Mr. T had a routine doctor appointment today, part of monitoring his epilepsy treatment--is it a HIPA violation to share all of this? One wonders anymore... Anyhoo, they were doling out flu shots for $20 and a full waiting room sat with sleeves rolled up, ready for their inoculations. As we passed and he looked at me fearfully, I assured Mr. T that I have never gotten any of Team Testosterone flu shots and I'm not about to start.
I believe in common sense health care--I had epidurals when I delivered Mr. G and Mr. B--I would've done so with Mr. T, too, had I known how much giving birth huuuurts. Team Testosterone has had all of the required vaccinations--chicken pox, mumps, polio. These are harmful diseases whose spread is eradicated largely through vaccinations and that's a good thing. I dole out Motrin for fevers and bad headaches, but we're a healthy crew over here. Vigilant hand washing, a clean house, fresh air, plenty of fruit and vegetables and exercise combine with excellent genes. We wear seatbelts, brush our teeth, limit our exposure to chemicals because I'm green that way and consume mostly whole grains. Mr. T's epilepsy and my asthma aside, we don't suffer ailments much.
But I'm embarrassed to admit to folks around here that we don't "do" the flu shot--it's that popular. People put as much a premium on flu shots as they do car seats for toddlers. Saying I don't get the kids flu shots is akin to saying I let my kids run a dogfighting ring with wild Rottweilers. Doesn't go over well at all. I've never heard evidence that the flu shot prevents the flu, only lessens it's effects. And then the timing of that flu shot is so debatable--get it in November, and you're S.O.L come March when half the population is down for the count, you're right along with them. Get it in January and you risk catching the virus in December. Pffft. We skip it and guess what? Twice we've had influenza in our house. Twice in ten years. Taking my chances is paying off.
Our doctor came in and began asking Mr. T questions about the flu at his school. Yes, lots of kids have been out. Mr. B's class was down nearly 1/3 last week. The custodians are getting a work out from the sounds of it--it hits these rugrats like a Mack truck and they can't make it to the wastebaskets in time. A lot of clinics are telling people who suspect H1N1 to just stay home, they're that busy.
Then Dr. K asked if they'd be giving the flu shot at Mr. T's school. No, we didn't think so. "That's good," he said. "They should have been giving it over a month ago but it wasn't ready. Now it's too little too late and it won't do any good anyway."
And so I left the doctor's office feeling vindicated once more--and wondering how we can put a man on the moon, but we can't cure the flu.
0 comments:
Posting Komentar