We're aware that some users are experiencing technical issues which the team are working to resolve. See the Community Noticeboard for more info. Thank you for your patience.
📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!

To have or have not - Swine-flu jab and fibromyalgia

Options
13»

Comments

  • mardatha
    mardatha Posts: 15,612 Forumite
    They are saying on my ME groups that it will cause a huge flare-up...and I'm more scared of the ME than I am of the flu really. But I tend to get flu every year and then pneumonia, so I'm trying to wait until after xmas before I decide .
  • jazabelle
    jazabelle Posts: 1,707 Forumite
    mardatha wrote: »
    They are saying on my ME groups that it will cause a huge flare-up...and I'm more scared of the ME than I am of the flu really. But I tend to get flu every year and then pneumonia, so I'm trying to wait until after xmas before I decide .

    I had it last Tuesday, and I haven't had a flare up - just as another point of view!
    "There is no medicine like hope, no incentive so great, and no tonic so powerful as expectation of something better tomorrow." - Orison Swett Marden
  • mardatha
    mardatha Posts: 15,612 Forumite
    All experiences/advice/points of view are very welcome !
  • Unity
    Unity Posts: 1,524 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    mardatha wrote: »
    All experiences/advice/points of view are very welcome !

    They certainly are and this was why I posted in the first place ;). There isn't a right or wrong here, as what's right for one person could well prove quite problematical for another. All we can do is to reach a decision for ourselves as individuals based on the information and advice available to us.

    Although I trust my doctor, I did wonder if this was the right information for me. In my case I have had a couple of bad allergic reactions following medication. One of them involved anaphylactic shock :eek: and another saw me blister from head to foot after which all my skin peeled off :shocked:, so it really wasn't worth the risk for me.

    My doc knows me very well and did say that if he had to bet on anyone having the Guillain Barre reaction - it would be me :(. I had the ordinary flu jab back in September, as I do every year and would have had the SF one too - had he not advised against it.

    Good luck to everyone, whether you've had it or not and for those still weighing up the pros and cons, I hope you come to the decision that's best for you.

    One last thing - as with any injection like this, if you can manage to relax the muscles in your arm before the needle goes in, you'll have a lot less pain afterwards. I always do this after being told the trick by our practice nurse. My DH can never manage to relax - in fact his arm muscles actively tense up :rolleyes: so he always experiences a sore arm for days afterwards.
    Some people hear voices, some see invisible people. Others have no imagination whatsoever :D
  • Can I ask if your GP's class the fibromyalgia as an auto-immune disease? I have fibromyalgia and have been asking for the flu jab for the last 5 years but I am told I can't have it until all the old people & Diabetics have theirs first. I also have under-active thyroid. I get infections (flu like symptoms) regularily at least 5 times a year. Should I qualify for the vaccine? I am not sure about the swine flu jab. My mum is supposed to be having it but I am worried about it? Can anyone give me some advice?
    Thanks,
    CrystalGecko
  • sleepymy
    sleepymy Posts: 6,097 Forumite
    edited 9 December 2009 at 12:59PM
    mardatha wrote: »
    They are saying on my ME groups that it will cause a huge flare-up...and I'm more scared of the ME than I am of the flu really. But I tend to get flu every year and then pneumonia, so I'm trying to wait until after xmas before I decide .

    I'm the 5th person on an ME website who have had the swine flu vaccine, only one girl had a viral type response and it only lasted for about 24 hours.

    I have ME & chronic migraine (possibly allergy related). This is the first year since been diagnosed with asthma 20yrs ago that I've needed both inhalers and a leukotriene receptor antagonist to keep my asthma under control.

    I've been reading up on the vaccine for a few weeks now and after reading this New Scientist article I decided it was safer to get it.
    The risk of getting Guillain-Barr! from a flu vaccine is almost certainly less than 1 in a million; the risk of getting it from flu itself is more than 40 in a million. Swine flu is estimated to have killed 800 people in the US already, or more than 2 in every million so far. And during the first wave of swine flu this summer
    I had a chat with my GP on monday and she said none of the surgery's ME or FMS patients had reported bad side effects. She sent me into the nurse and I opted to get the jab in my thigh as my arms are very tender atm. I seriously didn't even feel it going in. That was about 5pm, during the night I woke up with a tender leg but was able to get back over to sleep. I've read that moving the limb helps ease any pain so I went out and paddled round the shops for a bit yesterday. Last night I had some mild skin pain (I get inflamed nerves under the skin) and fatigue but I think it was more to do with overdoing things tbh. I've slept well both nights since it and so far have shown no ill effects. My leg is only tender when I walk but perfectly bearable without painkillers. I'm rubbing anti-inflammatory gel on it 3 times a day.

