John Curley’s adventures with the flu shot that gave him flu-like symptoms

It’s not a season anyone picks as their favorite, but flu season is upon us, and with it the need to get a shot. But warding off the flu and maybe getting a lollipop afterwards is not enough to convince some people that the shots are a wonderful thing.

Take KIRO Radio’s John Curley, who had a bit of a bad experience last year.

“I got one last year and it made me sick.”

“No it didn’t,” said co-host Jim Dever.

“Yes it did,” countered Curley. “When I called the lady at Bartells, I went round and round with her, and I said, ‘I’m achy, I have a slight fever, I’m nauseous. I have all the symptoms of the flu. I got the shot, and now I feel like I have the flu.'”

She told Curley that he didn’t have the flu, he just had flu-like symptoms.

“And I said, ‘If I hit myself in the head with a ball-peen hammer, I have the symptoms of being hit in the head with a ball-peen hammer, because I got hit with a ball-peen hammer. You gave me a shot that’s supposed to stop me from getting the flu, and the next day I had the symptoms of the flu.”

Flu season typically runs from October to April, and health officials suggest that everyone six months and older get a shot to protect their own health and the health of those around them who may be more vulnerable.

RELATED: Flu shots: A pinch in the arm, but not always in your wallet

“You can get flu-like symptoms immediately after you get the shot, but you can get actual flu any time for up to a couple weeks if you’re not lucky,” Jim said. “That’s why you want to get it kind of early before it hits and everybody’s sick around you.”

Curley took extra precautions after getting a shot last season.

“Last year, I walked around with two Purell dispensers in my belt, and I Purelled everything. I made it all the way through perfectly fine, perfectly healthy,” he said.

Follow @https://twitter.com/jcurleyshow