Fear of Fluing

I don't like to get a flu shot. I never did. But I accept it as a necessary evil of life past age 60. But I don't go rushing out at the first of October to get one. I wait until Mark starts to bug me about it, typically sometime in December.

I prefer to get the vaccine at a clinic or a doctor's office rather than at a pharmacy. I have my reasons. A shot in the arm will debilitate me for a week. I might as well have the flu as to give up the use of my arm. A friend suggested that I get it in my left arm since I am right handed. Hello!! I type! I use both hands! That's just not going to work. Besides that, I hyperventilate at the mere sight of a needle.

What I need is a jab in the butt. In all my 60+ years I have yet to have my butt debilitated. (Sure, I've been tired enough that it's been dragging, but so far - touch wood - I haven't lost the use of it.) And I'm just not comfortable with dropping my pants in a pharmacy.

Another option is the smaller, thinner needle. You pay extra for that, which I don't mind at all. The issue is finding it. Actually, I can't find any vaccine in any form. I spent a good part of yesterday morning trying to track down the vaccine. The stories varied slightly - "We don't have any but we should have some at 1 o'clock." "We don't have any but we should get it in on Tuesday." "We don't have any and we won't get anymore until next October." But there is a common theme - "We don't have any."

Meanwhile, the media keep talking about the flu epidemic and the scarcity of vaccine which probably contributes to it being gone 10 minutes after it comes in. I'm not yet prepared to camp out in a Minute Clinic. I probably shouldn't be too upset about it. It's only 62% effective anyway. And it takes two weeks before it kicks in.

But I AM concerned about getting on a trans-Atlantic flight in a few weeks. I'd hoped to bolster my flu immunity as much as possible before making that trip. After all, people will get on an airplane when they are next to death just to avoid the change fees. I've got two weeks to find the vaccine. Wish me luck.