POZ Community Forums
Main Forums => Living With HIV => Topic started by: Assurbanipal on October 02, 2009, 07:36:34 pm
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Is everyone signing up for the flu shots this year? Be a few weeks before the swine flu shots are available but I see the regular shots are here. I get the regular flu shot next week.
The latest news on swine flu sounds like it would be a good idea to be up to date on the every 5 year pneumonia shot too. When they autopsied 77 swine flu deaths, about a third had complications from bacterial pneumonia. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/02/health/02flu.htm
So who has had which shot?
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I dropped by my clinic at 3:45 PM today and the lab guy had left for the day. I was a bit over it. I've had a pneumonia shot within the past five years.
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I had the flu shot Thursday morning at 7:00. I've already had the pneumonia shot and the booster.
Ray
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I got my seasonal flu shot about 3 weeks ago.
I'm not due for the Pneumovax until Sept 2010.
Will get my H1N1 shot as soon as I am able......
Mike
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I know it's coincidental but in the last 20 yrs the two times I got the flu shot, I also came down with the flu. ::) Every year since, the doctor offers and I decline. ;)
However, I was just at my first visit to my new clinic since I just moved from Ohio back down to live with my family in South Carolina. At the initial medical intake interview, I decided that while they were poking and prodding me, what was one more poke? ROFL So I got the flu shot. Especially since I'm in a new climate now, not around the same of germs that I've been accustomed to for the last 2 decades, and hanging out with my mom, her hubby, and my grandmother (all seniors) a lot more.
Going to this new clinic is turning out to be a pretty good thing. I'm getting my eyes checked (been using reading glasses for about two yrs, so I imagine I'm in store for the real things), teeth checked, just about everything looked at and checked over (and I mean everything! They were looking in places no one has seen for a long time LOL) After sticking me with the flu shot and then getting those first 10 vials of blood for my lab work, they even stuck me to see if I was about to drop over from TB. LOL These new nurses threathened, I mean, seemed really anxious to stick their new patient with those pnuemonia and swine flu shots during one of my next visits. Lordy, I'll either be healthy as a horse or dead after all this attention. ROFL ;D
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I need to go get mine. Is it every 7 years for the pneumonia shot?
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I need to go get mine. Is it every 7 years for the pneumonia shot?
Every 5 years.
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I got the flu shot last week. It is mandatory at my workplace.
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I got the flu shot about a month ago.
Pneumonia shot I got last year.
H1N1 I'll get as part of my next scheduled appt., which will be in December. I don't want to make a special trip to the doctor just for that (although I guess I should consider it in case they run out?).
My neighbor who is not HIV+ and is in his 50s was told by his doctor that he can't get the H1N1 shot because he's over 50. I guess since younger people are more susceptible they get first dibs.
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i got both the flu & pneumo vaccines last week...no side effects.
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I received an e-mail yesterday at work that they are offering free flu shots to all the employees! Makes things a little easier.... skeebo likes easy!
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In certain Canadian provinces, health authorities are delaying the roll out of the regular flu shot until after the H1N1 shot. A recent Canadian study ( www.cbc.ca/health/story/2009/09/23/flu-shots-h1n1-seasonal.html (http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2009/09/23/flu-shots-h1n1-seasonal.html) ) suggested seasonal flu shots may actually increase H1N1 risk. The province I live in - Nova Scotia - is amongst those doing the H1N1 vaccination first (starting early next month) followed by the regular flu shot. But, some provinces are doing the seasonal flu shot first --then H1N1.
I'm sure I could go to my family doctor and get the regular flu shot first ---but I'm going to stick with the plan. My ID doc doesn't anticipate a problem.
I had the 5 year pneumonia shot last year.
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I received my influenza vaccine last Saturday, I'm waiting for the H1N1 vaccine to be available.
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We have the N1H1 vaccine already available but I've not had it yet.
I thought for some reason, that this vaccine was going to be a live version of the virus and was not sure if I should/could take it or not?
What's the deal?
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We the N1H1 vaccine already available but I've not had it yet.
I thought for some reason, that this vaccine was going to be a live version of the virus and was not sure if I should/could take it or not?
What's the deal?
It's the same deal as the seasonal flu vaccine; swine flu vaccine will be produced in two versions:
- a mist that contains live virus
- a shot
The mist should be avoided by poz folks, but that version wound up being easier to manufacture and is coming out first by a few weeks.
