Yep - my husband, daughter and moi had our shots a couple of weeks ago - free because we all have asthma.
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So I know the northern hemisphere tries to get an idea of what flu virus to prep for by watching Australia, does Australia prep by watching the northern hemisphere?
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Yes. My understanding is that new strains usually develop in the northern hemisphere due to the huge population difference.
Australia’s early flu rates are way down on last year too due to social distancing. Along with anticipated high rates of vaccination this year, it will interesting to see how the season goes.
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I vote extra special badge for COVID vax, when available.
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Flu shots done. I even got a bonus whooping cough booster! 
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I wasn’t around OMD then to celebrate, but I do get a flu shot every year in fall. It’s something I’m very proud of. I do warn the healthcare provider that if they show me or tell me what they’re doing, I will probably run out of the room, because it exacerbates my freak out over the whole process. So please just get it over with and respect that I don’t want to look at it. I’ve had to be this explicit because even with expressing my fear of shots, one year the nurse showed me the amount in the syringe (their “new protocol”, WTF, is shorting someone on a flu vaccine a thing?!) and I nearly lost it. So I’m glad this is a space to celebrate, cuz, um, people in my life don’t understand the pride of a 40ish person getting a shot!
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This is great! You’re scared but you do it anyway and you ask for what you need, and you help protect yourself and the people around you. You rock!
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I also have to request that the syringes be covered because of needlephobia and I would also have nearly lost it if this happened.
Luckily, no one has ever given me shit for it.
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I’m a nurse and I have to look away when I get a shot or have my blood drawn. Zero judgement. Hell, we even have my husband go into the lab when my daughters blood is drawn instead of me! It’s incredibly common, and just like… deeply visceral somehow. Whatever you do to get through, I guarantee you they’ve seen worse. (Like that time I passed out cold on the floor watching a blood draw as a CNA. Whoops) so yeah. Don’t judge yourself and know you’re not alone! 
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I’m a weirdo who isn’t remotely afraid, but I know I pass out from needle sticks. So I warn them, and then they start reassuring me… That won’t help you guys. It’s a physical reaction. 
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Yeah. Well documented, too, from what I understand, or at least not hugely unusual. I want to bolt, but have never passed out because I simply don’t respond that way.
I feel run down today, so flu shot will be booked for early next week.
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I give myself a shot every week now for 6 years and I still look away when I get draw or a vaccine! (And I used to pass out not from fear but just from something to do with my blood sugar or something? Which is inconvenient when I needed draws every few weeks)
The Shot I give myself is pretty painful on the scale of shots, so I contemplate how good it is for me and how grateful I am to have it while it happens (it takes up to a full minute) but I still have to psych myself up a bit to do it 
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I HAVE to look when getting shots or blood drawn. Something about not being in control of my body or medical treatments? Who knows, might be a topic to discuss in therapy next week.
@anomalily, do you ice the area before the shot and let the syringe come to room temp before injecting? I’ve found that lessens the sting for me. Also spreading out my dose. I don’t know what yours is, but it was way worse doing 50mg 1x a week, than 25mg 2x a week. Feel free to ignore possibly unwanted advice, but I learned about the room temp thing not from a doctor and it really helped me.
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Enbrel stuff
@Marcela nah it’s too much work to ice the area (I had never heard of that actually!), I do the room temp thing (partially because I travel with it, so it is at room temp for 2 weeks sometimes) but I found if it is cold it moves much faster - so more pain but less time for cold vs longer injection for slightly less pain. I also tend to get bigger wounds with room temp, I don’t even need a tissue on the injection site with the cold ones. (No bandaids needed ever for me luckily.)
I’m mostly over it. It’s such a minor pain of life for how much pain it relieves, it’s mostly annoying when the autoinjector sucks.
I’ve never heard of the 25mg one. Does that come with autoinjectors?
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More Enbrel Stuff
The 25mg does not come with the autoinjectors. It’s just a syringe that you push yourself. It’s old school (although not as much as when I first went on Enbrel and I had to mix the solution myself each time). I find that my body handles it much better at the lower dosage, possibly due to low body fat? I also never get wounds or really any bleeding more than a tiny droplet with it. Maybe the needle is smaller. Might be worth a look next time you see your rheumie.
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I am the same, I feel better watching them put it in when I donate blood/plasma
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more more enbrel
That is super interesting! I didn’t actually know there was a syringe option where you don’t have to mix it yourself since I switched to the autoinjector when that was still true. Do you have to fill the syringe? I’m not eager to do it twice a week because that increases the amount I need to bring it with me when I travel (if a trip is <7 days I can just not bring it, which is ideal) but the fact that it’s not an autoinjector might lower the cost significantly. No changes to the storage temperature, I’m assuming? Can you have it out of refrigeration for 14 days like you can the autoinjectors. @Marcela
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Nurse at my GP just called to say that she’s trying to squeeze under the “high risk” line anyone she can who wants their flu vax. Ponder is too healthy by my thyroid stuff counts as a “metabolic disorders”, so Duckling and I are getting jabbed on Thursday. Then we’re eating cake all day.
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Thursday became Friday. Either way, done.
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Got my flu shot today 
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