I was reading an article about the flu vaccine this morning and realized that there was a much larger debate about vaccines than I ever realized. I know I don't get flu vaccines because they always seem to get me sick no matter what type it is. I was wondering how many of you vaccinate yourself and your family?

I used to get them when I was younger and always got sick, not just the first time around when my body was learning about the flu and fighting it off. It always made me get the flu more than when I didn't get the shot, I think I stopped about 7 years ago and have yet to get really sick more than once a year when the weather changes.

I can tell you that there is indeed a huge deal going on with vaccines, with the safety aspect. I don't normally like to get into things about it on open boards like this because it undoubtedly degenerates away from useful or decent debate.

All I would say is that you need to be informed. Don't just do what the doc tells you. There are very real and very dangerous adverse reactions that can occur following vaccination, including death. My advise is start with the vaccine inserts-the documents that come with each vial. They can be found online.

From there, well, do whatever reading you need. There are exemptions available to the shots required for school, meaning you do NOT have to have the shots to go to school despite what the schools and doctors will tell you. They are not telling you the full truth.

The exemptions are there so that the shots remain your choice. Otherwise when a vaccine kills your child you could hold the state responsible for forcing you to give it him. The exemptions mean that (even if you don't know about them) it is your choice to give them, and if your child is killed or permanently harmed, they cannot be held responsible. Instead you have to apply to the vaccine injury board for compensation, and stand next to no chance of succeeding.

My oldest has had his shots tons of times over, will turn 6 in March, and in the past 3 years has ended up with either bronchitis or a touch of pneumonia 3 times, this worries me alot as a parent, even more so as I am not the parent he resides with. My girl, only the shots at the hospital to discharge her (they barely kept me there 30 hours total), and she has had the sniffles 3 times in the past year at that, nothing more, ever. Me, anytime I get shots, I get so sick I always want to die, its worse than trying to fight the sickness off w/o the shots, and ends me up the hospital dehydrated and needing tons of IVs. I'm not about to do that to my girl.

I understand some may not want to have their children given shots for whatever reason it may be, but I am wondering what the statistics are of the ones that don't receive the shots getting sick or worse. Does anyone know?