I don't remember receiving a flu vaccine as a child, although I'm sure I did. I just didn't have that concern. However, I remember getting a shot while employed at the Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center as an intern. Not long after, I was the sickest I've ever been in my life.

From that point on, I vowed that I'd never get the flu vaccine again. I just KNEW that I'd been injected with the virus and that although my body was fighting, it was taking a good beating! I didn't go to the doctor, but my big "grown" behind did go home to my mom. (Strange how sometimes a mother's nurturing seems to do more good than modern medicine.)

Since becoming a mother, I've begun to think more about receiving the flu vaccine. I make sure my daughter receives hers each year, but I'm always apprehensive about getting one. I've read somewhere that the reason the flu vaccine seems to be ineffective is because it protects against a previous strain, which may or may not be the same one that circulates the following season. As a means of protecting myself, I wash my hands and use hand sanitizer a lot; but in the back of my mind, I always wonder if that's enough. I remember getting sick with flu-like symptoms in December 2013 and getting two shots that set my hips ON FIRE!!! You'd think that would be enough for me to make sure I got the flu shot last year, but I didn't.

However this year, health authorities are warning that the flu season might be a bit more aggressive. According to our daily, doctors are encouraging people to get flu shots as soon as possible, as there have already been seven confirmed cases of the flu at DCH since August 30, and the more people that are vaccinated, the more likely a community is to be protected from a flu outbreak. So, more than likely, I'll be getting one this year.
Is there anyone else who is apprehensive about getting a flu vaccine? Anyone who can tell us why getting vaccinated is best?

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