Flu Vaccine Associated With Slight Increase In Risk

Hi Janz,

The numbers they have reported of 1 in 100,000 are way off base, they changed it a few years ago to say 8 in 100,000 but those numbers are way off too and one day they will get some kind of correct number.

They keep saying the risk is low, baloney, it’s not low and they also don’t take into account all the children who are getting GBS from all different kinds of vaccines, so the numbers are way off.

So it doesn’t matter if it’s the flu vaccine or other vaccines, they’re still dangerous.

I agree totally I got my GBS from a flu shot and was told to NEVER AGAIN TAKE ONE I don’t care what anyone says how safe a flu shot is. until you walk in our shoes for a week you would feel the same

Hi,

Why are the numbers so low…and wrong? Look at what the CDC says: Only one in 1 million (or approx 60-70 yr) that get a flu shot will get GBS as a result of the flu shot. Well, that just ain’t true…because the CDC gets their statistics directly from VAERS (vaccine adverse event report system), and less that 3% of all vaccine adverse effects get reported to VAERS.

And by the way, that’s where everyone else gets their data from too.:rolleyes:

Jethro

well, i’ll continue to get my flu vaccine every year. i’m going on 5 1/2 years post gbs and have been getting the flu vaccine every year since and no flu or a relapse. since you can get gbs from ANY vaccine, i refuse to live my life in fear and will go on as i did prior to gbs. my gbs was brought on by an upper respiratory infection. i know a lot of you do not agee with me, but i feel i have the right to express my feelings on this topic too. i guess we all have to do what we believe is right for our bodies and whatever we decide isn’t always the right thing for others.
stay well to all,
deb

[QUOTE=Deb]well, i’ll continue to get my flu vaccine every year. i’m going on 5 1/2 years post gbs and have been getting the flu vaccine every year since and no flu or a relapse. since you can get gbs from ANY vaccine, i refuse to live my life in fear and will go on as i did prior to gbs. my gbs was brought on by an upper respiratory infection. i know a lot of you do not agee with me, but i feel i have the right to express my feelings on this topic too. i guess we all have to do what we believe is right for our bodies and whatever we decide isn’t always the right thing for others.
stay well to all,
deb[/QUOTE]

Amen. I got GBS last summer but went ahead and got my flu vaccine in the fall. Like Deb, I also got my GBS after a severe upper respiratory infection, not from a flu shot. My neurologist said that I would be more likely to get a GBS recurrence from the flu than from a flu shot. He also mentioned something surprising to me – he thought that many doctors recommend not getting the flu shot after having Guillain-Barre because if the patient has a recurrence, the doctor can be blamed. If the patient doesn’t get the shot but picks up the flu and develops GBS, the doctor can’t be blamed since it happened naturally.

On the other hand, if I had developed GBS after a flu shot, I can be pretty sure I wouldn’t get another flu shot – I would be too paranoid. As it is, though, I agree with Deb that I can’t live in fear for the rest of my life – especially since I am going to be working in health care and already have a lot of patient exposure. Being able to get a flu shot is very important to my career!

So where did you find someone willing to give you the flu vaccine?

l tried to get one this year (no, my gbs wasn’t a result of a vaccine), but couldn’t find *anyone* who would give me one.

The way I look at it is like this: I have a much better chance of death from complications from the flu then I do of getting gbs again. I tend to get pneumonia and bronchitis very easily.

Just my .02

katie jo

ok, here’s my 2 cents. yes, we all have freedom of choice & should act accordingly. but pls do not be misled by the lo stats. they are higher than published for many reasons. even so the odds of getting gbs is comparatively lo, but if you are among the unfortunate, the price you pay is great.

my choice – never, never, never.

btw, the efficacy of the flu shot is near nil. take care. be well.

gene gbs 8-99
in numbers there is strength

[QUOTE=Katie Jo]So where did you find someone willing to give you the flu vaccine?

l tried to get one this year (no, my gbs wasn’t a result of a vaccine), but couldn’t find *anyone* who would give me one.

The way I look at it is like this: I have a much better chance of death from complications from the flu then I do of getting gbs again. I tend to get pneumonia and bronchitis very easily.

Just my .02

katie jo[/QUOTE]

I was able to get the flu shot from my student health clinic after giving them a note from my neurologist saying that I was okay to get the shot. My neurologist DID tell me to wait on getting some other vaccines (I wanted to get the meningitis vaccine), but he agreed that it was fine for me to get the flu shot. Do you have a neurologist you could get approval from? Good luck finding your flu shot!

I have asthma and about three years ago, my doctor said I had to take the flu shot. I got deathly ill and ended up in the hospital. He started questioning me and when I told him that I had, had GBS/MFV, I was told to never take another flu shot. About two years ago, I took the pneumonia shot for the same reason by a different doctor. My arm broke out real red and was swollen. I made mention of the GBS/MFV, she made the same statement and that I was highly allergic to them.

