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The H1N1 Debate
We are a skeptical culture. We’re paranoid that we are going to get sick from everything. We are concerned that our kids will die from every sickness. We are worried about viruses that are all around us. And at the same time we are paranoid that the Government is pumping us full of useless, dangerous chemicals. We’re vigilant to not let ‘Big Brother’ take over. We’re naturalists.
So here’s my question. Did you, or are you planning to get the H1N1 vaccination? And your reasoning. Ready? Go.
- haven’t got it
- probably will eventually
- There have been lots of cases around us as it is, and several people have told me they were told they had H1N1, but weren’t tested – so, whether they really had it is of some question, which then begs the question: just how diligently are they tracking this thing? Are the statistics we read accurate?
- everyone I’ve known who’s had it has recovered fine with rest and treating the symptoms.
- I am, however, diabetic and therefore in a “high-risk” group so I imagine my Dr. will be aghast that I haven’t had a shot already and I’ll end up getting one when I go in for my regular checkup in Dec- which I just realized is a month away and I need to make an appointment.
Nope, not planning on it. I am fortunately a pretty healthy guy when it comes to common colds and flu. I usually get down every three years or so for a few days. I had a family member who came down with it. They felt like poo-poo for a few days and Tamiflu kicked it out with no more issues than the normal flu. The “normal” flu kills about 36,000/yr so you have to look at the other H1N1 numbers in light of that. Also have to understand the demographics of those who become fatalities…
Nope, haven’t gotten it and I’m not going to either. Neither are my children are under 18 years old. We are rarely sick.
Personally, I don’t see the point of the flu shot. Unless you are elderly or have health issues. But that’s me.
My oldest daughter is going to college in OR. She told me she got the shot because she had the flu real bad last year and she wasn’t going to go through that again. It turns out that her fiancee got the H1N1 and she’s been around him a lot and she didn’t get it. So she’s happy. I’m not mad at her for it. She knows her body and the last 3 years she’s been on the mainland in the PNW she’s been sick a lot.
I got a flu shot but not the H1N1 and I have no plans to get one.
No plans to get it. My daughter had H1N1 and it wasn’t all that bad. No one else in the house got it (miraculous considering they’re so little and not great at all that hygiene stuff).
Nope, I refuse to get the shot and the illness! =D
My daughter and my Brother-in-Law, who lives with me, have been ill. I have not gotten anything but a sore throat, but then again, it is dry outside and I use a room heater which also dries out the air.
As I see it, these germs have been around forever and as we clean too much and unnecessary antibiotic usage, our body cannot fight them off as easily or they mutate. Since I do not take antibiotics at every turn, my body can fight them off a little better than most. I also have good hygiene practices, but do not over do it with hand sanitizer every time I touch something.
Brody: Yes for me and my family. We went Monday morning at 5:30am at the Wayne County Heath Center (Near Detroit) and all five of my family members were vaccinated with the injectable H1N1 vaccine. We were the fourth family in line (at 5:30am!) and the line wrapped around the building. Even the local news was there capturing the story and interviewing some of us.
There is no paranoia driving the decision to get the vaccine, (nor is there a political beliefe that there is a government conspiracy at work here). The driver for us was simple…Dr.’s Orders! Our middle daughter (12), also known as, MiddleC, is a cancer survivor (Brody you met her a couple of weeks ago at the Michigan show). She has had two major chest-cavity surgeries, had a portion(s) of her right lung removed twice, undergone a stem-cell-transplant and was treated for 18 months for contracting a fungus (during transplant) in her lungs. Her Oncologist strongly urged us to get the H1N1 vaccine.
We have concerns over the unknown, however, the Dr.’s were clear on their preference for our family. I am guessing that if our family never crossed paths with pediatric cancer we would not have gotten the vaccine.
Haven’t gotten it yet as I’m not considered in the high risk group. I do get the regular flu vaccine every year and it does seem to help so I will probably get the H1N1 vaccine eventually. I can’t take antihistamines so I have a very hard time breathing when I get cold and flu symptoms. I heard that one of the issues with the H1N1 is that it tends to affect the lower respiratory tract and that is one of the reasons it can affect people more severely.
