I enquired today about having a flu jab at my doctors. They said I do not qualify for a free flu jab. I was quite concerned about this, not for the sake of £10, but for the fact that the doctors do not think having fibromyalgia is serious enough to be in the high risk category. If any of us got full blown flu on top of everything else (fatigue is the worse part for me) we would be bed bound for weeks.
Oh well off to the chemist with my £10. Hope they have a trained member of staff to give an injection.
David
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Golfer15
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Hi golfer I'm not sure if you'd have had you flu jab by now? I didn't need too make an appointment. I was there doing some shopping an picking up my meds, an they offered it too me its closer than my Docs so it saved me trying too get too the surgery as I can't walk far,it was really convenient, so I'd go there again.hope yours gos ok
Oh I get mine free. But don't want it. I always react badly to it. Try what Hidden did David. Good luck
I got my dinner an my flu jab ,sorted
☺ xx
• in reply to
Haha nice 1 lorrs 💜
*my
I inject NY own insulin,it dosent take much training😀 xx
Ano but rules are rules and they need to draw the line somewhere. Like u i asked my GP for the flu jab last year and i was told the same as you. My son has an immune disorder...no IGA (ImmuneglobinA) so obviously he gets the flu jab. Just pay the tenner its well worth it for the exact reasons u state as to if u were to get flu on top of evrthin else. Of course the person at chemist will b trained ur just bein para now.😉😉
If your son has immune disorder you should get it for free! My docs say if your close relative or carer or someone high risk you can get it. All the rules seem very arbitrary don't they! I'm undecided whether to get it, more for pain afterwards, but erring more to getting it if I'm honest
Maybe different rules in Scotland but my gp tries to get me to take the flu jag every year ... I normally decline because I took a reaction last time I had it xxx
I thought fibro was one of the things they give flu jab for?? NHS site says its clinical judgment! My GP surgery are pushing free flu jabs like mad. In fact last year I was given a flu jab even though I said I didn't want it. The doctor had jabbed it in my arm before I knew what was going on. I had bad flu afterwards and an arm ache for 6 months. I don't want another ever.
Fibromyalgia isn't one of the conditions on the NHS list, but as hebden says docs can use their clinical judgement to give you a free one - mine has in the past. Though must admit I find it easier to just pay the £10 and pop down to my local pharmacy.
Its not a Live vaccine, people who get ill afterwards maybe just get unlucky ? An catch a strain if flu that the jab dosent cover ? They prob pick it up when they go too the surgery too get the jab!! and its full of people with germs running wild! As the weathers changing etc,just a theory ☺
Hi, yes as Lors says, not a live vaccine. If you get flu following injection then you picked it up before and were "brewing" it. Some can get flu when covered but it will be way milder than if you hadn't been vaccinated. 😊
Absolutely!! Yes, me too. I think that is down to this years cocktail. They must be expecting a particularly nasty one. Hope it soon settles for you. X
Yes apparently there's a strain of Aussie flu there expecting 😕 so we will have the usual,hospitals on code red,with no beds an people dropping like flies, we're never really prepared are we xx
Had my flu jab yesterday. Itched like mad for the first 6 hours till we went swimming, woken up this morning and it feels like I’ve been punched quite hard! Hopefully worth it though if it stops me getting full blown flu!
I get mine free as I have Fibromyalgia and Antiphospholipid syndrome. Was told having the flu could kill me due to having clots and a bleed on the brain 7 years ago which left me with 6 hours to live (but I’m still here)!
I have mine each year and have never had any bad effects other than a sore arm for a couple of days.
Booked in for mine next week but am dreading it as I've been in what seems a bad flare up since April and even having blood test recently has been painful.. But they think there's a bad wave of aussie flu in the way over here so I'd rather put up with some extra pain now than be bed ridden or worse.. Bit of a devil and deep blue sea position for some I guess
I was told I didn't qualify either but that my carer did crazy or what I've never had the flu jab very few people that I know get it i don't want it lol it's funny if it's free we want it but if it costs we don't need it lol I figure I've got enuf drugs in my system I don't want more stuff floating around possibly making things worse for me
This subject, I find frustrating as I feel we should be allowed the free flu jab personally and that the GP should use their clinical judgement.
