Sunday, November 29, 2009

Shot Full of Holes

I saw my doctor last week and while I was there I asked him about flu vaccination. I'm still worried about being carried off by swine flu. Unfortunately, while supplies of the swine flu vaccine have started arriving, so far they're only being given to 'priority cases.' Like pregnant women, and infants, and people with health problems. (But I'm an author. Shouldn't I be ahead of these people?)

However, the doctor did tell me that anyone could get a seasonal flu shot, protecting you against other sorts of flu. I sort of grunted, and this grunt meant - 'OK I'll think about it for a few weeks and probably not do anything about it.'

I thought I was being quite clear but strangely the doctor misinterpreted this grunt and immediately pulled out a syringe, and told me to roll up my sleeve. Before I knew what was happening I was inoculated against other forms of flu.

I was perturbed. I don't like medical surprises. I like a long time to think about things. I don't like to take rash actions, like for instance, getting vaccinated when I wasn't expecting it. Afterwards I trudged round the shops wondering what dreadful symptoms the flu shot might cause, and counted myself lucky to make it home before being completely incapacitated by harmful side effects.

But I survived the experience. So I suppose that's something anyway. While I'm still susceptible to swine flu, I am at least protected against various other forms. I've only had flu twice in my life. Readers of my blog may remember that the second time was just last year, and it involved suffering on a scale rarely seen in this world. I endured a terrible period of illness when I was unable to do anything except lie on the couch and watch SpongeBob SquarePants.

* That's what you do all the time anyway. *

Well yes, but this time I was feeling a lot worse than normal. I was sore, feverish, and I felt very sorry for myself, and this feeling sorry for myself continued long after the other symptoms departed.

Here, for no real reason except I like Japanese electronic music with female singers, are Hangry and Angry. They just made a good album, Sadistic Dance.



Really, I’d like to walk around looking like that. For a day or two anyway. It would certainly make life interesting.

Wikipedia tells me that 'Hangry & Angry is a Japanese pop duo ….the group is a collaboration with a Harajuku fashion store, and serves to promote various products, including stuffed toys fashioned after the members.'

OK, nothing artistically dubious about that. It's credible enough for me. I wonder where I can get the stuffed toys?

9 comments:

  1. Just be grateful he gave you the flu shot instead of the nasal spray. The nasal spray, as I understand it, is a live culture (as opposed to the dead one in the shot) and can easily enough give you the very flu you're trying to avoid.

    Good luck continuing to not be sick!

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  2. I am guessing that your doctor missed the Canadian study showing that people who get the seasonal flu vaccine (but not H1N1) are more likely to get H1N1 than people who aren't vaccinated at all -- http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2009/09/23/flu-shots-h1n1-seasonal.html

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  3. I have always refused to get the flu shot and I refused, additionally, to get the H1N1 shot this year. I got both H1N1 and the flu this year. (Not at the same time). So I almost feel jealous that your doctor sneakily vaccinated you against something.

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  4. My doctor did the same thing to me...she regularly does it actually because she knows I will say no if given a choice. So I am now swine flu resistant. Haven't actually had any kind of flu for many, many years. (Now I've jinxed myself!)

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  5. with hair like that should they realy be allowed to walk around in public...hehhehheh
    ronhin 1
    weird hair girls 0

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  6. What is it with medical staff? I'm taking care of my friend's new baby, so I needed to get the H1N1. I went in, and started to ask about the nasal, to see if my info was correct, and it was right for me. The next thing I know she was shoving it up my nose, before my question was even finished! And it turned out that my info was wrong, and I should have had the shot, so I couldn't be around the baby for a week!

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  7. brothersaturn1:17 am

    swine flu is actually mainly a sham. your far more likely to die getting into a car. its a viscous game, the strings being pulled by the drug companies laughing all the way to the bank. This is concrete fact. Society is bonkers. 250,000 die on the roads each year....
    remember sars? only 800 deaths....which relatively, is NOTHING...so now the drug companies are latching onto yet another fear mechanism. Its disgusting. check out this:
    http://alternative-doctor.com/blog/swine-flu-outbreak-the-truth-is-ugly/

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  8. Anonymous5:39 pm

    Gotta be honest with you, i am glad you are ok but i really want to hear about the next/final conclusion to the thraxas series. The time has come i think.

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  9. I don't know about swinw flu but there's bug here - I keep trying to comment but it never appears (I didn't upset you, did I?)

    My Doctor gave me an unexpected hole in the arm - I went for my piggy flu jab (Being asthmatic apparently count as being 'vulnerable' so get jabbed first)

    GP 'you don't seem to have had your seasonal flu jab'
    Me 'Um, no, I was away'
    GP 'Do you want one?'
    Me (thinking she'd make an appointment) ' Yes, I probably ought to'
    GP (sticks sharp pointy thing in my arm)

    At least it meant that *both* mu arms were equally sore..no favouritism...

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