Flu jabs for people with PMR

Yes, my doctor also recommended these - and s!  aid she would check out the shingles shots for pmr  too.....   the stuff I read is more about the carrier medium ....  just wondering what other folks are thinking!  Thanks.

Various factors point to the fact that the shingles jab gave me PMR and even my Rheumatologist couldn't deny it...One may never have the shingles anyway and I bitterly regret being talked into at my surgery.

Thank you for that information  on the Shingles jab.  my rheumy was not sure about it..... said she would check it out but that was a year ago.....  so meantime  I didn't get that jab.  Perhaps for the better!   Sorry you had such a rotten outcome from it.  

The shingles shot is live - and while some authorities say that it is fine at 10mg pred and below - who knows.

But as I said for the flu jab - if PMR started soon after then it was probably the final straw and if it hadn't been the shot it might have been the next infection. No-one can know.

Yes, makes sense then to take the flu shot but not the shingles shot - and  to stay very clear of anyone who takes the shingles shot - or any other live vaccine.

 

 

I think the flu jab is a very personal thing.   It always made me ill and I suffered every winter with my chest from then on with lots of bad infections.  Since stopping it and this is the third year, I have never been so fit cold/chest wise.  Not one cold or cough or antibiotic.   Just PMR!!  But that doesn't stop the surgery from trying to get me to have one - they get paid for every flu jab so it is in their best interests. No thank you!

Oh I never thought about staying away from someone who had the shingles shot. I had no idea you get it that way! 

No, it's not having the shingles jab yourself.  You don't have to avoid anyone who has had it.

I wonder whether people with compromised immune systems should avoid being in contact with anyone who has had a live vaccine - for a couple of weeks ?   

To be correct - yes as excretions may be infectious and strict hand hygiene is needed for several days.

The Mayo says:

"After getting the shingles vaccine, my doctor said to stay away from my pregnant daughter and my grandchildren. Can you tell me why?Answers from James M. Steckelberg, M.D.The virus that causes shingles — varicella-zoster virus — is also the virus that causes chickenpox. Your doctor's concern about your daughter and grandchildren may stem from reports of rare cases in which people with no immunity to chickenpox — meaning they've never had chickenpox or the chickenpox vaccine — have caught varicella-zoster virus from children recently vaccinated with the chickenpox vaccine.

However, there are no documented cases of the varicella-zoster virus being transmitted from adults vaccinated with the shingles vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Varicella-zoster vaccines are recommended for children age 12 months and older to prevent chickenpox and for adults age 60 and older to prevent shingles, but the formulations are different, and the vaccines are not interchangeable.

According to the CDC, in normal circumstances it's unnecessary to avoid pregnant women and unvaccinated children after you get the shingles vaccine. However, if you develop a rash after you get the shingles vaccine, always take the precaution of keeping the rash covered until all the bumps crust over."

And immunocompromised people are at a similar sort of risk as people who have never had chickenpox - only probably worse. It is possible - so minimising the risk makes sense.

I'll buy that.....the only problem now  is how am I going to get people to hang an appropriate sign around their necks so I can avoid them!  Ah well - we can't win em all!  Thanks.

I'd avoid handshaking - air kisses are actually far healthier options ;-)

Avoid the temptation to offer toileting assistance or take on nappy changing duties (perfectly serious that, had a colleaugue who very probably developed CFS after being exposed to the polio vaccine in his small daughter's nappies).

As long as you aren't too close it should reduce the risk considerably - like you can't catch HIV from toilet seats if you see what I mean.

I have just copied this from another website, a contributor called marcopolo 

"I have a running gag with my co-workers . When ever ANYONE offers his hand for a hand shake , I say ' Flu and Cold season ' and make the hand shake motion 3 or 4 inches away from their hand , making sure that I do not make contact with said hand .

You may think this is gay ... BUT LET ME TELL YOU . I have not had a cold or the flu for over a year since I adopted this practice .

Try it you'll like it .

__________________

Those who can't laugh at themselves leave the job to others." 

 

It's the beauty of living in Italy - almost no-one shakes hands...