Random

Re-Thinking My Stance on the Flu Vaccine

THAT TIME THE FLU SHOT NEARLY KILLED ME…I THINK By Liz Gunn || My husband would disagree with me here, but I am actually the first to admit when I’m wrong. Okay, maybe not the first – but I will eventually own up to it. I’ve done it here before,…

THAT TIME THE FLU SHOT NEARLY KILLED ME…I THINK

liz gunnBy Liz Gunn || My husband would disagree with me here, but I am actually the first to admit when I’m wrong. Okay, maybe not the first – but I will eventually own up to it. I’ve done it here before, and I’m sure I’ll do it again…starting now actually.

I didn’t write about the flu vaccine specifically, but when I wrote about vaccinating children by the schedule set forth by the CDC, I mentioned how important I think it is for people to also get their flu shot every year. I got one last year, and aside from the sting of the injection, I had no problems whatsoever.

This year I have a very different story to tell. I’m not a doctor and I’m not a research analyst. I’ll share the timeline of my events and let you decide for yourself. It’s a long way off, but I’m not sure I’ll be the first in line next to get my shot next fall – regardless of what my doctor begs me to do.

Wednesday, 1:30 p.m. – My husband and I walk into CVS and ask for flu shots. After a brief pre-screening, our vaccines are quickly administered and we’re on our way. Simple as that.

Wednesday, 4:30 p.m. – I text my husband to ask him if his arm hurts. Pain at the sight of injection is not uncommon. It’s usually not severe and goes away in a day or two. He said his was a tad sore, but nothing out of the ordinary. Me on the other hand? I could barely move my arm. It felt like I’d been attacked with a baseball bat.

Wednesday, 8:00 p.m. – By this time I was in a considerable amount of pain. At the advice of a friend, I took a hot bath and massaged the site of injection. I popped some Advil and went to bed early. I was delighted to wake up the next morning in a lot less pain.

Thursday, 3:00 p.m. – While the pain in my arm was all but gone, I noticed a dull pain deep in the left side of my chest. It hurt when I inhaled deeply and again on exhale. It wasn’t painful enough to really worry me, just enough to be annoying. I concluded that I must have tweaked a muscle in that area lugging around my 23-pound, one year old.

Friday, 7:00 a.m. – I woke up feeling the same pain, but it was more intense. At the urging of my husband and my mother, I later decided to give my doctor a call. He couldn’t fit me in but recommended I be seen, so I decided to go to Doctor’s Care and avoid the long wait and hefty bill of the emergency room.

Friday, 11:00 a.m. – I was seen by a doctor who decided to do a chest x-ray as well as run some blood work. The results made me feel a lot better, as both came back clean, but he was unable to make a clear diagnosis; it didn’t accomplish more than ruling out a few things.

Friday, 10:00 p.m. – I’m still in a good bit of pain, so I take a double dose of Advil before bed.

Saturday, 7:00 a.m. – I woke up  feeling pretty good. I assume at this point, whatever is causing this pain is on it’s way out. We had a full day ahead and my condition didn’t hold us up. The pain that I thought was on its way out gradually started to return mid-afternoon. By the time I went to bed it was back in full force. I decided to take prescription pain medication (leftover from surgery last year)  this time, as opposed to Advil.

Sunday, 7:00 a.m. – Woke up in more pain than ever, and it got worse by the minute. I stayed in bed and tried to sleep until 9:30 or so when I finally stood up and subsequently almost collapsed.

Sunday. 10:00 a.m. – I tried to get dressed and the pain brought me to tears. At this point, I’ll be honest, I considered the fact that I might actually be dying. I called my best friend to come watch my daughter and my husband and I got to the emergency room around 11:00 a.m..

Sunday, 11:00 a.m. – We were seen quickly once arriving at the emergency room. When you have severe chest pain and shortness of breath you tend to skip everyone else in line. Again, they ran a series of test (X-Rays, ultrasound, blood work, ECG) to rule out some pretty scary possibilities. Once they ruled out  a heart attack, a punctured or collapsed lung, a hiatial hernia and a blood clot – they landed on pleurisy.

Pleurisy is an inflammation of the lining of the lungs and rib cage. This explains the sharp pain I feel with every breath, as the inflamed outer lining of my lung expands and bumps into the inflamed outer lining of my ribs. Ouch.