I know it is £10 at other establishments but some people who live with Fibro could be living 'hand to mouth' shall we say and just managing to keep a roof over their head in the current financial climate.
The NHS Choices say;
The injected flu vaccine is offered free of charge on the NHS to anyone with a serious long-term health condition, including:
chronic (long-term) respiratory diseases, such as asthma (which requires an inhaled or tablet steroid treatment, or has led to hospital admission in the past), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), emphysema or bronchitis
chronic heart disease, such as heart failure
chronic kidney disease
chronic liver disease, such as hepatitis
chronic neurological conditions, such as Parkinson's disease, motor neurone disease or multiple sclerosis (MS)
diabetes
problems with your spleen – for example, sickle cell disease or if you have had your spleen removed
a weakened immune system as the result of conditions such as HIV and AIDS, or medication such as steroid tablets or chemotherapy
I feel one reason we do not qualify is due to the classification of Fibromyalgia listed as a Musculoskeletal condition in the World Health Organisation. If more research could conclude it is neurological we would fall under the chronic neurological bracket.
I wonder if anyone here has been given it for free with a diagnosis of ME/CFS as this is listed in the WHO as neurological although I think I read somewhere about a petition to stop it being moved to a 'functional disorder'
Whether you should have a Flu Jab or not is down to the individual as some report it to be effective with no side effects and others have a reaction so decline it.
NHS Choices say;
You can't catch flu from the flu jab
. The flu jab cannot cause flu because there are no active viruses in the vaccine. If you have what you think is flu after vaccination, it may be that you have caught a flu-like virus that isn't really flu, or you may have caught flu before your flu vaccination had taken effect.
In my personal opinion that trying to avoid Flu on top of Fibro, it is probably advisable and maybe members should consider having a flu vaccination. However, if you react badly then it is up to you to personally decide, to way up the benefits against the potential for side effects.
I would consider making sure before you have a flu jab that you have no signs of cold/flu/bugs as this may limit any possible reaction should you decide to have it.
I have ME and Fibro and every year I ask it's always refused. In fact my GP says she recommends due to ME I don't get the jab at all anywhere paid or free because she thinks having a weakened immune system it could potentially make things worse.
Yes very much depends on where you live: local surgeries offering it to everyone and local pharmacies including supermarket ones doing them free too ....
They keep offering it to me but not for me i don't want it and friends had it and been ill ever since last year!
Hi David, I have been having the flu jab for years my doctor told me I didn't have to pay because I have a chronic illness that affects the immune system. Good luck for next year.
I hope you have managed to get your flu jab by now Golfer, I agree with you that with fibro you should get it free. It's so painful, it is a serious condition, and I wasn't aware you didn't get it with fibro, I have asthma and bronchiectasis too and I have to go back for a further injection for pneumonia next week, I wonder how much they would charge you for that, cos it's just as important as the flu jab. Anyway when you do get it I hope you don't end up bad with it cos sometimes you can have a bad reaction. My first one I ever got I did but I've been ok after that. Good luck.
You don't even know what's going into these jabs. I have started as from last year refusing them. I have diabetes so they try to get you to have them anyway and I also have full ME to boot. The pharmaceutical companies try to keep you ill coz that's how they make there money. I know some of you will think I'm a nut. But start questioning things. Why do they want to give you an injection in the tummy at night when your in hospital. You don't do that at home so what is the difference?
There are different strains of flu. The flu habit is usually one or two that are predicted to be the most common. It's not a prefect science but it's about risk vs benefit. It's defo still worth having especially if you qualify for a free on and have other medical conditions. I qualify but also get it free as I work in the NHS so it's important I get mine.
My David had a flu jab last year had to pay for it as he keeps getting colds and passes them on to me at times, would you believe that he got a chest infection over Christmas then past it on to me for New Year then this year he enquired and got told he could have it free this year, he is now 63, thought they were giving them to everyone these days that what he got told.
It is frustrating. Especially when there are posters up saying if you have a chronic condition book you flu jab. It is disheartening how fibromyalgia is totally disregarded and ignored 🙁
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