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I have also heard that Poz folks shouldn't be around anyone who has had either the live flu mist or the live H1N1 mist (or any live vaccine for that matter) for at least 2wks because there's a chance you can catch it. Was anyone else told this?
Mum
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Before coming to this forum, I never even knew pneumonia shots existed :-\
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I have also heard that Poz folks shouldn't be around anyone who has had either the live flu mist or the live H1N1 mist (or any live vaccine for that matter) for at least 2wks because there's a chance you can catch it. Was anyone else told this?
Mum
The CDC has a fact sheet on the flu mist vaccine. They appear to think it is safe unless you have severe enough immune deficiency to require hospitalization:
"Can people receiving the nasal-spray flu vaccine LAIV (FluMist®) pass the vaccine viruses to others?In clinical studies, transmission of vaccine viruses to close contacts has occurred only rarely. The current estimated risk of getting infected with vaccine virus after close contact with a person vaccinated with the nasal-spray flu vaccine is low (0.6%-2.4%). Because the viruses are weakened, infection is unlikely to result in influenza illness symptoms since the vaccine viruses have not been shown to mutate into typical or naturally occurring influenza viruses.
Can contacts of people with weakened immune systems get the nasal-spray flu vaccine LAIV (FluMist®)?
People who are in contact with others with severely weakened immune systems when they are being cared for in a protective environment (for example, people with hematopoietic stem cell transplants), should not get LAIV (FluMist®). People who have contact with others with lesser degrees of immunosuppression (for example, people with diabetes, people with asthma taking corticosteroids, or people infected with HIV) can get LAIV (FluMist®)."
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/nasalspray.htm
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Before coming to this forum, I never even knew pneumonia shots existed :-\
It's called pneumovax in the US and protects against bacterial pneumonia but not PCP. My regular doctor gave it to me (I have a separate ID doc -- she said it was ok to do it)
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I'll be getting my flu show in about two weeks. I've never had the pneumonia shot. How important is it that I get it? In November I'll be seeing my ID doctor, should I ask then?
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I'll be getting my flu show in about two weeks. I've never had the pneumonia shot. How important is it that I get it? In November I'll be seeing my ID doctor, should I ask then?
As I understand, the pneumonia shot is recommended for everyone with HIV, but it's more important for those with low CD4 counts .
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I received the pneumonia shot last year, when my CD4 count was only 89. Should I get it again before the five years are up or is it likely to have "taken"?
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As I understand, the pneumonia shot is recommended for everyone with HIV, but it's more important for those with low CD4 counts .
Thanks for the response. I probably should get a pneumonia shot.
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As I understand, the pneumonia shot is recommended for everyone with HIV, but it's more important for those with low CD4 counts .
The CDC does recommend that all people with HIV get the pneumovax shot ASAP
"Persons with asymptomatic or symptomatic HIV infection should be vaccinated as
soon as possible after their diagnosis is confirmed."
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/rr/rr4608.pdf
But it is probably more effective in people with higher CD4 counts rather than lower ones
"Although the vaccine is not as effective for immunocompromised patients
as it is for immunocompetent persons, the potential benefits and safety of the vaccine
justify its use." (CDC doc)
There's similar info in the lessons http://www.aidsmeds.com/articles/BacterialPneumonia_6706.shtml
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I received the pneumonia shot last year, when my CD4 count was only 89. Should I get it again before the five years are up or is it likely to have "taken"?
You should probably chat with your doctor, but the CDC page seems to say that you should wait 5 years
It recommends "Single revaccination if ³5 years have
elapsed since receipt of first dose."
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/rr/rr4608.pdf
Table 2
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I was at the doc's today. I got the pneumonia shot for the first time. In Ontario Canada they don't have the H1N1 shots ready yet. I made an appointment to get it the end of October when they should be ready. He recommended me to get the regular flue shot the end of November.
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So out my kitchen window, down a floor and in the unit to the right I've heard incessant hacking now for days. I think that they have a baby and/or young kids too. I'm just imagining swine flu flowing up here.
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So out my kitchen window, down a floor and in the unit to the right I've heard incessant hacking now for days. I think that they have a baby and/or young kids too. I'm just imagining swine flu flowing up here.
Some people probably think they can get HIV that way, too. ;)
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Some people probably think they can get HIV that way, too. ;)
Then they have much to fear because the queen below me I think has teh AIDZ as well.
