I get a pneumonia shot every five years or so and have never had pneumonia. Unfortunately the shots only protect against the standard type of pneumonia that can be passed from person to person. PALS are susceptible to pneumonia caused by choking on and inhaling (aspirating) food or saliva or less common stains of pneumonia. Psuedomonas is a common part of our environment, existing in dirt and water. It is an "opportunistic" infection that only gets bad enough to cause problems when our immune systems are not working well. Many people have it and never know it. BiPAP users and trached and vented people generally pick up pseudomonas at some point, possibly from drinking and aspirating water, from the water in a vase of flowers where it can flourish, from the water in their humidifier, from another person, especially during hospitalization. There are some antibiotics that work well if pseudomonas does flare up, but none seem to be able to eradicate it entirely. It hides out or goes dormant waiting for a compromise in the immune system to let it flare up again.
Bottom line: Definitely ask your doctor which pneumonia shot or shots to get and get flu and pneumonia shots, but be aware that PALS are prone to types of pneumonia that the shots can't prevent.
