Medical question
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Okay, I know OconRecon is an MD. I have a question. I had a flu shot on Wednesday morning at work. At the point of injection of the flu shot it is bright red and slightly swollen, also hot to the touch and hurts. Could this be an infection or something? I have had flu shots many times, but have never had this reaction before. The redness and swelling extend from the top of the arm all the way to the elbow. Thanks for any assistance.
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We're giving many flu shots at the office right now. Although infection is possible, it's more likely you're having a vigorous immune response, which will be uncomfortable, but gives you strong protection for the season.
Ice for 20 min on and 20 min off will help as well as 4 Advil every 8 hours with food, assuming you don't have stomach ulcers or allergies to medication.
The flu vaccine is a killed virus, so gone are the days where you get a mild case influenza after vaccination.
Watch for fever. If it occurs, you may want to get it looked at to make sure you don't have an injection site infection, but again, this is uncommon.
Let me know of any questions.
(Just so you know from where this advice is coming, I'm a family physician specializing in sports medicine http://www.mapleleafmed.com )
Addendum - I should put a disclaimer. If you are on many medications, have many medical problems, or have a long list of medication allergies, it would be best to contact your personal physician.
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Thimerosal reaction would be rarer yet, but it is worth mentioning as this has been in the press.
It is there in very minimal amounts, if at all, depending on the manufacturer.
It became famous when it was thought to be a cause of autism, but this has been disproven through studies, and by the lack of decline in autism rates when the childrens vaccines became thimerosal free. Despite these facts, it remains a hot-button topic for some.
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Only if you're allergic to eggs and word is they're going to eliminate that contraindication in the next year or two.
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it has been a few years back but my son went in for his vacine shots when he was 4 and he ended up spending a week in the hospital, afterwards his doctor was scard to death to give him anything at a full dose. and it wasn't because of an egg allergy.
but to this day he is missing 1 or 2 shots due to this, i would have to check with his mother which ones. but anyways he grew up healthy and went on to play for BW football.
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No doubt it happens with pediatric immunizations. My comments pertain to influenza vaccination, not DTaP, IPV, MMR, etc.
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Thanks for your reply Doc. Seems to be getting better.
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