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Got the seasonal flu vaccine Tuesday.
H1N1 not yet available through our clinic.
Intending to get it once it's available.
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i will be getting the flu shot in 3-4 weeks.
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Well worth reading. CDC released this 10-8-90 for clinicians.
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/vaccination/clinicians_qa.htm
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One down, one to go.
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It's called pneumovax in the US and protects against bacterial pneumonia but not PCP. My regular doctor gave it to me (I have a separate ID doc -- she said it was ok to do it)
I was given a pneumonia vaccine earlier today and hot damn the lymph node in my armpit hurts so much I can't even put my arm down. My regular flu shot was a walk in the park by comparison.
Interestingly, my doctor's office ran out of regular flu shots and the H1N1 shots (dead virus) still aren't available.
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Got my regular flu shot last week.
H1N1 they said should be out by beginning of Nov. in Michigan. But heard on the way home from work today on the news that there may be a shortage of it.
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I was given a pneumonia vaccine earlier today and hot damn the lymph node in my armpit hurts so much I can't even put my arm down. My regular flu shot was a walk in the park by comparison.
Interestingly, my doctor's office ran out of regular flu shots and the H1N1 shots (dead virus) still aren't available.
Hope you are feeling better today. I got the pneumovax and a flu shot together 3 years ago and I can't quite recollect which arm ached longer, but they were both ok after about 3 days.
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Hope you are feeling better today. I got the pneumovax and a flu shot together 3 years ago and I can't quite recollect which arm ached longer, but they were both ok after about 3 days.
Thank you :)
I ended up taking two codeine, which left me feeling fine. No pain today thankfully.
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I had my flu shot on Thursday and no ill effects. I am considering not having the H1N1 vaccine as I am old enough to have been exposed to it back in the 70's. I hear its mostly youngsters who are affected by this H1N1.
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The CDC put out an update last week. Summarizing:
1) People with HIV are on the priority list for vaccinations even if they are over age 25
2) You should get the shot, not the mist.
3) If you feel sick with flu symptoms (e.g., cough, sore throat, rhinorrhea, fever or feverishness, headache, muscle aches, vomiting and diarrhea) it is best to see the doctor early on. For serious cases they will want to prescribe Tamiflu or Relenza ( oseltamivir or zanamivir), and they work best when started in the first 48 hours after you get sick.
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/guidance_hiv.htm
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Got my H1N1 tonight, there's a vaccine clinic close to my house. Despite the media hysteria, I only had to wait 25 minutes. Today was the first day for kids under 5 to qualify to get it, so lots of tears! Canada isn't doing the mist, just shots. The vaccine here has an adjuvant booster, which should increase its effectiveness.
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I called my ID clinic this morning. ( I live in Halifax, NS, Canada). I was told they will not have the H1N1 vaccine until later this week or next. I then called my GP and was told they were only taking appointments for children under 5yrs and pregnant woman and had already run out of their vaccine allotment for this week. HIV+, asthmatics, diabetics etc have been taken off the 'high risk list because of a shortgage of the vaccine in Canada. When vaccine availability increases then I assume those 'chronic diseases' will go back on the high risk list. GP says I can come in for 'seasonal flu' shot anytime---but I'm going to wait. I'm not overly concerned 'yet'. Hopefully things will be resolved in next few weeks and I will have both by the end of November.
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im in jersey city, same thing. not for HIV only for childeren now. this was the GP.. ID doc dosn't have any either.
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It was already very, very clear in my mind that I would not be getting a flu shot of any kind, but if I had been inclined to waver this discussion would have fortified my anti-vaccine resolution.
First, leatherman said:
"I know it's coincidental but in the last 20 yrs the two times I got the flu shot, I also came down with the flu. "
It may well have been coincidental, but that hardly says much for the shots' efficacy!
Then Scotian tells us that:
" In certain Canadian provinces, health authorities are delaying the roll out of the regular flu shot until after the H1N1 shot. A recent Canadian study ( www.cbc.ca/health/story/2009/09/23/flu-shots-h1n1-seasonal.html ) suggested seasonal flu shots may actually increase H1N1 risk."
Think about the implications of this! If a "seasonal flu shot" can increase our risk of swine flu, that means that for some unspecified time after getting it we are actually weaker than before. And what else, I wonder, might happen to us while we are weakened by the flu shot that was supposed to help us? We who already have weakened immune systems?
