HM's Pride Has Left The Building

OK, I hope you're all happy now. I took my boys for a flu shot, and
have had nothing but bad luck since then. First of all, my mom called
there yesterday to ask about the flu shots. She was told they had it,
and that I could bring the boys by after school today. This was the
same as I'd heard the one receptionist tell other people who called
while we were in the office last week.

We got there, and the snooty receptionist said, "Don't you have an
appointment?" Umm...NO, BECAUSE YESTERDAY YOU SAID
WE DIDN'T NEED ONE! She said there would be a wait. Yeah.
There is always a wait. Never mind that they have signs posted all
over the office telling you that if you are more than 15 minutes late
for your appointment, they will cancel it, but still bill you for it. Oh,
and on the same wall is a sign that says "Please bear with us if it you
have to wait awhile before being called, especially if it's 30 minutes
or more. We are giving our patients the best of care." This is my
kids' doctor because their old doctor gave up his family practice
to be an ER on-call doctor. Go figure. This was the only place taking
new patients back then. It's hard to live in the middle of nowhere.

We waited about half an episode of Leave It To Beaver, and then
went back to the exam room. #1 son had a little fit about not wanting
to go first. He was quite an embarrassment. The nurse told him,
"Don't jerk away!" She could see it in his eyes. He whimpered like
a schoolgirl having a lollipop ripped from her sticky fingers. The next
victim, #2 son, was a bit wary, but I told him he could squeeze my
hand. He was good, in spite of the evil #1 telling him just as the
needle was poised, "It REALLY hurts!"

Walking out to the car, #1 said his arm hurt. I told him that wouldn't
happen until the next morning. #2 windmilled his arm, showing off.
After the 10-minute drive home, #1 said his leg wouldn't work. It
was the leg on the opposite side of the shot. Then he said both his
legs felt weak. Then his chest hurt. Then he had a sudden headache.
I can't wait until I have to take him to get braces on his teeth.

Poor little #2 did not say a word. Then he ran into the bathroom and
vomited. It has happened 4 times now. When he got off the bus today,
he asked me to feel his head. It did not seem feverish to me. During
the 3rd round of vomiting, he broke out in a little sweat. I'm thinking
he was just worked up thinking about the shot all day. Oh, then there's
the matter of him falling down at school and banging his head on a ramp.
Yeah. Could he mention this when we were in the doctor's office without
an appointment? No! So now I don't know if he had a virus and should
never have gotten the flu shot today, or if he's reacting to the flu shot,
or if he has a concussion, or if he has bleeding in his brain from the fall.
He nodded off once after the first bout of vomiting. He doesn't have
ringing in his ears, and says he didn't get knocked out by the fall, and
says his eyes are working fine. I suppose he'll survive the night.

So there, all you flu vaccine naysayers! ARE YOU HAPPY NOW?
Have I been punished enough?

Call me when y'all get the flu.
It will be my turn to say I TOLD YOU SO.