ArteMie's journey with Stelera

[jiml]

ok Jim, I'll ask for the jab!

Noooooooooooooooo don't go for the flu jab, you are too young. Let your body fight it.

It's not to do with age. It's more about vulnerability and if you are vulnerable and your immune system is compromised i.e on a immunosuppressant it's advisable to have the jab

[Fred]

ok Jim, I'll ask for the jab!

Noooooooooooooooo don't go for the flu jab, you are too young. Let your body fight it.

It's not to do with age. It's more about vulnerability and if you are vulnerable and your immune system is compromised i.e on a immunosuppressant it's advisable to have the jab

I disagree, but I'll

[Kat]

I've never been a fan of getting the flu shot BUT... I plan to start getting them each year.

Flu shots rarely (if ever) cause someone to get the flu. While on biologics you are more susceptible to getting sick and your body can have more difficulty fighting off a virus. Even if you contact the flu (usually due to the strain being different than the one they vaccinated for that year) the symptoms are usually less severe if you had a flu shot.

I wish I could say all of the above is true, however.... I don't know. What I do know is that I've had a minimum of 6 different trusted medical people say a version of what I just typed (hmm okay 5 trusted, one a bit iffy ) But if it IS all true then it makes sense to get the shot/jab. So I'm going with that. I didn't get one this year but I plan to be first in line when October rolls around.

[artemie]

Fred; 3 flus, 3x over a week sick from work in 1 winter might be a good reason to get a flu shot. But I'll discuss it first with doc.

[Maryam]

I had the flu shot as well, real influenza is not something you want to mess around with and can kill even a healthy person. I got the jab before I started MTX. 

When you're on a bio you are immuno-compromised. I agree with Jim.

[Turnedlight]

I had the flu jab for the first time ever in the autumn, and I’ve just had such a bad cough with high temperature, it may well have been flu. It went on for ages and I don’t even remember a couple of the days!

Obviously the jab didn’t cause it. But I never get ill like this, even on methotrexate a cold would only be a couple of days and light sniffles. Could it be that the flu jab forces your body to be busy making antibodies to it, and therefore fail to successfully fight off other viruses that come along? How long after the jab are you actually making the antibodies? Probably only as long as flu would last.

[Caroline]

I had the flu jab for the first time ever in the autumn, and I’ve just had such a bad cough with high temperature, it may well have been flu. It went on for ages and I don’t even remember a couple of the days!

Obviously the jab didn’t cause it. But I never get ill like this, even on methotrexate a cold would only be a couple of days and light sniffles. Could it be that the flu jab forces your body to be busy making antibodies to it, and therefore fail to successfully fight off other viruses that come along? How long after the jab are you actually making the antibodies? Probably only as long as flu would last.

Hi TL,

As far as I know, after the flu-jab, your body starts to make anti-bodies immediately so within two weeks you are protected against the types of flu that were in the injection.
That does not mean that you will be completely immune if you get one of those flu's, but the effects will be much less. You still can be ill.
But in the flu-jab they cannot put protection for every flu-virus, they only can do that for e.g. the 5 most expected. This year the flu that came over the Netherlands, probably the same as  yours, was NOT in the flu-jab. So there was no protection against this variant at all.
In NL this led to a real flu epidemic, lots of casualties with the elderly. One of the extra risks was getting pneumonia.

[Turnedlight]

Yes, I also heard that the flu jab only gives you about 40% protection from the types it does include!
I knew it wouldn’t necessarily protect me but I did find it interesting that it’s the first year I have ever (as far as I know) had ‘flu.

[artemie]

Went to our family doctor, tomorrow morning some general blood test to check general Artemie-health. Bloodpressure is a bit high so I'm gonna measure that at home for the next week (twice in the morning, twice in the evening) My lungs are nice and clean, but still tired after this badass flu. 

Next autumn I'm scheduled for a flu shot. Lets see how this and bloodwork work out and how things go untill the next dermatologist check-before-shot-appointment end of April. If I get the flu again I'm gonna go on strike, or something.

[Fred]

I think you will get a lot of backing for your strike.