Update on flu jab experience

[Purplecrow]

I had my annual flu vaccination one week ago. As usual, I had mild soreness at site of injection, at first, that was only side effect. As the week progressed, however, I began feeling more fatigued.About day 4, post injection, I was sleeping about 10 hours at night. It seemed I needed lots more sleep. Day 5-6, I was sleeping 15+ hours.

Now, at day 9, the fatigue has gone, and I am back to normal.

I am not a medical person. What I suspect happened, my immune system was chugging along, working overtime, to develop antibiodies to help ward off flu.

Additionally, I was drinking more fluids. I believe my immune system is sluggish from PMR, and it's work of developing antibodies taxed my energy, thus requiring more sleep.

I look forward to what others think about the increased need for sleep/fatigue.

Regards, Jerri

PMR diagnosed 2013

[Smokygirl]

When I was 13, my whole year at school ( 120 children) had the Heaf test for Tuberculosis. I was the only one whose arm swelled up. The other kids told me that I would have to have the vaccination—- they would not.

In the event, I was the only child who did NOT have to have the vaccination!

At least you have some immune system left! I had no reaction to my 65 and under flu jab two weeks ago at all—— not even a pink dot!!!

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Smokygirl]

My husband used to use the Heaf test as a model for inflammation in his research. Being a dutiful wife I was always included as a subject - not least because he and I had superb reactions! We always assumed it was because we'd both had the jab as teenagers but it turns out HE has had TB! Probably when we lived in Germany before he turned to the research that required the inflammatory model. We were heavily involved with the US army - and it was rife amongst squaddies.

[Smokygirl in reply to PMRpro]

How interesting! As I never had the jab, I guess I must have had it very very mildly as a child too, probably disguised by a cold or flu!

I believe it is called latent TB

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Smokygirl]

I'm sure there was a lot around when we were children. As a baby, OH's older brother was looked after by grandma - who died not much later of miliary TB!

[Smokygirl in reply to PMRpro]

Very sad. Presumably your BIL never caught it off her?

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Smokygirl]

No - but there were some very tense months I gather!

[Marijo1951]

I had exactly the same experience this year - even sleepier than usual starting a few days after the jab. This went on for about a week. I think you're probably right that the immune system was working overtime to create antibodies. Inconvenient though it was, it was a lot better than having a dose of incapacitating flu - I've had some horrific bouts of it in my life.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Marijo1951]

I always say anyone who has doubts about the flu jab has never had proper flu!!! Only once, didn't get out of bed for a week and couldn't drive to get OH from the airport. Luckily our daughter was learning and I often took her for lessons along the Newcastle Western bypass for motorway experience so she drove - much to his concern. He couldn't - he'd been drinking on the plane of course!!! But it was weeks before I got over it.

[Marijo1951 in reply to PMRpro]

The worst thing that happened in my case was when I had a bout of flu in the very early weeks of my second pregnancy. As a result my daughter's right eye wasn't formed properly leaving her with partial sight on that side. Apparently it's similar to the macular degeneration suffered by many elderly people, and she's been told that she was lucky it didn't happen to both eyes. She simply has blanks in her vision. When she was a teacher she always told her class that, if they passed her in the corridor on her right side and she seemed to deliberately ignore them, she wasn't being rude, she genuinely didn't see them. We all know about the dangers of rubella to the foetus, but many other viruses can affect its development even if in less extreme ways. When I was at work I always told young women who were considering starting a family to take advantage of the free flu jabs that we were offered every year.

But you're right, even without a calamity like that, flu is a long drawn out debilitating business and definitely best avoided.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Marijo1951]

Yes - one summer I worked for a Baptist minister whose mother had had flu when expecting him and he was totally blind. I think most people underestimate real flu - they think a bad cold is flu. And that was an early mistake with Covid - they thought it was a mild flu. How wrong could they be.

[Marijo1951 in reply to PMRpro]

Gosh, that made my blood run cold thinking how much worse things could have been for my daughter. I always say if you can't face the thought of food, it's flu and if you feel lousy but you can eat, it's just a cold. Maybe that's where the expression ''Feed a cold and starve a fever'' comes from.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Marijo1951]

Could well be I suppose.

I think chicken pox is another potentially devasting virus - and people don't think twice about letting children out with it when they feel OK. But if they are in contact with an expectant mum who hasn't had her jab ...

