So, did you get the H1N1 vaccine?

[aggie94]

The vaccine itself is free, but providers are allowed to charge an administration fee, which many insurance carriers are picking up (if you have insurance), or which has to be paid by the individual receiving the vaccine.

I received my shot a few weekends ago at one of about 40 clinics offered throughout the Phoenix metro area. The provider was charging a $20 administration fee, which had to be paid on the spot or billed to insurance.

[Dahlia]

We got the mist for DD, DS and myself. However, by the time DH got around to it, they ran out.

Terri, I COMPLETELY understand your dilema. My own DD is the same way. We took her to get the regular flu shot, and it was a pretty obscene ride home. I don't think I've ever heard the word "hate" so many times within a 15 timeframe in my life. DS on the other hand didn't even notice the shot, literally. He turned to grab a toy, the nurse administered the shot, and by the time he turned back around, it was over.

I thought that the mist would be better for her. It wasn't. She wouldn't let the nurse get near her. I told her that it was only a spray, but since the mist was administered from a syringe, she thought it was a needle. Screamed bloody murder during the spray, and complained that it "hurt" afterwards

So, again, I understand your pain

[Kristena]

Terri, I have a similar problem with my son and it's a big deal because he's 13 and taller than I am! He got the mist for the seasonal flu but had to get an injection for the H1N1 and I made sure I brought muscle with me: Grandma and Grandpa. I did spend the morning lying to him, telling him that he'd get the spray...(No mother-of-the-year award coming my way...) But, survive it, he did. Unlike his booster shots in August when he passed out in the dr. office.

All 3 of my spawn have had both shots as have I. My youngest is 7 and she's supposed to go back next week for the second shot and I hope they have some for her!

[swedish cook]

Originally Posted by aggie94

The vaccine itself is free, but providers are allowed to charge an administration fee, which many insurance carriers are picking up (if you have insurance), or which has to be paid by the individual receiving the vaccine.

I received my shot a few weekends ago at one of about 40 clinics offered throughout the Phoenix metro area. The provider was charging a $20 administration fee, which had to be paid on the spot or billed to insurance.

Sounds like the state of Arizona has its act together.

[ljt2r]

Originally Posted by swedish cook

Sounds like the state of Arizona has its act together.

Yes but that $20 fee will dissuade people who need it. They'll convince themselves it is not necessary. It was free here--being given out by county depts. of health. In Indiana and Ohio.

[aggie94]

I think it is being offered at no cost by public agencies, but at the time, those agencies were only immunizing children, so I couldn't go through a public agency to get the shot, and my OB's office received only a very small quantity of vaccine, which was gone in less than 24 hours. The clinics that were offered around the Valley were being offered by a private provider (Mollen Immunization Clinics), which is why they were charging the fee.

I'm sure people with limited financial resources had other avenues for obtaining the vaccine at no cost.

[linsleyd]

My husband and I are both supposed to get it since we have an infant under six months but we can't find it anywhere.

[Meganator]

I want to get the shot, but there isn't any available around here except for the higher-risk groups (and prisoners ) and uninsured/underinsured people. I'm considering getting the mist, which seems to be in abundant supply. I have 6 out-of-state/country plane trips between now and the end of January, and it worries me that I have such a high risk for exposure...

[Gilgamesh37]

I want to get the shot but it's only available to high risk groups here as well (pregnant women, children under 10 I think, health care workers with direct patient care, employees--I work in health care--under 25 with a chronic medical condition). The mist is available but I am really reluctant to get it--I know it's totally different than the Zicam nasal spray that can cause you to permanently lose your sense of smell, but....I don't know, I'm just uncomfortable with it. If I could get the shot I'd do it in a second, but I just haven't been able to bring myself to do the FluMist. (I'm not in a high risk group and not around any high risk people generally--and at least so far, my institution isn't requiring immunization for those not involved in direct patient care)

[Jessica]

Originally Posted by Terri_A

I'm not getting the vaccine - but the weeone needs it but we have a dilemma. She's asthmatic, so she's only allowed to get the shot which ticks me off. For the regular flu vaccine our pedi lets her get the mist if we remain at the office for 30 minutes following to insure there is no bronchospasm from it. If you'd ever been in the same building with the weeone when she got a shot or had blood drawn you'd understand. It's ridiculously traumatic - for both of us. She screams as if she's being gutted - has a crazy fear. And if she gets vaccinated she'll have to go through it twice since she's only 7. Ugh. I can't decide what to do.

