Declaring war on the flu bug!!

I got my seasonal flu shot this week. Have you gotten yours?

We had determined this was the week to do it. I normally rush right out and get mine as soon as they are available but for some reason we both dragged our feet this year. The Big Guy was able to get his at work on Wednesday. His employer usually provides shots to all active employees and, some years, has included family members. This was not one of those years so I simply went down the street to my local pharmacy.

Of course, this became a family expedition. The Big Guy is the keeper of the flex-ben card (flu shots qualify) and felt he needed to be there to present the card himself. Our boarder, who has become a member of the family for all intents and purposes, chose to come along for the ride. (Bear in mind, the store is a whole 4 blocks away.) I was the only person there waiting for a flu shot who brought along a support group!

The expedition went off without a hitch and I hope I am working on developing immunity to the seasonal flu.

We have gotten flu shots every year for the last 18 years or so with the exception of the one year that they were simply not available. The year before that, supplies ran short but I had gotten mine the first week they were available before they realized there was a shortage. I have never experienced any side effects at all from the shot itself and can honestly say, I have only had the flu once since getting the shots. That year, they claimed there was an unexpected strain circulating that had not been part of that vaccine. While I was miserable, I think I had a mild case probably due to the vaccine helping some.

We are not fanatical about most preventative measures but we have stuck to the flu shot routine. Oh, and I take Vitamin C from about November through March. I believe it staves off most colds. We seem to manage to only have one or two colds a year and rarely any other routine illnesses.

Luckily, maturity is supposedly a benefit when it comes to the swine flu. The experts seem to think those over 50 are the least susceptible portion of society when it comes to H1N1. The shots for that one are being doled out in order of susceptibility starting with pregnant women, those caring for children under 2 and then those between 2 and 22. My age group will bring up the rear if there is any vaccine left at that point.

I did hear that the best defense against H1N1, beyond washing your hands frequently, is a daily dose of 1000mg of Vitamin D. I’m probably going to stick with that. I figure it can’t hurt.

So, armed with my flu shot, a bottle of Vitamin C and one of Vitamin D, I march off into the flu season. Get outta’ my way, germs!