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. 

COVID Vaccines and Cherries

As soon as the new Covid vaccines became available last week I scheduled an appointment with CVS for both me and my husband for yesterday. We had to go to another CVS in Vienna as it always seems to be an issue trying the schedule one in our neighborhood. We weren’t looking forward to it because every time we get this vaccine we know it will knock you out and your arm will hurt. And that’s exactly what happened. Since we got the vaccine later in the afternoon we are feeling the results of it today. We are both very tired and our arms hurt a lot! This makes for the NINTH injection! But when you are in the at risk category you really don’t have much of a choice. The last dose was in March 2024 followed by an actual Covid infection within two weeks. Luckily it wasn’t horrible, but I lost my sense of taste and it was quite awful. My husband had two pretty bad days. But it could have been so much worse without having been vaccinated all along. After we got the shots we walked over to Giant to see if they had any cherries. We didn’t get any on Tuesday on our usual grocery day because our Giant store didn’t have them. We were happy to see that they had some so we got a bag and drove back home. I am hoping that we can eventually have a week where we don’t need to make any appointments for anything. Good luck with that. All I can say is that the process is so much easier than in was when we got the first vaccines. Everything is automated from scheduling to vaccination records.  We should be thankful for that.  

RSV and Covid Vaccines at CVS

How many vaccines can a poor arm take? Apparently quite a few - especially over the last four years. This week was quite unusual for health care things - dental appointments, replacement crown, second cataract surgery, post op visit, and finally yesterday we went for our Covid booster. The last one we had was in April 2023. Since the virus is circulating again and due to our age, we knew it was inevitable that we would get another vaccine. So the appointments were scheduled for yesterday afternoon. Unfortunately our neighborhood CVS just wasn’t taking appointments so we had to take a ride out to Arlington. I couldn’t schedule the RSV vaccine on line at the same time, but when we arrived we asked to also have that. So additional paperwork was completed and both my husband and I ended up with two shots in one arm. We knew it was going to be sore and it was. We also knew that we would feel extraordinarily tired and we were. Having had my second cataract surgery this week I also need to sleep at a 30-60 angle upright and not lay on the affected side. So I think I was up at a least fifteen times last night.  I was also freezing and just couldn’t get warm so got four another blanket. This morning both of us didn’t think we would be able to get out of bed, but we did. We were even able to take in our usual morning walk. But now after brunch we are both starting to fade. I may end up taking a nap at some point. The sad thing is is that we will need to go back for the flue shot in October. And then I have jury duty. All the more reason to get vaccinated. Let’s hope I don’t get called to a case. I’m just not up to it after all of this. 

CVS Moderna Covid Bivalent Booster

Because of our ages, we have been waiting for the CDC to make a recommendation for a second Covid bivalent booster shot. We had our first bivalent booster - and fifth Covid shot - last September. That’s seven months ago. And as far as we know neither my husband nor I have had Covid. Lately we have become more comfortable not wearing masks indoors except when we go in to town in crowded indoor settings like the National gallery of art. Being health care professionals and common sense people, we wanted to continue to do everything we can to stay healthy. So keeping up on boosters is one of those ways. So as soon as we heard about the CDC guidelines for 65 and older this week, I got on the CVS app and made appointments for us today. I didn’t think there was a great deal of interest, and the CVS app was very easy to navigate and allowed us to set up a time for this morning at 1100. We were immediately sent text messages and emails to confirm the date and time. So during our morning walk we got a reminder about the appointment and drove over to CVS. Before we entered the store we checked in via text and walked to the pharmacy where they were waiting for us. The last time we were there for the first bivalent booster it was very crowded. This time we were the only ones. So they took us ahead of schedule and we were out in short order. You no longer get a discount coupon for participating and you need to provide your insurance information. We have been through this six times now! Here’s to another few days of sore arms and whatever else side effects come up. But at least we don’t have to think about it again for a while and can feel better about trying to finally live normal lives again. 