Joyce

Emily will NEVER get another flu shot again. The flu shot is what sent her CIDP into overdrive (we didn’t know she had it yet) and caused all the problems with her eye.

Our home care nurse refuses to get the flu shot because of all of the patients that she’s treated that have developed auto immune disorders from it. She said that most nurses & dr’s she knows refuse to get it as well.

I will not ever get a flu shot & neither will my husband. My MIL got a flu shot this year, at the recommendation from her dr, and became EXTREMELY ill afterwards. She received the shot in October and is STILL not over it completely. I don’t think she will ever be the same.

It’s not about living in fear. It’s about living with the knowledge that not every single vaccine available to us is safe to get. While it is everyone’s individual right to chose to get any vaccine I would HIGHLY recommend researching ALL the facts before chosing to get it or not. Each person has to weigh the benefits vs risks on their own.

Kelly

[QUOTE=Emily’s_mom]
While it is everyone’s individual right to chose to get any vaccine I would HIGHLY recommend researching ALL the facts before chosing to get it or not. Each person has to weigh the benefits vs risks on their own.
Kelly[/QUOTE]

It’s really about weighing the risks and benefits and making an informed choice for yourself. No one can make this decision for you. I would agree that everyone should decide for themselves whether the risk is worth it or not. People like me who work in health care or who get severe complications from the flu might find it is worth the risk, while others who have had a lot of trouble from vaccines have every reason to avoid them. I was checking out the Center for Disease Control for information about the efficacy of flu shots for different age groups, and I would highly recommend that people consult that sight ([url]http://www.cdc.gov/flu/professionals/vaccination/[/url]) to help them make their decision. Also, my neurologist is working on an article addressing this question which I will post as soon as it’s published – it is very informative.

And I will respectfully disagree that it is not about living in fear – at least not for me anyway. There are so many things I am tempted not to do every day out of fear of a relapse – I don’t want to walk into the hospital, to expose myself to germs of any type, I don’t want to get out of bed and feel the constant reminder of my disease make itself known with the stiffness and tingling…. but for me, I have to fight this every day. For ME, the flu shot was another milestone that I had to pass on my way back to a normal life. And I completely recognize that I may be the only person who feels that way, and that is totally okay. Please understand me when I say that those of you (and I am guessing it is quite the majority) who don’t want to get any more flu shots, or perhaps other vaccinations as well, have every right to feel that way!! 😀

Take care everyone, and I hope the weather where you are is as beautiful as it is here in VA!

I can understand anyone wanting to get the flu vaccine , but if you developed GBS/CIDP from the vaccine you would feel differently about it. Frank developed GBS as a result of the flu vaccine and he was told by his regular Neuro and his Neuro-muscular Doc who specialized in GBS/CIDP never to take it again because it could cause GBS/CIDP to attack him again. In the 6 years following his GBS/CIDP he never received a flu shot again. He also never got the flu in the last 6 yeras of his life.

The flu vaccine does not protect againist every flu strain that can come along every flu season, so it might protect you againist 1 flu strain and you can still get another flu strain the same year. So what is it really protecting you againist? You don’t know. It’s called a crap-shoot.

We always post our opinions and facts then you the consumer must decide whether to risk any illness whether you take the vaccine or not. We have always said it is your decision and yours alone, we just put the facts out there.

Also it states right in the insert with the vaccine that comes to the doctor’s office that it can cause GBS and if you have had GBS, you should not take the flu vaccine.
Does your Dr make you sign a waiver before the flu vaccine that you know all the facts about the vaccine? Has he told you the facts about flu vaccine and GBS? Probably not, most do not. They should, it’s their obligation to tell you all of the facts. Frank’s Primary Care Dr never told him about the flu vaccine and GBS and he also never reported the adverse reaction of him getting GBS from the vaccine. I had to file the report with VAERS myself and when I brought the paperwork to his Primary care Doc he got nervous about not reporting it.

The Drs I have worked for, always opted to not take the vaccine and also refused to get their children vaccinated.

Off the subject of flu vaccine, but on to other vaccines, Autism is at an all time high in this country and Drs believe it is from childhood vaccines. It’s getting so bad they are calling it an epidemic.

So I just need to post some information so people will know what they are dealing with.

My grandson, Brandon, is autistic. His pediatrician said “no vaccines ~ ever again!”. He was a perfectly healthy baby at birth and before the first “series”. All of our lives changed after that . .

See my post on pet vaccinations and the Veterinarian’s remarks. We take better care of our pets/animals than our most precious responsibility ~ our children’s and our bodies!!

I was diagnosed with GBS Feb 2000, after having the Flu shot in Oct.That’s when my symptoms started. I am not allowed to have the Flu shot now. I thought I had a pinched nerve in my back, until I started having trouble breathing, then ended up on a vent.

I won’t let my kids get the flu shot, because I was that 1 in 100,000, I am scared they could be also. I know that may sound selfish, but I hate that people still have to go through this.

Sorry, had to say my peace.

God Bless,
Tonya