Maggie's Farm

We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.

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Wednesday, October 5. 2016

Adult vaccines

- As we enter flu season, it's a good  idea to take the flu vaccine around now. I can possibly save you from a few days of lost work, and if you get it at CVS they will give you a 20% discount card for all the Halloween junk and other junk you buy there that day. Flu shots do not always work, because the viruses mutate so quickly. Still, it is something to do to minimize the risk of the unpleasantness.


- The  Pneumonia vaccine? Not a bad idea for high risk groups (especially very young and senior citizens)


- Tetanus? (or Tetanus-Diptheria-Pertussis) vaccine? Adults who have had their booster shot long ago probably do not need to repeat, but people caring for infants usually get an adult booster dose. Most people who have had puncture injuries or sutures in the ER have gotten a tetanus shot on a precautionary basis.


- There is a recent Shingles (Herpes zoster) vaccine too for adults.


Anyway, ask your doctor of course.



Posted by Dr. Joy Bliss in Medical at 20:13 | Comments (14) | Trackbacks (0)

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Observations on each:

1) I get a flu shot about one out of every three years. I should probably get it annually (I'm 63).

2) A few years ago, I got a large wooden splinter in my thumb and could not get it back out. My thumb swelled up a little, so I went into an urgent care clinic, where the doc got it out, but gave me a DTP shot just for good measure.

3) If you're 50 or older get a shingles vaccination. I developed shingles about 6 years ago; fortunately, I caught it quickly and there were few complications. (While I was on pain meds, though, my wife said I wandered around the house singing Broadway show tunes.) But I have had friends who had far nastier complications from shingles.

At that time, the vaccine was only approved for people 60 or older; I was in my late 50s. It's now approved for people 50+.
#1 bfwebster (Link) on 2016-10-05 21:15 (Reply)
Developed shingles on my head many years ago. Most painful thing I've had. Fortunately, the ER doc caught it the first day I came down with symptoms.
Wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. (Some politicians, on the other hand...)
But looking on the bright side, I was able to tell people at work I had herpes (got some really great looks - surprise, creepedoutedness, and disgust). And use a movie line: "I have hairpiece on my head."
I got the Shingles vaccine several years later. I highly recommend getting the vaccine if you can.
#2 OldFert on 2016-10-05 23:58 (Reply)
Fat chance. Never will.
#3 Pbird on 2016-10-06 01:15 (Reply)
A few years ago I got the pneumonia vaccine because I don't have a spleen. Three weeks later I came down with pneumonia for the first time in my life.
The look on my docs face when he diagnosed me was priceless.

Needless to say I stay away from flu shots. I rely on vitamin D and other alternative immune boosters. They work fine for me.

I am not against all vaccines. Some just don't work well and cause more trouble than they are worth.
#4 Anonymous on 2016-10-06 07:41 (Reply)
I have gotten both pneumonia shots due to an inherited lung condition, but I won't get the flu vaccine as I'm afraid it will kill me. The doc said if I get the flu I will either find my self in the hospital or dead but so many people I know get sick after the shot I'm afraid. I also had a really bad reaction to the tetanus shot a few years ago so I'm leary of most vaccines. I'm wondering about the shingles vaccine but haven't crossed that line yet.
#4.1 JC on 2016-10-06 08:17 (Reply)
Got my annual flu shot a few days ago at Kroger, the geezer version.

Three or four years ago, I got the pneumonia shot (>65) and had a severe reaction to it. Will not get it again. This is the only vaccine I've ever had that I reacted badly to. But the experience makes me wonder if I should be getting any vaccines. The comments above really make me doubt the wisdom of vaccines.
#5 bob sykes on 2016-10-06 08:53 (Reply)
Right...

Son had his vaccinations - never had chickenpox, measles, rubella, mumps, scarlet fever, whooping cough, polio...

As a kid I had chickenpox, mumps, measles, rubella. My folks were REALLY glad of the polio vaccine.

Thank God for vaccinations.
#5.1 Jlawson on 2016-10-06 09:31 (Reply)
I think vaccines are like other health remedies. Some work better than others.
The anti vaccine people go too far because they have turned it into a kind of purist faith. The pro vaccine folks are just as bad as they don't want any questions asked. Why is that?
#6 Anonymous on 2016-10-06 10:46 (Reply)
re-read your comment.

you ask why the pro vaccine crowd don't want any questions.


well if there was a jar of M&Ms would you want to know that there might be a poisoned one in the jar.

the question you might want to ask is why they are immune from prosecution (the pharma companies)

funny how no one ever reads the letter that comes with the vaccines. you can ask the doctor for it.
#6.1 general p. malaise on 2016-10-08 08:44 (Reply)
I get tetanus booster shots whenever I get a new puppy, every dog lifetime or so.

Poop, sharp puppy teeth, scratches.
#7 rhhardin (Link) on 2016-10-06 11:05 (Reply)
We both recently got around to the shingles vaccine. No complications.

I had a tetanus booster five years ago or so, and developed splitting exertion headaches for several weeks, which I've read can happen. They generally go away within a month, as they did for me. Reaction or no reaction, there's no way I'd pass on the tetanus vaccine.

Oddly enough, though, I've never had a flu shot, nor (to my knowledge) have I ever had the flu. I can't explain my aversion. Maybe one solid bout with flu will remove it.
#8 Texan99 on 2016-10-07 00:01 (Reply)
because I was hospitalized with pneumonia which made my moderate asthma severe, my doctor who was treating me for allergies and asthma told me to get a flu shot.

Felt like I was going to die for about two weeks after. Seems said doctor didnt' warn me that flu vaccines (and some others) use egg proteins and I was allergic to eggs. (which she would have known if she'd reviewed my allergy titer thingie).

We had a local guy die from tetanus. You do not want to know the details of that horror.
#9 fjord on 2016-10-07 06:49 (Reply)
recently read an article which referred to an old study showing that injecting proteins into people can make them allergic to that protein.

vaccines are made using various proteins ....eggs are a main one.

so science has been aware of this for a long time and we have people now asking why today there are so many with allergies.

just saying.
#9.1 general p. malaise on 2016-10-08 08:38 (Reply)
no way I will get another vaccine.

too much stuff out there that makes me mistrust the entire industry.

not looking for an argument but I am aware if people show some backbone then they will be able to look up the available information and come to their own conclusion instead of being bullied into getting a vaccine because they fear ridicule.
#10 general p. malaise on 2016-10-08 08:33 (Reply)

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