CVS Coupon

It’s very convenient to be able to schedule flu shots at CVS. We did that in September a couple of weeks after getting the COVID bivalent booster shot. Getting two shots at once wasn’t very appealing. After we got the flu shot we also received two coupons for five dollars off when spending twenty dollars. I suppose that’s the stores way if thanking you for using their services. These days I keep track of discounts more than usual for obvious reasons. The expiration date was by the end of this year and I left them in the car to remember to use them before they expired. So rather than buy lotion and such at the grocery store, we went to CVS to finally use the coupons. So we loaded our basket with lotion, fish oil, nasal spray and a few other things. When we went to check out we went to self check out. We had no trouble scanning the coupon, but it wouldn’t accept more than one. The store clerk came over and said you can’t use more than one coupon. If you read the fine print on the back it says you can’t combine the coupon with another, but I really didn’t pay attention. What we should have done was do two checkouts because the total was more than forty dollars. We need to remember that the next time around. Unfortunately we probably won’t be using the second coupon unless we can come up with a reason to get twenty more dollars of junk at CVS. I suppose getting five dollars is nice enough, but I’m still not happy about it. 

CVS Flu Vaccine

My poor arm has been stuck so many times in the last two years. Five Covid shots and boosters - the last one was in September for the combo omicron/original. We didn’t get the flu shot at the same time because getting the flu shot in October is a better idea. Hearing about the widespread flu possibility was one reason, but we have been getting flu shots for as long as I can remember. Working in health care had something to do with that. But the Library of Congress also offered the flu shots when I worked there. Since I retired we have been getting the flu shots at Giant along with grocery shopping. We filled out the forms beforehand. But when we brought them in this week there wasn’t enough staff to do it. So we decided to schedule the shot with CVS. We had just done the same with the Covid booster and it was pretty seamless. So we scheduled the shot for yesterday afternoon. The communication via email and text is great; I was able to schedule both my husband and myself together, and all of the required paperwork is filled in on line. You get a reminder to show up, let them know when you arrived in store via text, and we were taken care of immediately. And as a bonus we got two five dollar off coupons. I am surprised that our arms aren’t as sore - it’s nothing compared to the Covid shots. We even slept better than usual last night. Anyway, the systems are set up now to make things so much easier. I could set up an account on the giant pharmacy app, but our insurance prefers that we use CVS anyway. I’m just glad we are through with shots now - at least for the next few months. 

CVS and Boncare Digital Thermometer and Battery

It’s good to have a working thermometer in the house. But the CVS thermometer battery ran out of juice when my husband wanted to check his temperature the other day after receiving his second covid vaccine. So I got out the tiny screwdriver we have for glasses and opened up the tiny battery compartment. Of course we didn’t have that kind of battery, so we decided it might be a good idea to have battery replacements, but maybe an additional thermometer too. Since I couldn’t read the battery type I needed to get in a close shot of the thing. Of course the batteries were on Amazon, and I also found another digital thermometer from Boncare. Both the replacement batteries and thermometer arrived yesterday. It was easy enough to actually replace the battery and thing was in working order once again. So I think now we will have a thermometer for my husband and one for myself. It’s not such a bad idea. Luckily we don’t have a need for either one of them now. It’s always good to be prepared. 

CVS Digital Thermometer

It’s hard to believe someone still has a mercury thermometer. But we do - or should I say - did, until last week. My husband wasn’t feeling well and went to take his temp, only to drop the glass tube and it broke. Everyone should have some kind of thermometer in the house. I checked the App Store to see if there was an app for that without luck for our purpose. So the next day on our morning walk we went in the other direction towards CVS. Obviously a digital thermometer was what we needed. There were several to pick from and we ended up with the cheapest one. There were gadgets there for fifty dollars that you can connect with an app so you can keep track of things over time. It was overkill for our maybe once a year requirement. So now we have a digital thermometer for the next incident. I’m hoping we will never have to use it, but if we do I’m also hoping the battery will still work. 

Open Arms Medical Clinic in Hawthorne Florida

We left without taking one prescription medication on a short road trip. We stopped at a pharmacy and they said they either needed the bottle or a written prescription. Of course, the Med list on express scripts with an ID wouldn't do. So we had to find a walk in clinic. Along the route on highway 301 we stumbled upon Open Arms Medical Clinic. Even though it was in tiny Hawthorne Florida, we still needed to fill in six pages of history, provide insurance information, and wait for it all to be processed. But we wanted to take care of this issue so as not to have to think about it any more. It turns out my husband ended up liking the very kind and wonderful physician more than he likes his regular doctor. He said he was examined better than ever, and got a tour of the little place which included a laser, small surgery suite, and enough supplies to get the basics covered. We got the prescription he needed and had it filled at the CVS down the street. It reminds me of the show Doc Martin- a small town physician handling all the community medical care somewhere in England. Since we travel through this way regularly we could make this his primary care stop! It is an experience we won't soon forget - but those six pills ended up costing us about ten dollars each.