Flu Shot Woes

[mrodgers]

What side effects can occur after getting a flu vaccine?
While a flu vaccine cannot give you flu illness, there are different side effects that may be associated with getting a flu shot or a nasal spray flu vaccine. These side effects are mild and short-lasting, especially when compared to symptoms of bad case of flu.

The flu shot: The viruses in the flu shot are killed (inactivated), so you cannot get the flu from a flu shot. Some minor side effects that may occur are:

• • Soreness, redness, or swelling where the shot was given
  • Fever (low grade)
  • Aches

So in other words, all of the symptoms of the flu, but not the flu...

I get a flu shot because they do it at work (didn't have my reading glasses on me yesterday so I couldn't read the numbers on my medical card to fill out the paperwork, LOL. They'll be back again next Monday...) I rarely ever got sick prior to the we're all going to die if we don't get the flu shot days. My shoulder gets sore every year for a day or 2 and I will end up finishing off the work week miserable with flu like symptoms for 2 days. It happens every year.

 

[fly girl]

My family of 3 had our flu shots yesterday. All of us agreed, more soreness in the arm this year. The shot didn’t hurt, but you could feel a heaviness when she injected the vaccine.

I woke up around 4:30 to find my arm very stiff and achy, but after moving around it was fine. This morning it’s doing better, typical soreness at ejection site. Hopefully the worst is over for us.

 

[kdonnel]

My family must be the outliers this year. We all felt we had much less arm soreness this year.

 

[Christine]

My husband got the flu shot on Sunday afternoon (same place, same pharmacist). He was perfectly fine, nary a symptom. But he does get the shot every year and has done so since he was in the military back in the 80s.

 

[mom2rtk]

I really need to go get mine. I'm also due for a tetanus shot and need to get the shingles vaccine. But after 10 long months, my frozen shoulder is finally unfreezing and the thought of making it hurt again is just too much.

 

[Brett Wyman]

So in other words, all of the symptoms of the flu, but not the flu...

Definitely NOT the case. Very very mild symptoms can occur, which is caused by your body building resistance to the inactive virus you were injected with. You feel bad because your body is doing what it was built to do. And some people feel nothing. The real Flu is 100x worse.

 

[Katie Dawn]

I really need to go get mine. I'm also due for a tetanus shot and need to get the shingles vaccine. But after 10 long months, my frozen shoulder is finally unfreezing and the thought of making it hurt again is just too much.

Is it both shoulders? Also, I'm sure you know kids get it in their legs rather than arms, which I think (?) has to do with them not having enough muscle mass in their arms yet. But I wonder if you could get it in your leg?

 

[mom2rtk]

Is it both shoulders? Also, I'm sure you know kids get it in their legs rather than arms, which I think (?) has to do with them not having enough muscle mass in their arms yet. But I wonder if you could get it in your leg?

I have no idea if they can do it in the leg. I should ask.

Only one shoulder has issues for me, but the thought of making my one good arm hurt hasn't been very appealing either. I feel like the bad shoulder has been slowly getting better (finally) but am just in no hurry to aggravate things. Maybe in a few more weeks.

 

[fly girl]

I really need to go get mine. I'm also due for a tetanus shot and need to get the shingles vaccine. But after 10 long months, my frozen shoulder is finally unfreezing and the thought of making it hurt again is just too much.

I don't blame you. Could you do the other side??

Oops, edit. You already answered. Sorry about that! Next time I will read until the end.


But I will add today was much better for soreness. I am the only one with a nickel sized bruise. My loving family keeps threatening to push it. Yeah, they are wonderful aren't they?

 

[dhardawa]

We got ours last Friday. My arm was sore for a few days, but nothing bad.

A few years ago, my son got the flu after getting a flu shot. He was pretty sick... for a day. Haha! After that, he felt fine, but they still had him stay home from school in case he was contagious.

 

[MrsCobraBubbles]

I work with special needs children in a school setting--truly humanity's petri dish So of course, I have to get a flu shot every year because I have so much potential for exposure. This year's shot did make my arm very sore, the whole top of my arm swelled up and even my shoulder joint hurt. I did do the flu shot arm swing but it didn't help. I felt kind of crappy for a few days after the shot but probably I was exposed to something at work.

