CVS Flu Vaccine

We got the latest Covid vaccine a little over two weeks ago at the CVS a couple of miles away. Our neighborhood CVS didn’t have them available yet. I didn’t want to get both the Covid and flu vaccines at the same time so I made an appointment for the flu shot on the CVS app for this week for both my husband and myself. This one was scheduled for the CVS that is just a couple of blocks away. I am still amazed at how easy it is to make these appointments and also have a record of all of these immunizations on line. We had a bit of a reaction to the Covid vaccine that lasted a couple of days. The flu shot was almost negligible. The person who administered the shot was the best too. This time we were both rewarded with the “I got my flu shot” sticker, a coupon for five dollars off of a twenty dollar purchase good through December, and a seven day plastic medication container that has already come in handy for my husband who is recently adjusting to two more prescriptions. It’s a nice way to get things organized. I can’t believe how many Covid, flu, RSV, pneumonia and shingles vaccinations our poor arms have gotten over the last few years. In the end it’s all worth it and it puts our minds at rest - for the next few months. 

Flu Vaccines, Subaru Check, Last of the Eye Drops

It was a day to get tasks completed. Slowly but surely we are catching up with the mundane activities that just need to get done. This morning we needed to drive to the Subaru shop for a six months check. I made the appointment last week even though you can just drive in. We had the 90,000 mile review back in March so we lucked out with just the routine oil and filter and general inspection. At the same time we did our morning walk and as we were approaching the shop we got the call that the car was ready. I brought in the ten dollars off coupon. Gone are the days where these sorts of things were fifty dollars. On Tuesday we picked up papers that need to be filled in for flu shots at the Giant when we went for groceries. For whatever reason the neighborhood CVS a wasn’t taking appointments so this is our default pharmacy. We submitted the paperwork but we’re told there was an hour wait. So we went home, had breakfast, and returned. We were immediately attended to - I was surprised it wasn’t busier since lunch time is always more traffic. I don’t know how our arms are tolerating so many vaccines. We got our RSV and Covid vaccines three weeks ago and now the flu vaccine. All I know is I was summoned to jury duty for next week and will feel more protected having got the vaccines. And this week marks the last week for cataract eye drops. I’m down to one drop a day - things are looking up!

Four Vaccinations in Five Months - Ouch!

Having worked in health care for thirty years, it was a mandatory requirement to get the flu vaccine - or you couldn’t work. Since then, I always got the shot when I worked at the Library of Congress. My husband would get his shot at a drug or grocery store. This year we both got the flu shots in September before we took a two week trip to Wisconsin. It was good to get it over with, but both of us caught some awful bug while we were there. For my annual check up in June I got a pneumonia vaccine because I hit the magic age that it is recommended. And I’ll need another one next year. On top of that, shingles vaccines were also recommended. I got one a couple of months ago at the Giant grocery store - our “go to” place. But you need to get another one within two to six months. So we decided to go ahead and get the second booster yesterday. I recall some vague discomfort with the first shot. If anyone is going to have side effects, it’s going to be me. Last night I had the chills so bad they wouldn’t quit throughout the night. I was also nauseated, had a headache, a racing heart rate, aching joints, and a very restless and sleepless night. Today I’m just plain exhausted - so much so that we decided to stay in today because going out for lunch would be a waste of time. So I had two pieces of toast and some bubbly ginger ale to settle my stomach. I’ve always said the two worst sensations are nausea and headaches. Having them at the same time is disgusting. So I looked up the side effects and I had every one of them. My poor left arm is ever so sore too - four shots in five months is overkill - but necessary. 

 

Giant Flu Shots

After going for our usual morning walk in the park we drove over to the Falls for a Greek lunch at “Our Mom Eugenia.” It’s always a really pleasant drive to and from the restaurant, and the food is delicious. We always order a full dinner to take home aside from our lunch. It’s also getting to be time for flu shots, so rather than wait until October we also decided it would be a good idea to get that out of the way. I checked the Giant website yesterday to make sure the shots were available, and they were. I also learned that the neighborhood Giant was open twenty four hours except the pharmacy closed at ten. And, since we needed to pick up some bread, we could get both errands done. I didn’t think it would be very busy at one pm in the afternoon on a Tuesday - but it was. There was a steady stream of customers picking up prescriptions and also getting flu shots. There is something funny about going to a grocery store to get a shot. But honestly, I much prefer going there than to the doctor office. At least you don’t need to mingle with “sick” people coughing and sneezing all over the place. Unfortunately I need to go back within the next four months to get the second shingles shot. My poor left arm is getting poked much too often. I just need to remember to move it around so it doesn’t get too sore. Having been in health care for thirty years doesn’t make any of this easier. But it beats the alternative. 

Sore Throat or Nexium for Heartburn?

We got our flu shots a couple of weeks ago. For the last several days I was feeling not quite myself. Then a couple of days ago I got a sore throat that would not quit. Two nights ago I couldn’t sleep it was so bad. I kept thinking about strep throat and nightmares about the emergency room. When my husband checked my throat it wasn’t red or weird. But with every swallow it hurt. And in between the swallows it felt inflamed and on fire. So we thought maybe I was having heartburn or acid reflux, and got some Nexium. It seemed I had a lot of the signs and symptoms for it. But I was also chilled and hot, and I felt congested - but no temperature. Yesterday I took a nap in the afternoon from exhaustion. But my throat still burned. So out came the DayQuil. Then out came the NyQuil. I slept on a wedge last night and didn’t move a muscle for most of the night. I still don’t have an appetite and just feel exhausted. But for the first time in several days that horrible sore throat is finally gone. So it’s more DayQuil today and more sleep this afternoon. We still don’t know what this is - a cold, virus, flu, heartburn - all of them? All I know is I can’t wait until it’s over and happy I don’t need to be anywhere. I’d much rather be taking a morning walk or getting my drivers license renewed. But that will just have to wait. 