I know this story is long, but the details are important. Pleurisy is rare these days and even more rare for someone who hasn’t recently been ill. The only virus I was knowingly exposed to during this turn of events? The influenza virus that’s in the vaccine. No one in my house was sick before or since this diagnosis.

Neither of the doctors I saw would rule out the possibility that the flu shot caused this condition. Doctors are very non-committal about declaring cause and effect relationships on the fly. I understand that. But they wouldn’t rule it out, therefore I still think it’s a strong possibility.

So how do I feel now? A lot worse than the last time I had the flu. It’s very painful to breathe, which is obviously problematic. Sleeping is also difficult because of the pain.The only treatment for viral pleurisy is rest and taking a large dose of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like Motrin or Advil.

So other than not being able to breathe freely and not being able to rest, which would be helpful in my recovery, I am doing okay. The pain typically increases the more active I am so I am trying to take it easy. But that’s difficult for me -I have a lot to do!

Pleurisy is rare these days, and has declined over the years thanks to antibiotics now used to treat most of the bacterial infections that usually cause it, like pneumonia and tuberculosis. Benjamin Franklin, Charlemagne and Catherine de’ Medici all died from pleurisy. But don’t get your hopes up – it looks as if this will only keep me down for a short while.

Back to my original point though – I would honestly rather have the flu right now; so the chances of me getting another flu vaccine are slim, unless this condition affects my memory as well. Hand washing is also an effective germ deterrent and so far has not caused me to fall ill. I think I will stick with that for the time being.

Liz Gunn is a wife, mom, travel enthusiast, food snob, daydreamer and lifelong Gamecock fan. A graduate of the University of South Carolina, she lives in Columbia, S.C. with her husband and daughter.

Related posts

Random

Programming Note: FITSNews ‘Month In Review’ Set To Launch This Week

FITSNews
Random

Alligator Charges North Georgia Deputy During K-9 Training

Andrew Fancher
Random

Palmetto Past & Present: South Carolina’s Link To A Spooky Scam

FITSNews

108 comments

HazyArc November 11, 2014 at 4:07 pm

“The only virus I was knowingly exposed to during this turn of events? The influenza virus that’s in the vaccine.”

Right – because you could definitely see the other random microbes infesting every surface you came in contact with during this time and were able to avoid each and every one – so it had to be the flu shot.

I realize Fits has some questionable material floating around his website, but the last thing I expected to see was anti-vax propaganda.

Reply
????????? November 11, 2014 at 4:21 pm

I’m actually very much in favor of the scheduled vaccines for children. I wrote about it here. https://www.fitsnews.com/2014/10/20/anti-vaccination-movement-affects-us/

I have pleurisy – nothing else. Pleurisy is secondary to other illnesses that I have not had.I made it abundantly clear that I wasn’t claiming a cause & effect relationship – but I’m also not ruling it out.

Reply
CorruptionInColumbia November 11, 2014 at 4:31 pm

Liz, I’m sorry you have suffered this way, but am glad to see you getting a little closer to realizing that people who don’t rush out and get every vaccination that Big Pharma (“generously”) offers us, aren’t totally nuts.

Sad to see it may take more to wake you up to this fact. A lot of these things are literally poison for the human system. On one hand they tell you that there is NO mercury in these concoctions but when pinned down about it, they admit that it is, “only trace amounts”. Sorry, “trace amounts” and “NO” are not the same thing.

I hope you are feeling better soon.

Reply
????????? November 11, 2014 at 6:08 pm

thank you for your well wishes! I hope so too.

Reply
Bible Thumper November 11, 2014 at 8:00 pm

Mercury is a natural element in the environment. There are trace amounts of it in you and every living thing. If the trace concentration in the vaccine is much less than what already exist in your body then it won’t harm you.

Reply
Heather November 14, 2014 at 2:27 pm

Yes, but some of us would rather not have it injected into us or into the tiny bodies of our children!

SCBlues November 11, 2014 at 5:12 pm

“I have pleurisy – nothing else”
Pleurisy is PAINFUL. Hope you feel better soon, Liz.
I may not always agree with you 100% but I really, really enjoy your articles – thanks!

Reply
????????? November 11, 2014 at 6:08 pm

thank you -and you’re right, it is very painful!! :(

Reply
Guest November 12, 2014 at 11:53 am

Aren’t you making the same argument here as the anti-vaxxers? Why is it ok to temporally link pleurisy to vaccines but not autism?

