Flu shots

[Harrybaby666]

Submit a Bill

Submit a Bill

I usually have to wait over two hours to get in to see him,

Hey Glenda, Maybe you should start submitting a bill to him for the 2 hours of your valuable time that you have to spend waiting on him.

Honestly, why don't the doctor's understand that our time is every bit as valueable (Especially because of our health problems) I feel that with as bad as we feel with our health issues, that the more time we have to use by getting hung up on appointments, takes away from what time we have with our families ( Or my adorable cat, Bandit..LOL)

Thank You Glenda for your hugs, compassion, knowledge and Heavenly ability to spread peace and make others feel SO MUCH BETTER!!!!

P.S. Attatched is a picture of the most wonderful and precious gift that God and others have given me - My Bandit (Aka Juvenile Delinquent. LOL)

 

[catwoman]

Glenda:
I think that, in order to make ends meet, doctors now book too many patients in too little time and it results in our cooling our heels in the waiting room. I try to make appts first thing in the a.m. and first one after lunch, if they close for lunch. Even then, I sometimes have to wait because of an emergency.

Harry:
Cute cat! I imagine he (she?) is a great companion to you.
Love the blaze on his face -- that's what the inverted V is called.

 

[Glenda]

Harry, I love the picture of your cat. He's so cute! ! I have a cat named Felix that is the most independent cat I have ever owned. He's huge but I love him too, of course I love all animals. They are such a comfort to us when we are feeling bad. They seem to sense when we're down.

 

[Granbonny]

Hi Glenda

Hi Glenda

Twin sister My local Eckerd's is giving the flu shots tomorrow 10 a.m. -3 P.M. ..This will be interesting. Neighbor's wife ( he had open-heart surgery 4 1/2 weeks ago..are coming home tomorrow. She says, NO one in their South Ga. have the vaccine. He really needs one due to having surgery so soon....I will go down tomorrow.. I'm betting it will be a long line. Many elderly retired Fla people living here.....I'm wondering how long will it be before they run out of vaccine? If they run out before I get mine..I'm like you. Rural area..Hubby and I don't really go out into crowds.. I have only had the flu shot the last 2 years. Never the flu..so..will report back tomorrow on our local Eckerd's...Bonnie

 

[Harrybaby666]

Hi Catwoman, Hi Glenda!!

Hi Catwoman, Hi Glenda!!

Yes, my little Bandit is a little hellion at times. He will walk right up to me, and give a rub rub, and then zappo...he gives a love bite and runs....He was really adorable when he was 3 months old, because he would come up to me, while I was laying in bed, and lay his little head in the palm of my hand and fall asleep. I can't help but brag about him as he has really been there for me in my darkest hour, and I can't imagine being without him. I hope I can get a digital camera soon so that I can take some good pictures of him that I can print out and frame. Harrybaby666

 

[Abbanabba]

It sounds like y'all need to come Down Under for a visit, since we manufacture our own flu shots and haven't had any issues with shortages. Hmmmmm - maybe there's a lucrative opportunity for me to sell them on the "black market" (..heh heh heh..).


Harry -
LOVE Bandit. I really miss having a cat and my other half isn't a huge fan - then again, a lot of guys don't really appreciate what great pets cats are until they've actually owned one. I keep working on him and telling him what a great companion one would be for when I'm at home all day by myself (..with no friends, or car to get out, and no family over here...... I'm sure you get the idea ..). Give that little furry friend of yours a scruff on my behalf.


A : )

 

[Bryan B]

I got lucky. I called Dr. Jaggers to see if I could get the flu shot in the clinic when I see him Monday, and he said I would have to get my PCP to give me the flu shot (not easy since he is in TN and I'm in NC). My dad called his PCP and they had the flu shot available. My dad's PCP used to be mine as well until I moved to TN. I asked if I could get the shot too and he said sure, come on in. He didn't take my insurance so I paid cash...28 bucks. My normal co-pay for a doctor visit is 25 bucks, so all in all I feel very fortunate (got the shot on Friday morning before we left for the beach). I really like this guy, just wish I could figure out a way to get my insurance to cover the visits. I'm hoping when I get my new job I might get lucky and end up with a health insurance plan he accepts.

 

[EVELYN]

Boy am I ticked!!!!

We have/HAD two sets of appointments for our flu shots---one with my pulmonary guy, and our second with our pcp. The pulmonary guy called and cancelled our appointment yesterday----NO FLU VACCINE, and the regular PCP called and said they didn't think they'd have enough as they ordered 1500 shots and received 250. As she said to me, "Mrs. Beede, everyone is a high priority!!!"

No shots are being given by the county, local hospitals or anything here on the island......looks like we don't have a choice but to rough it and go without this year.......any suggestions on what to do??? I'm definitely at a loss.

Evelyn

 

[tobagotwo]

If you can get out to do it, go for the clinics. Marguerite supplied a great place to find them, at: www.lungusa.org As phone numbers are included, you can call to see if they're still expected to happen.

Unfortunately, almost all of them are during the workday, during the week, which really limits the standing-in-line options.

My cardiologist's office says their supply was cut off, so they're not giving them. Same with my GP.

Mary may wind up doing without one this year, athough her heart is especially vulnerable right now and she works in Germ Central.

I'll probably wind up doing without as well, unless I luck into a clinic. There are lots of people who need it more than I do.

However, for anyone who doesn't get the flu shot: If you are supposed to premedicate for dental work, and you do wind up getting the flu (which is a virus), please be sure to go to the doctor for a preventative prescription of antibiotics, to avoid tagalong bacterial infections that can get caught in your valve. Prevention is better, but this is better than nothing, if you've got no choice.

