Re: RA and Flu Shots (For what its worth...)

September 6, 2008

I agree that the RA was probably waiting for some kind of major " upheaval " in

the body to set it off, but I wonder if having the flu would have been

sufficient enough to set it off. My concern is that these immunizations are so

STRONG, ie., capable of causing such a major " immune response " as to cause the

onset of RA. (I think of the possibility of the link of childhood vaccinations

and autism. (I realize that this is debatable.) Yes, it would be dreadful for an

infant to come down with the disease that it is being vaccinated against, but I

wonder if the results are worth the risks - autism is now occuring in epidemic

proportions.) I agree that some populations MUST take the risk and receive the

vaccinations, for example the elderly and those with an already compromised

immune system (ie: those who ALREADY have RA), but I wonder if it is necessary

or even a " good idea " to put so many people at risk by using a vaccination that

might cause " more harm than good " by pushing an individual " over their immunity

edge " at a point in their life where their body may not be able to handle it.

There have been times in my life where my health was not where it should be due

to excessive stress, poor nutrition, etc. brought on by " temporary " problems

that were eventually worked out over time. The past year was one of those years

for me. Every problem that could have hit, seemed to have hit all at once. One

of the problems was that I was afraid of losing my job at the bank - vast

lay-offs brought on by the mortgage crises. I was afraid of missing work due to

illness, so I took the vaccination " against my better judgement " . (I ended up

losing my job anyhow because my health began to deteriorate too quickly for me

to keep up with it. I did not realize at the time that it was RA, nor did my

doctor.) My immune system had to have been at an all time low this year because

of the great number of MAJOR crises going on in my life all at once (many of

which have calmed down since then). Maybe I would have gotten the RA anyhow. I

probably would have. But who can say for sure? I truly feel that the people

handing out these immunizations should give us more information before they give

us the jab. I know for myself, that in the future I will advise family members

AGAINST unnecessary immunizations if their immune systems may be at a low point

due to excessive stress or other temporary life circumstances. At this point,

there is no cure for RA, but most people can make it through the flu eventually.

Just my two cents.

[ ] RA and Flu Shots

Hi everyone,

Been spending all my non-babysitting time researching RA. I came across a post

on another news group that grabbed my attention and made me think. It seems a

couple people are linking their RA with flu shots received. When I thought about

my own case, this was also true for me. The bank I was working for last year was

giving out free flu shots, all you had to do was sign a waver to get one. That

was the first time I had ever had one. I don't like taking unneccessary

immunizations, I don't trust them. But my sister who was working with me at the

time talked me into it. Sure enough, just a few short weeks later is when I

started having horrible wrist pains and such bad pain in my feet that I couldn't

even let them touch the ground when I sat down for my breaks. The pain got so

bad that I thought I had broken my foot and ankle somehow without knowing it.

Now I'm developing full blown RA. Can anyone else here remember getting a flu

shot before developing the RA? Just curious. I'm going to tell the rest of my

family not to take the shots anymore, just in case.

September 6, 2008

My husband strongly believes there is a link between the vaccinations and

autism. It's like all these drugs that have side effects listing serious

complications (blindness, heart attacks, even sudden death) but we take it

anyway hoping the risk is worth it.