Reply
????????? November 12, 2014 at 8:03 pm

This is so unrelated it would take me days to explain to someone who would even ask such a thing why it’s not at all remotely the same thing. But I have a brick wall outside that I’m going to go bang my head against instead because I feel like being productive.

Reply
LauraCondon November 14, 2014 at 1:37 pm

You provide here a detailed account of how a flu vaccine seriously sickened you, but yet you advocate that every child be injected with every dose of every vaccine on the market?!! Ok to sicken, disable and kill children with vaccines but blog writers should have a choice? Can’t understand your lack of logic and compassion.

Reply
????????? November 11, 2014 at 4:31 pm

K N O W I N G L Y . Want me to look that up for you?

Reply
9" November 11, 2014 at 4:09 pm

You got a bad shot.Your complications have nothing to do with the flu vaccine.There’s enough dumb misinformation on this site,already,but you probably have Ebola,too,so it’s all over ,anyway.Congratulations on being a warrior and managing to write this garbage.

Reply
????????? November 11, 2014 at 4:27 pm

Are you a doctor? A pharmacist? It’s just that you know so much…it was bad shot, it had nothing to do with the vaccine…wait, are you God???

Congratulations on the dumbest comment I’ve read today, and managing to write your own garbage.

Reply
9" November 12, 2014 at 5:47 am

LPN

Reply
9" November 12, 2014 at 5:59 am

My,BF is a doctor

Reply
????????? November 12, 2014 at 9:08 am

My husband is a lawyer -I’m not qualified to give legal advice and I certainly don’t go around being an asshole with people just because I don’t agree with them. There is no misinformation in my story – it’s just that, my story. People should draw their own conclusions and not take medical advice from a blogger, or even an LPN with a Dr. boyfriend who comments on said blogger’s post.

No un-PC opinions please November 12, 2014 at 4:04 pm

“I’m not qualified to give legal advice and I certainly don’t go around being an asshole with people just because I don’t agree with them.”

Wait, I thought you didn’t feel ostracized?

????????? November 12, 2014 at 8:01 pm

I don’t – what are you a shrink or something? Why are you following me around asking me about my feelings? Do you even know what ostracized means? There are some who agree with me and some who don’t. To feel ostracized I would have to be the only one who felt this way – and that’s not the case as you can see.

No un-PC opinions please November 12, 2014 at 9:03 pm

“To feel ostracized I would have to be the only one who felt this way”

Definition from Google:

“a group of people who have been ridiculed, ostracized, and persecuted for centuries”

“Do you even know what ostracized means?”

I guess I do.

“Why are you following me around asking me about my feelings?”

It just seems inconsistent and I was genuinely interested in where you were coming from. Now, I’m not. I’m sure it’s annoying that I’m pointing it out, so I’ll leave you alone now.

tomstickler November 11, 2014 at 4:10 pm

A good example of “anecdote”.

Reply
????????? November 11, 2014 at 4:27 pm

that was my only intent.

Reply
FitsNews November 11, 2014 at 10:54 pm

Tell it to Taylor next time. ZZZZZzzzzzzzzz……..

Reply
nitrat November 11, 2014 at 4:11 pm

I won’t say a flu vaccination made me sick. But, I had one once when I was having what I considered to be minimal sinus allergy problems, so minimal the nurse who gave me the shot did not notice anything.
When I had been sick as a dog for 5 days and finally went to the MD, he told me I should never have taken a vaccine when I was having the most minimal symptoms of anything.
So, if I were you, I would think about whether anything minor was going on before I went in for the shot.

Reply
????????? November 11, 2014 at 4:25 pm

Hmm, could be – I mean it is allergy season. I thought I made it clear in this post (maybe not enough for some of the other commenters) that I’m not anti-vaccine, I’m not even claiming that the flu shot is absolutely to blame. I’m saying with as sick as I feel right now, I can’t help but wonder. That’s all.

Reply
CorruptionInColumbia November 11, 2014 at 4:42 pm

I would say that you are wise to take note of likely “cause and effect”.

Reply
FastEddy23 November 11, 2014 at 8:43 pm

It is always allergy season for those who believe they have allergies. It is always flu season for those who believe the flu shots, as per the CDC, are needed.

