About flu vaccines?

The advice I’ve gotten is to be absolutely SURE you are being vaccinated with a ‘dead’ serum, not a live one!
Since I’d had one flu shot after I got this and before I was diagnosed? That one shot caused a ‘reaction’ of one very sore arm, the site still has a HARD knot at the injection point… So.. dead or alive? I am leary. But, I do keep my life fairly ‘contained’ interms of outside contacts.
I mite just try it this year? IF so? I’ll let you know!
Most docs do encourage it tho. I am just too chicken!