To get shot, or to not?

That's the big question around here. Do we get the flu shot? The swine flu shot? Both? Neither? There's so much information out there, what is a mother to do? Well, after much thought, prayer, and consideration, we've decided to opt out of both flu shots. I respect people who plan to get the shots. We're just not going to.

Our reasons?

We're already fairly "picky" when it comes to vaccinating our children. This is no exception. Our doctor supports our decision and works with us to find the best schedule for the immunizations that we do. I really appreciate his input and he appreciates our knowledge and awareness of what these shots are and which ones are important and which ones have just become routine.

Seasonal Flu- Every year that I've gotten a flu shot I've gotten sick. Yes, yes, I know, I know. You can't get the flu from the shot. Maybe not, but every year our family has gotten the shot we've all gotten the flu. The true knock-us-out-for-two-weeks-fever-chills-achy-type flu. Not fun. Multiply that by 6, really not fun. We emphasize hand washing, water drinking, healthy living in our home and we are really cautious about being around people during the flu season. I know that people can become very ill from the regular flu each year and unfortunately some die. Do I want this to happen to my family? Of course not. However, if we happen to get the flu, the statistics are in our favor that we will get over it without many ill-effects, and our immunity will be that much greater in the future because it will be a true immunity, not one derived from a weakened/dead version of the flu. I realize the strand changes from year to year, but chances are for several years it will be the same strand...so, we'll be good for awhile anyway.

H1N1- As worried as I am about my children getting extremely ill from anything, I'm just not jumping on the bandwagon with this one. This flu has been man-made (it was traced back to a lab that was working on flu viruses), and I'm not putting it in any one of my kids' bodies or my own. Unlike the seasonal flu, I'm expecting that we will get this bug. I know there are some scary stories out there, but I know people personally who have had this, and I'm just not all that worried. The statistics are being compared to seasonal flu. They are trying to compare apples to oranges here. Naturally there are going to be more hospitalizations from this flu because it hasn't been dormant at all. It's been going full force since April. We haven't seen the seasonal flu yet so saying that thus far there have been more deaths and hospitalizations from H1N1 than seasonal flu just isn't a fair comparison. Enough of my ramblings.

So, that's that. This post isn't to try to convince anybody one way or the other. On this issue when I say that each family needs to make their own informed decision, I truly mean that. This is the decision we have made. I'm resolved to not spend the next several months worrying about whether or not we are going to get sick. I don't want to spend this winter wondering "what if" I would have done something differently. There's just no way of knowing. We will take precautions, be prepared if we do get sick and not hesitate a moment to contact our doctor if we happen to get one or both of these icky bugs. I have only listed a couple of our reasons. There are more of course, but will be left un"said".