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I've read of many stories from recent years, where large groups of people where given flu vaccines, by uncertified providers, who actually injected them all with saline solution and pocketed the money and disappeared. Often senior centers and nursing homes were places that were scammed like this.
I had a somewhat different experience this season. I think that a nurse at a medical clinic, carried-out a pantomime of giving me a flu shot. I have good side-vision, so I could see everything she did, without her realizing it. Instead of the usual stab of the needle, to drive it in, she pushed it lightly against my shoulder, then quickly drew it away. I did not see her thumb, pushing-in the plunger.
Also, for every other flu shot I've gotten for 25 years, a sore and slightly swollen spot developed, that lasted for several days. There was none of that, this year. On the bandage she put on my shoulder, there was no small, stained spot, when I took it off.
Now, 2.5 months later, I'm just getting over a 5-day case of the flu, with the worst and deepest cough I've ever had. In all these years of annually getting the vaccine, I haven't caught the flu, even once. I don't know where to begin, to investigate this. The doctor I have to see twice a year, to keep my coverage active, had nothing to do with the shot, other than to direct the nurse to give it. He may not be at all involved, if there is some deliberate deception involved with this. Has anyone else had a similar experience?
I've read of many stories from recent years, where large groups of people where given flu vaccines, by uncertified providers, who actually injected them all with saline solution and pocketed the money and disappeared. Often senior centers and nursing homes were places that were scammed like this.
I had a somewhat different experience this season. I think that a nurse at a medical clinic, carried-out a pantomime of giving me a flu shot. I have good side-vision, so I could see everything she did, without her realizing it. Instead of the usual stab of the needle, to drive it in, she pushed it lightly against my shoulder, then quickly drew it away. I did not see her thumb, pushing-in the plunger.
Also, for every other flu shot I've gotten for 25 years, a sore and slightly swollen spot developed, that lasted for several days. There was none of that, this year. On the bandage she put on my shoulder, there was no small, stained spot, when I took it off.
Now, 2.5 months later, I'm just getting over a 5-day case of the flu, with the worst and deepest cough I've ever had. In all these years of annually getting the vaccine, I haven't caught the flu, even once. I don't know where to begin, to investigate this. The doctor I have to see twice a year, to keep my coverage active, had nothing to do with the shot, other than to direct the nurse to give it. He may not be at all involved, if there is some deliberate deception involved with this. Has anyone else had a similar experience?
The cases of doctors giving saline instead of flu vaccine are isolated and rare cases. Very uncommon. What motive do you believe the nurse at the clinic would have has for faking giving you a flu vaccine? She wouldn't benefit monetarily and she would risk losing her career forever. Your doctor would be the only one to benefit monetarily. Do you think he is the kind of person who would risk everything for a scam like this?
You can still get the flu after getting a flu vaccine. They are far from 100% effective.
It's much more likely that the vaccine covered the most likely strains of flu to be active this season, and you picked up a strain that wasn't included in the shot.
I've read of many stories from recent years, where large groups of people where given flu vaccines, by uncertified providers, who actually injected them all with saline solution and pocketed the money and disappeared. Often senior centers and nursing homes were places that were scammed like this.
I had a somewhat different experience this season. I think that a nurse at a medical clinic, carried-out a pantomime of giving me a flu shot. I have good side-vision, so I could see everything she did, without her realizing it. Instead of the usual stab of the needle, to drive it in, she pushed it lightly against my shoulder, then quickly drew it away. I did not see her thumb, pushing-in the plunger.
Also, for every other flu shot I've gotten for 25 years, a sore and slightly swollen spot developed, that lasted for several days. There was none of that, this year. On the bandage she put on my shoulder, there was no small, stained spot, when I took it off.
Now, 2.5 months later, I'm just getting over a 5-day case of the flu, with the worst and deepest cough I've ever had. In all these years of annually getting the vaccine, I haven't caught the flu, even once. I don't know where to begin, to investigate this. The doctor I have to see twice a year, to keep my coverage active, had nothing to do with the shot, other than to direct the nurse to give it. He may not be at all involved, if there is some deliberate deception involved with this. Has anyone else had a similar experience?
Quote:
Originally Posted by MissTerri
The cases of doctors giving saline instead of flu vaccine are isolated and rare cases. Very uncommon. What motive do you believe the nurse at the clinic would have has for faking giving you a flu vaccine? She wouldn't benefit monetarily and she would risk losing her career forever. Your doctor would be the only one to benefit monetarily. Do you think he is the kind of person who would risk everything for a scam like this?
