General Discussion

MineralMan

(150,526 posts) Tue Oct 7, 2014, 12:51 PM Oct 2014

Get Your Flu Shot, Folks! [View all]

The flu season hasn't really started yet, and there are no crowds at the many places that provide flu shots. If you have just about any health insurance, it won't cost you a penny. If you're on Medicare, it won't cost you a penny. If you're over 65, do opt for the high dose vaccine, too. I didn't do that last year, and ended up with a very mild case of the flu after flying to California at Christmas.

If you wait until the flu is active in your area, you run the risk of getting infected before you have time for your vaccine to be effective. Right now, there's hardly any flu activity, so getting your shot now is an excellent way to avoid the flu this year. So don't wait until flu shot clinics are full of people who already have the flu.

Now's the best time!

247 replies

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Get Your Flu Shot, Folks! [View all] MineralMan Oct 2014 OP

This is very good advice.. Peacetrain Oct 2014 #1

It will also help not over run our health care system by getting sick and needing care. uppityperson Oct 2014 #2

Yes, and it will help avoid spreading the flu MineralMan Oct 2014 #4

Improve herd health, save taxpayer and insurance premium dollars and lost work time. kestrel91316 Oct 2014 #74

+1 pinto Oct 2014 #3

No way. zappaman Oct 2014 #5

you are kidding, right? mopinko Oct 2014 #9

Adult-onset autism is the worst kind. Liberal Veteran Oct 2014 #18

tohs ulf a tog I . sdrawkcab epyt uoy sekeam tI uppityperson Oct 2014 #25

sdrow llepssim uoy sekam osla Voice for Peace Oct 2014 #72

spoo uppityperson Oct 2014 #78

(: Voice for Peace Oct 2014 #80

What do I od ot ekam eht sdrow backsdraw? fadedrose Oct 2014 #233

Especially when combined with Alzheimer's. Enthusiast Oct 2014 #171

no way for me also EVER!!!!!! onecent Oct 2014 #73

Serious? Nt Logical Oct 2014 #93

Why not? They have that awesome SXSW thing every year. Warren DeMontague Oct 2014 #138

You BetterBelieveIt! ChisolmTrailDem Oct 2014 #213

Costco's doing them for $15. n/t winter is coming Oct 2014 #6

That's a good deal if your insurance doesn't cover it. MineralMan Oct 2014 #7

Got it with my physical this month - TBF Oct 2014 #8

Thanks, I do need to do that. herding cats Oct 2014 #10

Dont' insurance companies pay for it via ACA? Not sure about employer ones uppityperson Oct 2014 #11

ACA compliant policies cover it. MineralMan Oct 2014 #12

Thank you, that is what I thought and meant. I almost bought 1 at pharmacy but remembered uppityperson Oct 2014 #13

I'm glad you got one. MineralMan Oct 2014 #14

Me too as it sets off my asthma in a really bad way, prefer to avoid that and the resulting pnumoni uppityperson Oct 2014 #19

there's a vaccine for pneumoni too. notadmblnd Oct 2014 #32

I have had that but unfortunately there are lots of microscopic critters that like to live in uppityperson Oct 2014 #39

And shingles sarge43 Oct 2014 #64

Did you get your shingles shot? HockeyMom Oct 2014 #146

You might get a second opinion on that 10% thing Hekate Oct 2014 #167

Yes I did. sarge43 Oct 2014 #174

Very painful. nt littlemissmartypants Oct 2014 #184

Extremely painful sarge43 Oct 2014 #188

Then he was damn lucky. kiva Oct 2014 #236

I believe all insurance companies have to cover preventative care via ACA Quixote1818 Oct 2014 #160

I just did. For free as I'm on Medicare... CTyankee Oct 2014 #15

Allow me to be a dissenting voice. R.Quinn Oct 2014 #16

Do as you please. MineralMan Oct 2014 #17

So you are going to infect everyone around you as well geek tragedy Oct 2014 #20

Wait! That poster won't get the flu! He never gets the flu. MineralMan Oct 2014 #22