Oy, my SIL just went through this with my nephew, who is 6. Took three nurses and my SIL to hold him down. Not fun for anyone.

[LaraW]

I am so glad that it isn't just my kid who takes 3 adults to hold down so she can get a shot. Yikes. The screaming when we got the regular flu shot was crazy, and she cried off and on in the car on the way to that clinic on Friday. When I said "Natalie it looks like you're in luck" she said "I don't have to get it!! YAY!"

[ljt2r]

Originally Posted by aggie94

I think it is being offered at no cost by public agencies, but at the time, those agencies were only immunizing children, so I couldn't go through a public agency to get the shot, and my OB's office received only a very small quantity of vaccine, which was gone in less than 24 hours. The clinics that were offered around the Valley were being offered by a private provider (Mollen Immunization Clinics), which is why they were charging the fee.

I'm sure people with limited financial resources had other avenues for obtaining the vaccine at no cost.

That makes more sense. I might be confusing posts but someone said that if they had insurance they were being turned away and that is absurd. Frankly I don't understand why the private clinics even have it yet. Don't get me wrong, I'd get it in a heartbeat, but why it would be available to me before all tier 1 people get it I don't know. But this has all been really disorganized, as has already been noted.

[BucknellAlum]

Originally Posted by linsleyd

My husband and I are both supposed to get it since we have an infant under six months but we can't find it anywhere.

It is very frustrating to me how random all this distribution is. (I know I sound like a broken record). I see on here that people in other states have access to the mist and even the shot, and yet when I go on the flu locator website for the entire state of Pennsylvania, it has NO locations with any vaccine available.

How is that? No public or private entities have any vaccine in the entire state?

I am just frustrated because my daughter is coming down with something and has already started her asthma coughing. I think it is just a cold (her brother had one last week) but it scares me a little to think of her getting H1N1. Thanks for letting me vent.

[aggie94]

Originally Posted by BucknellAlum

when I go on the flu locator website for the entire state of Pennsylvania, it has NO locations with any vaccine available.

How is that? No public or private entities have any vaccine in the entire state?

I had to get really aggressive in calling anyone and everyone to try to track down information on who had the vaccine, who was offering clinics, who could get it and where, etc. The supposed "centralized" information center was worthless. I started with my doc's office, then called the county health department, then WIC offices, state agencies, and ended up talking to a few local hospitals and other health care providers before tracking down information on the Mollen clinics (which apparently had partnered with various government agencies to offer the vaccines in clinics around the Valley).

My doc's office received a limited quantity and was expecting more, so I was calling *every day* to see if it had arrived. I would call your ped's office and your kids' school district every day to see if they have it or if they expect to get it.

[swedish cook]

Just to explain what I wrote about being at a disadvantage if you had insurance. Here is an article from TV channel 8. My heart goes out to those who are really in need like the pregnant lady mentioned in the article.
I am 64 years old and I am not concerned for myself right now even if my immune system is lousy. Managed to land the seasonal flue shot in our grocery store between a couple of severe colds.