Minismom said:
" I have also heard that Poz folks shouldn't be around anyone who has had either the live flu mist or the live H1N1 mist (or any live vaccine for that matter) for at least 2wks because there's a chance you can catch it."
Considering the fact that we are all almost guaranteed to be around lots of people who will have had that thing, this is terrifying.
And as for the response:
"In clinical studies, transmission of vaccine viruses to close contacts has occurred only rarely. The current estimated risk of getting infected with vaccine virus after close contact with a person vaccinated with the nasal-spray flu vaccine is low (0.6%-2.4%)"
Somehow this leaves me less than reassured. 2.4% or 0.6% sound low, but in terms of absolute numbers it's hardly low at all. What is 0.6% of New York's sixteen million people? What is 2.4% of them? That could mean thousands of people getting the vaccine because of the flu shot.
More importantly, the implications are disturbing. If there is a chance that numbers of people can catch the flu because of proximity to someone else who merely got the flu shot, that suggests that the flu shot is in fact a live and dangerous virus, and that everyone who gets it will be carrying that virus around for two weeks. Maybe leatherman's experience--and he is hardly the only one to have had it--of having gotten the flu the two times he got the shot wasn't, after all, a coincidence?
And finally:
"I was given a pneumonia vaccine earlier today and hot damn the lymph node in my armpit hurts so much I can't even put my arm down."
I don't know about you, but that doesn't sound like a very health-giving procedure to me. Two years ago my doctor really tried hard to convince me to get the pneumonia vaccine; I'm glad I stood firm.
So here I am, confirmed in my own resolution not to go near the flu vaccine with a ten-foot pole, when I read GSOgymrat saying that:
"It is mandatory at my workplace."
I may be the least litigious person on earth, but that workplace needs to be sued. Could there be any more intimate, more personal matter in which a workplace could try to interfere? The choice of whether or not to put a controversial and potentially harmful substance into my own body is going to be dictated to me by my boss? If they can mandate that, what could they not mandate?
It gives me the chills just thinking about it.
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It was already very, very clear in my mind that I would not be getting a flu shot of any kind, but if I had been inclined to waver this discussion would have fortified my anti-vaccine resolution.
First, leatherman said:
"I know it's coincidental but in the last 20 yrs the two times I got the flu shot, I also came down with the flu. "
It may well have been coincidental, but that hardly says much for the shots' efficacy!
Then Scotian tells us that:
" In certain Canadian provinces, health authorities are delaying the roll out of the regular flu shot until after the H1N1 shot. A recent Canadian study ( www.cbc.ca/health/story/2009/09/23/flu-shots-h1n1-seasonal.html ) suggested seasonal flu shots may actually increase H1N1 risk."
Think about the implications of this! If a "seasonal flu shot" can increase our risk of swine flu, that means that for some unspecified time after getting it we are actually weaker than before. And what else, I wonder, might happen to us while we are weakened by the flu shot that was supposed to help us? We who already have weakened immune systems?
Nestor
One of the oddities in using statistical tests to try to prove scientific hypotheses is that if you run enough studies with low enough confidence intervals, sooner or later you will find a study that, by sheer random variation, produces inaccurate results. The CDC reviewed studies of the vaccine in the US Canada Australia and Mexico. Here's what they found:
" I heard that getting a seasonal flu vaccine increases a person’s chances of getting the 2009 H1N1 flu virus. Is this true?[/b]
CDC has reviewed data from studies done in the United States, and these studies along with a published study from Australia found that receipt of seasonal influenza vaccine neither increased nor decreased the risk of getting 2009 H1N1 influenza. In contrast, a small published study from Mexico found that seasonal vaccine provided some protection against 2009 H1N1. There has been recent media coverage about research conducted in Canada that suggests getting a season flu vaccination increases a person’s chances for becoming infected with the 2009 H1N1 flu virus. No other country has reported that seasonal vaccine has any positive or negative effect on the risk of getting 2009 H1N1 influenza. CDC is continuing to review the data as it becomes available."
Quoted from the CDC vaccine FAQ http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/vaccination/public/vaccination_qa_pub.htm
Minismom said:
" I have also heard that Poz folks shouldn't be around anyone who has had either the live flu mist or the live H1N1 mist (or any live vaccine for that matter) for at least 2wks because there's a chance you can catch it."
Considering the fact that we are all almost guaranteed to be around lots of people who will have had that thing, this is terrifying.
