Nicholas Davis4 said:Could I get some expert advice here? (If anyone is available...)
I’ve been talking to doctors about this... and they aren't seeing any benefit in worrying. They basically just brushed me off, saying that since I have an egg allergy, it doesn't matter because the vaccines only contain such tiny amounts that it isn't a concern...
But, if you look at the instructions, it clearly states that an egg allergy is a contraindication... and personally, I’d rather trust the manufacturer on that one.
So, here is the situation: I have systemic lupus and antiphospholipid syndrome. For treatment, I take either hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine, Aspirin, and Lamictal (I went through encephalomyelitis, which was a total nightmare to diagnose... it ended with painful neuralgia, and without Lamictal, I simply can't function. I'm allergic to other medications for it, or they don't work, and besides, doctors actually lost consciousness when they saw my EEG results).
I also take Propranolol for tachycardia, and I have mild PMV.
(...I'm Jeremiah... dammit...)
Basically, it seems wise for me to get a flu shot... but the egg allergy is the sticking point.
I managed to find out that there is a vaccine that contains absolutely no egg ingredients—Flublok—but I haven't been able to figure out how I would actually go about getting it... (The answer is always the same: "It doesn't matter that you're allergic, because there's just a tiny amount of blah blah blah in the vaccine...")
If other high-risk groups can get vaccinated for free, is there even an option like that for those of us with egg allergies here in the States?!
From what I can see, Flublok hasn't been approved in the EU yet, and I haven't found any info on whether there is any other approved egg-free flu vaccine available in the EU.
And given how people here make such a fuss over things that aren't even registered yet—often still in clinical trials—claiming that Medicare won't approve them, I wonder what the deal is with this one?
Honestly, I also wonder if it isn't a disgrace that people with systemic lupus have to pay for their own medication. Most of us take this specific drug; it's the primary one prescribed, and most of us take it permanently... for years... for life... because it isn't even on the coverage list!!! (The response from Medicare is that there is another antimalarial on the list... but that one causes much more vision damage, so many of us can't take it. We have no choice but to buy Quensyl/Plaquenil ourselves...). Isn't that shameful?!
At the Health Institute, they actually asked me if I had any egg allergies or other issues before the shot.
If I were you, I’d call the Health Institute or just show up with your test results to hash this out in person.
It's not crowded, and they're open until 3:30 PM.