http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dw...2a8958346.html

DALLAS - Nearly 20,000 swine flu vaccine doses are headed to North Texas and are expected to arrive in Dallas by the end of the week.
With one mass vaccination clinic already under their belt, the Dallas County Health Department is working on different plans for another.
But, those with insurance have started to ask why it's so hard to find the vaccine. A pregnant Juliana Crownover said she has been on a futile search for H1N1 vaccine.
"I had given up hope," she said. "I didn't think it was going to be a possibility, nobody seemed to have it."
Expectant mothers are at particularly high risk when it comes to swine flu. Yet, practices such as Texas Health Dallas, which serves high-risk, insured patients, don't have enough vaccine doses for their patients.
Dr. John Bertrand said turning away women trying to protect their unborn babies has been hard.
"And when they can't get it and they know others are getting it, then it doesn't seem right and they've been frustrated," he said.
It's a gap in accessibility that Zachary Thompson, the director for the Dallas County Health Department, acknowledges.
"The insured population who are in the CDC priority group, they're only penalized for having insurance," he said.
After countless complaints, the department is taking unprecedented action by working out a deal to share thousands of expected doses with area pharmacies.
"People need to be able to get the vaccine and it should not be based on whether you have insurance or not," Thompson said.
After abandoning hope of getting the vaccine, Crownover said she finally got an unexpected call Tuesday and rushed to her obstetrician to get the shot.
The next Dallas County mass vaccination clinic will be held November 21 at Antioch Baptist Church in Oak Cliff. Details are still being worked out.

[clairea]

So, in Texas, does the health department only serve people who do not have insurance?

Here, vaccines were only available through the county health departments (as far as I was able to find out) and not at any private providers, but anybody could go and get one there.

Like Eva, I had to be pretty proactive about finding the vaccine (especially the shots that DS and I required). I called our private physicians and the county health department every day until I found some available.

[ClaraB]

I got the H1N1 injectable vaccine yesterday - I got it at the hospital where I work. I have to say, it hurt like a bugger, both while it was administered and for about 5 min thereafter. I've received flu vaccine for the last several years, and this one hurt by far the worst.

I have 2 DSs, and they likely won't be getting the vaccine. They have both been sick this fall, possibly with H1N1, and I don't see that the vaccine will benefit them terribly much. H1N1 has been going through the schools like wildfire, so I don't put a lot of credence into the "herd immunity" argument (it's too late for that). If they do get sick again, they will get better - although many kids in ND have gotten sick from H1N1, none have died. And knowing how much they hate needles, it may be less difficult for everyone concerned if they just came down with the flu .

[VAcooker]

On a lark, I called DD1's pediatrician's office to double-check with the advice nurse that since DD1 has had the H1N1 flu already (positive test), that she will not need the H1N1 flu shot. I was fully expecting her to say that I was correct in my assumption. However, I was told that their recommendation is to give the H1N1 shot to those kids who have tested positive for or have been treated for the H1N1 flu. The nurse told me that just because DD1 had the swine flu does not mean her body has built up enough immunity to it--especially since DD1 took Tamiflu. According to her, taking Tamiflu can or does minimize one's body's building of H1N1 antibodies (you do not build up *full* immunity and may only have partial immunity). What I gathered from her is that you have the most protection from getting the swine flu again if you know for certain that you indeed had it and did not take Tamiflu for it. She was not saying that DD1 definitely would get it again, but she was saying that the pediatrician is recommending that in DD1's situation, that she get the H1N1 shot.

Also, the nurse said that although DD1 tested positive for the swine flu--the rapid flu test just shows a positive result for the "Type A" flu and does not necessarily 100 percent determine what *type* of flu she had. So she said unless further testing is done in a lab--one would not know with 100 percent accuracy what type of flu one had. Apparently, there are laboratory tests available that can tell the difference between 2009 H1N1 and other strains of flu, but these can take a few days to provide results.

Hmmm...not sure what I will do.

Has anyone else heard this from their pediatrician?

[Blissful_in_TX]

Originally Posted by VAcooker

Has anyone else heard this from their pediatrician?

Well the only thing I asked was if our kids got dose #1, should we come back for dose #2. But he said since there are virtually no vaccines anyway - or for now - that their focus would be on getting kids one dose b/c then at least they'd have *some* protection.

I'm the OP and am happy to report we've been able to get at least one of our kiddos a shot. We used whatever contacts we had to track some down....we even found out before our pediatrician knew he had gotten them! But those shots are only for 4 years and above. Has anyone seen the shots for younger than 4 year olds?

I've been so nervous about DD that I haven't even been taking her to her 3-day-a-week kids program. I know I can't do that forever, but right now I'm having a hard time convincing myself it's worth the risk given her propensity to breathing problems and bacterial infections.

