Yesterday afternoon Steve and I played pin cushion for our shots in preparation for our trip to Uganda. I should get the most sympathy because I received a total of 5 shots. Steve only had to get 3. The above are my band-aids. Steve got Spider Man.
I made a smart comment about getting a sucker and my favorite nurse, Pat, was on it! She left the room and came back directly with the Blow Pop suckers. And of course it had to be two suckers in the same flavor (watermelon) just to insure there would be no fighting. She’s had experience, I could tell. I was surprised at the upgrade in suckers from the doctor’s office. I expected the old fashioned ones with the safety handles. But no, Blow Pops!
We were both a little surprised to end up getting so many shots. Before we traveled to Uganda in 2005, we thought we covered our bases and got the Hepatitis A & B, Tetanus and the required Yellow Fever vaccine. Somehow we’d both missed the 2nd Hepatitis A booster and I had missed the 3rd Hepatitis B booster that time around. Plus I had not gotten a flu shot this season so opted to get that. I thought I might as well get them all done at once.
After we both were seated in the office, Pat gave us both a printout of the CDC recommendations for those traveling to Uganda. This year they recommend both Typhoid and Meningitis. The doctor left it up to us to make the final decision about which shots to get and we opted on the side of caution. And once you get the Hepatitis series you are good for life so I completed those.
Pat warned us that the Typhoid shot would be the most painful. It didn’t feel any different than the rest to me. But I do have to admit that I iced both arms before going to bed last night and my left arm is still a little sore this morning. “Ouch” as it says on my pretty pink band-aid. But I’m sure it will be “all better!” soon.
So we’ve gotten two items crossed of the to-do list. We purchased travel insurance last week and have our shots. We will pick up the prescription for malaria medicine from our pharmacy as soon as they get it in. We take that medicine a day or so before we leave, daily while we are in Uganda and seven days after our return.
My next post maybe I’ll share my to-do list, once I start it. It would be good to get it down on paper. I think it would quiet my mind to have a list. I think I’ll also start a ‘Uganda pile’ of items for the trip.
One interesting side note about our trip to the doctor for shots–it just so happens that our nurse, Pat, is also traveling to Africa soon! She is going to go to Nairobi, Kenyan to visit her son and his family who serve with a missionary agency there. Her flights are almost identical to ours, just a month earlier. I love the way God works!
