mask or flu shot?

Nurses COVID

Published

Hi all,

New York State recently passed a law requiring all healthcare personnel to get the flu shot or wear a mask. I know this has been going on for a while in other states. I'd like to hear from any nurses or students who have previously opted to wear the mask instead of getting the shot - how was your experience? how did your patients react? did it impact your ability to do your job in any way? was the mask bearable?

thank you

Specializes in Public Health, TB.

I've been getting flu shots for years, and have only seen 1 co-worker have an adverse reaction--an inflammation in her shoulder that resulted in surgery. I have however seen a staff nurse die from the flu and she was a healthy 20 something.

We had so many patients with flu last year and they suffered miserably with dyspnea, coughing and pain.

There are a few staff members who wear masks and no thinks that much about it.

I hate masks in general just because they make my glasses steam up.

Honestly, I have always gotten the flu shot as an adult, especially after having kids. As a nurse, I feel like it's kind of important, even in the chance of contracting and transmitting the flu to those I love. I have only had the flu once in that time, and it pretty much sucked. I know that the flu shot isn't always going to protect me, but still, I feel like it's a good choice for those in the healthcare field.

Specializes in Critical Care.

I'm disappointed with how few people are concerned about the side effects of the flu vaccine and blindly trust how safe it is and minimize the risks. I find it hard to believe I'm the only one that has taken care of or knows of others that have had guilliane barre from it. While the risk might seem low, people are getting seriously injured by it and no one knows who that person could be whether you, your loved ones, your coworkers, or fellow patients. Frankly I don't feel its poor effectiveness rate of about 50% warrants the risk, and I hate that we are supposed to promote this to our elderly patients! I also hate the thought of being mandated to take it just to keep a job! While the risk might seem low when you are the one it is not the same. Yes driving might be riskier but it is our choice to drive. There are many risks that we face in life, but we should have the choice of what we put in our body!

Specializes in Pediatrics, High-Risk L&D, Antepartum, L.
2012 was a bad year for me health wise (I spent basically the whole of 2012 in the hospital myself for a setback related to my spinal cord injury and right before I was going to be DC'd to home in May of 2012 a spinal headache that I had had previously reared its ugly head and the neurosurgeons suspected it was a chronic CSF leak from one of my spine surgeries for severe scoliosis. Not being able to locate it on radiographs my local NSG couldn't treat the CSF leak b/c he didn't know where to look for it and didn't want to do a multi level lami, so I stayed in LTAC for a few months until I was able to get to a CSF leak specialist at a tertiary care/teaching hospital in the big city near me in So. Cal). Anyways, after I finally got my CSF leak repaired I was transferred to a rehab hospital that deals with a LOT of spinal cord injury patients like myself. I noticed that nearly everyone had a green sticker on their name tag and inquired why (I test positive for MRSA colonization of the nares, so I am always on iso precautions to begin with) and found out that the sticker (green that year) means they had their flu shot that is "required" by admin. If you don't get the flu shot you must wear a mask when in direct contact with patients. There were a few nurses or therapists who chose not to vaccinate and wore the mask instead, and they didn't mind the mask. I think it just became second nature to them after a couple weeks.

I myself get the flu shot every year anyways b/c of my history of asthma and reduced lung capacity from scoliosis, and also b/c I have a genetic connective tissue disorder called Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (type 3 - hypermobility). I have never gotten sick from the flu shot (thankfully), but I have also never gotten the flu and I rarely get colds (I usually get full blown pneumonia before I show signs of a "cold").

I personally think that hospitals should make the flu shot optional, even if the state "requires" the shot for HCP's. I believe that not everyone should be forced into the shot just because it is easier for the hospital (or whatever!) and that the mask is a more than viable alternative for those who choose for religious, health or other reasons not to be vaccinated on a yearly basis.

I have children with hyper mobility EDS! I actually don't have them get the flu shot...because I'm concerned over the additional stress it puts on their bodies. They have good immune systems and I don't want to compromise that and risk other issue in addition to what they deal with.

I hate the idea of mandated flu vaccines. It's just not right. I'm always happy to hear of people who may feel the vaccine is right for them...but acknowledge that mandating it isn't right.

Specializes in ER, progressive care.

Wearing a mask around a patient would drive me crazy. Masks are hot, imo. My facility also gives us a choice between wearing a mask or getting the flu shot, but we also get to choose what mask we want to wear - whichever is the most comfortable. I opted on getting the flu shot instead.

I decline the flu shot as well, they actually contain monkey kidney cells. You can find all of the vaccine ingredients (or at least the ingredients the CDC is willing to disclose...) on the CDC's website. I opt out because they have a lot of other chemicals/preservatives I do not think should be injected into my body.