[BucknellAlum]

Originally Posted by VAcooker

On a lark, I called DD1's pediatrician's office to double-check with the advice nurse that since DD1 has had the H1N1 flu already (positive test), that she will not need the H1N1 flu shot. I was fully expecting her to say that I was correct in my assumption. However, I was told that their recommendation is to give the H1N1 shot to those kids who have tested positive for or have been treated for the H1N1 flu. The nurse told me that just because DD1 had the swine flu does not mean her body has built up enough immunity to it--especially since DD1 took Tamiflu. According to her, taking Tamiflu can or does minimize one's body's building of H1N1 antibodies (you do not build up *full* immunity and may only have partial immunity). What I gathered from her is that you have the most protection from getting the swine flu again if you know for certain that you indeed had it and did not take Tamiflu for it. She was not saying that DD1 definitely would get it again, but she was saying that the pediatrician is recommending that in DD1's situation, that she get the H1N1 shot.

Also, the nurse said that although DD1 tested positive for the swine flu--the rapid flu test just shows a positive result for the "Type A" flu and does not necessarily 100 percent determine what *type* of flu she had. So she said unless further testing is done in a lab--one would not know with 100 percent accuracy what type of flu one had. Apparently, there are laboratory tests available that can tell the difference between 2009 H1N1 and other strains of flu, but these can take a few days to provide results.

Hmmm...not sure what I will do.

Has anyone else heard this from their pediatrician?

I have heard from several places that the test for swine flu has a low reliability rate. And in today's local paper there was an article stating that many people who think they may have had swine flu may have actually had a nasty rhinovirus. It is just not logistically possible to test all patients for all conditions.

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/home_...swine_flu.html

My ped's website is updated daily and they will not be getting any vaccine.

Per the PA state health website, there is still currently no H1N1 vaccine available in Pennsylvania. None, nada, zip, zilch.

[Beth]

My youngest had to go in for a physical so he could try out for basketball and he got the mist version while he was there. I overheard one of the doctors talking -- they had 7 doses for the shot to take to a clinic that evening and whatever they had of the mist. I don't know if my oldest will get it.

[MissFood]

I got the shot a few weeks ago through a county health clinic. They're only administering to people in the priority groups (I'm pregnant), and are doing it through appointments. I had to sit on the phone for an hour and a half to get an appt, but I'd rather sit on the phone for an hour and a half than in line outside for several hours!

[gertdog]

The seeming randomness of this all is just crazy. No one should have to be calling around every day to find vaccine, or wait in lines that are hours long. So incredibly frustrating.

DH's employer, a university, sent out an email on Tuesday saying they had the mist for any staff who wanted it. DH's whole office walked over to the clinic together and got the vaccine w/o waiting.

Our two DS's doctor's office, meanwhile, had yet to receive any of the vaccine they'd ordered as of Monday. But when we arrived for DS2's ear infection follow up appt. on Thursday, I asked and it turned out they'd just gotten some of the mist. So DS1 (age 4) got the mist even though it wasn't his appointment. Who knows if they'll still have any in a month when he's supposed to get the booster.

I got an email today from a friend saying her brother, a doctor, is giving free mist tomorrow from 8:30 to 11:30 at his practice. He ordered it to offer his own patients but so few have wanted it that he's offering it to the general public on a first-come, first-served basis. I'm going to try going since I have to be out that way anyway for another appointment.

If I get it tomorrow, that leaves DS2, who is 9 months old and can only have the shot. The county is offering multiple clinics this month, and letting people make appointments online. I have an appointment for DS2 on Tuesday but who knows if they'll actually have any shots.

Seasonal flu vaccine was the same way. DH got it at the university, easy-peasy. I called everywhere for myself, couldn't find it, and then literally stumbled into a clinic being held at Shop-Rite. No one was even waiting in line. So I got mine there. The boys got their seasonal flu shots at the dr's office, but they are now out of shots and I don't know if DS2 will be able to get the booster that he's supposed to receive.

What a mess.