Every day on my way to class or work, I pass pharmacy after pharmacy advertising to "Come Get Your Flu Shot." I've also had several people ask me if I've gotten mine or if I will go get mine. The answer to both of those questions is a big fat NO.
Let me explain myself before people yell at me. First of all, I have had the flu shot once in my entire life. (before you flip out, yes I did get the important vaccinations as a child). And guess what? I've had the flu a grand total of twice in my life. The one year I got the flu shot I was a senior in high school and was required to get one due to the fact that I was shadowing at my local hospital.
Let me tell you, I have never (and I mean never) been more sick than I was in that one winter. I had some sort of cold, sinus issue, congestion, coughing, sore throat, and whatever else was going around throughout that entire winter.
Do you know how much it sucks to be sick for an entire season? A LOT. I was miserable all winter. My nose was raw. My head always hurt from congestion. I also distinctly remember my ribs feeling sore from coughing so much at one point. It was downright awful.
I also hate needles. And shots. And the possible side effects of the shot. I don't want my arm to be sore or to have flu-like symptoms for a week in order to ~potentially~ avoid getting the actual flu. And yeah maybe that makes me a baby, but I can live with that.
So no, I won't be getting my flu shot. And I'm sure that someone will read this and tell me I'm putting others at risk for catching the virus. But the thing is, I'm really not because of this little thing known as 'herd immunity.'
Herd immunity is a result of enough people in one setting being immune to a contagion that essentially all the members of the community are immune. This concept is typically an argument used by people who don't vaccinate their children (which isn't a legitimate reason for not vaccinating your child), but I'm going to use it my advantage. Given the fact that I've gotten the flu shot once in my life, and only ever had the flu twice, I'm going to continue to bank on herd immunity.
So y'all go get your flu shots. I'm going to sit this one out.