Wired magazine just ran a blurb about what exactly is in those shots and mists. … In which we now learn that this grand experiment is still on going, the mix being “tailored” to different regions! … Meaning the science is Not settled!

Reply
Bible Thumper November 11, 2014 at 11:08 pm

During the 2013-2014 influenza season, more than 100 flu-related pediatric deaths were reported(in the US).
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/children.htm?mobile=nocontent

CDC used information on immunization coverage from the National Immunization Survey (NIS) and a previously published cost-benefit model to estimate illnesses, hospitalizations, and premature deaths prevented and costs saved by routine childhood vaccination during 1994–2013. Coverage for many childhood vaccine series was near or above 90% for much of the period. Modeling estimated that, among children born during 1994– 2013, vaccination will prevent an estimated 322 million illnesses, 21 million hospitalizations, and 732,000 deaths over the course of their lifetimes…
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6316a4.htm?mobile=nocontent

Reply
????????? November 11, 2014 at 11:13 pm

What was the death toll for healthy adults? (For the record -my child had her flu shot and will continue to get them). Children, elderly & unhealthy people are the highest risk of flu fatality. I’m not advocating people stop getting the flu shot. Just sharing my experience (while reiterating multiple times that I’m not a doctor and I can’t prove a correlation). Just food for thought.

Bible Thumper November 11, 2014 at 11:20 pm

I have a niece who is eight weeks old – too young for vaccination. I’ll be seeing her at Thanksgiving. My vaccination protects her.

????????? November 12, 2014 at 9:06 am

I completely agree – that’s why I started getting the flu shot last year when I had an 8 week old. I’m not against vaccinations, I just had a very bad experience with this one. Last year – no problems whatsoever.

FastEddy23 November 12, 2014 at 11:40 am

Your judgement is accurate in that if you and hubby get the shots, you will “contact protect” your children, especially if you hold them (and/or nurse them). There is the shared immunization effect within a household when the parents get the shots and the kids may not.

(My wife get ’em, so I usually don’t.)

Bible Thumper November 11, 2014 at 11:32 pm

If you can no longer have vaccinations because of this reaction, then you are protected by others being vaccinated.

FastEddy23 November 12, 2014 at 11:36 am

Yes! … Thank you Dr. Thumper.

If a significant portion of a local population does get GI flu shots (or mists), the immunities are shared and a significant minority will not need the shots (or mists).

FastEddy23 November 12, 2014 at 11:32 am

Liz: There are all kinds of ways to make g’ment look bad, even when g’ment has good intentions …

Another Statistical Anomaly: In North America, Volvos kill more children than hand guns do.

????????? November 12, 2014 at 7:59 pm

oh no! I drive a Volvo.

FastEddy23 November 13, 2014 at 12:06 pm

You should drive according to g’ment guidelines, then no worries … and Obama will protect you and yours. … Praise Him!

mamatiger92 November 11, 2014 at 4:50 pm

that is what happened to me. was about a week out from a cold when I got a flu shot 2 years ago. I was feeling fine and the nurse said it shouldn’t be a problem. I wound up with pneumonia 3 days later.

was sick for 10 days. horrible.

Reply
????????? November 11, 2014 at 6:06 pm

that’s so interesting – they definitely do not stress that enough…just a quick “are you currently ill” question is all I got.

Reply
Sunny November 14, 2014 at 11:10 am
Sunny November 14, 2014 at 11:43 am

p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; line-height: 120%; }a:link { }

I think Bethany is a great resource for recovery info that may be of help–or not–still her story is important:
http://www.sanaview.com/bethanys-story.aspx
Start reading, researching—really do all the research you can—there is a lot out there. Do what resonates-what makes logical sense to you. Talk to more persons who have had their lives touched-like yours-keep reaching out and being supportive how you can. You are not alone. You do not deserve to be bullied or propagandized for sharing an experience that happened to your own body and your valid reasoning, upon starting research, as to why. As adults, we have the right to make informed choices-whatever they may be.

More Crazy Moms November 11, 2014 at 4:15 pm

Some people really should not have access to the Internet.

Reply
????????? November 11, 2014 at 4:25 pm

I thought the same thing when I read this comment.

Reply
More Crazy Moms November 11, 2014 at 5:38 pm

About the level of wit I would expect.

