Flu Me Once

I don’t get flu shots. I had one about 20 years ago and I swear it made me sick and I haven’t gotten one since.

I know, doctors and the CDC contend that flu shots don’t make you sick. That wasn’t my experience but, as I said, it was a long time ago.

Last year at my physical my doctor suggested I get a flu shot and I said I didn’t want one and she said okay. That’s why I love my doctor. And, luckily, I rarely get sick (knock on wood).

All that being said, I got a flu shot today. My employer provided them for free. Many of my co-workers got one this morning. It occurred to me that maybe the vaccine has been improved over the years and my body would react differently (or not at all). Maybe it was better to be safe than sorry. Maybe I could trust the CDC.

So after lunch on the spur of the moment I walked into the room where they were giving shots.

Nurse: Are you here for your flu shot?

Me: I don’t know. I didn’t sign up to get one.

Nurse: That’s okay, we can give you one anyway.

Me: I don’t have any ID with me.

Nurse: You don’t need ID, you just need to fill out the paperwork.

Me: I don’t know. I haven’t had a flu shot in like 20 years. What are the side effects?

Nurse: You might have some tenderness or swelling at the site of the shot, your arm might be sore for a day or so, but you won’t get sick.

Okay. I sit down at a table and fill out the paperwork. There’s an information sheet about flu shots. I read it. The nurse calls me over to another table to actually get the injection.

Me: You know how you said I wouldn’t get sick? (I point to the information sheet) This says reactions to a flu shot can be (I start reading) “hoarseness; sore, red or itchy eyes; cough; fever; aches; headache; itching; and fatigue.” Isn’t that “sick?”

Nurse: There’s a small chance you might have that reaction to the shot, but it wouldn’t be the flu. It would just be a reaction and only last a couple days.

Huh. The flu shot won’t give me the flu, but it might make me feel like I have the flu. Fine distinction I say. Still, I got the shot. We’ll see what happens. If I don’t have a bad reaction to it, I imagine I’ll get one every year. If it does make me sick – I mean, if I have a reaction - I’m never ever getting one again.

Like they say: Flu me once, shame on you. Flu me twice, shame on me.