Hey now R.Quinn Oct 2014 #24

Well, see, I was wondering why you bothered to come into MineralMan Oct 2014 #26

It was R.Quinn Oct 2014 #33

Well, see, you haven't provided a good reason. MineralMan Oct 2014 #34

My reason R.Quinn Oct 2014 #45

Well, I'm glad to hear that you're OK with thousands of people dying. MineralMan Oct 2014 #51

You misunderstood me. R.Quinn Oct 2014 #55

Cool! MineralMan Oct 2014 #56

I suggest that you read "The Great Influenza" GoneOffShore Oct 2014 #65

I completely respect your point of view Voice for Peace Oct 2014 #91

Seriously, this is a video you might want to watch, 50 million people died from the flu. RKP5637 Oct 2014 #179

A healthy male in his early twenties Voice for Peace Oct 2014 #83

I am volunteering for your campaign. nt littlemissmartypants Oct 2014 #185

Approx. 150,000 people die every day dumbcat Oct 2014 #95

I respect your love of statistics and have heard that death rattle. nt littlemissmartypants Oct 2014 #186

You skip the polio vac too? nt Logical Oct 2014 #99

He apparently doesn't know about or believe in herd immunity. kestrel91316 Oct 2014 #79

If you work with the young, elderly or immuno-compromised, you are putting them in danger. KitSileya Oct 2014 #206

The flu can leave you feeling like crap for about a month. Liberal Veteran Oct 2014 #36

The flaw in your reasoning... trotsky Oct 2014 #52

^This^ GoneOffShore Oct 2014 #66

+1,000,000 ... 000 HuckleB Oct 2014 #105

Thank you. nt littlemissmartypants Oct 2014 #187

You Are New RobinA Oct 2014 #67

I think people here at DU tend to have several common characteristics: hedgehog Oct 2014 #200

In That Case RobinA Oct 2014 #211

Hope you've got a time machine and a box of disinfecting wipes. politicat Oct 2014 #144

The thing is laundry_queen Oct 2014 #162

And that's the Gods own truth, LQ. Hekate Oct 2014 #168

You take care too. laundry_queen Oct 2014 #175

Another cough-variant asthmatic here distantearlywarning Oct 2014 #230

Yes, it's strange how an illness can trigger it laundry_queen Oct 2014 #238

I am the same way HockeyMom Oct 2014 #139

Because the flu never changes does it? Union Scribe Oct 2014 #161

In high school I met a friend's sister who got mumps encephalitis. She was blind ... Hekate Oct 2014 #169

My parents vaccinated me HockeyMom Oct 2014 #178

People who are born rich think they got that way by being smarter & working harder than poor people Hekate Oct 2014 #212

How can he infect you Pharaoh Oct 2014 #43

He can infect someone who is unable to take a flu shot or GoneOffShore Oct 2014 #118

No vaccine is 100% effective. Mariana Oct 2014 #119

plus Pharaoh Oct 2014 #137

I got my first flu shot this summer. cali Oct 2014 #21

I get a shot ever year and have a reaction. Liberal Veteran Oct 2014 #31

Which can happen... 3catwoman3 Oct 2014 #59

Woe, oh woe, I say, Woe! uppityperson Oct 2014 #62

THankfully, my doctor has a fainting counch. eggplant Oct 2014 #203

I thought the flu shot was only good for three months. peace13 Oct 2014 #115

I don't know. I was in the office end of August, and that's when they gave it to me. cali Oct 2014 #121

Nope. Good for a year or more - always has been. Ms. Toad Oct 2014 #149

Only 60% ? nt littlemissmartypants Oct 2014 #190

Yes. Some studies have found even lower. Ms. Toad Oct 2014 #196

Same here. Xithras Oct 2014 #48

LOL, just fucking with us? nt Logical Oct 2014 #98

Only a bit. Xithras Oct 2014 #111

Only 10% of polio cases cause any issues. Skip that one also? nt Logical Oct 2014 #116