Reply
????????? November 11, 2014 at 5:54 pm

I thought the same thing when I read this comment.

Reply
More Crazy Moms November 11, 2014 at 9:45 pm

Indeed.

Predicate Johnson November 12, 2014 at 12:16 pm

I thought the same thing when I read this comment.

CorruptionInColumbia November 11, 2014 at 4:35 pm

I have known several people over the years who rushed out to get these flu shots and then wound up getting the flu or something worse as an apparent result. Also, as the flu mutates in some cases, through out the season, some have gotten it anyway for that year. Thanks, but no thanks.

Reply
xx November 11, 2014 at 7:49 pm

I got the flu last year. My whole body hurt worse than childbirth. I’ll take my chances and get a flu shot.

Reply
shifty henry November 11, 2014 at 10:18 pm

After remaining with his wife during labor and delivery, the proud new father, wanting to be as sympathetic as possible, took his wife’s hand and said emotionally, “Tell me how it was, darling, how it actually felt to give birth.”

“OK, honey, smile as hard as you can.”

Beaming down at his wife and newborn child, the father said, “That’s not so hard.”

She continued, “Now stick a finger in each corner of your mouth.”

He obeyed, with a broad smile.

She went on, “Now stretch your lips as far as they’ll go.”

“Still not too tough,” he mumbles.

“Right,” she snapped. “Now pull them over your head!”

Reply
xx November 12, 2014 at 1:02 pm

Not a good description at all. It’s a pain in the core of the body. Not so much pain of stretching skin. Go get a book you stupid little man.

Reply
shifty henry November 12, 2014 at 1:48 pm

It’s a joke, son — just a joke

Soft Sigh from Hell November 12, 2014 at 8:25 pm

“flu last year”

Years ago for me. High fever and a splitting headache that even a strong injected pain drug at the ER could not make wane. But at least they told me I was not dying. Most people get bad colds on rare occasion and think they have experienced influenza. They don’t have a clue.

Reply
yomamasodumbandfat November 11, 2014 at 4:40 pm

The flu mist contains a live virus. The flu shot contains a dead virus. While there is a slight possibility that you can get the flu from the live virus contained in the flu mist, you cannot get the flu from a flu shot. And you were certainly exposed to plenty of viruses during this same time period – just unbeknownst to you. Your anecdote is a classic example of mistaking correlation for cause.

Reply
CorruptionInColumbia November 11, 2014 at 4:45 pm

…and of course, those viruses just happened to cause the extreme pain and discomfort on the arm and side where her flu shot was given…

Reply
David November 11, 2014 at 7:34 pm

You would think they would acknowledge that key price of information.

Reply
????????? November 11, 2014 at 4:45 pm

To be clear, I never claimed to have the flu. I don’t have the flu. Never had the flu.

Reply
yomamasodumbandfat November 11, 2014 at 8:16 pm

You implied that the virus in the flu shot you received caused you to contract Pleurisy. Specifically, you said “Pleurisy is rare these days and even more rare for someone who hasn’t recently been ill. The only virus I was knowingly exposed to during this turn of events? The influenza virus that’s in the vaccine.”

You were “exposed” to a dead virus that couldn’t possibly be related to you contracting pleurisy.

Reply
I'm sick. For real. November 11, 2014 at 9:51 pm

Don’t let facts get between a crazed white lady and her perceived illness. She’ll be claiming to have fibromyalgia before too long.

Reply
????????? November 11, 2014 at 11:10 pm

Then why wouldn’t my doctor(s) rule it out? If it’s not possible for the flu vaccine to cause an illness. I have never believed people in the past when they claimed to have gotten sick from the flu shot. And of course this could be a very strange coincidence -I also never claimed to have proven anything. Are you a doctor?

Also, I’ve always heard the term inactive flu strands, not dead. Is there a difference?

Reply
No un-PC opinions please November 12, 2014 at 8:22 am

Feeling like Jenny McCarthy yet?

????????? November 12, 2014 at 9:04 am

not even a little bit. I made ZERO medical claims here. Anyone who takes medical advice from me deserves to get the flu. I’m just sharing a bad experience I had immediately after getting the flu shot. People can draw their own conclusions.

No un-PC opinions please November 12, 2014 at 9:26 am

“not even a little bit.”

