flu /pneumonia vaccine

[rsinger]

Just got my flu shot today. My PCP wanted to give me the pneumonia vaccine as well even though I am not yet 65. She said the new guidelines recommend the vaccine for anyone who is immunocompromised. Anyone have an opinion on this?

[fairpace]

The immunologist I saw last week also suggested this. He mentioned Prevnar. I'm not opposed to it provided it's covered by insurance and doesn't send me into a flare (it shouldn't, but you never know.) I'm going to try to remember to discuss with my neurologist next week.

I think this post should be placed in the general med section, as it's not Tecfidera specific.

[andi b]

I think it's a good idea...

At age 62, I had a cough that wouldn't go away. It hung on for a couple of weeks (and I probably should have gone in sooner, but thought it was "just a cough"). When I did go in to my PCP, turned out I had a lower lobe pneumonia. That took much longer to go away and until I felt back to normal.

So when I went a couple of months later for my general yearly checkup, my PCP suggested a pneumonia shot (even though I wasn't yet 65) because of a possible susceptibility to getting pneumonia. She said I might have to get a booster at age 65 (this year). I did the shot, and have no regrets about doing it. I certainly don't want to get sick again with pneumonia (esp since I work in a hospital).

Just my two cents...

[Mamabug]

I got my first pneumonia vaccine last year, when I was 52.

http://www.webmd.com/vaccines/pneumo...ccine-schedule recommends that adults ages 19 to 64 with certain medical conditions ( that cause weakening of the immune system should receive one or two doses given five years apart.

I get a flu vaccine every year, and I have since 1992, 10 years before I had MS.

I also chose to get the shingles vaccine last year. My insurance doesn't pay for it until I'm over 60, but, I actually had some unspent money remaining on my insurance flex plan through my spouse's health insurance, so I decided to spend it. My daughter had shingles a couple of years ago, and it sounds like it was horrible, so I wanted to avoid it.

[Curly Girl]

Shingles vaccine

Hi. I'm wondering what kind of shingles vaccine you received. I was under the impression that this vaccine contained the live virus, and so we MS patients are steered away from these types (similar to why we are instructed to get the flu shots and not the flu-mist nasal spray immunization). In either case, how did you react to the shingles vaccine? Thanks for sharing.

[Mamabug]

I simply asked my MS Specialist if I should get a shingles vaccine or if it was contraindicated for those with MS. They recommended it for me, if I had had chicken pox as a child, and didn't have any age restrictions. I don't know "what kind" of shingles vaccine I received. If there are different kinds, I didn't request anything specific and my MS Specialist didn't tell me about anything specific or bring up concerns regarding a live virus.

I had my PCP give me the vaccine. Their office also did not talk about concerns. I had no problem with it. It was fairly expensive, but I'd estimated too high on my Flexible Benefits Plan, so I had extra health care money that I'd paid in for the year that would have remained unused if I had not used it for the shingles vaccine.