    Things I'd like people to remember if they have underlying health conditions when making this decision.

    The risk of Guillain Barre Syndrome is less with the jab than the flu.

    We have basically no immunity to this flu so it is more infectious than other flues.

    We are only hearing about the fatalities caused by swine flu, we are not hearing statistics on long term complications caused by it e.g. worsening/creating of chronic lung diseases.

    You may experience flu like symptoms and a relapse of your chronic illness but it still should be much shorter than the length you could suffer flu & the subsequent relapse that no doubt will follow. Equally you may not experience any relapse after the jab.

    This flu can be extremely dangerous for the people in the risk groups...
    http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pandemic-flu/Pages/Introduction.aspx?WT.srch=1
    It is already known that people are particularly vulnerable if they have:
    • chronic (long-term) lung disease,
    • chronic heart disease,
    • chronic kidney disease,
    • chronic liver disease,
    • chronic neurological disease (neurological disorders include motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease),
    • immunosuppression (whether caused by disease or treatment), or
    • diabetes mellitus.
    Also at risk are:
    • patients who have had drug treatment for asthma in the past three years,
    • pregnant women,
    • people aged 65 and over, and
    • children under five.
    I don't know anyone who has regretted getting the vaccine but I do know a few who wish they had gotten it instead of contracting the swine flu, that includes healthy people.
    The stupid things you do, you regret... if you have any sense, and if you don't regret them, maybe you're stupid. - Katharine Hepburn
  • sleepymy
    sleepymy Posts: 6,097 Forumite
    Can I ask if your GP's class the fibromyalgia as an auto-immune disease? I have fibromyalgia and have been asking for the flu jab for the last 5 years but I am told I can't have it until all the old people & Diabetics have theirs first. I also have under-active thyroid. I get infections (flu like symptoms) regularily at least 5 times a year. Should I qualify for the vaccine? I am not sure about the swine flu jab. My mum is supposed to be having it but I am worried about it? Can anyone give me some advice?
    Thanks,
    CrystalGecko

    The vaccines aren't given on your risk of infection or worsening of non fatal diseases, they're assessed by those who are at risk of fatality from flu. ME and FMS don't fall under these groups AFAIK.
    The stupid things you do, you regret... if you have any sense, and if you don't regret them, maybe you're stupid. - Katharine Hepburn
  • zzzLazyDaisy
    zzzLazyDaisy Posts: 12,497 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    I have fms and have had the swine flu jab (but I also have diabetes and I think thats what I come under). I had an amazingly painful arm for 24 hours, and one night when I had to put the heating up full belt because I felt so COLD.

    But that was it. Within 48 hours I was back to normal, and it was certainly worth it for me because apparently swine flu attacks the respitory tract and I every time I get a cold I end up with a chest infection which takes months to shift.

    I haven't had seasonal fly jab yet tho - they advised me to wait until after christmas for that.
    I'm a retired employment solicitor. Hopefully some of my comments might be useful, but they are only my opinion and not intended as legal advice.
  • Unity
    Unity Posts: 1,524 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Can I ask if your GP's class the fibromyalgia as an auto-immune disease? I have fibromyalgia and have been asking for the flu jab for the last 5 years but I am told I can't have it until all the old people & Diabetics have theirs first. I also have under-active thyroid. I get infections (flu like symptoms) regularily at least 5 times a year. Should I qualify for the vaccine? I am not sure about the swine flu jab. My mum is supposed to be having it but I am worried about it? Can anyone give me some advice?
    Thanks,
    CrystalGecko

    Yes, both my rheumatologist and GP class Fibro and ME as auto-immune diseases.
    Some people hear voices, some see invisible people. Others have no imagination whatsoever :D
This discussion has been closed.
Meet your Ambassadors

🚀 Getting Started

Hi new member!

Our Getting Started Guide will help you get the most out of the Forum

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 350.9K Banking & Borrowing
  • 253.1K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 453.5K Spending & Discounts
  • 243.9K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 598.7K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 176.9K Life & Family
  • 257.2K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 16.1K Discuss & Feedback
  • 37.6K Read-Only Boards

Is this how you want to be seen?

We see you are using a default avatar. It takes only a few seconds to pick a picture.