The thing about the flu shot is that it is cumulative--you build better immunity by getting one every year. getting the shot just this year will help protect you from the viruses that scientists predict will be prevalent this year, but if they are wrong (as they have been in the past) then having immunity to other strains of flu from past shots would be more beneficial. I will be honest, if I worked from home or in an office building I would be tempted to skip my flu shot some years because I hate it. But where I work now I have kids literally sneezing into my mouth and wiping their noses on my clothes and skin so I will have to get my shot every year.

 

[DLgal]

I got my shot this morning and within 2 hours was in awful pain. I literally can't lift my arm more than a couple inches to the side and it is super sore to the touch. It's way worse than anything I've ever experienced from prior vaccines. I am also feeling what feels like muscle spasms in my shoulder as well as some transient tingling/numbness near my elbow. My shot was placed pretty high on my shoulder this year. I don't recall it being like that in the past. It's at the part where the shoulder curves down, is that right? Gonna take some Aleve before bed and hope for the best. I almost had her do it in my right arm because I had blood drawn on the left one, and am so glad I didn't!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Glad this thread was bumped up. I wanted to post that I got my shot this past Saturday morning and was expecting from these reports to have at least a little soreness, but gladly I have nothing to report. No soreness, no tiredness, no nothing. Mine was given high up on my arm and I did move my arm around right afterward and in the car on the ride home, and didn't even have to take motrin. Sorry to hear others are still having some issues.

 

[Christine]

I got my shot this morning and within 2 hours was in awful pain. I literally can't lift my arm more than a couple inches to the side and it is super sore to the touch. It's way worse than anything I've ever experienced from prior vaccines. I am also feeling what feels like muscle spasms in my shoulder as well as some transient tingling/numbness near my elbow. My shot was placed pretty high on my shoulder this year. I don't recall it being like that in the past. It's at the part where the shoulder curves down, is that right? Gonna take some Aleve before bed and hope for the best. I almost had her do it in my right arm because I had blood drawn on the left one, and am so glad I didn't!

My mother had this experience one year and it was suspected that they either hit a nerve or it was just poor placement of a sort. She had tingling for 3 weeks down to her fingers. It may have been give too high. From what I read, it should be given about 3 finger widths below where where you feel the bony part of your shoulder.

 

[Christine]

Glad this thread was bumped up. I wanted to post that I got my shot this past Saturday morning and was expecting from these reports to have at least a little soreness, but gladly I have nothing to report. No soreness, no tiredness, no nothing. Mine was given high up on my arm and I did move my arm around right afterward and in the car on the ride home, and didn't even have to take motrin. Sorry to hear others are still having some issues.

Most people in my "group" who got the shot had very little to no soreness. I just got lucky! I did the same as you and moved my arm for quite some time after the shot (while I was driving, when I got home I vacuumed, etc). I think I just had a very zesty immune response to the vaccine.

 

[Arielle22]

DH and I got our shots two weeks ago from a Minute Clinic. Sore for a couple of days but that was it. I take public transportation and DH works with the public so we feel it is important to do.

 

[DLgal]

My mother had this experience one year and it was suspected that they either hit a nerve or it was just poor placement of a sort. She had tingling for 3 weeks down to her fingers. It may have been give too high. From what I read, it should be given about 3 finger widths below where where you feel the bony part of your shoulder.

I'm not sure. The nurse didn't feel for the bony part of my shoulder, she just grabbed it and jabbed. It's not nearly as painful this morning, but I am still having random spasms and tingling. I'm hopeful it clears up in a few days. My husband got his last week and said his arm was sore for 2 days as well, while he usually doesn't get arm soreness from vaccines, so I guess it's common with this year's shot. One of my sons also complained while the other didn't, so there's that. I was awakened several times last night with arm pain. I suppose I tried to move or roll over onto it in my sleep.

 

[fly girl]

I'm not sure. The nurse didn't feel for the bony part of my shoulder, she just grabbed it and jabbed. It's not nearly as painful this morning, but I am still having random spasms and tingling. I'm hopeful it clears up in a few days. My husband got his last week and said his arm was sore for 2 days as well, while he usually doesn't get arm soreness from vaccines, so I guess it's common with this year's shot. One of my sons also complained while the other didn't, so there's that. I was awakened several times last night with arm pain. I suppose I tried to move or roll over onto it in my sleep.

Had the same thing, woke up first night with my arm in pain. I kept it active the next day and it was fine except for the hideous bruise I still have a week later. Thank goodness it's not tank top season.