Potentially Exposed to the Flu --- Is It Too Late to Get the Flu Shot?

The CDC has already came out this year and has confirmed that this seasons flu shot is ineffective, as they chose the wrong strains.

I would start him on oscillococcinum ASAP. My son had the flu last year and was given a script for tamiflu. Started it immediately and he began to hallucinate on the third day. A good friend recommended oscillococcinum and it worked well. We were traveling at the time and in a hotel setting. I started my daughter and I on extra vitamin c and elderberry syrup and I also started my son on the syrup. Within 5 days of going to the doctor he was doing a lot better.

Blessings!
L.

It may be too late to prevent catching what your husband has. It is not too late to protect yourself for the rest of the season. Remember the shot protects you from several different strains of flu. You may already have enough immunity if you've had the same bug in the past and/or you've developed a strong immunity system. You'd have idea of the strength of your immunity system by looking at how often you get sick.

Yes, it's too late for this exposure. It takes weeks for a shot to be effective. Even if you had a shot two weeks ago, you wouldn't be fully protected.

Please drag him to the doctor. Parents who refuse to get themselves treated by doctors are not being responsible towards their own kids, frankly. He's an adult and should know that if he goes untreated, he is only increasing his kids' and spouse's risk of illness. Stubborn "I don't need a doctor" stuff is just wrong. And he may wrongly think there's nothing that a doctor can do -- that's not true.

He CAN be treated if he starts Tamiflu or Relenza, the two anti-virals now used for flu, but if he does not start today -- I really do mean today, Saturday -- he might already be past the window when they can help. And they can indeed help if he will stop being stubborn.

If you have kids, tell him you are taking him right now to the urgent care center for their sake, not his. Even if he doesn't "think" he has flu, he needs to go and you need to push the doctor about starting him on an antiviral ASAP. He will not magically feel perfect, so if he's the kind of person who stops taking medicine if he doesn't instantly feel great, you're going to have to stay on his case to keep taking it until the whole prescription is gone. But it can help. If you don't have an urgent care center (I'm betting you do, seeing where you live) do you have the CVS drugstore chain? Many of them have "Minute Clinics" where he can be seen. But it's getting late in the day....

Ask the doctor or RN at that time about the flu shot. I would think you'd be advised to wait until the risk of contracting flu from husband is past, so that you are not sick or brewing flu when you get the shot. But the minute the risk is past, get that shot for yourself and especially for your kids. Then have him get one too.

Flu is already hitting hard in our schools and offices around us, and while I know the vaccine this year missed one strain that is going around, I also know from personal experience that the shot still lessens the severity of flu if you get a strain that wasn't in your shot. I've had flu before the days of flu shots, and after, and believe me, the flu was not nearly as horrible when I'd had the shot, even though I did get another strain. It cut days off the duration, and reduced the bad body aches that I get with flu.

You may already be doing this, but I find it greatly helps to isolate anyone who's got anything contagious, flu or cold or stomach virus. That person stays in his or her bedroom and I'm happy to bring in meals, and there is a LOT of wiping down bathrooms, doorknobs, etc. with Clorox wipes all day long. Be sure to throw out his current toothbrush (it's already full of virus), get him a cheap one to use for a few days, soaking that one in Listerine between uses, and then throw out that new cheap one after a few days. Every time he shaves, brushes teeth, etc., he needs to wipe down the sink and spigot handles well with Clorox wipes. And so on. I hope he can be isolated to one bathroom - that REALLY helps if you have kids, so they (and you) can have a separate bathroom from the sick person.

I am not a Dr. but I would say yes, it is too late for the shot. You have to give the shot a couple of weeks to kick in to your system.

We personally don't do flu shots. We do eat healthy, drink LOTS of water and take vitamins and extra C. You might also try Zicam to attempt to keep it at bay. I drink at least 1 Yakult probiotic daily as well.

Of course, the main thing is washing hands a LOT.

It is sad that your hubby refuses to get a diagnosis. If he would simply get a diagnosis, maybe the entire family could avoid the flu. I guess if he starts feeling bad enough he'll go to the Dr. and by then there is nothing that can be done for his pain and the potential outbreak for your entire family. I don't understand why someone would knowingly expose the family. On another note, maybe he does not have the flu! I hope it is not the flu for your family's sake.

I hope you stay well!

I would just start downing chewable vitamin C's!!

If you start to feel ill, go to your dr immediately for tamiflu. If you don't start to feel sick in the next 2 weeks, get the shot to protect you for the test of the flu season.

It's not an antidote. He probably shouldn't bother.
They've already announced this years vaccine is not effective.
His doc might Rx Tamiflu over the phone.

A flu shot protects you from 4 different strains. In essence, it is not too late because he can still be protected against 3 other strains (or 4 if this is in fact a different strain than the 4 in the shot) this flu season.

First, it's not too late for any of you to get the flu shot. Flu season lasts into March, and you never know which flu strand could be right around the corner.

Second, the CDC did not say this year's shot is ineffective, they said it's less effective. This year the strands of the flu contained in the flu shot have not been very prevelant and other strands have been seen. Still, that does not make getting a flu shot a waste at all, as you never know what stands light start showing up or if one of the less common (but contained in this year's flu shot) strands might start infecting more people.

Call your doctor and ask. A phone call won't take too much time and will answer your specific questions.

Too late for the shot at this point, but may not be too late for Tamiflu. You should check with your doctor.

I'd call Walgreen's and ask.

I'd also tell hubby that if he does have the flu he can get meds that will make it much lighter. I'd play the "You're exposing me and kiddo's to this and we don't want it. Go to the doc and get swabbed!".

If it is the flu he's exposing you and every single person you are in contact with. If he has the flu everyone needs to stay at home.

My mother in law got a virus from my father in law. He got it at a local club meeting. That person hadn't come down with it yet. They were in the hospital the same time my father in law was in the hospital. The day my father in law came home my mother in law was taken by ambulance and put in the hospital.

She never regained enough strength to finish her chemo. She died a few months later. That virus my father in law picked up from someone that was exposed but not sick yet basically killed my mother in law.

You have to be proactive and protect others just in case. No parties, no Christmas with family, etc....unless he goes to get swabbed to prove it's not the flu you guys need to stay home until the expose risk is over.

They told us it takes two weeks to fully kick in. I would call the pharmacy and ask what they think.

get the flu shot, but for now, even if you do, you won't be protected, because it takes 2 weeks to develop immunity.i second tamiflu for him though not for your kids. my daughter took tamiflu last year and she had hallucinations and sleepwalked into the attic. scary.

I second Ziggy.

This year's flu shot does have an H3N2 mismatch, but that doesn't mean that the other 3 viruses contained therein are ineffective. I'd definitely go get it ASAP. The worst part of flu season is usually in Jan-Feb and July.

Just repeating others replies.

First, the flu shot takes 2 weeks to be effective. So it wouldn't help you with this round. But it could most definitely help through the rest of the flu season.

Second, one of the strains this year's flu shot was designed for has morphed a bit. So the flu shot isn't as effective for that strain. Regardless, it will still work against the other strains. And, bonus! Even if you are exposed to the morphed strain, the flu shot should help lessen the symptoms of the flu. That, to me, is a very big benefit.

So, get the flu shots. But also prepare to get the flu that your husband might currently have.