Specializes in Pediatric Hem/Onc.

Ahhhh.....the annual flu vaccine debate. It's how I know fall and great weather is coming :) This train is never late!

If I understand right the new egg free vaccines are made via insects, sounds creepy if you ask me!

Penicillin is made from mold. That's pretty disgusting if you ask me.

And 2/3 of people with Guillane Barre get it following illness, including the flu. http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/vaccine/guillainbarre.htm

I had to wear a mask last year, as I have always had a sensitivity to the vaccination and absolutely won't take them again. I have a lot of seasonal allergies and a bit of allergic asthma so wearing the mask was very hard to get used to. I work in a NICU so many of my patients are "under glass" in their isolettes... so for those, no mask when working through portholes. Also, no mask while charting or away from bedsides. It was irritating and the "season" got extended by about 2 months from what they had originally said.... but it was doable and I'll be doing it again this year. I didn't get the flu... didn't get sick at all and found myself thinking of the mask as a protection FOR ME! About 1 in 5 of my vaccinated coworkers got sick.

What I find INSANE... is that we are an OPEN unit. Parents can bring in as many different people as they want, around the clock, from admission to discharge... and NONE of those people are even asked about vaccination history. If nurses / doctors aren't able to be trusted to stay home when sick and utilize good hand hygiene practices... why trust us at all. The last person to put that baby at risk, in my opinion, would be the nurse. It all feels like a publicity stunt sometimes.

It all feels like a publicity stunt sometimes.

That's 90% what it is. The other 10% is they figure they won't have to deal with as many call-ins.

I have children with hyper mobility EDS! I actually don't have them get the flu shot...because I'm concerned over the additional stress it puts on their bodies. They have good immune systems and I don't want to compromise that and risk other issue in addition to what they deal with.

How many kids do you have and how many are effected by EDS 3? I have had symptoms for YEARS (as long as I can remember), and have been trying to get in to see the geneticist for over 2 years after an orthopedist who I saw for right shoulder pain first mentioned the possibility of a conn. tiss. disorder when he saw that I could dislocate my right shoulder on my own, and my left shoulder was very loose also, but not as loose as the rt. My other ortho. surgeon said he thought he had mentioned the possibility of a conn. tiss. disorder years ago (when I was in high school), but I verified with my mom that he never brought it up (he probably just thought about it but never said it). Anyways, I FINALLY got the official (rather than highly suspected by 2 orthos and 2 rheumatologists) diagnosis from the geneticist about 10 days ago.

I know that EDS is autosomal dominant so I have a high chance of passing it on to my children down the line, but wanted to hear from someone else their personal experience with passing down a defective gene. Do you or the kids dad have EDS? Do any of the grandparents or aunts/uncles have the trait? Sorry for all the questions.

Also, I don't vaccinate just bc of the EDS. If EDS were the only thing on my plate I would gladly skip the flu vaccine, but since I have asthma and decreased lung capacity from severe scoliosis (corrected, now fused from T2-Sacrum with anchors in the ilium) I feel that I would rather vaccinate than risk getting the flu and the possible respiratory symptoms that could come with it.

Specializes in Pediatrics, High-Risk L&D, Antepartum, L.
I had to wear a mask last year, as I have always had a sensitivity to the vaccination and absolutely won't take them again. I have a lot of seasonal allergies and a bit of allergic asthma so wearing the mask was very hard to get used to. I work in a NICU so many of my patients are "under glass" in their isolettes... so for those, no mask when working through portholes. Also, no mask while charting or away from bedsides. It was irritating and the "season" got extended by about 2 months from what they had originally said.... but it was doable and I'll be doing it again this year. I didn't get the flu... didn't get sick at all and found myself thinking of the mask as a protection FOR ME! About 1 in 5 of my vaccinated coworkers got sick.

What I find INSANE... is that we are an OPEN unit. Parents can bring in as many different people as they want, around the clock, from admission to discharge... and NONE of those people are even asked about vaccination history. If nurses / doctors aren't able to be trusted to stay home when sick and utilize good hand hygiene practices... why trust us at all. The last person to put that baby at risk, in my opinion, would be the nurse. It all feels like a publicity stunt sometimes.

I have 2 kids who have a diagnosis of EDS (one of them also has cerebral palsy). I have another child who has some signs but no issues from it so we haven't worried about getting him diagnosed at this point...he has Aspergers and dealing with that more than anything. I also have a little one who likely has it. Again, no issues but shows some signs. The ped thinks he has it. I'll probably make appointments to see the specialist in the next few years. I'm not in a rush.

There isn't anyone else in the family diagnosed with it. There are mild signs on each side (me and my husband) but not likely enough for a diagnosis on either of us.

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