You’re being ostracized over your opinion….I believe it’s a similar situation:

“I would honestly rather have the flu right now; so the chances of me getting another flu vaccine are slim”

I don’t think anyone thinks McCarthy is a doctor, but has opinions(in which she might reference doctors, research, etc., even if it’s BS)

????????? November 12, 2014 at 10:35 am

wrong again. Jenny McCarthy went on a crusade to stop people from vaccinating their kids. I told a story about a bad experience I had that I **think** could be related to the flu shot. I never once said ” don’t get a flu shot” or even “flu shots cause pleurisy”. This is my story. I don’t feel the slightest bit ostracized by a bunch of brave, anonymous people behind a keyboard. Sorry to disappoint.

Predicate Johnson November 12, 2014 at 12:15 pm

Be careful about using your real name on here. I went under my real name for a while, until people who disagreed with me started stalking me on Facebook.

No un-PC opinions please November 12, 2014 at 4:02 pm

She doesn’t feel ostracized, so it’s not a worry for her.

No un-PC opinions please November 12, 2014 at 4:01 pm

“I don’t feel the slightest bit ostracized by a bunch of brave, anonymous people behind a keyboard. Sorry to disappoint.”

Why would I be disappointed? I don’t get that.

Good to know you don’t feel ostracized. I guess I had it all wrong.

I'm sick. For real. November 12, 2014 at 9:34 am

I have many friends who are doctors and RNs. The “crazed funded white lady” is a well know type of patient. Much like the “frequent flyer”. Are you on anti-depressants yet?

????????? November 12, 2014 at 10:32 am

wow! you have friends in the medical profession? ooooh, tell me more about how that makes you an expert on my life. You clearly know nothing about me. I can’t stop laughing at “crazed funded white lady”. I haven’t been sick in almost ten years. Go take YOUR meds, weirdo.

I'm sick. For real. November 13, 2014 at 9:25 am

Give it a year or two. You’ll be offered anti-depressants (if you haven’t already) by a doctor. I guarantee it.

yomamasodumbandfat November 12, 2014 at 4:10 pm

Yes, I’m a doctor. Clearly, you are not.

????????? November 12, 2014 at 7:58 pm

yeah – and I’m an astronaut.

9" November 12, 2014 at 6:55 am

Getting a flu shot is no guarantee that you won’t get the flu,but if you do,the symptoms will be milder,and you’ll get over it faster.
I’ve had trouble after having my blood drawn by an inexperienced nurse.

Reply
Me Too! November 12, 2014 at 7:06 am

Liz, I too had a very bad experience for he first time this year. 1-2% will experience severe complications that are usually short-lived. My arm hurt and I got chills and during the night ran a very high fever. My chest was throbbing, my heart raced and I had severe hallucinations. I was sick for two days but the first night I truly thought I was dying. The following day while recovering in bed I read the side effects on-line and realized that I should have gone to the emergency room. It took 3 days to feel 100 percent again.

Reply
SCBlues November 11, 2014 at 5:05 pm

The only place that I go to get a shot or vaccination is my MD’s office. Period. No exceptions.
Sorry you had such a bad experience, Liz. I have heard of it happening sporadically but I hope this won’t turn you against vaccinations or flu shots.

Reply
xx November 11, 2014 at 7:46 pm

Yesterday, I got my flu shot at my doc’s office. I wouldn’t trust a walk in pharmacy. And BTW, while you have my sympathy and hope for a quick mend, the risks of complications such as yours are far less than going without a flu shot.

Reply
????????? November 11, 2014 at 8:11 pm

I would have to agree if I had a compromised immune system, was a baby or an elderly person -but I don’t know. I hope I can forget this happened by next year. The flu was miserable last time I had it -but I was not exaggerating when I said I thought the end was near on Sunday. So scary! Then again the chances of it happening twice to the same person are even more slim, right??

Reply
xx November 12, 2014 at 9:10 am

I don’t know – I have no medical training. But I would wonder if you have some predisposition to getting a bad reaction to the flu shot (Pleurisy).

Reply
????????? November 12, 2014 at 10:31 am

Yeah, I wonder too. Although I had one last year with no problems. I have heard a lot more “stories” about bad experiences this year than in years past…maybe the virus strands they chose this year are having some sort of different reaction. Who knows.

okay November 11, 2014 at 5:15 pm

Why do I keep reading Fits? Habits die hard I guess.

