Flu Shot!

TeenDoc

TeenDoc

Pre-takeoff checklist
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A reminder to all. The Influenza season is upon us again. Go get your flu shot. I just got mine! ;)
 
I do every year since I had the flu about twenty years ago. The flu took me out for about two weeks and the first week I wished I was dead. Nasty stuff.
 
The last time I tried to get one the doc said they were only giving them to high risk patients. Maybe that year there was a shortage or something.

Frankly, I think the flu is better than work.
 
smigaldi said:
ditto, he says as his throat continues to bother him and his head throbs more and more.....
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I'v been at home the last day and a half with a rather nasty head cold. I alomst never get sick, but this is about the third or fourth time this year I've gotten something. Blah.
 
wsuffa said:
I'v been at home the last day and a half with a rather nasty head cold. I alomst never get sick, but this is about the third or fourth time this year I've gotten something. Blah.
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Well in the past three weeks I have been in airplanes for a total of 58 hours. I visited Japan, Sweden, Spain, Denmark, Seattle, Denver, and of course Chicago. I have been hanging out with people from all of those places plus Korea, China, Israel, UK, Germany, etc. I get sick at least a couple of times a year. My consolation is that I am done traveling for a few weeks and then I go to Atlanta where I doubt I will be getting sick.
 
Gil,

Do the shots really work? I thought they usually guess wrong and inoculate you against a strain that isn't the one everybody gets. :dunno:

That said, I do get a shot most years and dont' think I've gotten the flu. Gotta arrange one this year, I guess.
 
smigaldi said:
Well in the past three weeks I have been in airplanes for a total of 58 hours. I visited Japan, Sweden, Spain, Denmark, Seattle, Denver, and of course Chicago. I have been hanging out with people from all of those places plus Korea, China, Israel, UK, Germany, etc. I get sick at least a couple of times a year. My consolation is that I am done traveling for a few weeks and then I go to Atlanta where I doubt I will be getting sick.
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I hear ya. I think my immunity has been reduced since I cut down to somewhere between 2-4 airline flights a week from the multitude before then. Or maybe it's having to sit in coach most of the time... :(

This last one came on after taking Southwest to San Antonio and driving a car back up to DC. No illnesses after the last few trips to San Antonio, the trip through Houston to Amsterdam and London, etc. Maybe I can blame the hotel room I stayed in on the car-trip. :yes:

I'm still trying to figure out how I got bacterial pneumonia. The incubation period was about right to match up to a MOnday AM airline trip.... but I'd not expect to get bacterial pneumonia from the crappy airline air.
 
wsuffa said:
but I'd not expect to get bacterial pneumonia from the crappy airline air.
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Might be someone close to you on the plane and not the air. Sometimes traveling gets you a bit stronger immune system. For instance I have only once had a reaction to bad food. Of course I tend to eat a lot of yogurt everywhere I go. It seems to help to keep the insides in order. But from all the jet lag and weird sleep patterns I get weakened and then will catch a cold. If it is just an out and back trip usually no issue, but if it is multiple countries and time zones I get sick.
 
gkainz said:
and the last time I got really sick was WHEN I got the flu shot ... no thanks, not for me...
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I've only had maybe 3 flu shots in my life all within the last 6 or 7 years. I can't say I've ever had the flu but the sickest I've been in a long time was last year after I got the flu shot. This year I'm kinda leery about it. Once bitten, twice shy. What say y'all, especially the docs here?
 
mikea said:
Gil,

Do the shots really work? I thought they usually guess wrong and inoculate you against a strain that isn't the one everybody gets. :dunno:

That said, I do get a shot most years and dont' think I've gotten the flu. Gotta arrange one this year, I guess.
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The "guessing" part of configuring the vaccine is greatly exaggerated by the lay press. We all know how accurate they are describing aviation incidents. It's no different with medical matters.

Hundreds of scientists around the world work very hard each year to come up with the best vaccine possible. Some years we do better than others, that's life. Not all of my ILS approaches and landings are of ATP quality either!