And as for the response:
"In clinical studies, transmission of vaccine viruses to close contacts has occurred only rarely. The current estimated risk of getting infected with vaccine virus after close contact with a person vaccinated with the nasal-spray flu vaccine is low (0.6%-2.4%)"
Somehow this leaves me less than reassured. 2.4% or 0.6% sound low, but in terms of absolute numbers it's hardly low at all. What is 0.6% of New York's sixteen million people? What is 2.4% of them? That could mean thousands of people getting the vaccine because of the flu shot.
More importantly, the implications are disturbing. If there is a chance that numbers of people can catch the flu because of proximity to someone else who merely got the flu shot, that suggests that the flu shot is in fact a live and dangerous virus, and that everyone who gets it will be carrying that virus around for two weeks. Maybe leatherman's experienced he is hardly the only one to have had it--of having gotten the flu the two times he got the shot wasn't, after all, a coincidence?
There is no risk of catching the flu due to someone getting a flu shot. There is a small risk of catching a weak flu due to someone else getting the flu mist. The mist has weakened "live" virus; that is different from the shot, which only has "dead" virus. People with HIV should get the shot not the mist.
And you appear to have missed a key point. For the small fraction of people who catch the flu mist form of the virus, they are getting a different strain of swine flu from the wild strain that people are most worried about. Those people are catching a genetically weakened strain of the original. If you get infected with the weakened flu mist variant, it is likely to only affect your nasal passages, not move to your lungs. But it is similar enough to the strong swine flu that you would then have antibodies that should protect you from the full strength flu virus.
And finally:
"I was given a pneumonia vaccine earlier today and hot damn the lymph node in my armpit hurts so much I can't even put my arm down."
I don't know about you, but that doesn't sound like a very health-giving procedure to me. Two years ago my doctor really tried hard to convince me to get the pneumonia vaccine; I'm glad I stood firm.
The post you quoted was from October 15. The next day that poster said: "No pain today thankfully."
So here I am, confirmed in my own resolution not to go near the flu vaccine with a ten-foot pole, when I read GSOgymrat saying that:
"It is mandatory at my workplace."
I may be the least litigious person on earth, but that workplace needs to be sued. Could there be any more intimate, more personal matter in which a workplace could try to interfere? The choice of whether or not to put a controversial and potentially harmful substance into my own body is going to be dictated to me by my boss? If they can mandate that, what could they not mandate?
It gives me the chills just thinking about it.
GSOgymrat works in healthcare. While some workplaces have taken this too far, it does not seem unreasonable to require some health care workers (e.g. those who will be working with people who are severely immunocompromised) to take steps to avoid transmitting contagious disease.
Look, in the end, just like any medicine (including HAART) it's your choice whether or not to get vaccinated. Just like HAART, vaccines do not work for absolutely 100% of people, but they work for the vast majority and there is firm science to back up their effectiveness.
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Influenza last month, HEP A & B 5 mos. ago, Pneumonia last year, Influenza every year for years and it has served me well. Several of my doctors have told me I need to get H1N1 asap, but no-one has gotten any in yet.
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"GSOgymrat works in healthcare."
Well, that's a different story then--if I'd known that before I wouldn't have carried on about it. If someone said that his job required him to be at church on Sunday morning, I would find it odd, but if it turned out that he worked for the church, then it would begin to make sense.
I wasn't always dead-set against getting vaccinated, but I had a strong predisposition against it. There was, however, one time when I allowed my doctor to talk me into a vaccine. I don't even remember what it was for--this was shortly after I was diagnosed with HIV--but I think it was Hepatitis; anyway it was supposed to be the first of a three-part vaccination, one shot every month or so. Anyway, after the very first shot, there were itchy red spots on my arm which lasted for a week or two, and even my doctor thought that might suggest an allergy to the vaccine and that I shouldn't get the others. I took that as a sign that I should stick with my 'gut feeling' on the matter.
Thanks for the additional information!
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I received my annual flu shot last Friday and had my pneumonia shot as well (in the other arm). My arm has not reacted well to the pneumonia shot and has gotten very red. Luckily, I had my appointment previously scheduled with my ID yesterday. He said he has never seen such a reaction as bad as mine and prescribed a medication in case it does not start to fade. My arm ached so much the following two days and I felt lethargy like never before from a shot. It still is red, but I feel fine. He said it could be some kind of bacteria from the shot. Anyone ever have a situation like this?