nope. a small lump up to a pea size would be normal. i don't know if there's anything they can do to help... it may need to just go down on its own. are you able to get in to see a dr? do you have a thermometer at home to see if you have a fever? another idea would be to measure the circumference of your arm at the site with a tape measure, and the other arm at the same place - jot them down for the dr. they might give you antihistamines...

as far as i know, the really dangerous reactions to vaccines occur within 15 minutes... but don;t quote me on that.

Golf ball??? dont think so... never heard of that...course I havent had a flu shot in a long long long time.. made me sick.. and will never get one again.. might want to phone your doc and see hun.. best wishes.. :)

No its not, go to the ER, and if you dont, please use ICE on it! I cant take these shots, they make me VERY ill. Stop and think about what you are unknowingly, putting into your body. Id rather get the flu than deal with the side effects of these shots!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i have never had any reaction to the flu shot and i've had it at least a dozen times. thats not to say it couldnt happen next time. i might need to give it some thought for next year, as fibro does seem to make us more sensitive to anything like this.

No that is not normal! Get some help immediately.

Last year I got a flu shot because I have FM and my immune system seems to be shot all to hell.

About 5 hours after getting the shot I could feel my throat getting sore and my nose started running, and by the next morning I had a full fledged severe cold with terrible cough, which lasted 4 weeks and finally turned into pnemonia.

I don't care how many times they say a flu shot won't make you sick - I don't believe it!!

Please have it looked at. What if it's infected? Is it red? Could it be Cellulitis?

I knew I could count on you guys for info. You're the best. I'm going to take your suggestions: ice, and speaking to my dr tomorrow. I am supposed to call for test results anyway.

And Karen, i never heard of Cellulitis, and so I searched it. Something I don't want to play around with. Thanks everyone.

good girl. cellulitis can spread quickly, so if pain wakes you in the night - check if the area is warm to the touch and if the redness is wider/larger or has streaks leading away from the area, get straight to the ER. cellulitis that is spreading can only give you a few hours leeway for getting good treatment or having complications and slow recovery.
good luck!

Thanks Mystery.

It woke me last night, that is how I found it. So it it gets worse, I will either call my dr's service or go to the ER. I wrote down "cellulitis" and have it on my desk, so I can grab it if I have to rush out.

Hopefully it goes away on it's own. My Mantra: Things will get better, things will get better, .........lol

I had this happen with a pain shot one time. It was very sore and definitely the size of a golfball if not a bit bigger. I didn't worry about it and it time it went down and was okay.....maybe I should have??
Keep us informed.

Thanks everyone for your help last nite. I was a bit worried, but at least I became informed after your replies. I got up this morning and it is a bit smaller, and not as inflamed. I will speak to my dr later this afternoon for other test results, and tell him about my reaction to the flu shot.

I really appreciate you all taking time out for me last nite. Now, if we could only find out if Poet (cinda) is OK.

yay, i am so pleased it is coming right. it is good to learn about conditions, in case we ever need to help someone else or ourselves. i think of it as an extension of first aid training.

maybe your dr can find out what aspect of the vaccination caused the reaction, and if you can avoid that in future. a nurse once told me it is best to avoid giving injections to the upper buttock area, because it can damage the sciatic nerve. she prefers to use the thigh or arm. many of use have neck/shoulder problems, so a reaction like this is bad. maybe we should insist on the thigh.