting them for years with no ill effects apart from my arm feeling sore for a few days afterwards. My husband refuses to get one, and in his case I think thats fine because he doesn’t have a chronic condition that can complicate things like I do.
Aaron wrote
You are all right and I totally agree with you all when you say rather be safe than sorry.
In general, I just don’t like injecting/ingesting more than I have to into my body other than all the insulin that goes in already. I even try to avoid panadol!
That said, I have no trouble imagining that there will come a time very soon that prudence take priority and I will be in there doing everything I can to keep healthy.
Chris – good luck for the surgery!
Roy wrote
I have always had it, I even paid for it when the subsidy was removed in the early nineties. I was told that once you started them you had to keep getting them. I have no idea if this is right; although I have never had the virus they cover, but occasionally get one of the other varieties, which oddly enough is always around Christmas time. It has something to do with being run down by the end of the year.
All the very best for hubbie Gail and a speedy recovery.
Roy wrote
P S
Sorry Chris and Gail a senior moment.
Gail wrote
Join the club Roy, I have them all the time!!
Dee wrote
I’ve just booked in to get mine. having had the actual flu when in 3rd year at uni and having to take 2 weeks off (I went back to my parents, rather than stay in cold miserable dunedin) I’ve been getting them most years.
You don’t need to keep getting them every year, but the flu is an ever changing disease – each years vaccine is developed to protect against the 3 flu strains that are thought to be the most like to be a problem in the coming flu season. Unlike other vaccinated against illnesses such as those covered by MMR, influenza mutates rapidly and as a result the outer coat, which is what the immune system recognises, changes. As a result sometimes you may have carryover immunity from one year to the next, and other times – depending on how far the virus has drifted, you may not. The issue with H1N1 flu was that the immune system has not seen it for a long time and therefore did not recognise it well. Where it initally was seen in Mexico it hit a number of people rather hard and caused a number of deaths, when it was first seen here it wasn’t too serious, however there were a number of people badly affected, along with the usual (dare I say it) deaths from seasonal flu.
having had the flu once, I really, really hope to never have it again – it took over a month for me to be able to walk up the stairs without havign to pause on the landing – and that was just 2 flights and prior to the flu I normally ran them!
Zoe wrote
No. I’ve never had the flu jab. (and I can only think of three times in my entire life I was sure I had the flu as opposed to a cold. If I did have the flu the other times it was no worse than a cold)
Every single person I know who does get the flu jab gets the flu right after.
I am lucky though in that being sick hardly affects my blood sugar levels at all, and I recover quickly.
Nic wrote
I just wish there was a man flu jab.
Aaron wrote
Me too Nic, me too…
Penny wrote
I generally get the flu jab every year. It is strongly encouraged at work, and I know I would feel awful if I got the flu and either passed it on to someone more vulnerable than myself or we had a pandemic and had too many people off meaning that we were unable to provide a safe service.
I have never had the flu, but maybe being around illnesses almost every day has improved my immunity.
I would encourage anyone that has the opportunity to get it, to be vaccinated against the flu. We never know how it is going to hit us but would kick ourselves if we were the young one (or not so young one) in hospital in a critical state that may have been saved by the vaccine.
Sianne wrote
I have had my flu jab. Its a myth that it gives you the flu. You do feel a bit yuck for a couple of days though. And the real flu is a lot worse than your common cold so would rather be safe than sorry.
Roy wrote
Hi Gail. It would make an interesting topic, aye? Old habbits never die though, I still tend to check the BG for some of my silly things and my apologies again to Chris.
Nic! Man-flu is a bit like having T1, it is there all day everyday and it just goes on and on even through the night, but you can live with it and according to Silverwing, Scooterista. Owned by 4 Japanese Chins!
1. Man-Flu is more painful than childbirth. This is an irrefutable scientific fact*. *(Based on a survey of over 100,000 men.)
2. Man-Flu is not ‘just a cold’. It is a condition so severe that the germs from a single Man-Flu sneeze could wipe out entire tribes of people living in the rain forest. And probably loads of monkeys too.
3. More men die each year from MFN (Man-Flu Neglect) than lots and lots of other things. (Like rabbit attacks or choking on porridge).
4. Full recovery from Man-Flu will take place much quicker if their simple requests for care, sympathy and regular cups of tea are met. Is that really so much to ask? Florence Nightingale would have done it.
5. Women do not contract Man-Flu. At worst they suffer from what is medically recognised as a ‘Mild Girly Sniffle’ – which, if a man caught, he would still be able to run, throw a ball, tear the phone book in half and compete in all other kinds of manly activities.
Amy wrote
Hi, if you can get it for free I would definitely get it. T1 or not. It doesn’t matter how fit or young you are, you can get really sick. Each year it is a different mixture of what the infectious disease specialists predict will be the prevalent flu strains. It is possible to still get the flu, ie. if it is another strain to what is in the vaccination, but its worth it for sure. You are covered for the most likely greebly’s. Im a nurse and work in intensive care, so thats my 2 cents.
Aaron wrote
You will be pleased to know that on the weight of advise that I’ve just had in this post, I’ve booked to see my GP next week for the jab!
There is another reason I need to get this done but that’s coming in a later post
Steff wrote
New to this site and really enjoyed the man flu descriptions – so thanks! I too am contemplating getting the vaccine, have had it most years for a while, and am also reminded that I w ork in the comunity so better I get the jab than pass the flu on to others. I’ve had the head/chest cold already – so may be I need to get my a into g and get the jab soon.
Aaron wrote
Hi Steff and welcome to the blog!
I think you raise a very good point actually when you talk about passing it on. I generally still work when I’m sick but have realised that the cost of not working is much less than the cost of giving a cold/flu to lots of other people.
Hope to see more comments and welcome again!