Reply
Don't threaten November 11, 2014 at 5:52 pm

Bye Felecia.

Reply
shifty henry November 11, 2014 at 7:23 pm

Sorry you had a bad experience, Liz, and keep your spirit high!

Reply
????????? November 11, 2014 at 8:08 pm

Thank you! I’m on the mend, I hope!

Reply
shifty henry November 11, 2014 at 10:05 pm

My wife and I suffered through a two day hell when we both took Nyquil which had just come onto the store shelves. I’ve avoided it ever since because of the side effects.

Reply
David November 11, 2014 at 7:32 pm

Well, I tried to warn you,,,

Reply
TontoBubbaGoldstein November 11, 2014 at 8:05 pm

TBG had flu shots every year (that he can remember) until he was 18. Arm hurt for a couple days …and several years caught “the flu”.

Have not had one since and have not had “the flu” in over 30 years.

Reply
Bible Thumper November 11, 2014 at 10:21 pm

Wednesday, 1:30 p.m. – My father ate a bag of pork skins, which he had not done in a long time. He was 59.
Thursday, 8:30 a.m. –My father woke up suffering from nausea. He did not think much about it and carried on, going to work.
Thursday, 3:30 p.m. – He developed a fever.
Friday, 7:00 a.m. –After a fitful night of sleep, arose from bed with cold sweats.
Friday, noon –My father had severe pain in his upper abdomen and back. After calling his doctor, we rushed my father to meet him at the hospital.
Saturday, 8:00 a.m. – During the night surgery was performed to remove gallstones.

<b My father refuse to eat or let anyone else eat pork skins in his presence ever again. Did they have anything to do with his gallstones? NO.

Reply
????????? November 11, 2014 at 11:05 pm

Gallstones was another thing they ruled out! And honestly -it’s probably a good thing for anyone to quit eating pork skins.

Reply
Bible Thumper November 11, 2014 at 11:10 pm

True, but then pork skins don’t save lives.

Reply
euwe max November 12, 2014 at 2:43 am

“Pleurisy is rare these days and even more rare for someone who hasn’t recently been ill. The only virus I was knowingly exposed to during this turn of events? The influenza virus that’s in the vaccine.

Pleurisy is rare these days, and has declined over the years thanks to antibiotics now used to treat most of the bacterial infections that usually cause it, like pneumonia and tuberculosis.”

======

Two large, thin layers of tissue called pleura separate your lungs from your chest wall. One layer wraps around the outside of the lungs. The other layer lines the inner chest wall. Between these two layers is a small space (pleural space) that’s usually filled with a very small amount of liquid. The layers act like two pieces of smooth satin gliding past each other, allowing your lungs to expand and contract when you breathe without any resistance from the lining of the chest wall.

Pleurisy occurs when the pleura becomes irritated and inflamed. As a result, the two layers of the pleural membrane rub against each other like two pieces of sandpaper, producing pain when you inhale and exhale. The pleuritic pain lessens or stops when you hold your breath.

Just to clarify, since the difference between bacterial causes and viral causes seems to be being confused:

Pleurisy is caused by:

A viral infection, such as the flu (influenza)

A bacterial infection, such as pneumonia

A fungal infection

Rheumatoid disease, such as rheumatoid arthritis

Certain medications

Lung cancer near the pleural surface

Reply
????????? November 12, 2014 at 9:02 am

Believe me, I’ve read this. Luckily, my blood work came back clean and I don’t take any medications or have arthritis. I’ll take B) bacterial infection.

Reply
SomalianRoadCorp November 12, 2014 at 8:28 am

Oh how easy it is to be anti-vax after the fact that influenza no longer wipes out millions of us .

Reply
????????? November 12, 2014 at 10:28 am

I’m not 100% sure what you mean – but I am NOT anti-vax. Far from it.

Reply
Dave Chappelle I'm Rick James November 12, 2014 at 9:15 am

Liz:

Thought you might find this entertaining–in light of your recent few articles on the matter.

http://cheezburger.com/8372365824

Reply
????????? November 12, 2014 at 10:29 am

that is pretty funny ;) for the record my child is fully vaccinated, flu shot and all!

Reply
LauraCondon November 14, 2014 at 1:50 pm

If you think that the flu shot could have caused your pleurisy, why are you risking your child’s health?

