Vaccinations: Part I

"We should not let our fears hold us back from pursuing our hopes." ~ John F. Kennedy

Indeed! And since I didn't want to let my fear of shots hold me back from pursuing my trip to Mali, I headed to Student Health this morning for a one-on-one consultation at the Travel Clinic. (Note: I didn't always have a fear of shots but having bloodwork drawn pre-surgery a few years ago resulted in me having blood-spattered clothing and black and blue bruises up and down both arms. I can't imagine what part of that experience could have turned me off from needles...)

At any rate, the pharmacy resident I consulted with did a very thorough job of explaining in detail a number of exotic diseases to which I had the potential to be exposed, their horrible symptoms, and the list of practices I would need to follow: only bottled water even to brush your teeth, no ice, don't eat fruit unless you peel it yourself in case someone rinses it with water, apply 12 hour insect repellent lotion with DEET at morning and night, spray your clothes with an insect repellent that lasts for 5 or 6 washes (it makes you insect-proof), check your mosquito net for holes, avoid food from street vendors, don't take aspirin for six weeks after your yellow fever shot, take your malaria pill once a day. The consultation ended with the resident giving me a take-home packet of information to study (is there a test?) and recommending a list of seven vaccinations and one prophylaxis.

In order to get them today, I had to fill out yet another questionnaire and I found myself hesitating when I came to a question that asked if I was currently sick. I hadn't felt sick before that conversation, but the details she provided spurred my very vivid imagination and in the ten minutes since I met with her, my throat started to feel raw, the lymph nodes under my jawline started feeling swollen, and my body started feeling achy. Ultimately, I checked no, that I wasn't currently sick, or at least, no, that I hadn't been sick upon arriving, so we didn't delay the inevitable.

In my naivete I had assumed that I'd be getting all the vaccinations in one fell swoop today. (Now, why I thought it was a bright idea to get seven shots, two with live viruses, only hours before I was scheduled to give a presentation, I'll never know.) She politely suggested that I get half today and half at some point next week. So today, Hepatitis A, Tetanus, and Yellow Fever went into my left arm and Meningitis into my right, with the last two being extremely uncomfortable to the point where I got goose bumps and felt the nerve endings in my right eye socket make themselves known. (She actually pinched the fat on the back of my arm to administer the Yellow Fever vaccination. Stop that!)

Thankfully, I asked for a red lollipop beforehand. And yes I probably looked like an overgrown child, purposely averting my eyes, and sucking on a lollipop while getting my shots, but, hey, you do what you have to do to get the job done. I'm not ashamed!