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CANCER AND THE FLU JAB

SHAGGY
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This is just a general question to all suffering with cancer.Have any of you found that its difficult to get the flu jab?

I was diagnosed with stage 3 Malignant Melanoma back in 1995.Had half my neck removed,complete with lymph glands.Went to doctors the other day to see about flu jab as i now have a reduced immune system.As im also a firefighter,i was told to see the fire service doctor as they should do it...

Am i imagining that a lot of doctors cant be bothered to do the jabs?

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    Hi Shaggy,

    The fact is that many surgeries are running/have run out of vaccine (my godmother, who is 95, had to have hers at her daughter's surgery in Salisbury, because her local surgery (i.e. the same one with which I should be registered, but that's a whole other story).

    The one local to me won't vaccinate pre-schoolers now (my father was lucky to get his there, my mother had to travel further afield).

    This is only my hypothesis and conjecture, of course, but I'm wondering if that was their way of saying "we've run out"...?

    Have you been to see the GP at your station...?

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    hi,my daughter has cancer shes 10yrs old and she had the flu jab in between her chemos in nov 2010,as well as myself being her carer and my 14yr old son who also had flu jab.hope this helps

    jo

  • Offline in reply to Jo-10

    Hi Shaggy,

                  Sorry to  hear about your problems in getting a flu jab. I had an operation for rectal cancer in mid December and went to the local surgery last week to see about the flu jab as I was recovering from the operation now. I queried as to whether I should be having it so soon after major surgery but they said my immune system would be low so I should have it which they then did there and then. From what I hear there appear to be quite a lot of variations between surgeries. Good luck with getting it sorted out.

    Graham

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    Hi Shaggy,

    My wife has a reduced immune system too as she had a splenectomy. I think you need to drum this point home with your surgery and make sure they know you are high risk. Make a nuisance of yourself until you get it, that's what I did. Your surgery will I'm sure be holding back some priority stock, that'll be for people like you then me thinks!

    Good luck,

    John

  • Offline in reply to Jo-10

    Hi Jo.

    Hope your little girl gets better soon.I know ive had/got cancer,but i cant imagine what it would be like if one of my kids got it.Its people like you that keep people like us going.People always forget about the carers....so best wishes to you as well.

    Ian (shaggy)

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    Hi Shaggy,

    I was diagnosed with anal caner just before Christmas, and whilst in hospital for my biopsy, I received a phone call from my friend and work colleague to say that another colleague had died of flue. I was only working with him the week prior to this. Apparently he became ill with what he thought was just a bad cold, this turned into a chest infection (all within 3 days) and he died. This guy was fit and healthy with no medical problems.

    Upon discharge from hospital, I popped into my GP surgery with my discharge letter and asked if I could get a flu jab. I was told to come back at the end of Jamuary. I then explained that I had been diagnosed with cancer and might not be well enough to have it then. I also told her that a colleague at work had just died from the flu. Within minutes I was ushered to a consulting room and given a flu jab. I'm pleased that they gave me one, because if I had got sick it would have put back my pending treatment.

  • Offline in reply to Jo-10

    hi , i had a flu jab ,last year and this year but have developed a cancerous nodule in my thyroid

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