When I was pre-CFS catching the seasonal flu wasnt that big of deal, I was maybe bed bound for a few days with aches and chills, sore throat etc.
But now with CFS if I catch the flu its 100 times worse to a point i feel like i have to be hospitalized and I will try to avoid the hospital like the plague!
Now with H1N1 arriving this flu season expected to have larger infection rates I guess we just have to take extra precautions to proctect ourselves, or take our chances with the vaccine

Iceman i suppose its like you said we have to way up the risks of the vaccine and see if it is worth it for us, our flu season here just ended, but i was sick from May to september with a constant flu and bronchitus which turned into pnemonia, i wanted to get the flu vaccine but i wasnt well enought the entire flu season to get it. youre a smart guy i know you will decide the right thing........ Thanks for an interesting post

My daughter's volleyball teammate was tested positive for H1N1 last week. My daughter was sick with the same symptoms but I didn't take her in to the doctor because she got better each day and only had a fever (chills) for part of one night. Most of her team has been sick but they have all recovered in a matter of days.

I did some reading to try to understand the difference between seasonal flu and H1N1 and I'm still confused by how crazy people are about H1N1. We have been very fortunate that it was basically just like seasonal flu for the people we know who have had it. Bottom line...don't get dehydrated.

From everything I've read I still don't understand how it's killing people (any differently than seasonal flu). If you have a problem like diabetes, heart problems, liver or kidney problems, etc. then it's obviously going to be worse. It seems to be more of a problem for kids under age 25 for unknown reasons. (My 13-year-old says it's because they grew up with antibacterial soap. He might have a point.) I read where 1/3 of people over 60 have antibodies for this type of flu.

Interesting...the other 5 people in our house didn't get it. Out of 12 girls on the volleyball team there are 2 that haven't been sick, and the other 10 had varying degrees of illness. Three people with the same symptoms as the confirmed case tested negative. So far, the 2 coaches haven't been sick. Crazy stuff. My older daughter coaches a volleyball team at a different high school and none of her players are sick at this time, even though my daughter has a really bad head cold and has been exposed to a confirmed case of H1N1 her players are still healthy. Germs are tricky!

I keep hearing and reading that the H1N1 flue is milder than the seasonal flu.

I've never had a flu shot. My doctor doesn't want me to have them. He feels they will make me sick, with my immune problems, etc.

hiya xx Im in the UK and its very strange and annoying that some years my Gp says the govt allows me to have the flu jab, but others years im not entitled!! The advert does say u should get it if u have a CHRONIC illness, well doesnt that include CFS?? I also have fibromyalgia .. gentle hugs lorrie xx

I will ask my doctor, not my pdoc, about this. I trust his judgment.

For Lorrie, YES, CFS and Fibro are chronic illnesses!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have both.

My doctor has forbidden me to get vaccinated.

I saw a "Special" on the news last night about the vaccine!

A very smart man, who has written a book, and is a Surgeon by profession was the guest. When asked about the H1N1 vaccine, he said, "It may be a good thing, but has not really been well tested. I would not take the vaccine until I see what kind of side effects it produces"

Well, I think he has made a great point! They are throwing this vaccine together quickly..some say you need only one H1N1 shot, others say it's a series of two shots! Either way, in my case, I will just be careful, wash my hands, try to stay out of the ER.

Many cases of H1N1 have come and gone in New York. Unless there was a serious underlying illness....and old age (very often), the symptoms were considered to be mild to moderate and people recovered quickly.

It's an individual judegment call, I think!

There is a homeopathic remedy called Homeocoksinum or Oscillococcinum that seems very effective. That's what my bets are on, the flu jab seems like Russian roulette with side-effects.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscillococcinum
http://www.naturalnews.com/026148.html

Lisa

I agreee with the poster who was talking about playing Russian Roulette with side effects. I also agree with the poster who was talking about the fact this concoction that they quickly put togther has not been around long enough. I don`t want to be a guinea pig ...
And how many people do you know who get the flu shot but get sick with the flu? Lots! And they say, well the shot is covering a differnent type of flu. Boy, what a business.
Now getting back to the fact that we have cfs. 2 years ago I caught the flu somewhere. Everyone else was getting over it in about 3-4 days. I was sick, very very sick for 3 weeks. So I think when we get sick, we don`t fight the bug as a normal person is able to.
Some of you may take this into consideration. I still won`t go near the flu shot.