You don't need a needle laundry_queen Oct 2014 #163

And the mist is highly recommended. nt littlemissmartypants Oct 2014 #191

It's you right to be a Typhoid Mary for flu. Enjoy your status. It's a real kestrel91316 Oct 2014 #77

You are a real drama writer. What do you want to upaloopa Oct 2014 #110

I bet two ebola cases and raise you a polio. nt littlemissmartypants Oct 2014 #192

Betting on people's health is such a fun thing to do. HuckleB Oct 2014 #210

No we are not betting on health we are betting upaloopa Oct 2014 #217

What did I say? HuckleB Oct 2014 #218

Lol, not a deep thinker I assume? nt Logical Oct 2014 #97

Get your shot. NuclearDem Oct 2014 #100

A good immune system doesn't always help with the flu gollygee Oct 2014 #107

With some strains of flu a strong immune system can actually make it worse. The Velveteen Ocelot Oct 2014 #117

Yep, exactly. nt laundry_queen Oct 2014 #164

I agree with you upaloopa Oct 2014 #109

You are lucky to be so healthy, but lunamagica Oct 2014 #113

+100. nt ecstatic Oct 2014 #114

I got the flu shot today because I care about other people, you apparently don't... Humanist_Activist Oct 2014 #136

my 40 year old cousin ... flu ... pneunomia ... death tandot Oct 2014 #153

At the end of the day? Heidi Oct 2014 #180

An accurate example of the post-hoc-ergo prompter-hoc fallacy. LanternWaste Oct 2014 #215

Got mine, along with my pneumonia vaccine, a couple of weeks ago. WillowTree Oct 2014 #23

Good. I got my pneumonia shot a couple of years ago. MineralMan Oct 2014 #29

Mine said 5 years, and my last one was at least that long ago. WillowTree Oct 2014 #41

Hmm...I'll have to check on that. Mine was three years ago. MineralMan Oct 2014 #42

The good news is that you have at least two years to check it out. LOL!! WillowTree Oct 2014 #50

I asked my new dr. about that, I could not remember how far back my last one was. He said it RKP5637 Oct 2014 #61

Stay safe! MineralMan Oct 2014 #63

I got my flu shot last week Gothmog Oct 2014 #27

Got mine! get the red out Oct 2014 #28

Yay! MineralMan Oct 2014 #30

Done! The university I work at offered them at work for free. It's awesome. I wish catbyte Oct 2014 #35

Good job! I like those workplace clinics. MineralMan Oct 2014 #38

Haven't had flu since the Hong Kong Flu in 1969 Lebam in LA Oct 2014 #37

The flu is different every year. MineralMan Oct 2014 #40

I got Hong Kong flu during that epidemic, too. The Velveteen Ocelot Oct 2014 #112

My family had that Hong Kong flu. I was delirious. I don't want to go through that again. Enthusiast Oct 2014 #172

I had Scarlet Fever a few weeks before my 6th birthday HockeyMom Oct 2014 #207

Wow! Enthusiast Oct 2014 #216

Did you know that hacking bronchitis often is the aftermath of influenza? And you do not need an a uppityperson Oct 2014 #44

my doctor insists on the pnuenomia vaccine Lebam in LA Oct 2014 #223

I had that, too, Blue_In_AK Oct 2014 #132

I got one, with the extra dosage for people over 65. CVS, paid by CIGNA. ballyhoo Oct 2014 #46

We just had them at work today. Glassunion Oct 2014 #47

Reason to use Walmart debbyk Oct 2014 #49

Welcome to DU gopiscrap Oct 2014 #143

paying their employees is a net loss, but donating vaccine is a BIG tax write-off. BlancheSplanchnik Oct 2014 #205

