Flu Shot

Every year I get a flu shot. I get this flu shot for several reasons; the main one being I don't want to get the flu.

Everywhere I look for 'senior' stuff the advice is to get a flu shot. Medicare pays for the shot; there is no co-pay for flu shots! They figure the cost of the shot is much cheaper than paying doctor bills, medicine, hospital bills, etc. that will incur if someone gets the flu.

Back in 1993 I got pneumonia. It was the worst kind of pneumonia and I nearly died. After I recovered my doctor told me to get a pneumonia shot and to get a flu shot every year. Since I had no desire to get that sick again I took his advice and every year without fail I get a flu shot. One good thing, since I started getting flu shots, I never get a bad cold anymore. Maybe those awful colds I used to get were not colds after all, but were the flu!

This year I found out I needed another pneumonia shot so when the local Walgreen's had their annual flu clinic I decided to get both shots and be done with it. This was a mistake. By nightfall, my arm was hurting. I don't mean sore, I mean hurting! Bad! I had a headache as well. I don't usually have headaches so I figured it was a result of the shots, took some Tylenol and went to bed early.

Sometime during the night it got really cold. Then it got really hot. By morning I thought I might be dying. It went on this way for two days. My arm hurt so bad I couldn't even raise it up. Fever came and went. I felt so bad I didn't even read my email. Folks who know me would have been really alarmed by that! My son wanted to take me to the emergency room. I didn't want to make the effort.

Then on the third day after I got those shots I woke up and I was me again. I felt great! My arm was not hurting. I could raise it up over my head. No more fever. Life was good again.

Now I wonder, which one of those shots made me so sick? The flu shot or the pneumonia shot? The combination? All I know for sure is I am very glad I won't need that pneumonia shot again!

I will still get a flu shot next year, but I will make sure I have Tylenol that isn't out of date! Sadly I had to throw a bunch of Tylenol away; the expiration date was two years ago! I figure the flu would last a lot longer than the time I was down with the side effects from the shot.

Martha