Flu Shot Time at Safeway - Plus a Coupon

I used to get my flu shot at work. It was always in October. Then we would find a place for my husband to get his. We have been to CVS, Giant, McLean Pharmacy, and Safeway. Because I am now retired, we have been going to Safeway for the last two years because we are now registered there, and you also get coupons for 10% off up to $200 on groceries - something you don’t get anywhere else. Last week we thought we might try the CVS down the street, or even the MedStar Clinic associated with our doctor office. But we just didn’t get there. I just wanted to get it over with. So while grocery shopping on Saturday we thought it might be a good time. But there was a line and my husband didn’t want to wait. So we drove to McLean Pharmacy and saw too much activity and decided to wait - again. It’s not like we had anything better to do. Then we thought we would get the shot before dinner on Sunday, but the Pharmacy was closed. So this morning we didn’t take our usual morning walk and headed out to McLean Pharmacy. When we walked in they said they ran out of shots on Saturday. This was getting annoying! So we ended up back at the Safeway where there was no line, we were seen right away, and we didn’t have to process a lot of paperwork because we had been there last year. And we got not just two - but three - coupons because there were two left on my paperwork clipboard. So in the end it was worth it. We don’t go to our doctors office for the flu shot because it is advised to stay away from a waiting room of usually sick people. Although it seemed to take a while to finally get this annual immunization done, it worked out in our favor. 

Flu, Friends, and Chicken Soup

I knew something was wrong the minute I got up yesterday morning. My husband looked and felt like he had something dreadful. Just because he was sitting in the chair rather than listening to his early morning programs in his usual spot was a clue. He was listless, had a fever, a rapid heart rate, a slight headache, and was nauseated. He is rarely, if ever, ill. So this was very unexpected. We both get flu shots every year, and I heard that there was an uptick in flu cases this month. So he slept the day away, and I checked on him every hour or so. The last time he was like this we landed in the emergency room, but he was congested and really sick then. Luckily he is much better today and his appetite has returned. I sent a note yesterday to our friends to let them know we would have to cancel our planned get together this evening. They responded in kind by delivering a container of home made chicken soup this afternoon, and he - and I - enjoyed every last bit of it. One can feel quite helpless at times like this, and it can be a reminder of what the future might bring. But it's also a time to reflect on friendship. Nothing can be more important. 

The Torture Chamber

It looks nice enough. But looks can be deceiving. For the last two weeks, both my husband and I have been suffering from an incessant viral respiratory illness. We both had flu shots but to no avail. The holidays were completely spoiled. Finally, we are beginning to feel more like ourselves and have begun to go out a bit here and there. During the day, all this stuffiness and coughing is tolerable only because there are so many distractions. But when night falls, things change. When I have to go to work, we generally are in bed by midnight. But lately, we have been staying up until 1:30 watching old movies...or perhaps I am just trying to avoid going to the torture chamber. As soon as I get in to bed, the coughing begins and doesn't stop - even with NyQuil or DayQuil. I think it has all lost it's impact by now. It's 3 AM before I can even start to settle down. The pillows just don't feel right, and it's tossing and turning all night. The bedroom isn't supposed to be that way and I am dreaming of a good night's rest. Luckily these things do come to an end, and I know I am making more out of this than is necessary. I'm sure we will eventually get back to our old schedule, and I can't wait. There is no room for torture chambers in anyone's house. 

Behind Bars

We have bars on our first floor windows. We never had bars on our windows in Milwaukee. When we first moved here, I couldn't see anything but the bars, but now they just blend in to the back ground. But now they have even more significance because we have not been out of the house since Christmas Eve. First my husband caught whatever this ugly respiratory virus is, and now I have it. I feel like a prisoner in my own house. The streets in this neighborhood are still very quiet, and I envy anyone I see walking about. In the distance are a few guys ambling towards work, or maybe just out for lunch. The UPS man just stopped by. There is a lady promenading across the street. Being sick gives one plenty of opportunity to think, and too much thinking isn't always good. This has been an unusually dreary December for us, and this just makes it worse. I'd rather be feeling well and working than be at home like this. There is no snow on the ground like there would undoubtedly be in the Midwest. My husband is finally feeling better after many days. What do I really have to complain about? I'm looking forward to 2015. 

Flu Shot at Giant

I get my flu shot at work. The flu clinic is scheduled to begin this week. But my husband needs to get his flu shot somewhere else, and he really dislikes going to the medical clinic in the neighborhood. The service there is not always the best so we try to limit our time there to annual exams. Having been in health care for thirty years in Milwaukee, we had to get flu shots in order to stay employed. If you have ever had the flu, that's an even better reason to get a shot. For the last few years we have been going to McLean where there is a CVS near the place we go for brunch on Saturday. But the last two years have proven difficult to get the job done...either the person giving the shots was on lunch break, or there was a very long line in front of us. So, as we did last year, we went next door to the Giant Food store, and headed over to the pharmacy. There is something very weird about being in a grocery store waiting to get a flu shot. You keep yourself occupied until your number is called, and the number is also displayed overhead. The whole thing took about twenty-five minutes from getting the paper work processed to the time of the injection. The amount of stuff that we received following the visit was ridiculous. It contained several pages about the flu shot, but there were also a bunch of store deals and coupons. These days it hardly matters where you get the shot, I'm just glad it's easily available - even if it's in a grocery store.