Flu shots [PLEASE READ FIRST POST!]

So, what actually is Echinacea?

So, I finally bit the bullet and got my shot last Tuesday. Only the second time I've ever done this, but honestly? I think I'm gonna make it an annual thing.
I am definitely not trying to deal with getting sick again after what happened two years ago. That nasty cough and bronchitis combo absolutely wrecked me, and I was still feeling the aftermath for months afterward.
Plus, between my job and my guy's work, we really can't afford to be out on sick leave.

So, flu season... I got my shot just a month ago and now I’m feeling totally wiped out. I can't even describe the sensation, but let's just say I've got those classic "mild" flu symptoms: runny nose, sore throat, achy bones, and this dizzy feeling. No fever, though. Honestly, I have no clue if it's actually the flu or just a nasty cold. But if this is the flu, then screw that vaccine. It's pretty obvious I caught the flu despite being vaccinated. Great, a shot that doesn't even work 😠 🙄

fadedpanther8 said:What exactly is Echinacea?

I’m asking you again, Casey Palmer5. What on earth is it?
As I get older, honestly, the fear of catching the flu every single year starts to weigh on me more and more. My doctors won't even recommend the shot because of my allergies—which seem to pop up out of nowhere as I age—so I'm left looking for alternatives.
My husband got vaccinated years ago, back before he was an old man😁, and he ended up getting hit with such a brutal reaction after eight days that we collectively decided against ever doing it again.
So, besides just eating raw vegetables😁, does anyone have actual advice on what else can boost my immune system?

So, Echinacea is this super cool plant—I think some people call it red coneflower or something like that! It’s honestly legendary for giving your immune system that extra little boost when you need it most. You can find tons of different supplements out there, but I personally swear by the Echinacea with propolis stuff from Nature Made!

What’s your take on getting the flu shot every year?
Does anyone know anything about the supplier Medicare selected this season (Pfizer)? Check out this article from The New York Post >

Here’s my situation: I’m 46, I have a little guy starting preschool, and my main goal is to shield him. I want to make sure he doesn't catch the flu from me or my wife, so we've both made it a point to get vaccinated for the last three years straight.
Now, I am fully aware that with any vaccine, there’s always that underlying consideration regarding potential side effects.

Best regards,

Since my job involves constant interaction with all sorts of people, I’ve made it a point to get my flu shot every year for quite a while now. And honestly? It worked—I didn't catch a single thing.

The headache started when I switched primary care doctors. My old GP retired, and this new doctor is refusing to give me the shot just because I’m not elderly or dealing with any chronic health issues. So, I tried heading over to the CDC, but they turned me away there, too.

It feels like it's actually more "cost-effective" for the system if people just stay home on sick leave rather than getting vaccinated—especially since I was willing to pay for the shot out of my own pocket anyway.

Has anyone else dealt with this kind of nonsense lately?

driftingsurfer8 said:Since my job involves constant interaction with all sorts of people, I’ve made it a point to get my flu shot every year for quite a while now. And honestly? It worked—I didn't catch a single thing.

The headache started when I switched primary care doctors. My old GP retired, and this new doctor is refusing to give me the shot just because I’m not elderly or dealing with any chronic health issues. So, I tried heading over to the CDC, but they turned me away there, too.

It feels like it's actually more "cost-effective" for the system if people just stay home on sick leave rather than getting vaccinated—especially since I was willing to pay for the shot out of my own pocket anyway.

Has anyone else dealt with this kind of nonsense lately?

Hmm.
Maybe the folks over at the CDC are just freaking out about the start of the season, worried the rush will be so massive they'll end up running out of stock.

Oh, please, there isn't going to be a massive rush. 🤦

They always end up overstocking and wasting a huge amount of vaccine anyway. ☕

Then again, I can't say for sure if everyone working there shares that same mindset. 😉

velvetmoose9 said:Hmm.
Maybe the folks over at the CDC are just freaking out about the start of the season, worried the rush will be so massive they'll end up running out of stock.

Oh, please, there isn't going to be a massive rush. 🤦

They always end up overstocking and wasting a huge amount of vaccine anyway. ☕

Then again, I can't say for sure if everyone working there shares that same mindset. 😉

Just out of curiosity, what's your take on this? 😁 (can be a first post too)

Anyone know what the price tag looks like this year for those of us who don't qualify for the free shots?
Apparently, you have to go down to the pharmacy and order it yourself personally.
Does anyone have more info on this?

Thanks, cheers

You can just order it from a local pharmacy

Regarding the cost—it’s all over the place. I'm seeing some sites saying it's around $15, while others are quoting closer to $100, which feels like a massive gap.
Anyway, if I were you, I'd just head down to the drugstore and ask them how they handle the whole process firsthand.

That is, unless they already fall into one of those high-risk categories where things might be different.

