Flu shot

Hmmm, the last time I saw a male doctor was briefly after my accident, when the neurosurgeon walked in and said hi. He wore a white coat, but I wouldn't be able to pick him out of a line up. All the follow up visits were with his PA, who wore scrubs.

My PCP is female, so she never wears a tie!

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

For readers in the U.S.:

By law (the Affordable Care Act, a.k.a. Obamacare), your health insurance plan is supposed to cover preventative measures such as this, without any copay or other charge. This is one of Obamacare's 10 Essentials.

But don't walk into a random drugstore or supermarket offering flu shots for a price, then ask your health care provider or insurer for reimbursement. Instead, go through their system.

My HMO provides unscheduled walk-in service (to members, not the whole public) during normal flu shot season, October onwards, with relatively quick mass-production service. But even during lower demand times, just about any of the lab "Injection Rooms" should still be ready to provide them quickly.

 

Thanks for the reminder ... I washed the dishes.

There was a brief 'news' article about smartphone addiction with three silly question but then I realize that my primary uses are:

1. podcasts and music in the car - broadcast AM, FM, and satellite have become boring and 'a great waste land'. So I capture and carry what I want to listen to in the car.
2. podcasts, PriusChat, and news collections at a bar - wearing noise canceling ear buds, I tune out the usual bar-noise and enjoy a beverage. For quality time, hang out here.

My smartphone is a reality lifeline and filter.

Bob Wilson

 

My doctor always wear a conservative suit when I have consulted with him during office visits. He may be one of the last.

And, he's younger also, around late 30s. He is an east coast guy though (Harvard Med School), so maybe that has something to do with it. I know for years that one of our area's most prominent neurosurgeons drove around town in an OLD beat-up Datsun.

And what this has to do with flu shots.....

 

i read today that some congressmen want to pump a billion dollars into flu vaccine r&d. they built a pretty good case for the spending based on money's we have spent in the past on much less serious illnesses.

 

It seems the current administration would rather leave that to private business, such as Big Pharma, so they can profit from it. Leave room for the rich to get richer. So the CDC budget has been reduced.

 

Ties and stethoscopes have been germ collectors/distributors for as long as doctors have used them. Actually, so have hands. Medical people are supposed to wash their hands between patients, but studies have shown that on average they do it about 1/3 of the time. Obviously there hasn't been a big enough stink about it.

 

I've noticed doctors and techs being much better at this in recent years, putting on a show of washing or using the hand sanitizer dispensers in each exam room.​

 

my doc insists on shaking hands when he comes into the little room.why can't we get beyond this anachronism?

 

The time to really worry is when he comes in wearing a moon suit...

 

And some research shows that the scrubbing they do before surgery is good enough in preventing infections that the gloves aren't needed, maybe even better than.

 

my wife and i just picked up colds here in florida, first time in 14 years. thankfully not the flu.

 

This is encouraging: Single-dose flu drug approved for sale in Japan- Nikkei Asian Review

. . .
With only one dose, Xofluza inhibits an enzyme that flu viruses need to replicate themselves. Tamiflu, on the other hand, does not suppress virus replication.
. . . ​

Bob Wilson

 

I thought the flu vaccine was derived from inert, or dead virus strain and could NOT cause a flu infection in the recipient.

 

the 'standard' vaccine is, but there may be others. we have a super shot for over 65, not sure if it is live.

 

Being vaccinated isn't a guarantee for immunity, and the immune system does take some time to reach full strength protection after getting the shot.

 

I’ve long suspected that the best time to get the shot is when the first up tic is reported. Three weeks later, maximum protection. But doing it in October has worked.

Bob Wilson