Anybody have a cold or flu?

[Trainwreck20]

but I am glad I didn't since so many doctors are saying it is pretty worthless for the current strain that is going around.

There are almost always multiple flu strains in a given year, but there is usually one major one. The Drs. here that we have talked to said that the vaccine is the correct one for the current strain going around. Based on my FIL's experience, I would guess that the vaccine saved him some grief.

And being my first year in Texas, I am not even sure what Cedar Fever is or how to know if I am having it.

If you are going to get cedar fever (which is just an allergic reaction to cedar pollen), it usually does not happen for several years. It is quite possible to get it quicker, but that usually means you have been exposed to it sometime in the past.

They are also having trouble finding substitute teachers because so much of the faculty is down with it as well and about 90% of them got the shot.

If those numbers are accurate, then it is likely that many of the teachers would be out even longer than they are currently if they had not had the flu shot. OTOH, anecdotal evidence is often incorrect. From the CDC, the flu vaccine is 50-70% effective when matched 'correctly' for the year, but no benefit is gained if it is matched incorrectly:
CDC - Seasonal Influenza (Flu) - Flu Vaccine Effectiveness

[FueledByBlueBell]

No cough, just flu though mild-ish (as opposed to totally out of commission but pretty close) because I had the flu-shot. Also get to ride it out alone with a 2 year old because husband is traveling. Yeah me.

[CarnivalGal]

Originally Posted by Trainwreck20

Random bits of data:
The in-laws both got the flu; however, they had received the vaccine and it was very mild compared to a full-blown flu. According to the Dr., this is one of the most beneficial aspects of the vaccine - not that it stops the flu, but that it significantly mitigates the effects.

When younger (college-age and shortly thereafter), I got the flu shot every year and then felt 'cruddy' the next day or so, sometimes bad enough to not really be able to work/go to class. Some years later, I stopped getting the vaccine and was fine for many years. Back in 2004 (I think, give or take a year) I was working a contract job down in Texas City and was living by myself there during the week, and got the full-blown virulent flu. Fever, aches, nausea, diarrhea coughing, etc. I actually started to fear for my well being after about 36 hours of not being able to keep even water in me for more than 60 seconds or so (I am not kidding, either) and managed to find and get to a doctor. Codeine does not cure the flu, but that and some anti-diarrhea medications knocked me unconscious for about 12 hours, woke up and did it again for another 12, and then felt human again (although not well). I have since resumed taking the flu shot. It is nothing to mess with, and a day of feeling cruddy is a small price to pay. And, for whatever reason, my side-effect 'illness' from the shot seems to be greatly diminished.

I agree with all of this. Although testing positive, I really don't feel that badly - probably because I got the shot. A friend recently was bedridden for 2 weeks with the flu (no shot). He had to go to the hospital for IVs because he was so dehydrated and couldn't keep any thing (including water and his medications) down. This is a 40 year-old distance runner in great shape who probably eats the healthiest diet of anyone I know. And his wife's a doctor, and she couldn't convince him to get the shot. He had the cocky attitude that since he was really healthy, he just wouldn't get sick. Well, he did. He has vowed that he will be getting the flu shot every year for the rest of his life. And his wife had a big, "I told you so," for him.

[CarnivalGal]

Originally Posted by Austin97

how do you know it is a flu like cold instead of the flu?

Wife and I both had the flu after new years. Lasted 3 days. We know a lot of people who have had it this year.

If you're not sure, there is a test that can be done for the flu virus. It's a quick swab of the nose, kind of like a strep test.