DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My husband and I both got the flu shot on Dec. 13. On Dec. 30, I came down with the flu, and the following day, so did my husband. Our doctor said we couldn’t have gotten the flu from the flu shot. Our local pharmacist said we probably got it because of the shot. I feel the flu shot caused us to get the flu because the chances that my husband and I would come down with the flu at the same time are highly improbable. What do you think? – C.W.

ANSWER: The virus in the flu vaccine is dead – dead as a dodo. It is biologically impossible for the vaccine to cause flu.

Some people, after the inoculation, develop soreness and redness at the spot where the injection was given, but that reaction is not the flu, and it lasts less than two days.

A small number of people come down with fever, muscle aches and a blah feeling within six to 12 hours after getting the shot. This usually happens to people who are first-time recipients of the vaccine. This reaction lasts one or two days. This is not the flu, either.

An extremely small number have a serious reaction, with a drop in blood pressure and labored breathing. Most often, these few people are allergic to eggs. Eggs are used in the preparation of the vaccine.

What kind of symptoms did you and your husband have? Were diarrhea and stomach pain prominent? If so, you had what is popularly called stomach flu – a misnomer if ever there was one. It’s due to a different virus. The influenza virus, the virus that causes true flu, produces a respiratory illness – cough, scratchy throat and elevated temperature. Muscle aches are intense, as is headache.

I detect skepticism in your eyes. I am not putting you on. If you did come down with the flu, it’s because you were exposed to the virus and your body did not have time enough to make antibodies against it.

That takes as long as six weeks. Only 14 days elapsed between the time of your vaccination and the onset of your symptoms.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am going to take my first cruise. What is the best way to avoid being seasick, and what medicine is recommended for it? – S.L.

ANSWER: Seasickness is only one of many manifestations of motion sickness. It happens because information coming from the eyes conflicts with information coming from the balance organs in the ears. The brain is mightily confused and makes people sweat, become nauseated and throw up.

Scramble to get a deck chair midway between the front and back of the ship. That’s the place where things are most stable. Gaze far out into the horizon. Don’t look straight down at the water, where you see waves bouncing against the ship. Eat and drink modestly on the first few days of the trip.

Transderm Scop, a patch stuck on the skin behind the ear, is a good preventive for seasickness. One patch lasts three days. It should be applied four hours before the anticipated need for it.

It’s not the only motion sickness medicine. All work best when taken before symptoms occur. Examples are Dramamine, Benadryl, Phenergan.

Some claim that the spice ginger is a good antidote for seasickness.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I have a problem with earwax. I go to the doctor, and he removes it, but in two to three days it’s back.

I am a 76-year-old woman.

Why does this happen, and what can I do about it? – E.W.

ANSWER: If you don’t have ear pain or a hole in your eardrum and have steady hands, you can warm some mineral, vegetable or baby oil. Put two or three drops in the ear canal and let them stay there for about 20 minutes. Then, with a 3-ounce bulb syringe, a common drugstore item, gently flush the ears with warm water. Tilt your head to the side to let the water drain out. The wax should drain out, too.

Dr. Donohue regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but he will incorporate them in his column whenever possible. Readers may write him or request an order form of available health newsletters at P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475.