Flu Shot and SFN Flares?
 

Hi all.
I recently had the flu and as soon as my temperature subsided it was replaced by a heck of a flare of my SFN. It broke right through my pain meds and has lasted for about 10 days. It started low and continued to build until it peaked about 5 days later. Then it began going back the other way. I still have remnants that the pain meds are not controlling.

I never got flu shots because besides reading the pro's and con's I had taught and my constant exposure to germs had given me an amazing immune system. I guess that's in the past as I retired 3 years ago. My doctor wants me to get the flu shot. My main concern is could getting the shot cause a SFN flare up?

My other and more upsetting question is does this mean whenever I get sick I will probably have a SFN flare or is the flu a different type of illness then say a sore throat?

Thank you.
carol

Hi pinkynose!

To me it seems reasonable with the connection between the flu shot and your SFN flare.
I seem to be getting an increase in pain/tingling/numbness everytime I get a cold/fever. I've got a similar behaviour with an increase on the onset of the cold which peaks and then subsides over a couple of days after the cold/fever is gone. The connection for me is quite clear and I do my best to boost my immunsystem as to avoid this.

Is there anyone else who has noticed a similar connection?

Thanks for responding and welcome. I hope someone out there responds. I'm sure many people on NT receive flu shots and I would have thought more people would have responded. Usually there is more participation. Perhaps it's a dry spell. I have been guilty of not checking in for periods of time so perhaps that's what's going on with others.

Hey pinkynose
 

There are a number of us, though--
 

--who have either suspected or documented neuropathy resulting from autoimmune issues, who are reluctant to get immunizations unless they are absolutely necessary (and as far as the flu vaccine goes, that may not be, at least not always).

I am one of them--I have had other booster vaccines over the years without incident, and I am far from anti-vaccine. But given the autoimmune molecular mimicry presumption of my full body acute neuropathy attack back in 2003, from which I am much improved but still suffer from some intermittent residual effects--and due to the fact that as far as I know, I've never had the flu (good old overactive immune system)--I've never had a flu shot.

I have autoimmune neuropathy and have avoided all vaccines since my diagnosis in 2009. I actually had gotten the nasal flu vaccine, which I believe is a live vaccine, a few months before I began to first notice symptoms. Although i'm not sure if it was related, I've been very reluctant to agree to any vaccines. It has been over 10 years since my last Tetanus, but I have been putting it off. They are recommending a TDap. I actually had pertussis in 2004,but it seems unclear how long immunity lasts. Anyone else have a TD or Tdap with diagnosis of autoimmune disease? I found it interesting that WHO and in the UK they don't recommend rouitine tetanus boosters every 10 years as they do in the US.
Sorry for hijacking the thread.

I have the catch all idiopathic SFN and have avoided vaccines because I have read so may conflicting articles on vaccines. Were it not for actually getting the flu, which then set off the worst flair up I've had so far I would still not have considered it. However, I DID get the flu shot this morning. If I have any side effects of the neuropathy variety I will report it right here. However, as my SFN has not been linked to any autoimmune disease it would be different. Plus we all are different due to genetics so it's impossible to make blanket statements, which is a big frustration and challenge in dealing with this disease.

No reaction to the Flu shot!
 

So far so good! Other then being a bit tired, which happens sometimes anyway, there is nothing outside of the usual suspects. :D

New member
 

Hi, I came across this thread because I had never had the flu shot but was given the vaccine during pregnancy and then again postpartum. I developed a few autoimmune diseases after from Autoimmune Dysatuonomia, immune mediated polyneuropathy, pernicious anemia, Sjogrens Syndrome/SSA/Ro and a peripheral neuropathy. I acquired EBV around age 8, which oddly led to shingles first then severe mono later, I always caught viruses and had chronic infections but my family would get sick with the flu and I wouldn’t. I was born with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and a neuromuscular disease where I didn’t walk independently until age 2.5 but after the flu vaccines, my immune system turned against me and unleashed a neurological attack on my body. I have Narcolepsy as well and I was on IVIg for a year but due to billers being incompetent and billing the wrong insurance for 4 months, I ended uo being forced to abruptly stop vs. transition to CellCept as planned. My MCV is now 109, MCH is 36 Hb is 11. My nuertrophils are high and lymphocytes are low. I have the MTHF mutation and the GAD65 antibody I am slowly wasting away and have a 3 year old. If anyone has some info to help with any of these topics, I would really appreciate it! Thank you so much and it was helpful to read the different experiences with the vaccine vs. still acquiring the flu with autoimmune diseases

I'm the same....and my new PCP agrees.