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Permalink Reply by Andrea on October 31, 2009 at 12:11pm

As my hairloss is medically related but definitely auto-immune/rheumatological, I have been battling over this question as well. I have had auto-immune issues all my life, and the one time I got a flu shot it worked...I got the flu a few days later (ugh). Usually I was rarely sick, but if I got sick, it was a doozy.

As there is currently a shortage of the vaccine, it might be hard to even secure the H1N1, though regular flu shots are available in many pharmacies. It comes down to evaluating your life. Though I have almost no immune system at all, I opted out because I'm home alone all day, and don't encounter anyone. When I do go out for groceries, etc, I go at non peak times. Hand washing and not touching your face whilst in public are first line defenses against infection. I do have surgical masks that I will use if I hear of an outbreak locally. I currently use them for cat box cleaning, LOL!

Since you have a school aged child, even if you are a SAHM, I would consider that as well. In the end, it comes down to what your doctor thinks. Mine didn't even make a peep about it when I saw him 2 weeks ago and he is a highly reputable internist with an emphasis in infectious disease and knows my history.

A couple things to consider with H1N1: so far fewer than 1000 people have died in the US from it. I don't mean to be callous, but it's not the pandemic or even epidemic that the media has made it out to be. Every year over 30,000 people die from the regular flu. What is unusal about the Swine flu is that it does cross transmit across species. There was an outbreak of it in 1978. Also it was out of season as it started in spring. In Mexico City where there were 188 (I think that is right) deaths from it, these were in the shanty town and there were 50,000 reported cases and probably twice that unreported. They were living in abject squalor on top of one another with next to no good hygiene conditions. H1N1 is a relatively mild flu in the scheme of things. I'd be more concerned about the regular flu, if you want to seriously consider the vaccination.

I'd call your doctor and see what he thinks. Like I said, mine didn't make a noise about it with me.

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Permalink Reply by Eric W. on October 31, 2009 at 3:09pm

I don't believe that we are in the catagory of "weakened immune systems" in regards to the flu vaccine but either way I think it's a good idea to get the regular Flu vaccine. I'm not sold on the H1N1 vaccine yet.

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Permalink Reply by Galena on October 31, 2009 at 4:20pm

Hello Aimee!
I hope you're having a fun weekend. I've been searching for the answers to the very questions that you ask. I got the H1N1 shot Thursday. I've been getting a seasonal flu shot every year since 1996, years before my alopecia presented. I believe that I'm doing the best thing for my health. But like you, I really want to know the morbidity of this condition, is it an immune system in overdrive (protection from a virus) or simply disordered? My derm refers to alopecia as "disordered immunity" which is understood until I consider what a dead virus (flu shot) could do to a disordered immunity. So far I feel okay. I was very tired yesterday and I've been feeling stronger today. I still plan to get the seasonal flu shot when it becomes available at my PCP. Pandemic or not, I'm not willing to get the flu. I'm convinced that the flu along with other factors contributed to the perfect storm of events that gave me fibromyalgia in 1995.

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Permalink Reply by Dominique Cleopatra on November 1, 2009 at 7:29pm

Alopecia Areata, totalis, and universalis are believed to be an auto-immune disorder, where out own antibodies attack our hair folicles believing they are outside entities that need to be destoryed, therefore it seems that we have overactive immune systems. Which is why we are often subjected to immuno-suppressants i.e. corticosteroids. Infact one benefit to having AA seems to be that since I began losing hair I've stopped catching colds or if I do feel like I might be coming down with something the feeling usually dissipates as soon as it starts, and I work with children and hold their little snot-nosed hands all the time. Bless their germ infested hearts!! Now I am in no way a medical expert but in my personal opinion with the swine flu and all I think this may not be such a bad condition to have. I would venture to say that if we are otherwise relatively healthy Cockroaches, alopecians, and Cher may be the last ones standing!!! That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

**Disclaimer: Always check with your medical doctor before making any health decisions as I mainly go by instinct and seldom know what the heck I'm talking about LOL!!

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Permalink Reply by spaganya on November 1, 2009 at 8:22pm

I dont get the flu vaccine - my immune system is too out of wack for me. Not to mention that since my AU went full blown, i havent gotten sick. not even common cold! mind you have severe allergies, so people always think i am sick - but its just allergies!

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