Don't forget pneumonia too especially for older folks. n/t RKP5637 Oct 2014 #53

Good advice, indeed! MineralMan Oct 2014 #54

I got mine at CVS for free but there was a long line to wait scarystuffyo Oct 2014 #57

Welcome to DU gopiscrap Oct 2014 #141

hell no! Chakaconcarne Oct 2014 #58

Oh, goodie. MineralMan Oct 2014 #60

Seems most of the people getting them around here have the weakest immune systems ffr Oct 2014 #68

Is that how it seems? MineralMan Oct 2014 #70

You're sounding snarky ffr Oct 2014 #81

Stomach flu is not what the influenza vaccone protects against, is a totally different virus. uppityperson Oct 2014 #89

I didn't say it was. The word flu is used as a general term ffr Oct 2014 #124

gee, the measles vaccine doesn't protect against head lice, does it? uppityperson Oct 2014 #126

I'll make you a deal, since this is a subject that is ffr Oct 2014 #130

Well, since the influenza vaccine doesn't protect against any of the MineralMan Oct 2014 #92

*sigh* ffr Oct 2014 #129

I agree that sick people should quarantine themselves, for their Ilsa Oct 2014 #103

People who are generally poorer health have a tendency to get vx for diseases to prevent from uppityperson Oct 2014 #84

The plural of anecdote is not data. HuckleB Oct 2014 #219

Flu screwed me up something terrible -- I always get a shot now Auggie Oct 2014 #69

Isn't the vaccine a crap shoot? boomer55 Oct 2014 #71

More like an educated guess based on which strains are circulating. Liberal Veteran Oct 2014 #75

+1,000,000 ... 000 HuckleB Oct 2014 #106

If you call 50% a fairly good job Ms. Toad Oct 2014 #150

Done! Got it last week at a local hospital's free flu shot site. Had slight Nay Oct 2014 #76

I asked for extra mercury Treant Oct 2014 #82

Me too! They gave me a sticker for being such a good sport. polichick Oct 2014 #87

You are aware that there actually is mercury in the most common forms of influenza vaccine, right? Ms. Toad Oct 2014 #151

So what? Treant Oct 2014 #224

Because you made a comment about asking for extra mercury Ms. Toad Oct 2014 #226

Actually Treant Oct 2014 #228

You are making assumptions about what I believe that are unwarranted. Ms. Toad Oct 2014 #237

This message was self-deleted by its author Ms. Toad Oct 2014 #225

Just got mine this very afternoon. eom Purveyor Oct 2014 #85

Got it today. Little Star Oct 2014 #86

No public service OP goes unpunished albino65 Oct 2014 #88

Frequently Asked Questions About Thimerosal Omaha Steve Oct 2014 #90

Excellent advice. Rainforestgoddess Oct 2014 #94

+ a million. laundry_queen Oct 2014 #166

And that immune system can turn on a dime. nt littlemissmartypants Oct 2014 #195

Exactly Rainforestgoddess Oct 2014 #199

I'll be getting it soon... SoapBox Oct 2014 #96

Best to get it on a Friday. Baitball Blogger Oct 2014 #101

Thanks for the reminder. I got the flu many years ago The Velveteen Ocelot Oct 2014 #102

Once? HockeyMom Oct 2014 #142

Hey, your choice. My choice is to try to avoid getting flu again. The Velveteen Ocelot Oct 2014 #145

Lol. Union Scribe Oct 2014 #158

They jab the needle into your arm wheniwasincongress Oct 2014 #104

I got mine last week. Our son had his three weeks ago. HuckleB Oct 2014 #108

I've only had the flu four times in my life. ladyVet Oct 2014 #120

Hogwash. HuckleB Oct 2014 #155

I found my USAF immunization record a couple of year ago, and MineralMan Oct 2014 #193

Done! jimlup Oct 2014 #122

I get one yearly, have since I started working in health care twenty years ago. DeadLetterOffice Oct 2014 #123