You can still get the flu after getting a flu vaccine. They are far from 100% effective.
All the other indicators I mentioned, that I didn't get injected with a flu vaccine, are what led me to this conclusion. I'll summarize them: No needle jab and no perceived penetration of the skin. No motion of the thumb on the plunger. No oozing onto the bandage pad. No sore spot or slight swelling at the site. And of course, that I had a full case of the flu.
If this was a deliberate denial of a vaccine to me and the doctor was involved, that would be very alarming. How could I trust a doctor with anything, after that? I didn't mention this before, but there's the possibility of something much more sinister. Suppose there was a master plan to deny the vaccine to those who are chronologically beyond a certain age, in the hopes that some would catch the flu and some would die from it? I did get this supposed shot after the election, but it was before the Inauguration. Or maybe, the clinic had run out of the vaccines and didn't want to admit it. But you'd think that they would have loaded a syringe with saline solution, instead of the so-obvious, non-penetrating pantomime shot.
Next year, i will be even more selective about where I get my vaccination and extra-observant of every move made, when it is administered. This never happened to me before, as I've always seen and felt the needle go in and watched the dose being squeezed from the syringe. And there's always been a sore spot develop and there was a spot on the bandage pad. And I did not catch the flu in over 25 years of getting the vaccine annually. For the past two years, I received the high-dose version and it made me ill for several days, with a sore throat and cough and generally poor feeling. But at least, I knew I had actually gotten a genuine vaccine. I will be hoping to have those post-vaccination effects next year.
As I mentioned before, there have been several instances where thousands of people were given fake shots, containing saline solution. In some of those cases, the syringes were loaded with the solution, the night before, so no one would notice that nothing was being taken from an individual dose packet or a ten-dose bottle. The high-dose shots I got in previous years, came from individual packets, so there was no mercury added as a preservative.
I believe there was a report out recently that discussed this years vaccine process. Apparently the first vaccines did not last as long due to mutations. As new batches were produced the vaccine had a longer useful covered period. I thought it impacted mostly older adults. I read that some individuals vaccinated early in the season have been asked to return for a followup vaccine.
Just as an FYI, the use of needless injectors are becoming more common especially with over a dozen being FDA approved for use.
I believe there was a report out recently that discussed this years vaccine process. Apparently the first vaccines did not last as long due to mutations. As new batches were produced the vaccine had a longer useful covered period. I thought it impacted mostly older adults. I read that some individuals vaccinated early in the season have been asked to return for a followup vaccine.
Just as an FYI, the use of needless injectors are becoming more common especially with over a dozen being FDA approved for use.
There have been vaccine injectors, that use a high-pressure jet, that can penetrate the skin, without a needle. But for the shot I may or may not have gotten this year, it was a standard syringe, with a needle. Below is a link to some stories about large-scale flu-shot fraud.
OP, I'm sure it was alarming to realize that the nurse faked the shot. The time to address it was probably right then, either with her directly or the doctor, but I know when something unexpected happens like that it's difficult to immediately know the best thing to do. So sorry you actually got the flu.
I don't think it's some grand conspiracy, but it might be a couple of other things. Maybe it was just the nurse not doing her job and maybe she's been fired since you were there. Or, maybe it was the nurse and the office manager in some sort of embezzling scheme. I only mention this because my friend is a doctor and his office manager had a very elaborate scam going on, embezzling thousands of dollars out of their practice before they caught her.
Can you actually prove anything now? Is there a test to see whether you actually have that flu vaccine in your system?
Now, 2.5 months later, I'm just getting over a 5-day case of the flu, with the worst and deepest cough I've ever had.
Have you actually been tested for influenza virus and tested positive? There are many different viruses that can cause the symptoms you describe, and the major symptoms of influenza are not generally respiratory. And of course influenza vaccine won't protect you from Coxsackievirus, or RSV, or parainfluenza virus, or rhinovirus, or pertussis...
I have no idea why a nurse would fake a flu shot but if you believe that she did then it's definitely time to find a new doctor.
Right? But, stranger things have happened. She could have mental issues, be mad at the doctor, selling the flu shots, maybe they didn't buy enough flu shots and didn't want to tell the doctor, maybe she was a temp and didn't like giving shots. Or maybe she was super skilled and gave him the shot so superbly and quickly that he blinked and missed it.
I would also probably try to find a new doctor if I didn't have a trusted, long term relationship with that one. If I liked him/her, I would talk to them first.
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