We Got Our Shots (Day 3553 - 8/17/19)

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Stephen and Mallory got some vaccinations today. Their car is still getting fixed, so they asked Steve to drive them to the MinuteClinic to get shots. They both knew what vaccinations they needed. Stephen and Mal got their vaccinations at the same time, but had different practitioners. Both of them needed to get the Hepatitis A and typhoid shots. Stephen mentions that the typhoid shot might be a hint to where they're going for their upcoming trip. After they finished, they realized that they got slightly different shots.

The doctor looked at Stephen's immunization record and told him that he's supposed to get the tetanus shot every 10 years. Stephen's last tetanus shot was in 1999, so he also got a tetanus shot along with the other 2 shots. However, Mal's doctor didn't tell her to get the tetanus shot even though she last got it in 2006. Her doctor did recommend that she get the flu shot though which Stephen didn't get. Mal also got some medicine for traveler's diarrhea and motion sickness. Mal put a post-it note on Stephen's record so that he would remember to ask for the 2 medicines, but he forgot about it.

It has been a long time since Stephen's had so many shots at once. The doctor gave him the tetanus shot in his left arm since the tetanus shot is known to make your arm sore. So, Stephen's left arm is currently sore. He has been moving his arms around to help lessen the soreness. Both of Mal's arms hurt even though she didn't get the tetanus shot and she had a slight fever earlier. Stephen didn't get a fever even though the doctor told him it was possible he might get a slight fever after getting his shots. Mal says that it feels like she has restless leg syndrome but in her arms.

The doctor also told Stephen that he never finished getting his Hepatitis B vaccinations. The Hepatitis B vaccinations consist of 3 shots that are given over the course of 6 months and Stephen had only ever gotten the 1st shot. He never received his 2nd or 3rd shot which was odd because his parents are pro-vaccinations, so they wouldn't have prevented him from getting it. Mal says that she got her Hepatitis B in middle school where they asked all the students to come to the cafeteria to get shots. After getting the shot, they were able to leave and got a doughnut as a reward. Stephen had asked the doctor if he could get the Hepatitis B shot today, but the doctor told him it would be useless even if he did. This is because the Hepatitis B is a process that is done over 6 months, so getting only 1 shot would be useless. The doctor said that Hepatitis B is sexually transmitted or transmitted through sharing needles. Stephen says that he won't be doing any of that, so the doctor told him that it should be fine even if he doesn't get the shot now.

Mal says that the Hepatitis A vaccination also has 2 shots, so they have to go back 6 months. Then, Stephen talks about how he handles needles really well. When he was 14 years old, he got pneumonia so he had to go to the doctor every day in order to get a shot. He had to get shots on alternating arms for about a week and a half, so he just got used to needles and wasn't afraid of needles after that. Then, Stephen says that he will talk about the details of the upcoming trip soon.