Reply
Krazy Kat November 12, 2014 at 4:55 pm

Blue Roses

Reply
Soft Sigh from Hell November 12, 2014 at 8:34 pm

I like the way Liz sasses the deserving. A good attribute for anyone posting here, or especially writing here.

Reply
Sad Clown November 13, 2014 at 1:42 pm

Only fairy men use the word “sasses”.

Sashay on my friend. She just wrote an article on Starbucks coffee, should be right up your alley.

Reply
Soft Sigh from Hell November 13, 2014 at 7:53 pm

Mince along, nancyboy. Prance and pout to your heart’s content. But you are too much the lightweight to get much notice here. Maybe there is a free-verse board somewhere for you. Or a StarTrek board.

Reply
aikencounty November 12, 2014 at 11:44 pm

JEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEZZZZZZZZZZZZZZUUUUUUUSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
CHRIST!
WHAT A DRAMA QUEEN!

Reply
Susanna958 November 14, 2014 at 12:36 pm

Try Pleurisy root tincture..

Reply
LauraCondon November 14, 2014 at 1:47 pm

Liz, did you have a VAERS report filed? Federal law requires that your doctor file this report. It is the vaccine monitoring system that tracts suspected side effects so that the health of the public can be protected from vaccines that cause more harm than good. No need to claim or prove the flu vaccine caused your pluerisy, just simple documentation of what occured to you. If the VAERS system starts seeing hundreds of reports of pluerisy following flu vaccination, they can investigate further to see if there is a link. This helps protect everyone.
http://www.nvic.org/reporting-systems.aspx

Reply
Heather November 14, 2014 at 3:15 pm

Thank you for this post, Liz. I’m a mother of three children and my youngest was diagnosed with Autism shortly before his third birthday. While I was pregnant with him, I was STRONGLY urged to get the flu shot due to me being pregnant during flu season. I ignored my gut feelings not to get the shot and let them give it to me. When my youngest was 9 months old, I was STRONGLY urged by his pediatrician to give him the flu shot. Again, I ignored my uneasy gut feeling about the shot and allowed the doctor to vaccinate. He then got a 2nd flu shot (a booster, I was told) at 10 mos. To this day, I can’t help but wonder if things might have turned out differently had I not received the shot while pregnant and had I not allowed my son to get the shot (twice!) as an infant. I think it is important that stories like yours are shared and that this dialogue about vaccines is kept open. It is not unreasonable to question the safety of vaccines instead of just blindly following the advice of Big Pharma. With the huge increase in Autism, ADHD, food allergies, asthma, etc., I don’t think it is unreasonable to question what is being injected directly into our bodies and our children’s bodies. You can’t blame the sharp rise in these ailments solely on genetics and the environment or that medicine is getting “better at diagnosing” these things. People are scared about shots because they don’t know who to believe anymore.

Reply
Angela November 14, 2014 at 11:25 pm

Its a very real possibility you have/ had intercostal neuritis caused by intersegmental dysfunction of the vertebral or sternal costal angle. Simply put, a misaligment of the joint where the rib meets the sternum or the vertebra, causing spasm of the muscles in between the ribs and irritation to the nerves in that area. I am a chiropractor and see it all the time- patient walks in, thinks they are dying, went to ER and ruled out heart attack and everything else. A chiropractic adjustment later to the rib and they are breathing with ease and crying tears of joy from pain relief. Most ER docs are unaware of this because they are very good at looking for the major diagnoses and dont realize a musculoskeltal condition could give such immense pain. I would suggest getting it checked out… or not, Im not the one in pain, so do as you please.. just spreading the word. Best of luck

Reply
Brooke87 November 15, 2014 at 3:04 am

My husband got Guillain Barre Syndrome last October and the first question in the ER was ‘have you had a flu shot recently?’. We did our research when he came home and met others with the name auto-immune syndrome, and 90% of the people we’ve talked to online and in person say their GBS was triggered by the flu shot.
I never understand all the comments that try and justify the shot. It’s intended to provoke an immune response, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility that said immune response could over-compensate and adverse reactions could happen. Anyone with an ounce of intelligence can see that. Great article :) I will never, ever have any flu shot. Ever.

Reply
Bob November 23, 2014 at 4:03 am

read ramgbs.wordpress.com Bob Martin GB Survivor

Reply

Leave a Comment