Surely you jest?
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August 24, 2011 at 12:34 am
Must be the season. I drive by more than one major grocery market, or drug store every day and see the placards in the window or on the premises: GET YOUR FLU SHOTS HERE, or GET YOUR SHINGLES SHOT NOW, or, PNEUMONIA SHOTS AVAILABLE HERE.
Upon questioning those behind the pharmacy counter, as to what they meant when suggesting there may be ‘flulike reactions’. Only blank looks like the deer in the spotlight. ‘Have you ever heard of GBS???’ More blank looks.
Joe McD–27Nov’08, induced coma for 88 days, 5 hospitals, etc, etc. Able to walk today, painful and slow, but getting better.:)
JMcD
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August 24, 2011 at 2:05 pm
Hi JMcD,
I usually stop at the table in the grocery store and ask the nurses if they ever heard of GBS and surprisingly they say yes and their chins drop looking at me. They say most people who have had GBS are not out in public much. And they say no way on a shot for me! I laugh with them on that.
Keep resting!!!
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August 24, 2011 at 2:42 pm
LOL!! Last year, while picking up a prescription, my pharmacist asked if I’d had my flu shot. I told her no and I didn’t plan to have one. When she asked why, I told her, GBS. She immediately said “oh, you can’t have the shot”. Um, yeah. But, we laughed about it. At least she had enough information to try and force it on me.
Then again, I’m sure liability was probably in the forefront of her mind.
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August 24, 2011 at 3:29 pm
Crissy—Where’bouts in OKC???????? I spent grades 3 thru 7 at Creston Hills GS and Northeast High.
Younger brother died of poliomielitis (Polio)(GBS???????) within one week, at OKC Childrens Hospital. His iron lung was the forerunner of the ventilator.
I too, had the ‘shot of ’76’ and laid in bed for four days. And have had probably three more flu shots with zip reactions. Three wasp stings in 1981 put me in an ER for eight hours. Shingles still make my forehead twitch. In visiting with neuro doctor today, re. my above history, a flu shot would have been against his advice prior to my ‘shot of ’08’. Other doctors take the shots, but agree that everyone needs to seriously review their history of reactions.
I have no doubt regards the lack of GBS familiarity by everyone, but the pharmaceuticals and their advocates (lawyers) are playing a numbers game of profits and ‘we need to study this further’ attitude. I catch myself in a weird mindframe when I ask a newhire at the Walmart cardtable just how much training have they had regards the possible reactions to a free flu shot. Most associate a reaction, as a day or so of feeling under the weather.
JMc
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August 25, 2011 at 10:46 am
Hello, Mackie
I don’t live n OKC now but that is my “home” and where both my episodes of GBS were treated. I have a friend in OKC who told me she had polio as a child and made a life long friend during that time who was being treated for polio, too. Years later – they decided this person did not have polio but instead it was GBS.
It’s interesting, huh? -
August 25, 2011 at 4:53 pm
Joe,
I hear you. I got mine from the flu shot. I want to kick over the flu shot signs at Walgreens. (I guess I should look on the upside that I can kick over a sign now, when 18 months ago, I couldn’t! 😉 I know they help so many people, but when you are the one in a rarity who gets a severe reaction, you do have some anger and trepidation about vaccines.
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