For years I went without getting a flu shot. My uncle is a doctor and gives them out at Thanksgiving every year to the family. I never got mine because I’m not a big fan of needles. I would have made a terrible heroin junkie. I’m also not totally on board with the idea that they do any good - at least for people in my age and health bracket. During the 1990’s, I was working in bars and restaurants (probably getting the flu there) and getting a flu shot was not a top priority. If you swill enough Jaegermeister during flu season it will kill any bug in your system! You might wake up in the morning feeling like you have the flu, but realize it was just the over consumption of alcohol the night before.
Some years I got sick and some years I didn’t. The shot doesn’t even guarantee that it will stop the correct strain of the virus anyway. And if it is the right strain it may just lessen the effects of the bug. It sounds to me like you pay somebody to stick you in the arm for nothing. You have better odds at the roulette table in Vegas.
Well, now that I’m a “responsible” parent with young children who fall
into the category of recommended recipients for the flu shot, I stepped
up to the plate last year and got one. I told my son that I would get
one with him to show him that it didn’t hurt. The nurse held onto my
arm and stuck me up near the shoulder. I winced at first, and then
grinned real big through my teeth to convince my toddler that it felt
great! He was already wise to my game and proceeded to throw himself
on the floor kicking and screaming when it came his turn. My wife and I
held him down and wrangled his pants loose so the nurse could jab him
in the thigh. When we left the room the entire doctor’s office turned
to see if he still had all of his limbs. I guess it sounded like we
were sawing them off without any anesthesia.
A few months later my wife and I got the flu. She didn’t get her shot
at the time because she was seven months pregnant. Hmmm. Why did I get
that shot again? Oh yeah, to show my 2 year old what a big boy his
daddy was. The doctor called us all in prescriptions of Tamiflu. They
don’t make a generic of the stuff so it was $40.00 a pop. Add the
$15.00 for the flu shot co-pay and it makes it sound like an expensive
stick in the arm.
This year they seem to have a shortage of flu shots floating around.
They could probably fill them up with tap water and still sell them for
$15.00. Nobody would know the difference since they tell you it might
not work. It’s kind of like the liquor shots in a test tube you buy
from the shot girls walking around a bar. For all you know it’s food
coloring and sugar and you just wasted $2.00.
So, I’m skipping my flu shot again this year. My children got theirs as
the doctors highly recommend their little immune systems have some kind
of defense against the flu. My son was a trooper this year and stepped
up to show his baby sister that it didn’t hurt. She didn’t buy it. He
only threw one punch, though, and cried for a few seconds - a major
improvement from last year. The people in the doctor’s office even said
how proud they were about him being a big boy. He showed off his
Spiderman sticker and wore his little round Band-aid until bath time.
Of course, it didn’t hurt that we bribed him with a Superman toy from
Target if he was on his best behavior during the leg sticking.
Hopefully the kids won’t get the flu now. I say bring it on! It will be
a race to see if I can get that Tamiflu in me before it’s too late.
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