I have never taken a flu vaccination. Not because I believe it will give me autism or some madinmaryland Oct 2014 #125

Thanks for the reminder MM. They're free, here at work, but I'm a procrastinator. Tarheel_Dem Oct 2014 #127

I always do riverbendviewgal Oct 2014 #128

I do. A 6'4" guy weighing in at 145 pounds in a hospital bed because of secondary infections... hunter Oct 2014 #131

Got mine today. Free! elias49 Oct 2014 #133

Excellent! MineralMan Oct 2014 #134

I really don't like the flu shot. MissB Oct 2014 #135

Oh, darn! I meant to today. Laffy Kat Oct 2014 #140

You mean, go against the advice of Dr. McCarthy! Mister Nightowl Oct 2014 #147

How old was Dr. McCarthy in the 1970s? HockeyMom Oct 2014 #189

Uh, I have a question, HockeyMom Mister Nightowl Oct 2014 #220

Nope HockeyMom Oct 2014 #221

My apologies Mister Nightowl Oct 2014 #222

Just got mine today! bigwillq Oct 2014 #148

Outstanding! MineralMan Oct 2014 #194

Yes please, being selfish here but ... slipslidingaway Oct 2014 #152

I always get one. Only once did I ever think it effected me right after. That time I had been to brewens Oct 2014 #154

Good advise gopiscrap Oct 2014 #156

We were planning for last weekend but my 5-year old got the the sniffles and was a bit congested tandot Oct 2014 #157

I am not sure that it is the not caring about others that always drives littlemissmartypants Oct 2014 #197

Done! Never heard of the higher dose one though. Union Scribe Oct 2014 #159

Done yesterday Hekate Oct 2014 #165

Nope, don't need it. Major Hogwash Oct 2014 #170

Got my flu shot on Monday! B Calm Oct 2014 #173

K&R! n/t RKP5637 Oct 2014 #176

It is good to remember that some people do have reactions to this vaccine. peace13 Oct 2014 #177

Thank you MineralMan. littlemissmartypants Oct 2014 #181

My family doc just told me he was already seeing flu here in Florida... Sancho Oct 2014 #182

See #55, I thought that was a pretty good video of flu risks, 50 million people dead, many young RKP5637 Oct 2014 #183

Got my shot last 840high Oct 2014 #198

Just wanted to mention here, the best way to protect us older folks is to make sure all the hedgehog Oct 2014 #201

Yes. Kids, especially, need to be vaccinated. MineralMan Oct 2014 #202

You're not my doctor, so no, I won't be listening to someone on an IBB, closeupready Oct 2014 #204

Already done.... daleanime Oct 2014 #208

Done. Good thread. riqster Oct 2014 #209

Got mine last week and so did our kids. nt RiffRandell Oct 2014 #214

Be honest. Who got sick within a week of their flu shot booster? ffr Oct 2014 #227

Another one down. He's in the midst of a bad cold. ffr Oct 2014 #241

Five of those same people have been sick or are sick now. ffr Nov 2014 #242

Four people sick with colds here. ffr Nov 2014 #243

Skipped one additional layer, but many of those people have ffr Dec 2014 #244

It's worse than I imagined, but not influenza ffr Dec 2014 #245

It's amazing what you notice when you don't hear silence ffr Mar 2015 #246

Sickness dramas continue, this time it's over the top ffr Mar 2015 #247

I was one of those who "never got the flu" distantearlywarning Oct 2014 #229

My best winters started with my first flu shot fadedrose Oct 2014 #231

Sure, my Mum did Oct. 2012 she was dead arthritisR_US Oct 2014 #232

It will help avoid lots of people with the flu Crunchy Frog Oct 2014 #234

I've never gotten a flu shot JesterCS Oct 2014 #235

Got one this year for the first time. AngryOldDem Oct 2014 #239

Do you have a fever? MineralMan Oct 2014 #240