Oh, The Joy Of Working In The Health Care Industry
Occupational health decided that today would be a good day to stab me repeatedly. Four times, to be precise
Now, I *know* that I had the MMR back in high school, because a girl in my class came down with measles and we all had to be vaccinated. But since I couldn’t provide proof (I don’t know the dates I was immunized or by whom – it might have been at my doctor’s office, but it might have been the public health nurse who came to the school). And the MMR vaccine hurts like a mofo and you have to do it in two doses, about a month apart!
I also know that I had the hepatitis B vaccine, because that was only a few years ago, but I had to do a blood test to prove it. I’ve never had a TB test before but, seriously, where am I going to get tuberculosis? The TB skin test involves injecting a bit of TB protein under your skin and then it requires that you “read” the results in 48 hours by measuring the size of the resulting lump. Fortunately, I know a nurse or 25 that can help me with this if I have any problems.
I don’t begrudge the tetanus shot so much – you are supposed to have that every 10 years and my last one was ~9 years ago (I know that because I had it done when I started my Ph.D. as I was working with lab rats and so was at risk of rat bites and thus, tetanus), so I decided just to get it done with the rest of them rather than have to go back next year. Plus, the tetanus shot doesn’t hurt as much as the MMR – with tetanus, you just feel the needle prick, but after that you don’t feel it. Unlike MMR, which feels like they are inserting 1000 lbs of solid lead into your arm.
And to top it all off, though I work in the health care industry, I don’t actually work with patients! My chances of catching anything at work, other than a computer virus, are, I think, pretty slim.
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Tags: hepatitis B, immunization, MMR, needles, photos, tetanus, tuberculosis, vaccine
Those computer virus can be nasty, though, and you are a cyborg, after all!
I’ve had the TB test at least 3 times (you have to have it to visit Russia) and I’ve done the Hep B several times too. And then, when pregnant, they give all of them to you too. Now, I keep great records, so I don’t have to get stabbed as much.
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We had TB done when we were kids (I remember b/c I was scared I’d react like my Nonna, who’s allergic to the protein they inject, so she reacts as if she has TB).
MMR was by health nurses in high school. Stupid measles outbreak. The vaccine given in the late 1970s in ON was faulty, so they re-vaccinated everyone (even people like me who’d be vacced in QC.
They sure suck, though. I don’t think Teddy will have fun with MMR at 12 months.
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