does every1 who's on mtx, get the flu jab??

[mammyof2]

[LavendarLady]

Yes, it should be offered to you because of the compromised immune system. Suggest you see your GP surgery and get it done. If you haven't had a pneumonia jab before,they will do that as well. It only needs to be done once but the flu jab every year. With RA we are a priority for the flu jab, so don't be put off by any officious receptionist at the surgery!

Best wishes, LavendarLady x

[mammyof2]

thanx lavendarlady, yeah i had it last yr and i wos 2 get it on tues past but i didnt go because i have a bit of a bad chest,and last year after i got my jab, i took a chest infection and i cudnt get rid of it 4 months!! just wondering do we really need it dont want 2 have 2 go through that again x

[LavendarLady in reply to mammyof2]

Hi Mammyof2. You may have been already sickening for your chest infection when you had the flu jab. The flu vaccine is a dead vaccine so can't cause any infections, coughs colds etc. It is worth getting it done each year - flu is a very nasty illness. It is not just a glorified cold!

I had it in the last epidemic and was in bed for 2 weeks feeling extremely ill, unable to eat or take any interest in anything except my hacking cough, aching joints etc.and runing an enormously high temperature. Flu is no joke. Anyone who says they have flu when all they have is a heavy cold has never had the real thing! I would not wish it on anyone.

So do get it done before the flu season starts and if you have not had a pneumonia injection, you need that as well. Hope that helps. LavendarLady x

[cathie]

I think that if it was me i woud have it. Flu is a horrible thing to have. Maybe tell nurse you had bad chest afterwards last year but it might not be related

C

[claireyj]

Hiya yes it should be offered to you one of the first things I had to arrange after starting mtx in August ....also as Cathie said nice to know you are protected from it as flu is horrid ..Claire x

[SarahKate-NRAS]

Hi Mammyof2

In the past we have discussed this topic with our medical advisors who overwhelmingly felt that for patients with RA it was important to have the flu jab as the benefits of the jab far outweighed the possible risks. Unfortunately it seems like the guidance on whether or not patients with RA are entitled to FREE flu vaccination is very unclear, which is why some GPs offer/recommend it to their RA patients and some don’t.

On the face of it, as the guidance suggests that people who are ‘immuno-suppressed’ should have the flu vaccine, it looks as though this would apply to most RA patients, as the medications generally prescribed for this condition affect the immune system. However, it depends on the definition of levels of immune-suppression, and this is down to interpretation.

We contacted Department of Health about this some time ago, to try to get some clarity on whether or not GPs should be offering flu vaccination to RA patients, but their response was that due to the variances in levels of RA and medications etc it requires ‘a clinical judgement from those responsible for the patient’s care.’ This means that GPs should decide on a case-by-case basis, but how they determine which patients will and will not be eligible will be down to the individual GP practice, which is why there is so much variance in the information that RA patients are told about flu vaccine.

If your GP is not offering the vaccine and you would still like to have it you can get a flu vaccine done at many local chemists at a relatively small cost.

Kind regards

Sarah Kate

NRAS

[mistymeana]

Hi, as Lavender lady said, if you fell ill post flu jab, it was almost certainly coincidental. Occasionally someone might feel slightly achy for a day or two the very first time they have a flu vac but certainly no more than that. I have one every year and not had any bad effects. I was "lucky" enough to catch bird flu a few years ago and was completely wiped out for two weeks and well below par for another two. Anything that improves your chances of good health is worth a sore arm in my book. If you have to pay to have a jab it's worth checking out the supermarket pharmacies as they tend to under-cut the chains like Boots and Superdrug. Patients at work report Morrisons as the cheapest here.

[mammyof2]

thanx evry1. think il take mt chances and get it this week xo