Nothing terribly exciting to report today. I got my flu shot yesterday. My arm hurts a little. But, it's a small price to pay for peace of mind. I really don't want Harper to get the flu, so we are all getting our shots. Last year was the first year that I got one. The year before, I didn't get the shot because I was pregnant and didn't want to expose Harper to the vaccine (yes, they do recommend that pregnant women get the shot, but I thought I knew better). I ended up coming down with a horrible case of the flu which caused me to go into labor and have Harper. She was fine and I was fine, but I could have done without all of the puking. So...the moral of that story is that I am getting the flu shot from now on. It makes sense for me. I work in a hospital setting and I have a little kiddo. What about you? Are you getting the flu shot? How about the H1N1 shot. I haven't made my mind up about that one, but I'm leaning toward getting it.
On a completely unrelated note. Here's a picture that I took at work. It's a cross section of a blood vessel. The blue dots are the nuclei of the cells that make up the vessel. The bright red staining is marking a protein that makes up the muscle of the vessel. I like my job.
10 comments:
Yes, and yes. Steve and I get them free from our employers. The boys will also get the flu shot. We will not be getting H1N1 vaccine. We talked with Dr. Staat at CCHMC, and she recommended to NOT get the H1N1 vaccine for us or the kids, and she herself did not get it, or have her kids get it.
I do plan on getting a flu shot, and most likely the H1N1 as well. I work directly with the public so I am exposed to every little germ that can be carried by kids, the elderly, and the unbathed. My only hesitation is that I am trying like hell to get pregnant. After hearing about what happened to you I feel a little more confident that getting the shots would be a good decision.
Yellowsnapper - Good Luck!! I think getting the flu shot is probably a good idea for you - especially since you're not pregnant yet. At the time, my rationale was that I didn't want to expose my baby to the egg proteins in the vaccine and I figured that even if i got the flu, it wouldn't be a big deal as long as I stayed hydrated. I still think that logic is good. However, now I don't think that the egg protein is a big deal, especially if you or your husband don't have albumin allergies and have never had a bad reaction to a vaccine. And as a side note - I recommend this book to all of my pregnant friends - The Vaccine Book by Robert Sears is a really good unbiased resource for info on childhood vaccines.
You do have a cool job! I never get the flu shot because I've only had the flu once in my entire life. My kids have never had it. My husband has never had it either but he gets the shot because he has rheumatoid arthritis and the meds he's on compromise his immune system. I know even though I don't get the flu usually I could still get it but I just don't feel very compelled to get the shot.
I've only gotten a flu shot a few times in my life. Each time I got the flu a couple of days later. They say the two had nothing to do with each other, but I have other thoughts. No shots for this family, of any kind.
We're getting our shots next week...regular flu. I don't know about the other one...but that flu makes me so nervous. Our neighbor is sick with the flu, and they're saying that any flu right now is H1N1. Ack. Did I mention that I am nervous about this?!
I have gotten the flu shot ONE time, and I'm sure it's just a coincidence, but I managed to get the flu 3 or 4 times in the year that I got the flu shot. I can count on one good cold/bug every winter, because kids are dirty and I'm around them all day... but I would rather be superstitious and think that the flu shot will only bring me a winter of recurring illness. My OB tried to talk me into the flu shot 2 weeks ago at my appointment. I felt guilty and stubborn because it's not just ME who is affected by my germs right now, but I think I have an ok chance of making it through the next 2 weeks without coming down with the flu... I would like to see more info on the H1N1 vaccine. They are supposedly going to be offering mass inoculations at school, even for kids, which scares me a little since we haven't really seen what it does yet.
Elaine, my wife got her shot last week, and I intend to get one soon. Ethan is getting something that goes in his nose instead of a shot.
But here's a question: How about our 5 week old baby-girl? I'm worried about this H1N1, but the doctors say that she cannot have shots until she is 6 months old.
Thoughts?
Michael - I would do what your pediatrician recommends. I would also do a lot of hand washing before you eat and hold your daughter. When Harper was a newborn, I carried around hand sanitizer and was not shy about asking people to use it before they touched her. I think if you, your wife, and Ethan all get the shot and wash your hand a lot, your daughter should be in good shape.
Thanks!
Post a Comment