PMR and Swine flu

Haven't had the swine flu one, but have had the seasonal flu jab (on Saturday). No ill effects either (I've never had any) and neither has my husband and it was his first - I managed to persuade him. He also got a pneumonia jab, which I hadn't bargained for but it took him by surprise as well, and it was done and over before he could say 'help'. He doesn't like needles much. Now, if he'd had as much practice as I have he wouldn't be worried one little bit by them!

Can't say I've heard of other tips, Green Granny, apart from the totally impractical ones - like the one where you don't have the jab, you just go home, lock the doors and stay there taking whatever-you-think-might-help until Spring. I might not get the flu, but I'd sure be hungry by March 2010!

Nefret

The only advice I have followed is to carry some anti-bacterial hand gel around with me and always use it before going into restaurants whilst out shopping etc. I've always been a bit of an obsessive hand-washer anyway, particularly when arriving home from shopping.

Green Granny - yes, I've also heard about the possible nasty side effects of Tamiflu and it is apparently not recommended if you have any query with one's kidney for instance (I only have one with a lower than normal filtration rate) so that rules me out. However, I have read that in such a case Relenza is safer. It's good to hear that you have had the Swine Flu vaccine without any side effects - I've never had a flu vaccine........was put off by my mother who had one years ago and suffered the worst winter afterwards with bronchitis etc so never had another. I'm a bit of an 'allergic' person, too, for instance I remember suffering very badly from the TB vaccine years ago, getting a fever from the Typhoid vaccine and being unable to take the third of the Tettanus vaccines due to horrid inflammation around the 2nd vaccination site. Perhaps I'm a one off case and I hope all you friends out there are much less complicated than me! :?

Sorry folks - I really feel a bit daft! I checked up with the doc. later and apparently what I had was the ordinary seasonal flu jab. I I'm just amazed they ( the powers that be whoever they are) would bother when apparently swine flu seems to be much the likeliest bug for us to get! I just hope I haven't sent anyone haring off to their drs. Green granny

On Swine Flu

There is a discussion going on at the following link

http://www.arthritis.ca/open%20forum/boards/polymyalgia/default.asp?s=1&mode=view&messageID=02634153-0632-445F-A732-AE82E6C6CE68

Make up your own minds.

Thank you Mrs K. I have read the discussion but what a difficult choice - either to have the vaccine because our possibly weakened immune systems call for such protection, but risking some other auto immune disease.......or to forego the vaccine and risk worsening the present disease thereby having to increase the steroids. Perhaps we should all hibernate!

MrsO

An afterthought - aren't we of a certain age supposed to be immune from swine flu having been subjected to a similar strain of the virus circulating some years ago?

MrsO

Mrs O

I am not the best person to answer any questions on vaccinations of any kind. I have never even had any of the old ones, ie BCG, Scarlet Fever, Polio etc, never mind the newer ones.

I did have influenze years ago and was off work for 6 weeks. Touch wood never had it again.

What made me put the link in was the presence of Mercury. All I know is that Mercury has been stopped in fillings, because it is a poison. and the use of it has been declining in developed nations and then it appears in a Vaccine. Until the Pharmeceutical Industry can give me a good case and a re-assurance I am not about to introduce a poisonous substance into my already compromised system. And how long and how many clinical trials.

Google Mecury+use in medicine.

But remember I am not a medical person, have no medical training I am a patient who has had to learn more about health than I ever wanted to know.

It is up to each person to evaluate the evidence, discuss with the GPs and then make their own decision.

Having contributed something totally useless to start this thread I hope this might be more useful:

Distrusting all the google refs. that were trying to sell me something I came up with an article in The Spectator which has quite a lot of replies, some from quite well qualified people.

its spectator.co.uk

and look for The Spectator Blog of Mon. 17th. Aug 2009.

At least it has the names of the two vaccines so we could try asking for one or the other, presuming we wanted the vaccine. The main concern tho' seemed to be the effect on the foetus in pregnant women, and on small children. It's worth trawling through to the end. Oh that life was simpler!

Green Granny

Mrs K - I share your views entirely. I already eat masses of fruit and veg daily in the hope of boosting the immune system so I guess I shall just reach for even more and cross all fingers and toes that this works against swine flu!!

As to your statement that Mercury has been stopped in fillings, I had thought many dentists were still using it. I certainly had one amalgam filling heavily drilled last week to serve as a post for a new crown - funnily enough, can't say I felt on top of the world for the next couple of days, and would you believe I've just read that one of the largest mercy amalgam manufacturers in America has warned dentists not \"to replace or remove amalgam in any person with impaired kidney function\". My dentist has been informed about my impaired function but obviously still saw fit to go ahead!

Green Granny - thank you, that was very interesting reading that there are two vaccines available, one without Mercury - what do you think the chances are of only the the one containing Mercury being available to us because it's the cheapest?!

Oh, I'm sorry everyone, I feel I've really whined through this one - perhaps it's this horrid rain over the last couple of days, still apparently the sun is going to shine tomorrow so perhaps I'll be able to post a more cheerful one!

MrsO