Tag: Flu shots

Categories
Health

Autumn: Time for harvest, giving thanks and flu shots!

I’m late getting to my blog this week… a busy week making 18 bottles of salsa and 18 jars of grape jam. I even tried out a recipe for “scoops” corn chips (the best way to eat salsa…) and I’ll be making them again! I guess that’s part of fall and carrying the benefit of the harvest of fresh vegetables and fruits into winter. It’s even more wonderful if you get to participate in the harvest, as we did in Miscou Island in northern New Brunswick, helping family pick the grapes growing in their backyard and cut the vines down to the old growth. It was an amazing way to spend a sunny autumn afternoon.

The best parts of making your own food, including preserves, is that you know what they contain and even where the ingredients came from. You also get a relatively unique product to enjoy and share, something different than you might find in the grocery store. I’m thinking my preserves might make great Christmas gifts, something consumable for those of us in my generation looking at downsizing or those of a younger generation living in an apartment with limited space. I’ve always felt that a hand made gift is truly a gift from the heart… something special, whether it was made by the giver or someone I don’t even know.

But, aside from thoughts of harvest, Thanksgiving and preparing for winter, fall also makes me think of getting my flu shot. I suppose that’s part of preparing for winter, the season when we see so many cases of influenza. I gave flu immunizations for many years at pharmacies and clinics, even visiting seniors’ homes to bring the service to them.

I never liked hurting people, though, so I read everything I could to learn how to make the injection less painful. And my patients have often told me that they hardly felt the needle at all – one elderly gentleman, who was chatting with one of the nurses working with me, insisted that I hadn’t given him his injection when I told him he was ready to go to the waiting area. Distraction is one of the best “pain relievers”!

Here are some tips I learned to decrease pain from injections. Ask the person giving you your flu shot if they use these techniques:

  • Let the alcohol dry before giving the needle

    • Wet alcohol stings

  • Apply slight pressure to the top or sides of the arm with the free hand

    • The brain registers pressure instead of the pain from the needle

  • Insert and remove the needle quickly

    • Like a paper cut you don’t notice until it bleeds, a quick needle is felt less. I routinely completed the injection part of a flu shot in about 2 seconds!

  • Use distraction

    • As with the elderly gentleman I described earlier, you will experience less pain if you focus on something else. Even taking a deep breath just before the needle helps you to focus on your breathing instead of the injection.

    • I used to use my iPad to distract children – it was so effective, especially when iPads were new… I set them up with a drawing program to try out while I prepared their flu shot. Etch-a-sketch was my favorite. Some parents had played with the original toy, and this would start a conversation. After the injection (when I wasn’t quite so popular with the child) I would offer to send their drawing to Mommy or Daddy’s computer. Most children would instantly forget the needle when they realized they could keep their drawing!

  • Rewards for children are discouraged

    • One parent mistakenly offered to buy a toy for their child if it hurt. So, of course the child screamed bloody murder after his shot and cried for 5 long minutes to make sure he got the toy!

    • However, planning an enjoyable activity afterward can help. “After we’re finished at the pharmacy (or doctor’s office) we’ll go to the park (or any place they enjoy)”. What the heck…I think grownups deserve a little fun, too, after doing a good deed for their community and family!

There has been some controversy over vaccines in recent years and it’s important to keep a healthy perspective. While there are always some who will react to any medication, the overall benefit of vaccines to the general population outweighs the potential harm from the illnesses they prevent. All practitioners who give vaccines are trained to ensure they are given safely and to refer those at risk of a reaction to the safest location to receive them, even if it’s a hospital for those at high risk. Getting a vaccine helps to protect those who can’t get immunized (or don’t respond to vaccines because of a medical condition or medication) by preventing the spread of the illness.

Here are two earlier blogs I wrote about flu shots and other vaccines, in case you missed them:

Flu season? Who Cares…

The Vaccine Debate

So, if you are able to take the flu shot, I hope you will do it. It only takes a half hour or so, including the waiting period afterward to make sure everything is fine!

Categories
Health Public Health

Flu season? Who cares…

You’re healthy. A little flu won’t hurt you. And you hate needles. Why bother with the flu shot? Well, it’s not just about you…

You see, when you get the flu, even just a mild case, you can pass it along to others, and they may not be as healthy as you are. That sweet little old lady in front of you in the grocery line or the young woman in the doctor’s office, that you didn’t know was taking chemo, could be exposed to the virus you just caught because you didn’t get your shot. And they could become very ill because their immune system isn’t as strong as yours. If you don’t get the flu, you can’t pass it on.

Protect the herd…

And, while we’re talking about virus infections, I should tell you about something called “herd immunity”. This term means that if most of the the population (or “herd”) in an area is vaccinated to protect them from a virus, then those who are more vulnerable and those who can’t (or won’t) get a vaccine will be better protected.

But a majority of the “herd” needs to get their flu shot for the effect to make a difference. If too few are protected, then enough people are vulnerable to let an epidemic spread. We’ve seen this lately with some of the childhood vaccines… Diseases like mumps and measles had become quite rare, but in recent years news articles have described local areas and sports teams where groups of people have become sick with these viruses. Untrue rumours on the internet have convinced many parents that there is a connection between the measles/mumps vaccine (MMR) and autism. In spite of having been proven incorrect, articles continue to circulate around the internet about this false connection.

Reactions are rare but…

Most people tolerate vaccines well – the slightly sore arm or mild fatigue that sometimes occurs is nothing compared to a full-force flu. And, in the elderly, the very young, and those with chronic disease or a weakened immune system, it can be life-threatening. People die from the flu every year.

A very few serious reactions to vaccines are reported, due to allergies or sensitivities, and this is why you need to stay for 15 minutes after your shot. If you should have one of those rare reactions, you will receive treatment for it right away. Doctors will recommend that people who have had a serious reaction do not take that vaccine again or that they receive it in a hospital setting. This is another case where herd immunity, ensuring that friends, co-workers and family are vaccinated, can be important.

So do your part to protect yourself and others — find a pharmacy or clinic that gives flu shots. Most pharmacies do now, and they’re free there for most people just as they are at your doctor’s office. Roll up your sleeve and take a deep breath… it’s done in seconds and hardly hurts at all.

And, to feel the injection less, here’s what to do:

  • Relax. It hurts a lot more if the muscle is tight.

  • Ask the person injecting to wait until the alcohol evaporates. It only takes a few extra seconds.

  • Don’t move. You want the needle to go straight in and straight out quickly.

  • Distract yourself. Even taking a deep breath can be enough distraction to take attention away from the injection.

  • Apply pressure right away. Your brain will register pressure instead of pain.

    • Often an injector will press lightly on your arm while giving the injection, for the same reason.

    • They will also make sure the injection is well into your muscle – it hurts less there and works better too.

    • The injector will use a cotton ball to apply pressure. You can take over so they can finish up their paperwork.

  • If the area is sore later, apply a cold compress (a refrigerated ice pack or ice cubes wrapped in a cloth). You can also take a dose of Ibuprofen or Acetaminophen (Tylenol) to reduce soreness at the site of the injection, a common side effect.

So, lots you can do to make your flu shot practically painless!