Dear everyone,
My mother has been driving me absolutely crazy with all the questions—how, why, who’s at fault, and so on and so forth.
Basically, she’s getting older, and since she used to be the picture of health and never felt the need for a flu shot, things have taken a bit of a turn lately.
She went from being this incredibly vibrant woman to feeling like a walking medical clinic.
Her kidneys are struggling, so she’s having to go in for dialysis twice a week now.
Because of that, she falls into a high-risk category, not just because of her illness but also because she's a retiree.
Naturally, panic set in, so she rushed over to the local clinic to ask about the vaccine, only to find out they were out of stock. They told her it wouldn't arrive for another month. I tried to tell her to hold off and check with her primary doctor instead, but even he didn't have any on hand.
So, my mother heads to the pharmacy to ask about the shot, and the pharmacist gives her this coy answer, saying she needs a prescription from her family doctor first. Once she got the prescription, she went back to the pharmacy, paid for the vaccine herself, and then went straight to her doctor to get the shot. Now, doctor, she asks, why did I have to pay for this when I'm entitled to a free vaccine? And the doctor just says: because you bought it yourself.
To make a long story short, the issue isn't really about $32, it's more about her constantly nitpicking me and making me feel small. Is there any hope for her to get a reimbursement for that money, considering she should have been exempt from paying under two different criteria (as both a retiree and a serious kidney patient)?

Thanks so much,

Peter Gomez71 said:Dear everyone,
My mother has been driving me absolutely crazy with all the questions—how, why, who’s at fault, and so on and so forth.
Basically, she’s getting older, and since she used to be the picture of health and never felt the need for a flu shot, things have taken a bit of a turn lately.
She went from being this incredibly vibrant woman to feeling like a walking medical clinic.
Her kidneys are struggling, so she’s having to go in for dialysis twice a week now.
Because of that, she falls into a high-risk category, not just because of her illness but also because she's a retiree.
Naturally, panic set in, so she rushed over to the local clinic to ask about the vaccine, only to find out they were out of stock. They told her it wouldn't arrive for another month. I tried to tell her to hold off and check with her primary doctor instead, but even he didn't have any on hand.
So, my mother heads to the pharmacy to ask about the shot, and the pharmacist gives her this coy answer, saying she needs a prescription from her family doctor first. Once she got the prescription, she went back to the pharmacy, paid for the vaccine herself, and then went straight to her doctor to get the shot. Now, doctor, she asks, why did I have to pay for this when I'm entitled to a free vaccine? And the doctor just says: because you bought it yourself.
To make a long story short, the issue isn't really about $32, it's more about her constantly nitpicking me and making me feel small. Is there any hope for her to get a reimbursement for that money, considering she should have been exempt from paying under two different criteria (as both a retiree and a serious kidney patient)?

Thanks so much,

There is zero hope of getting that money back. She bought the vaccine even though she was eligible to get it for free, and honestly, that was just her own mistake. I've actually done the exact same thing—paid for my own vaccines even when I could have gotten them for free—simply because I didn't want to sit through a packed waiting room.

It’s like buying a sandwich, eating it, and then realizing you could have gotten a free meal at a soup kitchen and trying to demand your money back.

The only chance might be if she can charm her doctor into letting her use one of the clinic's doses instead.

First come, first served. I just can't wrap my head around what the doctor meant when they claimed the vaccine would be arriving in a month. Honestly, I find that hard to believe.

There simply aren't enough flu shots to go around. We're looking at maybe 300,000 doses for the entire country. If you aren't lucky, some doctors run through their whole supply in literally three days. Your only real shot might be checking with the CDC to see if there are any free supplies available there.
If your doctor is out of stock, you could try buying one at a pharmacy, assuming they even have any left. Just keep in mind you won't get a refund because Medicare clearly doesn't cover it. Why it works that way—I haven't the slightest clue. My guess is the government allocates funding for a specific number of doses to be sent to clinics and public health centers, while pharmacies sell them separately. It feels like a way for them to make money since the state doesn't order enough. For all we know, it might not even be the exact same brand.

It’s really on her to take responsibility here; she should have booked her dose much earlier. Personally, I made sure to schedule everything with my doctor a full month in advance, especially since my diagnosis qualifies me for coverage through
.

Drew Scott20 said:It’s really on her to take responsibility here; she should have booked her dose much earlier. Personally, I made sure to schedule everything with my doctor a full month in advance, especially since my diagnosis qualifies me for coverage through
.

Clearly, she hasn't gone to get vaccinated yet, so she doesn't realize how quickly the supplies vanish. The vaccine arrived back in late November, and most doctors burn through their entire stock within a single week.

Drew Scott20 said:It’s really on her to take responsibility here; she should have booked her dose much earlier. Personally, I made sure to schedule everything with my doctor a full month in advance, especially since my diagnosis qualifies me for coverage through
.

If you want a flu shot, you have to book it in advance. For some providers, you actually have to schedule it up to a year out.

Does anyone know if someone becomes contagious if they come into contact with the virus after being vaccinated?

Megan Thomas5 said:Does anyone know if someone becomes contagious if they come into contact with the virus after being vaccinated?

It really depends. No vaccine is a hundred percent foolproof—so, in a small number of instances, you could still end up with a standard flu infection that follows its usual course. In those specific cases, the person would be just as contagious as anyone else. However, in the vast majority of scenarios, the body manages to shut down the virus before any real symptoms even take hold—or perhaps very shortly after the first signs appear—meaning the exposed person won't be contagious at all, or if they are, it’ll be for a much shorter duration and with a significantly lower viral load.

Kevin White9 said:My son got vaccinated one year and it didn't do a thing for him.

Personally, I don't see the point in vaccinating. You should focus on strengthening the immune system naturally—diet, exercise, and so on—so you're actually prepared when a virus hits.
As mellowbadger8 said, I don't trust doctors at all!

yet, I still find myself thinking that one really should get vaccinated.