Flu shot, or not?

[freshnesschronic]

I got the flu shot every year as a kid until I was 15. Haven't had it since. I think I've stored 15 years worth of antivenom, so I'll get shots again around 30! But I freakin' hate needles. I have to think of something totally awesome when I get blood drawn or a shot to persuade my mind to wander away from the long, cold, sharp, piercing....

[bluecuracao]

Many years back, I worked for a company that had a nurse come and give us flu shots for free, and it seemed to work--no one got the flu. I didn't even get a cold during that time, which was nice.

Now for the past two winters, I've come down with pneumonia. I wonder if I could have avoided it the first time--I knew I was getting sick, but tried to ignore it; I didn't get enough sleep and decided to go out in the bitter cold to an early morning meeting. A couple of weeks later I had to go to the emergency room, because I could hardly breathe without coughing. And the pain that comes with the coughing...I can't even describe it. When it started to happen again last year, I knew enough to take my butt to the doctor to get meds, before it got as horrific as before.

Since I'm apparently very susceptible to fucking pneumonia now, I have to get a vaccine for it this year, some time this month.