Have you had a bad reaction to the H1N1 vaccine? If so what happened?

MissBrittanyRN · Nov 8, 2009

Thanks DuluthMike that makes perfect sense

mcknis · Nov 8, 2009

I received the vaccine without any complications; however, it is important to note that it was believed that I had the actual virus for a week before receiving the vaccine. The medical staff and myself believe I had acquired enough of a natural titer level, so who truly knows.

prmenrs, RN · Nov 8, 2009

I got the seasonal flu shot a week ago last Friday (i.e., 10/30), H1N1 on Monday and Pneumovax this past Fri (11/6). All in the R arm. It finally started to bother me very slightly after the 3rd shot.

Can't hardly blame it, but I do feel well prepared for winter!

RhiaRN75, RN · Nov 9, 2009

I had it, along with the seasonal flu a few weeks before. I was really tired for about a week afterwards, but this is typical for me after any vaccine. My Mom says I was the same way with childhood vaccines.

I've heard from other people at work who had the vaccine that it seemed to hurt more, but that's about the only thing I've heard so far.

I never had flu vaccines until I started working in the ER. I'm still not positive it's a good idea. On the other hand, I've never had the flu, although I wonder about 'the stomach bug' I had this year. I felt soooo cruddy! It wasn't but a few days after I started feeling better that some reports came out that the H1N1 seemed to have more GI symptoms then the seasonal flu. After school started, H1N1 was rampant in my area and both of my children had something that was the same as what I was seeing at work. I didn't even try to take them to the doc so they never had a flu swab. We did send several cultures out on pts from work that tested positive for H1N1, but after a few positives we stopped.

kcochrane · Nov 9, 2009

I had the nasal mist. Felt a little under the weather for a few days, but nothing more than that.

allnurses Guide · Nov 9, 2009

Got the shot today - no effects so far.

rn/writer, RN · Nov 9, 2009

Got the seasonal flu vaccine in early October and the H1N1 injection on Oct. 24th. No side effects or symptoms from either one. My state has been particularly hard hit by H1N1 and has a death toll among the highest. I also take care of infants, so I am in the group recommended to get the injection rather than the mist. I was happy to recieve both flu shots and had no reservations whatsoever after hearing how hard some have been hit by the virus itself.

**RosesrReder, BSN, MSN, RN** · Nov 10, 2009

Got the seasonal like every year with no side effects. Got the H1N1 a week later and no effects either. Just a very mild headache but it could have been the stressful admission I had that day........lol

allnurses Guide · Nov 11, 2009

Got the shot Monday, and have pooh-hooed most accounts of illness post-shot, but have felt like crap since the day after vax. Constant headache, nausea, fever. Had to leave work early today because I felt so horrid. Still better than the swine flu I guess! Off to bed.

lamazeteacher · Nov 12, 2009

hi pedinurse,
i am just curious. was your daughter tested for the actual h1n1 strain? the antigen may be present right after vaccination by flumist, but it takes time for antibodies to form, possibly 3 weeks....the reason i ask is because i did not know that antibiotics were effective treatment for the influenza virus. thanks, and i hope she is feeling better! antibiotics are given those in the high risk groups, which include children, not to kill the h1n1 virus but to get the bacteria that come afterward, which attack the respiratory tract.
i have not done my own research on this, and i may sound silly for even wondering this up. if the live attenuated h1n1 mist sheds live virus, and somebody develops flu sx (which is not uncommon after receiving the vaccine, (actually, that's uncommon) as the vaccine is doing it's job by activating your immune system) would the h1n1 strain possible show up when they are tested? for example, lets say that i received the mist and developed side effects. i go to my doctor for flu sx, but i do not tell him that i received the mist 2 days ago. he tests me for the h1n1 strain. even if i have not actually caught h1n1, can it show up in the test, as the live attenuated virus sheds from the vaccine?

hmmmm, you're thinking, that's for sure; and running into walls with thoughts that haven't been refined or investigated, yet.

hopefully if someone had side effects from having an h1n1 vaccination that were so uncomfortable, with fever that actual flu was suspected and went to a doctor, one would certainly hope they'd tell the doctor about having the vaccine, not remain quiet to test how clever the doctor is.

not many doctors keep electronic microscopes in their offices, that are powerful enough to discern an attenuated virus from an active one. once the doctor got that his/her patient was witholding essential information, they'd hardly like a patient like that,afterward. i sure wouldn't want to risk the good patient doctor relationship i have with mine, for an anecdotal result.

lamazeteacher · Nov 12, 2009

Well, TV news just reported that some people who were vaccinated against H1N1 flu, have gotten it........now that's what I'd call a bad reaction!

So people who won't take that vaccine, seeing it as futile, were interviewed. Isn't that swell? The results aren't in yet (not possibly time enough for such a result to be certain), on the relatively small sample of people who have gotten vaccinated - and most of them are in high risk groups.....

MissBrittanyRN · Nov 12, 2009

Thanks lamaze teacher, for answering my questions. I too hope that my scenerio would never be true, and that a person would not withold that info from their MD. I don't even know why I used that scenario to formulate my questions, which was just if someone would test positive after having the mist. For some odd reason, I thought it would make my question more easy to understand, but I don't know what I was thinking, as that was not even a hard to understand question lol. thanks again :-)