In the past, when I got the flu, it would start with a scratchy throat, maybe a persistent cough.  It was quickly followed by a compromised respiratory system, headaches, sinus issues, fever, chills, puffy eyes and stuffy/runny nose.

After a particular nasty flu, I opted to take the flu shot the following year and every year since.  What has ended up happening, is that I seem to get “flu-like/cold-like” symptoms every year after the shots.  When these symptoms come, it again starts with a scratchy throat, persistent cough and compromised respiratory system.  From here it branches down into various paths “flu-like/cold-like” paths.  Sometimes, I get sinus issues.  Sometimes I get stuffy/runny nose. Sometimes, I get a fever….

It makes me wonder what exactly is happening?  Flu shots do not protect me from ever getting the flu.  The CDC even lists the effectiveness of flu shots to range between 40-60%.  What does this all mean?  My guess is that I may have gotten the flu but the severity of the symptoms were decreased significantly due to the flu shot.

At the moment, I have a scratchy throat, persistent cough and I’m slowly sliding into stuffy nose territory.  =[