My son Nathan had a flu shot 4 yrs ago and was sick within 3 weeks. His neurologist says his GBS was from the flu shot.
He was told not to ever get any flu shots or any other type of immunization.
Even the CDC says if you have a history of GBS, not to get a flu shot ever again in your lifetime.
For Nathan, once was enough.
He is still trying to recover with numerous risiduals left over.
Trudy, Natesmom

Howdy All,

The annual flu shot topic is once again upon us all, except this time its about
2 shots instead of one. I plan on calling in to my dr about it, because last year I was on Prednisone at the time, and this time I am on IVIG therapy.
Last year he said “No Way, no shot”. Pretty confident he will say the same thing this year, but I plan to ask anyway.

I am a firm believer that immunologic shots add up to bring conditions we may be prone to, up to the surface. My daughter developed Chrohn’s disease directly after guardasil, she is 18 and taking alot of meds.

I did allergy shots for 4 years along with a flu shot every year, and slowly my cidp has become a full time problem. In the past it was remitting.

Sometimes neuro’s tell their patients to get the flu shot. Why, I don’t know, but there may be other factors where risk vs benefit comes into play. younger people usually do better with flu. I hear the swine is tougher on the younger group.

I am scaired to get the flu or the flu shots!:) Have a Great day.–tim–

Checked with my neurologist’s office last week and was told to get the regular flu shot but not the H1N1/swine flu shot.

Hope this helps!

my diagnosing neurologist said never get the flu shot. My family doctor and a walk in clinic would not give the flu shot to people with gbs and cidp, but my treating neurologist said better to get a flu shot then have a severe case of flu.

I’d only say that the flu shot I had in 1996 didn’t cause my CIDP because I don’t know how to prove it, but the flu shot in 1997 put me in a wheelchair. I chose not to ever have a flu shot again.

Each of us should talk to our doctors, research and then decide.

My opinion is that I have to agree with the above post, but getting the flu shot is controversial and “HAS” to be an individual decision. I don’t know if the flu shot caused my CIDP, but I am convinced that I would not be in a wheelchair if I had enough information then to make the decision to NOT have a flu shot. I will never have a flu shot.

Its funny, when Nate was in the hospital last time for Kidney failure, I was talking to the nurses about his Neuro telling us that Nate’s very first ever Flu shot started it.
Quite a few of the nurses said they won’t take flu shots and our old doctor said he doesn’t either.
So why does the govt keep shoving them down our throats?

Nate’s original Neuro never even asked me if Nate had a flu shot, so I’m sure it was never documented in his notes.
I didn’t even find out that you could get it from flu shots for a number of months after I came on this site.
Nate’s new Neuro is the only one who has suggested that his GBS was from a flu shot, 16 mos out from diagnosis.
Trudy,natesmom

After reading as much as I could read about the increase risk of getting a gbs relapse and talking to my son Nate’s doctors and having him and nurses tell Nate not to ever get another flu shot, Nate has decided not to get one.
He had a flu shot just 2 or 3 weeks before he got gbs.
His Gallbladder had also shut down at the same time so figuring out which thing got him sick is impossible.
You can’t exactly blame him for not wanting to take a chance after the hell he has been thru and is still going thru.
Nate/ gbs 1-05-06