What is your opinion on getting the flu shot?

Specialties Holistic

Published

  1. Do you want the flu shot?

    • 18
      Yes
    • 17
      No
    • 1
      Not sure

15 members have participated

Hi, I have gotten the flu shot every year for the past seven years I have been a nurse. I have decided that I have heard enough to convince me to not take it from now on. It is not mandatory at my facility but they push it very strongly. In other words, I have to think of a very good excuse for not taking it. I want to hear your thoughts and opinions on this and what I should do. Thanks!

Specializes in Tele, OB, public health.

How are you a nurse with such a poor understanding of herd immunity? Also, major citation needed that the flu shot doesn't work

As far as autonomy, feel free to practice it to your heart's content, unemployed because you are too selfish to get one little shot to protect your patients

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
I read the inserts and choose not to flu vaccinate. I have had the flu once. Yeah, I felt like crap for a week, but I survived. I stayed home and kept it to myself. It is my body, my choice...it that is good enough for an abortion (I am prolife), then it is good enough for me to not be forced to inject myself and risk the side effects. Enough said....My body is either mine or it is not.

Your body, your choice. However, you may be excluded from certain employment due to your choice. It's still your choice, of course.

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Specializes in primary care, holistic health, integrated medicine.

I am not unemployed, and I don't get the shot. There are plenty of "major citations" in the Medscape Article:

[h=1]Flu Vaccine for All: A Critical Look at the Evidence[/h] by Eric A. Biondi, MD, MS; C. Andrew Aligne, MD, MPH, which you can view with a free Medscape Account.

I have had a major reaction to this vaccine and I will never get it again. It put my father in the ICU for six months. So, if that happened to you, would you still get the vaccine? How are you a nurse who thinks that autonomy and self determination are not important ethical principles?

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Specializes in Tele, OB, public health.
I am not unemployed, and I don't get the shot. There are plenty of "major citations" in the Medscape Article:

Flu Vaccine for All: A Critical Look at the Evidence

by Eric A. Biondi, MD, MS; C. Andrew Aligne, MD, MPH, which you can view with a free Medscape Account.

I have had a major reaction to this vaccine and I will never get it again. It put my father in the ICU for six months. So, if that happened to you, would you still get the vaccine? How are you a nurse who thinks that autonomy and self determination are not important ethical principles?

If you have a legitimate, diagnosed reaction to the flu shot (not self-diagnosed) then what are you getting your jimmies all rustled over?? No employer can require you to take it

Was your father truly diagnosed with the flu shot being the cause of his ICU stay?

Also the article you posted is nothing more than a litertaure review full of cherry picking-

It in no way backs up your assertion in your original post that the shot "won't keep others safe"

To claim it offers no protection at all is just ludicrous

Finally as far as body autonomy, anyone who knows me IRL would back me up that I am a huge proponent of it- for my patients.

When you decided to be part of this profession, you chose to put the needs of others first and use evidence based practice- by universally condemning the use of the shot, you fail at both

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Specializes in Hospice and Palliative Nurse.

The analogy is simple...it is either my body or it is not. I choose not to vaccinate. I don't work directly with patients so I don't risk a vulnerable population. However, with the border wide open that really is a mute point isn't it?

Thank you for the opportunity to clarify. I really don't understand the tone of many who post here? Such anger....over what? At what point are we not able to voice an opinion....

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Specializes in Hospice and Palliative Nurse.

I love how people try and "guilt" others into getting this vaccine EVERY YEAR, with absolutely NO REAL EVIDENCE of its value, efficacy or safety. And if you have ever had a serious reaction, or witnessed a serious reaction, you would see things differently. What happened to "self-determination" and "autonomy"? You won't be keeping others safe by getting this vaccine, and if they have had it, then they are safe, anyway, correct?

Agreed....my body, my choice. Seems to work for pro choice, just not vaccination issues, interesting?

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Specializes in primary care, holistic health, integrated medicine.

I would love to see you prove that it can keep others safe. And of course, I am not "self diagnosing". You might need to take a research course. And yes, my father had the original "swine flu" vaccine, in the 70s, as he was in LE, and he developed GB and was in the ICU for six months. He got the shot, then GB. But of course, it probably wasn't this vaccine... just a coincidence. But to call someone selfish for not getting this vaccine? I hope that no questionable outcome that ever happens to you or anyone you care about. I witnessed nurses like yourself shaming one of my colleagues, for also not getting this vaccine, actually YELLING at her in the hospital. She had had a nearly fatal brain tumor, and her neurosurgeon told her explicitly NOT to get this vaccine. As a matter of fact, very FEW of the MDs, who were contract employees, actually had the vaccination the first year it was made mandatory, and I wore a mask, as did she and ALL of the other MSN prepared nurses that worked in this particular institution. Everything is not so black and white. And some people are clearly unable to discern what is in the gray areas. That is the difference, possibly, in education, or maybe simply a critical thinking issue. Not sure. Again, I hope you never have to encounter a similar situation. However, I would implore you to open your mind, and your heart, just a little, for what you might not actually know.

