Influenza sucks: tell us about it
A few years ago, Debbie was working on a busy medical unit. She saw that flu shots were being recommended for staff and her manager did remind the team about it.
“My shifts were so busy,” said Debbie, “and I was so tired that I just didn’t get around to getting a flu shot.”
“And besides,” said Debbie, “I was pretty healthy and so I thought I’d be fine without a shot.”
In late November that year Debbie did contract the influenza virus and it was a real eye opener. She got so sick with a terrible cough and fever that she missed three shifts of work. She wound up passing the flu to her daughter who also got really sick and missed two days of school. The following year, and each year since, Debbie has reflected on that whole nasty mess and has made a point to get a flu shot.
“Now I get my shot at a pharmacy because it’s close to my apartment, convenient and it’s free for nurses.”
Share your flu story
You’re invited to share your own experience—use the Your Comment feature below. Maybe you’ve experienced the impact of the flu at home or at work. Maybe you remember the devastating impact of an outbreak. Why do you get immunized? Do you choose to wear a mask instead?
Vaccinate or mask up
Flu season is coming and health care staff throughout BC are being asked to immunize or mask up in order to control the spread of the virus. Visitors too, will be expected to wear a mask if they have not been immunized. We encourage you to take advantage of the PNI initiative and doctors/pharmacies to get your flu shot now or soon as PNIs start offering flu vaccination in early November. And don’t forget to report your flu immunization online at: influenzareporting.phsa.ca/
See also: Protecting those around you by Dr. Patty Daly
Colleen Stewart
My experience with the flu is:
1) the year I got a flu shot (2010), I got the flu anyway
2) year I didn’t get the flu shot, I didn’t get the flu
3) last year I had a horrendous cold that I thought would kill me – no fever, vomiting or diarrhea, just cold symptoms. It was NOT the flu!
This year, I will mask up as I do not trust flu shots and personally don’t think they are very effective. I want flu prevention that is:
1) 100% organic & natural
2) 100% safe
3) 100% effective,
All of which sound like a mask to me! Thank you for giving me the option!
Adrienne
The influenza vaccine changes every year depending on the strains predicted for the season. This year’s vaccine contains H1N1, H3N2 and the Yamagata influenza subtypes. Whether a previous vaccine worked for you or not bears nothing on if it will work this year BECAUSE THE VACCINE CHANGES.
Also, true influenza is an awful illness! I did get it last year, and I’m a healthy active adult. It hurt to breathe. I was short of breath walking to the end of driveway to take out the garbage. It’s no wonder the elderly and people with chronic disease die from it.
“Herd immunity” is only effective if all members of the herd – or in our case, health care community – are vaccinated,
Laurie
I never thought about the significance of the flu until I had a child with c chronic health condition. My daughter has asthma and when she was about two years old, another family member got the flu and passed it to her before I had a chance to immunize her. The experience was heart wrenching – and memorable. I don’t work in frontline care, but every year I get the shot and I insist that the rest of our immediate family does so as well. I usually have a mild reaction to the preservative but it’s nothing compared to watching my baby girl gasp for breath and lie limp with fever.
Mercedes
Is there a reson why this woman is coughing into her hand?
In order to decrease the spread of the illness, we promote coughing on a tissue or on one’s sleeve.
And by the way I had the flu once accompanied by a migraine and I almost ended up in the hospital. As I try to prevent the experience I take the flu vaccine. I actually had it yesterday.
Editor
That’s a really good point Mercedes. The photo is a stock image. We wanted a photo of someone who looked like they were coughing or sick with flu, and would have preferred someone coughing into their elbow or a tissue like you said. There just weren’t any photos that showed that, so we went with this one. It’s great that you actually noticed and cared enough to point it out! Maybe we should have a monthly “what’s wrong with this picture?” or something like that! Thanks for your comment.
Linda Dore
When I first started to work at VGH I took the flu shot when it came around. I reacted to the shot and was sick for a week, it was very uncomfortable. The next year I took the shot and also reacted. One month later I got the 90 flu that was going around. This was not in the shot so I was sick on and off for three months. I was not aware before taking the shot that these strains were not included. Since then I do not take the flu shot and I rarely get sick. I received a letter from human resources congratulating me on my lack of sick time.
Denise
I have never had the flu. I do not get the flu shot. I cannot even remember the last time I had a cold. And now you are technically within your rights – thanks to a poor arbitration decision – to demand I put something – the flu shot – into my body that I have a fundamental disagreement with. What an invasion on my rights for something that is maybe 40% effective. A great sadness has befallen me.