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Original poster

flu jab reactions?

30 replies

yolofish · 17/11/2018 19:11

Anyone else had really bad reactions to this year's flu jab? We all (me and 2 adult DDs) have to have it as DH will start chemo soon, and I was completely poleaxed for a day and a half, DD1 had hers this morning and is about to go to bed with some paracetamol feeling like shit. I've never had this before?

OP posts:
FuzzyCustard · 17/11/2018 19:14

(I have a jab because of DH's cancer and I am his carer) The past two years I have had reactions to the flu jab - 24 hrs of feeling quite under the weather, but apart for a sore arm this year...nothing!

Hopefully yours will be as easy too! (And very good wishes to your DH for his upcoming chemo too)

FuzzyCustard · 17/11/2018 19:15

Sorry, just re-read and saw you got poleaxed. I have one eye on Strictly, which is a very poor excuse.

MadCatEnthusiast · 17/11/2018 19:16

I've just had a sore arm for a couple of hours but I was ill with the 2016 version. And I'm someone who has asthma and gets a lot of chest infections to begin with.

There's a new type of flu jab every year as the flu virus changes each year so it'll be different in reactions so last year may not have affected you and next year may or may not.

Icyvisi · 17/11/2018 19:18

My arm was very sore this year which I have not had before. Apart from that I was fine.

OksanaAstankova · 17/11/2018 19:19

Maybe you caught a bug and then passed it on to your dad?

Elfinablender · 17/11/2018 19:19

No, I've been just fine. My arm didn't even hurt this time.

blackcat86 · 17/11/2018 19:20

I was completely fine this year but my dad had the 60+ version and felt rubbish for a day or two.

OksanaAstankova · 17/11/2018 19:20

Dd 🙄 Samn autocorrect

WhirlyGigWhirlyGig · 17/11/2018 19:20

Very sore arm but nothing else this year.

John4703 · 17/11/2018 19:21

I've had it for the past 6 years and not had any reaction to it. (I do not count a sore arm for a few hours as a reaction)

MemoryOfSleep · 17/11/2018 19:21

Slightly sore arm but that's it.

Hmmalittlefishy · 17/11/2018 19:23

It isn't a live vaccine and most likely any illness type reaction is one that you would have become ill with regardless of having the vaccine or not. There are plenty of viruses about at this time of year.
The NHS website says

Can the flu vaccine cause flu?
No. The vaccine does not contain any live viruses, so it cannot cause flu. You may get a slight temperature and aching muscles for a couple of days afterwards, and your arm may feel a bit sore where you had the injection. Other reactions are rare, and flu vaccines have a good safety record.

For children, the nasal spray vaccine cannot cause flu because the viruses in it have been weakened to prevent this from happening.

fc301 · 17/11/2018 19:24

I always allow the weekend and, yes, I spent both days going back to bed. Not ill but very definitely below par.
Worth it if it prevents flu though and in your case absolutely essential. I hope the chemotherapy goes ok 💐

MrsMWA · 17/11/2018 19:24

Nope I’m fine and I have no immune system.

MrsStrowman · 17/11/2018 19:26

I didn't think it was a live vaccine? I had a bit of a bruised feeling in my arm but nothing that bad, the whooping cough combined jab ihad in the other arm was more painful and was hot and red for a few days

MyOtherProfile · 17/11/2018 19:26

Spot on Hmmalittlefishy
I have it every year and have never had a bad reaction. Dh came down with the flu straight after a couple of years ago, but given how long it takes to incubate the virus in your body he has clearly been brewing it well before he had the jab. Some however would have announced that the jab had caused it.

FuzzyCustard · 17/11/2018 19:41

Just to clear up, I don't think any posters have actually claimed to have got flu from the flu jab, just to feeling rough for a day or so.

As hmmalittlefishy says You may get a slight temperature and aching muscles for a couple of days afterwards, and your arm may feel a bit sore where you had the injection ...which is enough for most people to feel the need to have a lie down!

HidingFromMyKids · 17/11/2018 20:14

I'm 30weeks pregnant and have just had the whooping cough in one arm and the flu jab in the other.
The whooping cough side was so sore for two days I barely noticed the flu side until I laid on that arm.
It was 5 days ago and I haven't noticed any other symptoms but I hope your all feeling better soon.

StarfishSandwich · 17/11/2018 20:21

I had mine a month or so ago and didn’t even get a sore arm. I do sometimes wonder if reactions are a bit psychosomatic. Maybe I’m just lucky though!

DramaAlpaca · 17/11/2018 20:25

I had the flu jab on a Thursday morning & by Saturday morning I wasn't myself. I had a sore throat, my eyes hurt when I moved them & I was a bit achey. It lasted a couple of days then I was fine. That was the first time I've had any sort of reaction to the flu jab.

SummerStrong · 17/11/2018 20:27

This years flu jab has left me with absolutely no side effects (not even a tender arm)

In years past I've felt like a cold was coming for a few days, but not this time.

WontonSoupForTheSoul · 17/11/2018 20:33

I had the jab on Weds and have been feeling pretty awful since. I’m usually pretty hardy.

Injection site was very swollen and throbbing for two days. That’s eased a bit but I’m just feeling lousy. I fell asleep on the couch last night (I’ve nevwr done that before) and slept for 17 hours straight. Again, something I’ve never done.

I’m putting it down to coincidence.

GlitterPixie · 17/11/2018 20:39

This was the first year my arm has been sore and throbbing after it I normally don’t feel anything but I only got it this morning so nothing else yet anyway

LotsToThinkOf · 17/11/2018 20:41

No side effects except for one, I'm egg intolerant and the flu jab has never affected me before. This time I had stomach cramps and the runs for about 3 days. Not dangerous and I would still,have got it done if I'd known.

TrentBridge · 17/11/2018 20:44

Bit of a sore arm, but other than that nothing at all.

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