The problem is that these viruses, Influenza A & B, but mostly the A are constantly mutating. After each mutation a new virus is born and your immune system won't have ammunition for it.

On the years that the vaccine was not so great two things could have happened. Either the scientists "guessed" wrong or even after "guessing" right the wild virus mutated. Your immune system was looking out for the wrong bad guys!
 
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TeenDoc said:
The "guessing" part of configuring the vaccine is greatly exaggerated by the lay press. We all know how accurate they are describing aviation incidents. It's no different with medical matters.

Hundreds of scientists around the world work very hard each year to come up with the best vaccine possible. Some years we do better than others, that's life. Not all of my ILS approaches and landings are of ATP quality either!

The problem is that these viruses, Influenza A & B, but mostly the A are constantly mutating. After each mutation a new virus is born and your immune system won't have ammunition for it.

On the years that the vaccine was not so great two things could have happened. Either the scientists "guessed" wrong or even after "guessing" right the wild virus mutated. Your immune system was looking out for the wrong bad guys!
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Oops. Didn't mean to insult you scientists with the "guess" word. That's like 'just a theory," huh? :D

Thanks for the information, Gil!
 
smigaldi said:
Might be someone close to you on the plane and not the air. Sometimes traveling gets you a bit stronger immune system. For instance I have only once had a reaction to bad food. Of course I tend to eat a lot of yogurt everywhere I go. It seems to help to keep the insides in order. But from all the jet lag and weird sleep patterns I get weakened and then will catch a cold. If it is just an out and back trip usually no issue, but if it is multiple countries and time zones I get sick.
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I hear ya.

And I do think traveling a lot stregthens the immune system as you're exposed to a lot of different viruses, building up immunity. I laid off of travel for over a year.

Don't know about you, but I've learned to sleep on planes. Sometimes will nod off within minutes of the door closing. Sleep when you can, eat when you can... 'cause you never know when you'll get food or a bed again ('specially this year on the airlines).
 
wsuffa said:
Don't know about you, but I've learned to sleep on planes. Sometimes will nod off within minutes of the door closing.
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Me too. The pushback is a signal for me to get drowsy. I've been asleep before takeoff even when we aren't delayed. Luckily this doesn't happen when I am half of the crew... usually. :)

Sleep when you can, eat when you can... 'cause you never know when you'll get food or a bed again
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Now there's a good rule... even though I break it most of the time. :dunno:
 
Maybe its just me, but every time I've gotten the flu shot, I get the flu about a week later. Screw that, I take my chances now. Haven't had the flu in about 5 or 6 years (conincidentally, the last time I got the shot).

No thank you.
 
The last time I got a flu shot I was in college (and as my kids will tell you, that was a loooooong time ago). Knocked me flat in the doctor's office. Haven't had one since. Now that I think about it (and my wife will concur), all I have to do is think about getting a shot and I pass out. :rofl: Just a wuss, I guess.
 
I've only gotten the shot once. I hated it! It made me feel so bad the next day. I NEVER get sick! My job requires me to go in and out of around 50 doctor offices a day, 5 are peditricians(sp). My immunity is WAYYYYY up. I'm afraid of how sick I will get when I no longer do that job!
 
gkainz said:
and the last time I got really sick was WHEN I got the flu shot ... no thanks, not for me...
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Cheap and simple method: Wash your hands thoroughly and often. Shower after getting home for the day. Assume the other person and anything they touch has the plague and act accordingly. If someone looks like they're about to die, don't get anywhere near them. Wash hands after shaking hands, some people may get offended but explain that it's better than puking your guts up for a week.

I've managed to avoid getting sick for something like 15 years excluding physical exhaustion due to overworking..and there are effective cures for that too. YMMV.
 
Frank!!!! I was wondering if you were still around ? Howzit going?
Sorry - thread hijack ...
 
Handwashing is a good method to prevent many communicable diseases. Unfortunately, Influenza is primarily and almost always transmitted by the airborne route and the infecting virus particles attach to the respiratory tract surface, not the gastrointestinal tract surface which is the case in viruses acquired through the fecal-oral route, preventable by handwashing.
 
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