'Flu vaccine- is it worth the effort?

I'm entitles to a 'flu vaccine on the NHS because I'm asthmatic...

I know that if I do get 'flu then it'll make me quite ill, but does the vaccine actually work?

I've had it for the last 5 years or so, and it seems to just make me ill. I know it can't give you 'flu, but it can make your body react in the same way it would do if you had 'flu... and that's pretty uncomfortable too!

i never get them and i'm fine. i can't even remember the last time i got sick. i feel like everyone i know who gets the flu shot always always always gets sick during the winter months. maybe its just their immune system but i still don't think it makes a difference.

the less i'm poked with a needle the better.

Katie- Go for it! The flu vaccine saves many thousands of lives each year. There are many different types, called "strains" of the flu virus. The vaccine is a combination of 3 strains with all 3 for this 2008-2009 flu season being new. No vaccine is guaranteed to work 100 percent, but if you do get the vaccine, any flu will be milder. Here in the USA, the flu season begins this month. This morning I got my new flu vaccine shot. There was no pain and now, 9 hours later I feel no injection pain or any discomfort. By getting the shot, I protect not only myself but those in my family from getting the virus from me.

If you're asthmatic, getting the flu shot is a good idea.
Some people do get a reaction to the shot, but nothing like the real flu. Sometimes if you take acetaminophen or aspirin, assuming you can take these things, they'll minimize even that complication.

The flu shot is usually quite effective in preventing the flu. Problems can arise if what is put in the flu shot is not the strains of flu germs that actually show up the flu season you're getting vaccinated for.
(Because it takes several months to manufacture the vaccine, the federal government's vaccine advisory committee bases its recommendations to the manufacturers on the strains of flu that are circulating in the late winter the season before. So this year's vaccine will protect against the stuff that was going around in the spring of 2008. ) Sometimes, a new strain shows up, however, and when that happens the vaccine might not be very effective. Otherwise they work, but nothing is 100% and flu shots protect only against influenza, not a kazillion other viruses that people sometimes call "the flu".

Another thing to know is that the immunity resulting from the flu shot starts to wear off in a few months, so unless there is actually influenza around, it's not a good idea to get a flu shot too early in the season. I personally think that late October-November is the best time, at least in my area. The flu shot takes about two weeks to give good protection after you get it.

Having had influenza several times, I can tell you it is truly miserable and I will definitely get a flu shot when I can to try to prevent it, or if I do get it anyway, it may helpen to lighten the illness somewhat.
For someone with asthma, it's important to protect yourself since the flu can sometimes be a life-threatening situation (for anyone, but especially for asthmatics, other people with respiratory problems or other chronic diseases such as heart conditions, diabetes, and the like).