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hello,

First, thanks very much to the 17 listmates who responded to my question about whether others besides me have come down with the flu after getting the flu vaccination. Knowing that antibody production can cause symptoms that look a lot like the illness (which is why I get cold symptoms immediately upon being exposed to the rhinovirus), I was wondering about the extent to which people prone to fast and copious production of antibodies react to vaccinations like pneumoccocal by coming down with the disease symptoms. After all, as a doctor friend of mine pointed out, vaccines do contain a bit of live virus.

Obviously, my poll results are in no way a scientific survey. But it seems that for some, vaccines do bring on a version of the illness the vaccine is intended to protect against. This particularly worries me in the case of the shingles vaccine because shingles is, reportedly, horribly painful and doesn't even really go away. I REALLY do not want to invite it! Quotes and break-down follow.

First, though, I am compelled to address the general issue of vaccinations. Some people took my question to mean that I am a vaccination skeptic. This is not the case. Both from a personal and a public health standpoint, vaccines are among the great medical advances of the modern age. I understand that many believe vaccinations trigger problems from autism to ADHD. I heard from some of those people. With all due sympathy for the heart-breaking problems that often underlie their point of view, I must say that I disagree with it, unequivocally. The "experts" often cited in this connection continue to gain adherents even as their arguments are debunked, over and over. This leads to public health emergencies like the pertussis epidemic in Marin County last year. I hope real answers will emerge sooner rather than later.

Summary detail:

One person pointed out that "the pneumococcal vaccine is aimed at the really virulent types of flu that are already out there and can be quite deadly if you pick them up. The annual flu shots are much different. You are being vaccinated against last year's strains."

Of the people who have had vaccines:

5 said they've had flu and/or pneumoccocal and/or Tdap vaccinations with no problems.

1 said she got very sick from the flu the one year she didn't get the vaccination.


I received 6 reports of people who have experienced bad reactions to vaccinations: 

— I got a lingering cold after getting my flu vaccination. Seems to happen every year. However, I've not been "down sick" since the last time I did NOT get a flu vaccination.
	
—My kid and I are both celiac; he's hyper-sensitive, me less so. At age 5 he had a flu shot - because his asthma doc insisted - and developed serum sickness, a total immune systen hypersentivity reaction. Fevers, a seizure, rash, lasting more than 6 weeks. 15 months ago I had a tetanus booster shot. Within 24 hours I had "tetanus like symptoms" - jaw stiffness and pain, fevers, etc. which lasted about 2 weeks.  Today, more than a year later, if I get run down, catch a cold, or any mild illness, the symptoms flare up again, and are quite painful.

—I have the flu shot every year and as the flu vaccine contains a compromised combination of viruses that are not dead, it is normal for me to feel a little “off” for a couple of days after the shot.  Those few “down days” are way better than getting the flu though. (This has been going on for 20 years.)

—I had a tetanus/Tdap vaccine about a year ago and I had a terrible reaction. I've had a number of tetanus vaccines in the past so I have to believe it was the Tdap. I also can't say why I had a reaction but I've never had a reaction to a shot before (I'm 46). I was sick for two days - flu-like symptoms (fever, achy chills). 

—I don't take vaccines anymore.  Precisely because I become ill every time I take them.  It's been that way sine I was a child.



Apparently is is not uncommon for Celiacs to experience symptoms after receiving vaccinations.

My own conclusion is that it's better to put up with a few days of feeling crummy, if that's all that happens, than to risk contracting a serious and potentially fatal illness, especially one that can be transmitted to other people. The potential for lingering vaccine effects, though—the idea gives me pause. I'm going to investigate this one further, and will report back should I find anything definitive.

Thanks again, everyone.

Mary B.
NYC


 





















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