Some people think the earth is flat. Doesn't make them right.

Thank you for the spelling correction.

I've gotten the flu shot for the last 3 years and have not had the flu since then.

I've never gotten the flu shot before then and got sick once a year.

But if you come out trolling and belittling someone for merely answering a post, you're a douche. It's fueling the negativity of the forum when you can't answer posts without some punk jackass saying crap like that. I was minding my own business until he trolled. Did he really have to comment like that, judging someone he knows nothing about? I don't think so. He could have just answered the OP question and leave it at that.

And I'm sure he would have, if your "opinion" didn't have the potential to harm someone else other than yourself. But in this case it does. And I get it, I didn't get my flu shot for years but like I said earlier. That was a dumb mistake and I won't be letting it happen again.

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Benjamin Deal - Professional - Instagram - TriRig - Lodi Cyclery
Deals on Wheels - Results, schedule, videos, sponsors

You do know that there are actual facts out there about the flu shot, right? No need to rely on anecdotes to make your decision,

OP asked, I answered. If you base your health off a forum question consensus, that's a mistake in itself, and on them--not anyone answering the question.

I asked for anecdotal so I may pull from personal accounts of the forum. I'm quite aware of the facts, however as an example, I got sick as shit after getting the flu shot each year while in the military, but not nearly as much after I got out. I've only been doing triathlon for 5 years, so I wanted to hear from much more experienced athletes on the forum. Did I get sick due to the environment I was in while serving, and not the flu shot. Perhaps. Have I not gotten sick much since due to a healthier lifestyle or the fact that I've skipped the flu shots. I don't know. I'm just a middle-aged dude trying to enjoy my punishing hobby and stay healthy.

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"I drank what?!?!" - Socrates
Poor Swimmer. Weak Cyclist. Slow Runner.
TriDot Ambassador / Sacramento Triathlon Club

Not trying to be harsh on you, but if you ask for anecdotes you'll get all sorts of silly stories about how folks got sick right after getting the flu shot. These are purely coincidence, and are completely unsupported by any medical facts. It's up to you whether you choose to believe nonsense or data.

I'm also smart enough to recognized the difference between silly stories and "this is what I experienced" anecdotes, which is more what I'm interested in. As far as the societal benefit, I'm not sure that argument is valid due to the influenza virus mutating every year, unlike MMR, Polio, etc, which can be eradicated through wide spread vaccination.

It was not my intent to create a thread that resulted in snarky comments and insults.

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"I drank what?!?!" - Socrates
Poor Swimmer. Weak Cyclist. Slow Runner.
TriDot Ambassador / Sacramento Triathlon Club

...but isn't that the trouble? All anecdote are not data, but stories clouded by unintentional personal biases and fallible memory. So, a silly story and an earnest anecdote are equally worthwhile (worthless).

Hard scientific data is extremely clear:

1. you can't get the flu from the shot
2. the likelihood of vaccine complications is infinitesimal compared to the likelihood you get the flu if unprotected
3. even if the effectiveness wavers only around 45%, that is still by far the best odds you'll get to avoid it otherwise (unless you live in a bubble-boy setup)

Apologies if my posts came off as snarky. Not the intent. My only point is that, regardless of how well-intentioned or seemingly valid peoples' recollections are, rarely does the sum of anecdotes result in anything meaningful.

Given your history of getting the flu all 6 years of getting the shot it’s hard to argue against it, but science is science. I say get the flu shot ASAP and your immune system will be back up to snuff within a week max to give you plenty of time to be ready for AZ. Most people that claim to have issues with the shot seem to have those issues immediately after getting the shot rather than weeks or months later so even if science is wrong you should be fine getting it now. Also, I think most people incorrectly think they get the flu when they’re really getting harsh colds and other illnesses. The symptoms overlap strongly.