because it was not fighting the current strain of flu

I've had the flu several times while growing up, and at my age (66) I honestly don't think I'm at all likely to get flu again, given my previous exposure.

I'm pretty sure I had the flu during the 1957 epidemic, the Asian Flu, which was a type A which is the worst. And that means I'm pretty much permanently immune to any future type A flu. I also got flu at least a couple of other times in years since.

So, I don't feel as if I need a flu shot.

When I was a child and young adult, I must have had all of them. Haven't had the flu probably since the 70s.

but don't get the shot because of an autoimmune issue. Had the flu in November for the first time since the 70's. It was bad, but nothing like the 70's case during which I actually wanted to die.

Never get the flu and can't remember the last time I had a cold. Hope the trend continues !

and ditto on the rest.

Everyone I know that has the flu here got the shot.

She said it was the worse thing ever, and when her mother came to help (because I was only a month away), she got it, too. Then they were both too sick to do anything for weeks.

I think Mama being sick like that gave me immunity. I've never gotten the flu except for the four years when I was in the USAF, and had to get flu shots (twice in basic training for the swine flu). Horrid. Never doing that again!

Flu shot and still got flu. It was bad this year. Felt like a.train hit me

But, still got sick a couple of weeks later. Don't know if it was an actual flu virus, but it was pretty unpleasant. Body aches, headaches, upset stomach, etc..

I don't frequent public places anymore often than I absolutely have to. I use hand sanitizers, and try to not touch my eyes or nose without washing my hands.

Shit happens.

She laughed ,said it doesn't cover everything just the worst.So here is some Metamucil,it should get you back under control.Ha Ha Ha!!!

I wuz robbed!!! And I felt like I was hit by a garbage truck and left lying along the freeway for two weeks!!!

She is just fun to joke around with.She says I am like her dad.A big complainer.I am better and she was right.Flu shots sometimes miss a bug.
Another thing is that I never catch the Flu so when I do it is usually a duzy.
But,yeah this one was fast acting and long lasting.Thank FSM I am better now.

I am so hoping to avoid it this year.

And have good luck doing so.Your Hubby too.

My "flu" this week, 6 weeks post shot, consisted of six hours of high fever and body aches, about 20 hours of solid sleep punctuated by pee breaks and nothing else, 3 days of feeling a little subpar, and a whopping case of diarrhea. Now I'm just fine.

I'm not really calling it the flu. I'm calling it another case of "was that the flu?"

Either the shot or prior immunity or a combination made it an extremely mild case.

And yes, flu is epidemic in this state.

I had chills, fever, then sweats, severe fatigue, and body aches. I'd get up to feed the critters, let the dog in& out, hit the loo, then back to bed. I had some homemade chicken broth in the freezer, that was all I could hold down for 2 days, the microwave was my friend. Could have been worse, could have been better.

I had the shot in October, had the flu just a few weeks ago. I had 102+ temps for 3 days, slept nonstop for five, body aches to the point where I could hardly stand for nearly a week, 2 days of vomiting, shakes-the whole nine yards. After that it settled in my chest and I am just now getting over it.

I never get the flu like this, usually because I'm so militant about my shot. This year it didn't work for me.

but it was hours, not days. I'm so damned old I've had most of the strains already and the flu shot just wakes up my immune system so it's ready to do battle.

I've been pretty good about the shot and have only gotten "was that the flu?" for the last 8 years.

I was working two jobs, very long hours and running around doing the Christmas things along with running my kid all over creation.

I don't think I would have been half so bad if I had been rested and not pulled in every direction.

my husband got his, too. He's on an immunosuppressant and it's not a good idea to take chances.

And I haven't gotten the flu.

Every time a start a new job, though, that particular office's dust colonies throw my allergies into overdrive. Maybe that boosted my immune system this year

but fighting a wicked cold. Up since midnight drinking brandy to kill germs and ease misery.

children, and those who work with them. Also that it only protects against one of many flu strains.

...for the coming season.

As to age, it depends on you-- you can get the shot at any age. I wasn't all that old the year my luck ran out and I got flu that weakend me enough that I then got pneumonia. After I recovered my doc had me take a pneumonia shot, and in subsequent years I made sure to get my flu vax. Sometimes I still get something during the season -- but mostly I don't. By this time I am in the age range of folks who really should avoid getting flu if at all possible.

Over the years I've known plenty of folks who get the flu, and then a secondary infection that settles in their chest so they are hacking up crud for the next two months and taking antibiotics. Ugh. We do have a couple of DUers who seem to have cast-iron immune systems, but most people eventually are not that hardy.

The last possible case of the flu I had was a roughly 48-hour fever-and-dizziness sort of thing, about 4 years ago.

Then one year that wasn't true any more. C'est la vie. Now I'm in my late 60s and a lot of things have snuck up on me over time.

I didn't get the shot -- never do -- but I caught it this time from someone who had had the shot.

Aren't we supposed to have the weakest immune systems?

so they tend to get sick less. However, if they do get sick their bodies are less able to handle the illness.

http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/features/immunity-as-you-age

and had the flu the week before Christmas. It was one of the nastier ones I've had in years, usually because my yearly flu shot works wonders for me.

The three or so flues that the virus protects against?

or any one of a number of minor maladies that seem to exist in the body, but only occasionally break out in symptoms?

