10.14.2009

091 - She's a flu-zy

Today I got my flu shot, so tomorrow I pretty much expect to have the flu. Yeppers. Mr. Doctor can claim that it isn't actually the flu... all he wants to... but let's call a spade a spade... last time -- I came down with the flu. He tried to make it sound alllllllllll kinds of innocent... like it was just my body building up immunity... and that can sometime mimick the symptoms of the flu... Nuh-uh, mister -- I had the damn flu.

And why can I take ibuprofen but not aspirin? He went into great detail about the contents of the syringe and why I couldn't possibly have had the flu, but then he threw that out there and didn't explain it at all. He even said it with emphasis -- 'not aspirin' -- in an ominous 'or you will wake up with a set of horns sprouting from your ears' kind of way. I read the literature before I signed the form, so I knew everything he was telling me about the shot... but the aspirin thing was not covered. I mean, how long can I not take aspirin: 24 hours... or the rest of my life?

I also learned that sometimes it doesn't pay to be honest (like that life lesson hasn't bitten me plenty of times before). They gave us a form to fill out, and one of the questions was whether you've had the flu shot before... and if so, did you have a reaction to it... and if so, what kind of reaction? Yes, yes, and flu-like symptoms. The lady behind the table saw that last part and became concerned; she wanted me to consult with the doctor. I told her I lived through it, I didn't have any concerns, and I wanted to get the shot. She was apparently placated, because I'm an adult and she had a signed permission slip in her hand with my big girl signature on it.

So then the doctor looks at the form and asks me how long my 'flu-like' symptoms lasted. I told him it had been about four years since my last shot, I didn't remember. (Liar) He prompts me with 'One day? Two days?' Ummm... two days sounds like the right answer. Did I have a high fever? To tell him that I stayed home from work for two days with a fever in the 101 range (my normal temp is about 97.6) would have meant that I got no shot.

So I lied.

My morals can be flexible sometimes. In other words: Kristy says what Kristy needs to say in order to get the shot... So as the day goes on, karma begins to repay me for my fib... my throat starts to feel scratchy, and I feel a little run down. At the moment I feel slightly feverish, but not too bad. I'm hoping things won't get bad until the weekend so I don't have to be miserable at work (I have no vacation days to spare, and we don't get enough sick days to be worth a crap).

For some weird reason, I get blood drawn from my left arm, and shots in the right. I'll tell you what... that shot is thick, it felt a bit like getting anesthetized at the dentist's office (I can feel it going into all the little vessels in my cheek and it creeps me out), and my arm started to ache about two hours after I got it. I realized how stupid my choice was when I got in the car to come home and was faced with the harsh reality that I drive a stick, and I shift with my right arm. Ow. In fact, I do a lot of things with my right arm...

So, off the topic of flu shots, here's something I struggle with sometimes... I blog (obviously), and some of the people I know in real life read my blogs... so when I start making conversation, they've already heard some of my stories... because they read my blog. And that sucks. If they'd follow my blog, then I'd know who they were ahead of time and wouldn't bore them with my encore presentation (it cracks me up that re-runs are now called 'encore presentations')...

Then again, I do talk about other things...

Anyone else have that problem?

6 comments:

  1. If the problem you mean is "encore presentations"...story of my life...(karma biting me back sounds pretty familiar too)
    Hope the flu like symptoms don't keep you down too long :)

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  2. Hey Kristy!
    Last year, I got my flu shot and not even a week after, I had a flu. It felt like it was worse than usual.
    You had a question about aspirin. Aspirin elevates the risk of having internal bleeding. That's why we privilege ibuprofen or acetaminophen before aspirin in certain situations.
    Hope you won't be sick tomorrow!(my fingers are crossed!!)

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  3. Yeah I agree with you regarding people you know in 'real life' reading your blog. Most of the people who read mine don't follow, and are pissed to read about whatever it is that they are reading as opposed to hearing about it firsthand. Well...I'm not one to pick up the damn phone everytime I want to put the proverbial pen to paper. So follow along and keep quiet! lol

    You can't win ;) Good topic, I might write about it myself today.

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  4. My son got the flu mist spray on Monday as part of his annual check-up. He came home from school yesterday with a fever and headache... I'm not tempting that fate - no shot for me this year! I'll take my chances that all you people I work with daily have yoru shots and my exposure potential is now low! 8-) P.S. thanks for taking one for Team Greg with that shot!

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  5. Ugh. Flu shots. You poor thing I hope you dont come down with it! I am the opposite end of the spectrum and dont get the flu shot and suffer through a miserable, sick winter in the dark basement of my life. So good for you for being pro-active!

    Also, I DO have that same problem with my friends and my blog. Only my major problems are that when my friends do read my blog, they have all heard the stories before, or, when I am about to tell them a story they havent heard, I just give up and tell them to go read my blog instead :)

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  6. The jury is still out, but for today at least, I don't have the flu... I keep trying to spell flu with an e at the end... wrong! wrong! wrong!

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