[Marijo1951 in reply to PMRpro]

I believe some people have held ''chicken pox parties'' so that children can attend and catch the virus. I suppose the idea is that it's better for them to catch it early as it's so much more serious in adults but, as you say, it could be disastrous for any pregnant woman attending.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Marijo1951]

I did it with my smaller one - not a party but we were to visit the cousins in south Wales. The older one had had it when the small one was 6 months old so I didn't mind the thought of her getting it so we had a perfectly normal holiday, The bad moment came when I discovered my brother hadn't had it! The first spot appeared while we were with him - but he didn't get it, He was a baker and eventually caught it when a colleague brought it into work! Then my MIL announced SHE hadn't had it. The other cousins were across the road, again, one had had it, the other not and mum (a nurse) wasn't bothered, she must be naturally immune. No, she wasn't. But mine was over it in time to go back to kindergarten and I didn't have to worry again. None of them were ill with it though. But looking back on it - we did take some risks!

[Purplecrow in reply to PMRpro]

My daughter had chicken pox when she was 25 . I have never seen a nastier illness. She had pox spots in her ears, nose, eyes, genitals and every inch of her body. She was so ill she hardly got out of bed for a week, and didn't leave her house for almost a month. There was also scarring from the nasty little scabs. What an ugly virus in adult onset version.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Purplecrow]

Oh it is - which I didn't know than. My brother wasn't too bad when he did get it but it wasn't a mild illness which is what everyone thinks about children getting it.

Don't think I remember the HK flu. Isn't that the one that is supposed to have protected oldies a bit from the last ones?

[Purplecrow in reply to PMRpro]

I suspect some immunity resulted from the HK flu, since , afterward, I was fairly cavalier about "catching" anything, yet remained healthy and uninfected for the next 20-30 years. Some time in early 2000's I had a fairly quick severe flu, which lasted 3-4 days, and slapped me right into bed for the whole time.

The flu is a serious illness, and I know it can and does kill people. I do what I can to avoid exposure.

Stay safe in this twindemic.

💃💃💃

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Purplecrow]

Suppose mine was about then too - I was babysitting the g'kids when it started and I headed home pdq. Shouldn't have, had to stop for a sleep 2 or 3 times. Got home and fell into bed for a week. Luckily my daughter was there - OH was in the US - or I'd have died of dehydration!

[maria40 in reply to Purplecrow]

It certainly is. I got it at 25 and was very ill for several weeks. Strange illness though: my daughters got it at more or less the same time as each other. The younger one was covered in spots and very unwell while the elder one has just a few spots on her back, slightly raised temperature and seemed quite normal.

[Odosmum in reply to Purplecrow]

I was told that I had chicken pox when I was 6 - so I was shocked when I developed it at the age of 30! It was really bad. My theory is that, as an adult, there is more surface area to cover with spots! They were everywhere, and I do mean everywhere!

[Purplecrow in reply to PMRpro]

My First experience was with the "Hong Kong" Flu pandemic of 1968.

(I was 22 years old). It was New Year's Eve, and we were at a party. I began to feel ill, went into a bedroom, dozed off, woke unable to breathe, ambulanced to hospital, where I spent 2 weeks. I was so ill I don't remember anything about the experience.

That pandemic cost the lives of 100,000 Americans, mostly younger people, in contrast to Covid 19, which has killed more older people.

[maria40 in reply to Purplecrow]

I know, I had it too just after getting home for Christmas. I can't remember anything about that Christmas at all - just wanting to crawl into bed as soon as I got home. I can't even remember how long it lasted but I know it was horrible.

[whitefishbay]

On day three I came home from work and felt knackered. I think I started falling asleep at 9pm although it could be that traffic is terrible in SW London so I leave at 6.15 now and it takes almost an hour to get home now (4.6 miles).

The fatique did not last long - couple of days.

[Odosmum]

We both had ours on Sunday. Was fine Monday and Tuesday, apart from a slightly sore arm, but Wednesday, it was like being hit by a sledgehammer! I went out to visit an old lady (extended household) and when I arrived home I was completely exhausted. Went to bed and slept 3 to 4 hours, got up in my dressing gown and had soup instead of dinner, went back to bed and slept 12 hours or so. Felt dismal this morning so stayed in bed, resting, got up for a couple of hours and went back to bed. Slept about 2.5 hours and am back up in my dressing gown. Additional symptoms are achiness and mild headache. I don't usual react as strongly as this, and OH, who rarely complains of a reaction, has said he is exceptionally tired and has a headache. Adjuvant do you think?

[Purplecrow]

I guess the current 4-way version of the jab has a greater punch than earlier versions. My fatigue lasted about 6-7 days, with mild headache throughout the time. This was the very first time I have had any post-injection reaction to the shot.

Now that Influenza antibodies are (hopefully) in place, I'm back to avoiding Covid.

💃💃💃