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Specializes in primary care, holistic health, integrated medicine.

You are so freaking lucky.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, post surgical.

Here's my anecdotal evidence: I probably had the flu in my early 20s, not diagnosed, but sick as could be. I am 50, have not had the flu since then and have only received two flu vaccines in my lifetime. How can that be? My first flu vaccine was in nursing school. I remember we did it for practice or something. I vaccinated my kids and my mom. My mom got really sick and she has sworn off flu vaccines since then which probably wouldn't work on her since she has leukemia. She still hasn't had the flu in over 13 years and she is 81 and she doesn't wear a mask.

The second and last time I got the flu vaccine was in 2006 and a few days later I was sick and missed work. The first year we were forced to wear a mask I was starting to be more aware of my patient's health histories. That year I had two older female patients with documented vaccine injuries. I was astounded to see that. They both had chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy. Only one of them specified the flu vaccine and this lady was experiencing progressive pain and difficulty walking 13 years afterwards. I have also cared for a patient with a history of GBS from a vaccine. I don't care for a huge number of patients since I've been part time for the last 8 years so these aren't a tiny fraction of a large pool of patients.

In 2014 the majority of our hospitalized patients with the flu had been vaccinated with the strain they were cultured with.

I have more to say on this subject.

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Here's my anecdotal evidence: I probably had the flu in my early 20s, not diagnosed, but sick as could be. I am 50, have not had the flu since then and have only received two flu vaccines in my lifetime. How can that be? My first flu vaccine was in nursing school. I remember we did it for practice or something. I vaccinated my kids and my mom. My mom got really sick and she has sworn off flu vaccines since then which probably wouldn't work on her since she has leukemia. She still hasn't had the flu in over 13 years and she is 81 and she doesn't wear a mask.

The second and last time I got the flu vaccine was in 2006 and a few days later I was sick and missed work. The first year we were forced to wear a mask I was starting to be more aware of my patient's health histories. That year I had two older female patients with documented vaccine injuries. I was astounded to see that. They both had chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy. Only one of them specified the flu vaccine and this lady was experiencing progressive pain and difficulty walking 13 years afterwards. I have also cared for a patient with a history of GBS from a vaccine. I don't care for a huge number of patients since I've been part time for the last 8 years so these aren't a tiny fraction of a large pool of patients.

In 2014 the majority of our hospitalized patients with the flu had been vaccinated with the strain they were cultured with.

I have more to say on this subject.

Im sorry, but what's your point? You acknowledge your "evidence" is all anecdotal, but I'm not exactly sure what point you are trying to make?

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Just for kicks I will add my anecdotal evidence. Had the flu once in my mid 20's and was so sick I thought I might die. Took me (young, healthy, active) 2 full weeks to recover enough to return to work. I have had a flu shot every year since and no flu. My kids have been immunized for flu since infancy, and never had it. My husband is wishy washy, but ends up with flu every single year he misses the vax. My father also has leukemia, and has had the flu the last 2 seasons even though vaccinated. One year required hospitalization, one did not. I have had on GBS patient in my 16+ years. She was not vaccinated.

So so my anecdotes cancel out yours. See why anecdotal evidence is useless when talking healthcare and evidence based practice?

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Specializes in Med/Surg, post surgical.
Just for kicks I will add my anecdotal evidence. Had the flu once in my mid 20's and was so sick I thought I might die. Took me (young, healthy, active) 2 full weeks to recover enough to return to work. I have had a flu shot every year since and no flu. My kids have been immunized for flu since infancy, and never had it. My husband is wishy washy, but ends up with flu every single year he misses the vax. My father also has leukemia, and has had the flu the last 2 seasons even though vaccinated. One year required hospitalization, one did not. I have had on GBS patient in my 16+ years. She was not vaccinated.

So so my anecdotes cancel out yours. See why anecdotal evidence is useless when talking healthcare and evidence based practice?

Sorry, but my two patients with documented chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy clearly trump your story.

And to respond to your first reply to my post; the common theme I have seen in this thread is that it is the nurse's responsibility to protect their patients by getting a flu vaccine which is touted as being safe. The problem is is that there are risks with the flu vaccine. I have seen it in person and on paper. Check out the numbers for the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program: from 1998- 2013 there were 1157 injury claims and 67 deaths filed for the influenza vaccine. 642 of these cases were compensated and 125 were dismissed.

Take a look at the insert for this year's Fluvirin vaccine. It states that, "There are, however, no adequate and well-controlled studies in pregnant women........., this vaccine should be used during pregnancy only if clearly needed." And yet in last week's L.A. Times they quote a doctor as saying that the flu vaccine is safe for pregnant women at any stage of pregnancy. And since 1997 they have only studied a total of 397 geriatric patients in clinical trials with this vaccine.

What I don't understand is why some nurses get so bent out of shape when a fellow nurse chooses to decline a medical intervention. Do you really feel like your safety is threatened, and if so why? Do you have proof of an unvaccinated nurse giving the flu to someone? Is it the 30,000 yearly flu deaths you have heard about?

And you seriously need to help your husband find out why he is so susceptible to illness.

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