Like a Virgin…of the Flu…

I have never gotten a flu shot. There- I’ve said it. I’m a virgin of the flu shot. This is because I never get sick, so why do I need a shot to prevent something that, odds are, won’t happen anyway? I have also never had the flu (knock on wood!), which I think just makes me awesome. So I usually will accompany others onto their trips to get the flu shots, but I will leave shot-free. Today, I changed this and got my very first one.

This year, Chelle was heading over to get her flu shot, I was heading over with her, in case she needed someone to hold her hand. (She didn’t, but come on, what if she did?) As we were getting up to go, they told me that I should get one this year. I laughed, like I usually do when I hear about the flu, but they reminded me that something is different about this year – I’ve been a little close with someone, (Who I’ve already caught a cold from) so maybe it’s a good idea if I try to head off anything before it comes to me. I grabbed my wits and a little courage, and off we went.

The gal who gave me a shot asked me if it was my first time (I had marked it that way on the form, did she think I was lying to her already?) and when I confirmed that it was, she asked me if I had people that worked in my office with me. I gestured to Chelle, saying she was, and then she told me that since it was my first time, I needed to make sure that I was still alive fifteen minutes after getting it, since I could have a reaction. My throat could feel like it was closing, I could feel nauseous, all sorts of things. So of course, that makes me panic more than anything else does. She gave me the shot and sent me on my merry way.

On the walk back to my desk, I noticed a mediciney taste in my mouth. I asked if that was normal, and Chelle said she had one too, so I was fine with it. I was super paranoid for the next 15 minutes, making sure everything about me felt normal. I think had the gal not said anything to me about it, I would have been better off, because every little thing that happened, I was like, “Is this ok? Am I dying? Is this something else?” but luckily, I survived it. A couple of hours later, my arm started to hurt. Typing, writing, using my mouse, lifting my arm, everything just aches! It’s still that way right now, 5 hours later, but I am surviving. I will be stronger from this. And hopefully, I will be successful in once again dodging the flu.