Why I got a flu shot.

[Note:  This post was intended to appear on Oct 11.  I’ve just noticed that I apparently never hit the Publish button.  Ruined my perfect record!]

 

I got my flu shot the other day.

I’ve been getting them every year around this time for the past couple of years.  Never bothered before then because I thought I’d had the flu many times.  I had all kinds of illnesses over the years with flu-like symptoms.  I was pretty miserable each time, but no big deal.  Better than a poke in the arm with a sharp needle, anyway.

Or so it seemed.

And then, I got the flu.

At that point, I realized all those other illnesses were something else.  The flu is to those other ailments as an anaconda is to a garter snake.  You don’t want to fool around with the flu.

When I had the actual flu, I was out of commission for about a week.  Fever, chills, and an aching in the bones that just wouldn’t quit.  It was exactly like that old joke:  First, you’re afraid you’re gonna die.  And then you’re afraid you won’t.

What a misery!  I understood for the first time how it was that the 1918 pandemic killed so many people.  Estimates are as high as 50 million.  I’m sure whatever strain of the flu it was that I had was nowhere near as virulent as the 1918 version.  It was bad enough, though.

Consequently, I get a flu shot every year.  I don’t want to go through that again.  Better a poke in the arm with a sharp needle.

I highly recommend a flu shot if you haven’t already gotten one.  It only hurts for a minute.  (Obviously, you should check with a doctor before taking any kind of medication you’ve never taken previously.  But it’s worth checking.)

Today, I am thankful that I have access to modern immunization procedures.  And I am thankful that I have medical insurance that covers a yearly flu shot.

And I am more than thankful that I do not have the flu!