I Got Shot

Catchy title, no?

But it is true, I got shot. I got shot 3 times, twice in my left arm and once in my right arm.

And I paid for it!

What is this madness you’re reading?! Allow me to explain; I was shot, by a medical assistant, who injected me with vaccines.

Hehehehe

As afraid, and hesitant, and nervous as needles make me, I went ahead and got vaccinated for my trip to South East Asia.

I tossed and turned for months; is it worth it? What about the side effects or adverse reactions? They’re expensive, shouldn’t I save that money towards my trip? Needles suck- what am I thinking?!

And then, a wee bit of rationale kicked me in the face.

First of all, kids have to get shots almost every year for the first 5 years of their life, so, stop whining. Second, it will be much cheaper to pay for these vaccines then to pay that lovely deductible you have if you catch a disease and end up being hospitalized. Third, you’ve never had an allergic reaction to anything in your life, chill out.

So, off I went and entrusted my handy-dandy YELP app to direct me to the best (and most wallet-friendly) travel clinic I could find! A winner, winner, chicken dinner popped up quickly and the reviews were pretty positive overall. They were by far the cheapest, which made me a bit nervous because you do get what you pay for sometimes. Although, because the reviews were so positive, I went ahead with them. I called and went in the same day, because I knew if I didn’t go that same day, I was NOT going to be vaccinated, ever.

I arrived to the clinic 30 minutes before closing, I was the only patient there. Everything went through pretty quickly. Filled out a bunch of paperwork promising not to sue; checked my blood pressure to ensure I wasn’t going to pass out mid-exam, chatted with the doctor about which vaccines I “really” need, pay for everything upfront, before any goodies were administered, etc., because OF COURSE, your insurance doesn’t cover this.

As the Medical Assistant led me back into the room I tried my best to keep my cool. I like to think I looked something like this.

I waited on the patient bench/bed/seat thing and stared off into the painting on the wall as she opened all her tools from the packaging. I never watch that part, it only makes me more anxious. Thankfully, like all nice medical people, she talked to me about something else, my trip! I summoned my inner chatty Kathy and took a few deep breaths as she began to pinch my arm- this was it!!!

Time stopped.

J/k! Hahaha!

It was nothing! Seriously, a little pinch, and then another little pinch, and she was off to my next arm. I laughed in disbelief! How could I have been so afraid of something so tiny?! She injected the last vaccine, which was a bit heavier than the first two, but completely survivable, as you can see, because I’m writing this.

Lovely medical assistant lady told me to sit tight for 10-15 minutes to ensure I didn’t have a weird reaction, and I perused a magazine to pass the time.

Once my time was up, they all congratulated me again on my upcoming adventure and off I went into the sunset, and LA rush hour traffic. Thankfully, home wasn’t too far away.

I was basically 100% happy with my decision with this travel clinic and my purchases. My only buyers remorse was a $45 antibiotic the doctor recommended. At the time it seemed like a great idea, as usual, but as soon as I got in the car I mildly regretted it. He said if I get a case of VERY BAD, AND ONLY VERY BAD diarrhea, take one of these puppies and I’ll have no need for a hospital visit in a foreign country. Maybe I will, maybe I wont, but I guess it’s better to have and not need, right??? So we’ll see if I actually use them, I’ll let you know!

I’m just thankful that I kept my composure and this didn’t happen.

Here is the cost breakdown for my three vaccines; malaria, typhoid fever, and tetanus:

Consultation fee: $20

Malaria vaccine: $85

Typhoid vaccine: $95

Tetanus vaccine: $95

Antibiotics: $45

Total cost: $340

Peace of mind= priceless

Have you had any interesting/funny/not what you expected experiences with vaccines? Do share them! I always love to hear someone else’s point of view. 🙂

Until next time my darlings,