Best wishes,

 

[EVELYN]

Thanks, Bob

I checked out our local area and there's a clinic tomorrow at eckerd drug, about 25 minutes from us. It's from 10 o'clock, but I think we're getting there before the store opens at 7.....hope that will be early enough!!

Thanks again, that website was great.

Evelyn

 

[Granbonny]

Ev

Ev

You are smart to go early.. I just returned home..had to laugh. Poster said it started at 10 a.m. Lady said, only 100 vaccines and they were gone by 9:15 a.m. (Numbers)..If my PCP doesn't have any (won't even bother to call) when I have a pap smear the 19th of Nov. guess I'll do without.. Eat a fresh orange everyday. Bonnie

 

[tobagotwo]

Marguerite supplied the website. It was a great help to me, too.

 

[labguides]

Drug store has sign -- All flu shots cancelled.

 

[bvdr]

I drove over to the drugstore that was giving the flu shots this morning. I guess it was about 9:30 and the shots were to begin at 10:00. There was a huge line and a police officer directing traffic. Granted, the town of Carthage only has two traffic signals and I don't believe the population has yet reached a thousand so this qualifies as a pretty huge event. It looked like the whole process would take hours so I just drove back home. I looked healthier than most of the people in line anyway. Many of them had brought lawn chairs.

 

[Marge]

In CA all the places that normally give flu shots (Costco, the big chain drugstores like Walgreens, etc) have discontinued them.
The private organizations that still have flu vaccine have it because they ordered from Aventis -- the public health organizations mostly ordered from Chiron. Obviously the public health organizations (which serve people in the high risk categories) are out of luck, and of vaccine, so the private groups that still have vaccine are turning theirs over to the public health people.
In CA even if all the vaccine goes to high risk people, there would not be quite enough this year for all the people in the state who are in those categories. (But the news stories also say that even in a normal year not all the people in high risk categories bother to get flu shots anyway.)
My HMO, Kaiser, still has flu shots scheduled (next week) in several locations, but their "flu hot line" says to call again before you go. If they are still saying next week that the shots are on, I will go & try to get one, but I am really dreading the lines!

 

[Granbonny]

Hi Betty

Hi Betty

Our town only has 2 red-lights. too. The onlt 2 in our entire county Cleveland, Ga. home of the Cabbage Patch Dolls...Store is in a 100 year old hospital...They have the employers to dress in nurse's uniforms, ect. and they birth a baby every hour from a huge cabbage. They only cost $300.00.. ....back to the flu shots. I think people line up and they pass out numbers of vaccine..Then . the one's who have a number still have to wait several hours.... In a way, I think my Hubby was glad I didn't get one. He says, he has a funny feeling if they are safe..These that they are doing in drug stores...My neighbor says he had severe diarrea from his shot he took last week. Bonnie

 

[Harpoon]

Our local Eckerds had their flu shot clinic today... I Didn't see it, but my father did and reported a line that went right around the building and out into the shopping center parkinglot. A mix of everyone, not just the "high risk" patients who really should be getting them first before it's made available to anyone else.


That's the problem I have with clinics that aren't run through medical offices, hospitals, or other "official" venues like county health departments. There's no real control over who gets the shot, it's first come first served regardless of age, risk, need...

 

[EVELYN]

Thanks, Marguerite, for that website. Tyce and I were able to get out flu shots yesterday at Eckerd......We were 2 of the lucky 150 who received the shots. HOWEVER, we were sitting at the Eckerd drug store at 6:30 a.m......the store opens at 8:30 and they were giving flu shots at 10....and we were numbers 9 and 10 in line!!!! I told Tyce that I'd never even wait at a restaurant or wait to get tickets for a concert or a baseball game that long!!!! But wait we did.

What made me absolutely furious, though, was all the poor souls who were numbers 151-250 behind us. There were people in wheelchairs, walkers, on o2, and others obviously older, frail people who were being denied their shots. One man in line said to me, "I'm sure George Bush and John Kerry were able to get their shots!!!!" and boy was he mad. This is absolutely disgraceful in our country. I'm planning on writing a letter to the President and hope everyone gets on the bandwagon to complain in some way.

The worst part is that all the people who weren't able to receive shots yesterday couldn't go to any more clinics because Eckerd was discontinuing them.........no shots. Disgraceful, IMHO.

Evelyn

 

[McCln]

I will pray for those unable to get the flu shot this year. The President thinks that everyone is healthy and the flu shot thing is nothing. I was able to get mine, but there was one patient who thought I was not right for the shot. She was talking aloud to her husband and was reading the list for the flu shot. When she got down to chronic illness, I spoke and told her about my valve, she shut her mouth then. Just because I am still young, 39, that I was not qualified. But when I told her about the valve, she was quiet. The ignorance of people is terrible. But if she had pressed me further, I would have pulled out my St. Jude's card to prove it. But I was sore in the arm from the shot for a awhile. And hope everyone will be able to get the shot soon. No fun being sick.

 

[Nan]

Well, I planned to get my mother and myself flu shots at a local supermarket. The clinic was supposed to start at 3:00. Someone in my office told me around 11;00 that they thought it had been cancelled, so I called and they told me that they had already given out all of the "numbers" for the shots by 7:00 am, that people had been in line by 5:00 am!

I later read in the newspaper, that the long line of mostly seniors had gotten so angry and upset that they had to call the local and state police for crowd control around 3 when (more) people started to come. Glad we weren't there!

No vaccine at any docs office or health departments around here.

So, we'll be taking echinacea (yes, I checked with my doctor and will monitor the coumadin) and lots of oranges etc.

Hope most of you guys are able to get the shot somewhere.