If you’ve been reading my blog, you may have noticed that I’m a proponent of people getting their flu vaccinations. Of course, its that time of year, and we’re actually a little slow about getting our shots. You can read on thoughts for or against the flu vaccine. At any rate, I’m scheduled for next week, along with the kids. However, my wife went for her shot today. For a myriad of reasons, her doctor had actually written an order to get both a pneumococcal and flu vaccinations. In the interest of efficiency, she decided to get them at the same time. I knew she had them scheduled, but didn’t think much about it.
Scary Flu Shot Reactions
She called me after her shot to let me know she was doing O.K., and had just left the doctor’s office about 5 minutes before calling. During our brief conversation, she mentioned that she was itching pretty badly at flu vaccine injection site. As we talked, she complained about it getting worse, so she went to look in the mirror. “Oh my gosh,” she says, “I’ve got a pretty large rash there!” I suggested she call the doctor’s office and ask their advice, which she promptly did, and they asked her to come back in so they could check it.
On her way there, she took some benadryl, just in case she was having an allergic reaction. Almost immediately upon entering the office, two doctors crowded around her to check her. They ended up keeping her at the office for about a half-hour, ostensibly for the purposes of examination. She had a rash that extended from the top of her shoulder to her elbow, and complained about her throat “tightening up.” There were no other adverse effects, but the doctors told her that she should never get a flu vaccination again. That one surprised me, but hey, they’re the experts.
We read up on the subject a little tonight. According to the CDC, some common side effects of flu vaccinations include: soreness/redness, low grade fever, and aches. They also specifically mention that some people should NOT get a flu vaccination, including those who have:
- had a previous “serious reaction” to a flu shot (I don’t know what they classify as a “serious reaction,” but I guess its better to be safe than sorry)
- have a serious allergy to chicken eggs
- suffer from Guillain-Barre syndrome
- children under 6 months of age
- individuals who are currently ill and running a fever
One thing this little encounter does remind me of is that its easy to get complacent about vaccinations. The vast majority of people who take a flu shot have no trouble at all, and this experience isn’t going to change my approach to getting a flu shot, except to make certain I wait around for a bit at the doctor’s office before I take off. Whenever you get a vaccination, there’s a risk of an adverse reaction. However small that risk may be, its important to stay close to a medical professional until you’re confident that the risk of a reaction has passed.
This is the first time I’ve personally known anyone who’s had a reaction significant enough to be told they shouldn’t get the vaccination again. Have any of the readers ever had an experience like this?
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11 responses so far ↓
1 Barbara Boller // Oct 30, 2008 at 10:57 am
My sister is at the doctor now. She had a reaction to the flu shot this year. Has a rash on both legs below her knees and swelling.
2 Lauren // Nov 6, 2008 at 11:45 pm
I recieved the flu shot about 2 days ago for the first time, and I will never get it again. I have been getting these weird headaches since then, with body aches. I feel horrible. And my head will not stop hurting.
3 Kendra // Nov 10, 2008 at 10:13 am
I have been receiving the flu shot for at least the last fifteen years, but this year, I had a negative reaction. I received the shot on Friday, Nov. 7 and I felt feverish, chilled and had a sensation of motion sickness the day after receiving the vaccine. I also felt extremely tired after a normal night’s sleep. In the evening, I developed a headache and felt like my throat was somewhat constricted and my chest felt heavy. I feel asleep and woke up eleven hours later, still feeling somewhat week. I won’t take the vaccine again.
4 Julie // Nov 12, 2008 at 8:53 am
I’ve had flu shots for years and have never had a negative reaction other than a little lethargy for the first 24 hours.
This year, I had a reaction similar to your wife’s. I took the shot on Friday, and by Saturday, my arm had started itching. I wound up with what I assume was hives on both arms, but worse on the arm where I’d had the shot. It wasn’t visible, but my skin itched and developed the texture of orange peel. And the injection site felt feverish.
I eat eggs frequently and have no history of an egg allergy, which from what I’ve read, is the most common cause of this reaction. I had no throat swelling, however. That is serious…an indication of anaphylaxis, which is probably why the doctors reacted so strongly to your wife’s response.
Not sure if I’ll take the vaccine again. I know that if I’d had the flu instead, it would have been a whole lot worse, so it’s still a cost-benefit analysis…
5 Lisa // Nov 12, 2008 at 11:38 am
Just yesterday, 3 hours after my flu shot, I had hoarseness, throat constricting, light-headedness, general feeling of being unwell. I took Benadryl almost immediately and was monitored for ~3 hours by nurse practitioners (at a health clinic on a university campus). I’ve never had an allergic reaction to anything before; I’ve had many flu shots over the years (I’m 36.) I write this to recommend that everyone carry Benadryl with them, and definitely stay near medical help the DAY that you get your shot. I want to believe the professionals that these reactions are still a small percentage of those that get their shot, and that, overall, it’s more important to protect society at large from the flu. But I think I now fall into the category of “no more flu shots…”?
6 Randy // Nov 18, 2008 at 9:17 am
I had the flu shot on Oct. 28th. I had a reaction (tongue swelling) and was sick for three days afterwards. Until now I wasn’t allergic to anything. Two weeks after the shot I had an adverse reaction at the injection site of my arm. The result was alot of pain shooting up and down my arm and no mobility. The Dr. put me on steriods for three days. All that did was make me look like a blow fish. I am into my third week and still am having alot of pain in my arm. I will never, ever get a flu shot again!
7 Shannon // Nov 22, 2008 at 11:38 am
I got my flu shot yesterday and the site will not stop itching. I’m not having any dangerous side effects, but the itching is making me crazy.
8 Dyane // Nov 30, 2008 at 7:47 pm
I got a flu shot for the first time almost 4 weeks ago. I had immediate shoulder and upper arm pain that subsided over a week or so. Now, lately, it has been acting up again and since Thanksgiving it has flared up bad, makes it tough to sleep and do lateral raise movements (i.e., lift pans out of oven with left arm). I have no visual redness, irritation, or itching and no tingly fingers (yet). I am not going to get another flu shot, and hope this goes away - I’ve never had shoulder problems and this pain is 100% connected to the shot weeks ago?!
9 Mary // Dec 19, 2008 at 7:17 am
My mom got her flu shot well over 2 months ago and experienced arm and shoulder pain right from the start. She returned to the Dr after about 3 weeks and she now has to go to PT. They are going to do an MRI to try and figure out what is going on and make sure the needle did not break off in her muscle. The clinic where she goes to PT said that they just had another woman come in with complaints of the same nature.
10 Jennifer // Dec 25, 2008 at 7:59 am
I am having the same symptoms as Dyane and
Mary above. Soreness at the site immediately
following the injection. Subsided for a while.
2 months later, I am having serious pain
concentrated at the injection site but radiating
up to the shoulder and down to the elbow.
It has been going on for over a month now
and is getting worse. It makes it hard to sleep
or lift things, but not every movement causes
pain. When there is pain, it is intense. 9 on a
scale of 1 to 10.
11 Peter // Dec 31, 2008 at 4:12 am
My wife had a flu shot about November 2007 and has had arm and shoulder pain since that day. It subsided for a couple of months during the summer but recently has returned again with pain like she experienced starting the day of her shot last year.
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