german flu vaccine

I am 75 years old. Have a pacemaker since June this year.I have a healthy heart.(for my age) T.cholesterol 131-hdl 56,ldl 65, tryg.57 . Went through anual heart check-up in October and passed EKG and Ergometry ect. .. every thing OK! My house doctor says I should take the vaccine, my pacemaker doctor says she has not taken it and will not vaccine her self!! What a mess!! this has been going on in germany for the past 2 months.. some specialist say we should and some say we should not..! I have read a lot,, and NOTHING is clear..Can any body help me decide what to do?? Boldie, Frankfurt aM.

5 Comments

german flu

by riodog - 2009-11-26 05:11:32

I'm 72, have a Medtronic CRT-D since 3/09. I've got some problems it hasn't solved yet but we're working on them. Since everything was an emergency I never got the chance to get used to the idea of a PM, and I'm still making peace with it.

My Cardiologist had just received his flu shots 10 min. before our app't and as soon as I walked in he said,"You need to get the shots, both of them." Unfortunately, like Mrag, I couldn't find any Dr. that had them. This week I took a chance and called our GP Dr. again and WOW" I have an app't on Monday to get one in each arm. I do hope the double dose won't affect me too much. I usually have just a slightly sore arm for a day. Has anyone else gone for the double-dipper shots and what was their result?

gretchen

Double dipper shots

by lenora - 2009-11-26 10:11:22

Yes, I got both the flu shot and the H1N1 at the same time and didn't have any bad effects, not even a temp or sore arm. Because I'm a health care provider and have a chronic heart condition I fall into the high risk categories. I got the flu in 1999 (the day after Thanksgiving actually) and the virus damaged my heart muscle so badly that I was at one time on the transplant list. Can't take any
chances----the flu might finish me off this time!

Who Should Get It

by mrag - 2009-11-26 12:11:53

I'm in the US and still frankly puzzled why there is any question on getting or not getting this H1N1 vaccination. It would seem it should be a lot simpler answer than something like "global warming."

In any event, our incompetents over here have helped my decision-I can't get the shot because no one has the vaccine!

Our US CDC (Center for Disease Control) has said "Current studies indicate that the risk for infection among persons age 65 or older is less than the risk for younger age groups. However, once vaccine demand among younger age groups has been met, programs and providers should offer vaccination to people 65 or older."

Didn't get it

by golden_snitch - 2009-11-26 12:11:57

Hi Boldie,

Right now I'm thinking that I'm not going to get that vaccine. I know some people (family & friends) who've had H1N1, and for them it hasn't been worse than a "normal" influenza. I also know some who got the vaccine, and ended up with a fever and not feeling well at all. The thing is that in the U.S. there is no "Wirkstoffverstaerker" (agent booster) in the vaccine, and at least for me that would make it easier to go for the it. My GP's office (there are about six doctors) is not giving out the H1N1 shots as they are all not convinved of the need for them, and my cardio also said that he won't get one.

If you are otherwise healthy, I wouldn't worry too much. I get the influenza shot every year, but only since I underwent open-heart surgery, not just because of having a pacer. A friend of mine who has a CRT device and heart failure got the H1N1 shot: she felt very poorly for days, even spiked a fever, and afterwards she said that she regrets her decision to get the shot. Another friend has AF, and it tends to start when he has a fever: he got the shot, spiked a fever, and ended up in the ER needing another cardioversion.

I think it's a totally different discussion here in Germany, and it's mostly because of this "Wirkstoffverstaerker". So I'm not sure whether one can discuss this here, as we are not talking about the same vaccine. I wonder how U.S. citizens would react if their vaccine had that booster, too.

Best wishes
Inga

Decisions, Decisions

by ElectricFrank - 2009-11-27 01:11:03

Look at it this way. If you don't get the flu shot and then get very ill, you will regret your decision. If you take the shot and have an adverse outcome, you will regret that decision. When it comes down to our own personal decisions and experiences hard cold statistics don't mean much.

I'm 79 and have heard that people our age seem to have more immunity to the H1N1 than the young. I haven't decided myself and with the shortage of the vaccine the decision may be made for me. In that case I can blame someone else for the outcome. G(:

frank

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