Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Fire Away

I got shot today. The flu shot, that is.

Normally, the girls and I get a flu shot every year. The Mister never bothers, largely because he is a man and somehow thinks that positive thinking and testosterone will keep him immune. ("Why would I get a shot, I never get the flu", he says, to which I retort, "you don't get the flu because everyone else gets the flu shot. You are relying on other people's immunity to keep you from getting sick, and frankly, I can't trust other people to put the grocery carts back in the little shed thing correctly, but perhaps you have more faith in your fellow man than I".)

But H1N1 is a nasty virus, and even the Mister decided not to chance it this year. At this clinic, they were giving both the seasonal one and the H1N1, which pleased Thing 2 not at all. She thought it was monumentally unfair that she should have to endure TWO shots at once, like avoiding one virus was all that could be reasonably expected of her. But as the person who would have to do the laundry should she get a virus and puke all over her bed, I insisted.

She scowled and gave me the stink eye for the half hour we waited in line, and no amount of reassurance or sympathy from her sister or great-aunt we brought with us was going to alleviate her grim forbearance.

The Mister took Thing 1 with him to one table, while I took Thing 2, and she sat down with all the enthusiasm Toby displays at the vet's., except she did not meow loud enough to startle small children. I tried to distract her by asking what the worst thing she'd ever eaten was, and who she thought was the had the biggest feet of anyone she knew or whether or not she thought Toby knew what he looked like. And then I promised her a trip to Disney World if she got the shots. (The nurse was amused up to this point, but she looked absolutely astounded at that last one. Then I told her we had already booked the trip a month ago.)
And then it was all over.

Everyone has a two tender arms this evening, and I'm sure there will be a need for ice and Tylenol later. But there will be no flu for the Loudshoes this year, and for that I am grateful.
I won't tell her we will have to do it all again next year.

1 comment:

Carolyn said...

Glad to hear the Loudshoes family has had their flu shots. The three priority people in mine got the H1N1 shot a couple of weeks ago. Keep the Tylenol handy and don't be afraid to use it. We were all "fluish and feverish" for two days after getting shot. While the aftermath wasn't a pleasant experience, the alternative appears to be far worse. Hubby gets his needle tomorrow. I expect I will have to deal with a MAN COLD type scenario all weekend. Best fallout from the H1N1 shot? Do you remember how pleasant the weather was a couple of Saturdays ago? I got to sit on the deck ALL SATURDAY AFTERNOON, reading "The Help", uninterrupted and guilt-free because I was under-the-weather, you know.