Can a Flu Shot Be Given Wrong (ineffective?)

[Dark Nemesis]

I've gotten a flu shot every year for as long as I can remember because of my increase exposure across many countries. This year I already decide I wasn't going to put it off and miss it again so I took a few moments out in ORD last night between flights, and got my shot at a stand (on C councourse if you've been flying) run by a Chicago area hospital. I was going to last week but the line was three gate lengths long.

Here's my quesiton. Have the needles or the mixture changed from years past in terms of the impact on the injection area? Every year I knew full well my arm was going t be midly sore for a day or two....no big deal at all, just something to expect with the flu shot.

I'm at 24hrs and there isn't the slightest bit of pain, discomfort or even tenderness around the site.

Normally I'd just say woohoo! and call it a day. However with my mileage globally I put a lot of faith and 'mind at ease' on my flu shots. Is the complete lack of anything related to pain/discomfort a reason to be concerned? Or simply the woman was that good and/or the materials used have been improved?

 

[Edgyone]

Is the complete lack of anything related to pain/discomfort a reason to be concerned? Or simply the woman was that good and/or the materials used have been improved?

I don't claim to be an immunisation expert but as I understand it the flu shot effectiveness varies from year to year (vaccine to vaccine) and 'site pain/reaction' is not a predictor of effectiveness or of good injection technique. Just luck of the draw...

Hope you have a healthy winter.

 

[TemplarKnight21c]

I have never been innoculated for anything. Only had the flu once or twice. The thing you have to remember is, the flu vaccine you get is for last year's flu bug; it evolves every season, so the vaccine is not always effective, except on weaker strains.

 

[Esav Benyamin]

The thing you have to remember is, the flu vaccine you get is for this year's flu bug; it evolves every season, so the vaccine is constantly updated. Last year's stocks are no longer available.

As someone who's gotten lots of shots, including one a day by myself, they can vary in pain impact just by how they are given. We had one medic in basic training who gave shots so expertly, no one felt the needle, and the pain later was nothing or less than for guys who got shots from other medics.

 

[Samael]

It's pretty hard to screw up giving a flu shot. You don't have to hit a vein or anything like that, just jab and push the plunger. Soreness can vary from person to person and from year to year. Little things (like how relaxed your muscles are at the time of the shot is given) can make a surprisingly big difference.

You're gonna be fine. Relax.

 

[SpookyPistolero]

It's pretty hard to screw up giving a flu shot. You don't have to hit a vein or anything like that, just jab and push the plunger. Soreness can vary from person to person and from year to year. Little things (like how relaxed your muscles are at the time of the shot is given) can make a surprisingly big difference.

You're gonna be fine. Relax.

I've given around 800 flu shots in the last 1.5 weeks. For the most part, they're hard to do wrong (assuming you're using a proper basic technique). All you can do is accidentally hit too low (missing the deltoid), in a nerve that rests in the shoulder, or too shallow. The needle size stays the same year to year, so the shallow thing isn't an issue unless you've got very large arms that are mostly fat (in which case a larger needle is called for). And the deltoid is a bigass target.

I get compliments a lot on my painless injection skillz, but in reality it's not to do with me, it's just that the needle is so small it makes me/us look good. This year overall, however, we've had an fairly large percentage of people say they had a sore arm the day after (including beefy-armed folk like cops and firemen). It's something to do with the formulation.

But basically, lots of people feel nothing after the shot, and some people feel sore. Just because you didn't feel it doesn't mean you didn't get the dose.

 

[Mongo]

Well Geez, I'll slug ya on your arm if it will make ya feel any better!

 

[Dark Nemesis]

Thanks all....I'm not going to sweat it, sounds like I can just be thankful it was a 'nicer' experience this time

Well Geez, I'll slug ya on your arm if it will make ya feel any better!

LOL...you're a giver, and while I appreciate the offer this one time I think I'll pass

 

[mete]

Does the control group get distilled water ??
The problem with thse shots is that they may be developed very quickly to meet a new virus. They may then be ineffective or give you the virus or have other bad side effects ! Remember that those who are at risk to get the virus [young ,old, immune system problems ] are also the ones at risk from the shot.

 

[Samael]

Does the control group get distilled water ??
The problem with thse shots is that they may be developed very quickly to meet a new virus. They may then be ineffective or give you the virus or have other bad side effects ! Remember that those who are at risk to get the virus [young ,old, immune system problems ] are also the ones at risk from the shot.

That's basically a bunch of bologna. There's no control group; everybody gets the real deal. Nobody gets the flu from the vaccine - the virus has been killed.

It may be ineffective, yep, that happens. It's pretty tough to predict the exact strain of virus that will come through many months in advance. But if it is ineffective, you're no worse off than you were before.

Allergies? Yep, that happens too. But not much. And pretty much only if you're allergic to eggs. I'm guessing most people who are allergic to eggs are aware of that condition well before they get the shot.

 

[SpookyPistolero]

That's basically a bunch of bologna. There's no control group; everybody gets the real deal. Nobody gets the flu from the vaccine - the virus has been killed.

It may be ineffective, yep, that happens. It's pretty tough to predict the exact strain of virus that will come through many months in advance. But if it is ineffective, you're no worse off than you were before.

Allergies? Yep, that happens too. But not much. And pretty much only if you're allergic to eggs. I'm guessing most people who are allergic to eggs are aware of that condition well before they get the shot.

That's pretty much the nail on the head. I would only add that the ingredients used in the vaccines are very rarely new entities; they use stuff that's been used hundreds of times before so they don't have to do extra testing or worry about adverse effects. And you cannot get the flu from this type of vaccine.