Anyone had pneumonia jab?

[Teresa]

Anyone had the pneumonia jab?

went for my flu vac this AM and i was told i needed to have the pneumonia one too cos im asthmatic and diabetic.... anyone know if this one is gonna make me sick?? doc was very vague when i asked him.. said my arm would hurt and it would make me as sick as the flu jab does... what does that mean!??

anyways, just thought id ask.

- Teresa

[KLD]

Teresa: My husband had it with no ill effects except a slightly sore arm for a day or two. He had had pneumonia three times in two years, so the doctor recommended it. Our only problem was that one doctor told us it was good for life, and another one told us it should be redone every few years. He had another one after five years and had no side effects that time either. He never had pneumonia again, although of course there's no way of knowing whether he would have without the shot or not.

Karen

[TvBabe]

I had it a few years ago (before diabetes) but I do have other chronic medical conditions. All I got was a sore arm out of the deal. Hope this helped :)

[nantomsuethom]

My 78 year old neighbor (like a mom to me) had both in the same arm!. She didn't get sick but her arm looked pretty bad for about 2 days.

[Belinda]

I have had it twice and it has shown not effects but a little sore arm. The pneumonia jab is good for 5 years, so lucky for me I am good for another 4!!!!!! It is wise to get it as well as the flu one

[mg_2204]

... For sore arms : When my children had diff jabs when they were babies and toddlers, the nurse would recommend putting some ice cubes in a wet face cloth and apply this to the sore area. It worked well. Perhaps you could do this to avoid too much pain to your arm? I must admit, I've never done it myself, after a flu jab. Too lazy when it comes to me! ;)

Marie
:)

[HeatherP]

I got one last year. I recall it made my arm pretty sore for a few days. They asked me if I was right or left handed, and since I'm a rightie, they gave it to me on the left, and the flu shot on the right. I didn't feel ill at all from either, so I wouldn't worry about it. Got a flu shot again a week ago and no ill effects.


HeatherP

[Shalyndria]

Originally posted by Teresa
Anyone had the pneumonia jab?

went for my flu vac this AM and i was told i needed to have the pneumonia one too cos im asthmatic and diabetic.... anyone know if this one is gonna make me sick?? doc was very vague when i asked him.. said my arm would hurt and it would make me as sick as the flu jab does... what does that mean!??

anyways, just thought id ask.

- Teresa
Teresa, the effects of the pneumovax are similar to those of the flu vaccine; redness and/or pain at the shot site and a low-grade fever as well as minor joint pain are most common but unlikely to occur in the majority of ppl.
Although you prob won't experience any severe side effects from the vaccine, you should know to contact your doctor if you have a severe allergic reaction (hives, difficulty breathing, shock).

FYI, the pneumovax is a one-shot deal for most ppl. Some ppl, however, require a second dosage under the following circumstances:
- spleen damage or no spleen
- kidney failure
- sickle-cell disease
- cancer, lymphoma, lukemia, multiple myeloma
- organ or bone marrow transplant
- anyone over the age of 65 who has not received the vaccine within the last 5 years
- anyone taking meds that lower immunity (chemo or steroids)

Shy

[nickh]

I had one a couple of weeks ago. I had a low-grade fever for 2 days and soreness in my arm. The soreness was pretty strong. It felt as though someone punched me in the arm, let it get bruised up, then punched me even harder. After the soreness dissipated (3 days later) a large red spot appeared for a day lower in my arm.

The literature I received with the shot said that about half of the shot recipients got one of these three side effects. Lucky me, I got all three.

Still, it wasn't that bad.

[koblenz]

Hi Teresa,

Had my Pnumovax shot yesterday. No problems, feel fine. As mentioned by others, all I have is a slightly sore upper arm, but it is not bad.

When I got the shot, my doctor told me I would need to get another one in about 6 years. She also said that it does not protect from all "forms" of Pnumonia, but it does protect from the most common types; the types that people usually get after having the flu..... at least that is what she said when I asked.

Hope this helps!

[gettingby]

Had mine 2 years ago. Sore arm here but nothing else.
Cin:)

[Teresa]

so far ive got two very sore arms and joint ache! my doc told me i will need it again in 10yrs and the flu one each year as always.

[buzzborne]

Originally posted by Teresa
my doc told me i will need it again in 10yrs and the flu one each year as always.

I thought with the pnumovax jab.. you only had to get it once and that was it...? or is better to get like another later as a booster?

[Teresa]

i dunno.. thats what he told me.... didnt even know i was having it till he said i had to have both!! i asked what both actually meant!!LOL

[KLD]

Originally posted by Shalyndria
FYI, the pneumovax is a one-shot deal for most ppl. Some ppl, however, require a second dosage under the following circumstances:
- spleen damage or no spleen
- kidney failure
- sickle-cell disease
- cancer, lymphoma, lukemia, multiple myeloma
- organ or bone marrow transplant
- anyone over the age of 65 who has not received the vaccine within the last 5 years
- anyone taking meds that lower immunity (chemo or steroids)
Shy Shy answers that question above. It answered my question about why my husband was given conflicting advice, as he was over 65 when he had his first shop, and then had another five years later.

Karen

[Harold]

Had it last year with the flu shot. Said I would not need another one for five years. Don't remember it hurting more than the flu shot so it must not have been bad.

[Teresa]

ok did anyones arm swell up with the pneumonia jab?? looks like i have a red tennis ball growing out my arm!!!

flu arm's all fine now tho

[lazydaizy]

I got a pnuemonia shot a week ago and developed chills & sweats-felt like someone beat me with an ugly stick! ;) But my PCP asked me why I thought I needed one-I don't know if she was playing head games with me or not. Knowing my history of having pnuemonia and having pnuemonia in June & July of this year-yeah the shot was a must for me. Btw, I was not able to get the flu shot. I feel somewhat proctected.