My wife and I have chosen not to expose our daughters to the vaccine. The cure maybe worse than the cause.
Nope not doin’ it. I am a wiener when it comes to needles/shots and putting stuff INTO my body that hasn’t been tested and tested and tested, no thanks. I also cried (okay just a little) with both boys first shots.
We all got a flu shot about 3 yrs ago and we all got sick right after…Since then no flu shot s and no flu knock on wood.
I don’t know about the conspiracy theory but I do have an opinion that biochemical warfare DOES exsist and it is a scary thing.
Was the vaccine made here or abroad (where we might not be so popular)?
Just me and my 2 cents.
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we’ve never done flu shots, but this year is going to be different.
my wife is going to get one because she’s pregnant and our OB strongly suggests it.
oh, that and the fact that in just our OB office 6 other pregnant ladies are currently hospitalized on respirators with H1N1. apparently in our area it’s very aggressive against moms who have buns in the oven.
don’t know about the rest of the country, but due to the shortages in our area i wouldn’t qualify for a H1N1 shot, even if i wanted it.
hooray!
1) One of my kids already got H1N1 a couple of weeks back and passed it round the house. I got tested and came out negative but was still knocked out for 5 days.
2) I work in the medical industry and it concerns me how quickly they got this vaccine to market. I know it’s supposed to be based off some vaccine they used in the 70s, but I’m still not comfortable with it.
Tina B.’s paranoia made me smile. Yeah, I think it was made in China, or maybe North Korea. I can’t remember.
Yes I will get it when available. I’ve already taken the regular flu shot. Since I am a nurse and most of my patients are elderly, I feel like the benefits outweigh the risks. Also I am diabetic and have always taken the flu shot and thank God I’ve only had the flu twice in my life and I’m 59 years old. I’m rarely ever sick (knock on wood) and have always thought God looked out for us nurses, so we could take care of sick patients, esp. the elderly.
Nope. Instead, I’m going to stock up on weapons and ammo and non-perishable foods for when the shot turns everyone who got it into zombies. Then I’m going to steal a boat and go live in a vacant house somewhere on the river. I haven’t seen a movie yet where zombies can swim, so I think I should be pretty safe there.
Also, I’m just too lazy to go get a shot. The only sicknesses I ever get are lil nose/throat stuff… nothing big.
Haven’t gotten any type of flu shots for the past couple years, and don’t intend to get anymore either. I get sick every year whether I get the shot or not, so why bother. I don’t think the H1N1 is any more dangerous than the regular flu for most people. I’m not having my kids get the vaccine either. Basically, my theory is less is best. If you don’t HAVE to do it (as a requirement for school or your occupation), don’t.
Haven’t had the shot and probably won’t.
A lot of my friends got H1N1 (we’re still calling it swine down here in Aus – it just sounds funnier…) and I also became quite ill – the doc assured me that it wasn’t swine, but not so sure (no tests were done).
So I figure I either have an immunity from actually getting it, or I’m just immune.
As for flu shots – I got them every year while I was working in a hospital. The year I stopped, I got extremely ill, as my immune system had been artificially boosted by the shot. So…no more flu shots for me!
Well, I got the standard annual flu shot because it is mandatory for all active duty personnel. Outside of that, nope … no other plans to have live virus’s injected into my blood stream.
nah.
are you getting one?
Stay away from it.
Here’s a super article concerning vaccines in general as well as the H1N1 vaccine specifically. It’s pretty long, but it has really good information.
If you don’t feel like reading the whole thing, at least read “Committee Finding 3″ where the article talks about how the H1N1 vaccine was tested on pregnant women and what protocols were used during the test to allow them to say it’s safe for pregnant women. That alone should give a bit a pause if you are considering getting vaccinated.
Sorry, here’s the link to the article mentioned above:
http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/24923