Pneumonia vaccine or not?

@cesaly1 It would be interesting to know why the change in opinion.
According to my Primary Providers (both previous & current), ID doc and pharmacist, getting every possible vaccine reduces risk of respiratory infections, which my body is ill-prepared to fight off. Even while I was on antibiotics in 2018 & 2019, I was told to get them on schedule. I was even given a second, more potent pneumonia vaccine last fall because it covered many more strains then the earlier one.

Just recently, a frail friend of mine spent several days in the hospital with RSV - it was the only vaccine she failed to get - because it wasn't covered at her home in Canada and cost $300. They now know that in future, they can get it at a pharmacy or doctor here in Texas for around $60 - well worth it to avoid 2 weeks of misery!

Have you asked the doctor why the recommendation changed?
Sue

Thank you, Sue. Your experience makes sense. I did tolerate pneumonia vaccines in the past and certainly am at risk now, given my lung condition. I'm thinking there are too many old people and not enough doctors in Florida. Some health care providers seem harried much of the time. My pulmonologist or his nurse probably forget to check my file. This last time, I was told no pneumonia vaccine but get the flu vaccine even though I have a big red flag in my file that there is a possibility of anaphylactic shock. (My left arm was completely paralyzed for three years following cross-reactivity between Cipro and flu vaccine. My neurologist told me never take that vaccine again.) I do have an outstanding rheumatologist and, after reading your response, will be asking him for a referral.

Glad to see your post Sue. I have taken the Shingles Vaccine and the RSV. Yes I have been told over and over again to get the Flu and Pneumonia...never having done either it appears I am being a bit cavilier due to the fact I never have taken them before. However I would imagine🙄 I need to realize this body, with what I have been told I have, ain't what it use to be and I better wise up. 🤨 Not an easy thing to face sometimes, the fact that the body ain't what it use to be.
Hope you had an enjoyable Easter.
Barbara

As @sueinmn mentioned, with a diagnosis of Bronchiectasis, I was told to get every vaccine available. Hope this helps.

I had a COVID booster in August of last year. I always have a reaction to them with a fever for a day or two. This past time I was sick for several days and was finally diagnosed with Strep. After 4 weeks on 4 different kinds of antibiotics, I still had strep. My naturopath gave me some herbs that finally knocked it out.
The whole time I had strep I was emailing my Doc at Mayo and keeping her up to date on my progress. When I had my six month appointment with her in November, she told me no more Covid shots and no RSV. She said there have not been enough studies completed yet to justify giving it. I was told to get the flu shot and pneumonia was not mentioned. I had a pneumonia shot about 5 years ago. How often are you supposed to have those?

Hi - The recommendation for pneumonia vaccines varies depending on your age and the previous vaccine you had. After 4 years, my primary recommended a repeat for me, with a newer vaccine that covered several additional strains.
That said, if I were you I would check my records and see which one I had, then discuss timing for the new vaccine with my primary.

This is just anecdotal or incidental evidence, but we are vaccinated and were closely exposed to grandkids with RSV twice this winter - neither time did we catch it, but my unvaccinated daughter and her husband did. We also flew (masked) in the height of the holiday travel season.
Sue

Thank you. The more input, the better!

Sounds like your naturopath had a good solution for taking care of the strep.
Do you remember what herbs, how much and how often she suggested to take?
Wow, the statement coming from the Mayo Doctor about RSV and Covid research and her thoughts. Interesting and adds to my beliefs, and I could be wrong. I so often hesitate about many things unless it, they, have been around for at least 20 years. I hesitatingly did the original two Covid and in October 2023 the RSV. As far as I could tell, immediately after, I had no side affects. The reality is, however, we truly do not know how all these vaccines, suggested, truly affect the body....long term??? Do they really know??? Look forward to hearing about the herbs. Thanks.

Thank you for your response. I am sorry I was talked into getting the Moderna vaccine and one booster early on. We now have empirical evidence of serious side effects from physician who were initially marginalized. Now nih.gov is publishing more research reports on the persistence and consequences of Covid spike proteins embedding in tissues throughout the body. I will check out RSV reports as well. Pneumonia vaccine is still a moving target for me, hope to have an answer soon.

Interesting. We were writing at the same time and appears to be saying some of what I have believed.
It is so hard to know sometimes what to do.
The doctors have some of the same probems we have, I would think, in decision making. They have to believe those above them, the professionals above them, have the right information, good information and results and then decide how to or whether or not to pass it onto their patients. Then in turn we have to decide what to do with the information the doctor, the professional above us, told us, suggested to us to do. Are they correct, the decison of what we will do with the information they gave us can be difficult. 🙄