I've had a minor flu, I think.

I don't comport with the 47% effective flu vaccines.

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/pastseasons/1112season.htm

How effective was the 2011-2012 seasonal flu vaccine?

ant pain and swelling in my arm.

Everyone at my work has had the flu. They clearly had the flu and not just a cold. The one person in the cubicle next to me missed a few days and is now on antibiotics because she ended up with bronchitis from it. I'm really nervous about getting it, even though I've had my flu shot this year, because this year's shot is not supposed to be a good match for the circulating strain. So far so good, but you never know. I've been washing my hands like crazy too. When I catch the flu, I usually end up with bronchitis or pneumonia, so I always get nervous during flu season. I'm still trying to convince aforementioned coworker to get her flu shot. She believes the last time she had the flu shot it made her sick. I tried to explain to her why that is not the case, but I'm not sure if I got through.

Hopefully you don't get it. Thankfully it hasn't hit my workplace, but we have paid sick leave. If you show up looking sick your manager will send you straight home.

My workplace isn't the greatest, but we are salaried and if we are sick we can take a day or 2 or 3 without worry. But even if someone sick takes a day or 2, they are usually still contagious when they come back.

And I know all about not touching my face. I've trained myself to touch it a lot less than I used to. Or if I do touch it, I use other parts of my arm, not my fingers or hands. Over the years I've gotten pretty good at not touching.

Have you had a pneumonia vaccination? Those only need a booster about every five years.
http://www.webmd.com/vaccines/pneumococcal-vaccine-schedule

Last time I talked to my doctor about it, he said it was a good idea but then we got distracted and forgot all about it, lol. I'll mention it to him next time I'm there.

At our office, we have medical grade wipes that kill everything. I wipe down surfaces with a wipe as much as I can, and luckily we don't normally share phones. So that's a plus.

and it won't last as long because you got the shot. At least that is what the doctors are saying.

is to wash my hands thoroughly.

I also thoroughly wash my hands whenever I get the chance while out of the house.

Hand sanitizer and bananas seems to have done the trick so far. I do take half a vitamin here and there also.

was in 1993 and on Thanksgiving break from college. I thought I was going to die. I ended up not able to complete the semester because I was too sick to leave home (and bed). My doctor threatened to hospitalize me, but I convinced him that I would not travel back to school, stay in bed and rest.

I think it was karma. My sister came home from college during Thanksgiving right when I was breaking out with chicken pox at dinner. A week before finals she came down with chicken pox and was so sick SHE had to come home.

I get the shot each and every year AND I wash my hands a LOT. Always before meals and after returning home from running errands. And just before preparing a meal (very important IMO).

Fingers crossed.

Had a bad case 10 to 15 years ago, in July.

Hit me last Sunday. Tough one, of the 15 people over at my house last Saturday everyone got hit to some degree, most pretty bad. Missed Monday work, today is the first day that I am not feeling rundown at the end of the day.

My spouse is just getting over it, and shared it with me before I knew she had it.

She always gets the flu shot - this year being no exception. She also always gets "spinal meningitis" - her name for the flu she can't possibly have since she always gets vaccinated. I used to get it about every other year - although 2009 was about the last time. I'm really, really careful about exposure outside of the house since surgery in early 2010 when my bosses declared they weren't sick (as they coughed all over everything in sight at work - and I was terrified I would acquire a respiratory illness from them and have to postpone surgery). But we don't usually transmit things between us. Guess things change.

But I woke up with a scratchy throat that is getting worse too gradually fort the pattern I get when I have a cold, I'm achy, and I just took my temp. It's 100.

I work with a high exposure to many people throughout the day, interacting with over 500+ strangers a day. I also was just on two transcontinental flights and people were clearly sick, but not me... Yet.

Fingers crossed, so far so good.

I've been doing more to stay healthy this season though...

- More time at the gym 3-4x a week.
- Actually got my first flu shot.
- At least 6 hours of sleep a night.

Got sick after Thanksgiving with some kind of respiratory bug, kept getting worse, ended up with pneumonia. Antibiotics finally knocked out the pneumonia after I had been sick for three weeks.

Hadn't gotten a flu shot this year, although I usually do - I was just so busy at work I didn't get around to it. Not sure it would have made any difference anyway.

I'm 69 -- for the vast majority of my life, I tossed the dice and never got the flu shot and never got the flu. Last year at this time, I was in the hospital due to surgery for kidney stones when I caught H1N1 resulting in pneumonia, congestive heart failure, and kidney failure. It was a very scary time. As soon as I recovered enough, I got a flu shot. I got my latest shot in October. Yes, I'm distressed to hear that the shot does not cover the flu that is going around. I'm retired so I'm not around a lot of people (except for movies on the weekend), however, the people who live with me are employed or going to college and they can bring it home. Other than crossing my fingers and whispering to the Flying Spaghetti Monster, there's not much I can do.

...precaution for those living with or caring for the very young and (ahem) us older folks, as well as those living with/caring for the immune-compromised.

I'm sorry you got so sick. That's just awful. Hopefully it never happens again.

but, as we've read, the flu shot doesn't cover the strain of flu that is prevalent this season. I can put a bottle of hand sanitizer by the front door; maybe that will help counteract whatever they are bringing home. Now, I'll just have to convince them to use it!

Worst flu I've ever had