Blerg.  Eat . . . no, no, NO!  NOT eat.

I decided I really would get a seasonal flu vaccination this year and not just think about it, as I’ve always done before.  I have several risk factors for flu (age, compromised respiratory system, metabolic disease), and with the H1N1 strain floating around as well this year, I thought I needed to.

I made an appointment to get the vaccination this morning at the Empire’s on-site health center (we have a full-bore clinic in the next building over, with M.D. on duty and everything), so I went at 11:00 to keep it.  Paid the co-payment ($10, much cheaper than if I’d gone to Walgreen’s or HEB), got the release to sign, got the two-page information sheet with all the possible side effects listed, with full orchestration and five-part harmony.  Naughty naughty health center; the information sheet was printed one-sided on two pages, and company policy, as well as all our printer settings, mandate two-sided printing for everything unless you have a DAMN good reason to do otherwise.  But I had fun, fillin’ out the form on the bench and playin’ with the pencil.

The physician assistant, who was the one actually giving the shots, had to go rummage up more disposable needles—she’d just run out—then sat down, went over all the questions on the release form yet again.  Perhaps this was policy and she had to be able to say, if ever called on, that she heard me say aloud the answers I gave.  Then she gave me The Shot, apologized for drawing a drop or two of blood, and put a Band-Aid™ on the site.  I told her I was diabetic AND a blood donor, so a drop or two of my blood totally failed to excite me.

I went back upstairs and back to work, and didn’t stop for lunch, which may have been a good thing, considering, ’cos about an hour later I started feeling odd, with abdominal cramps, queasiness, and lower GI distress.  That went on all afternoon, and is going on yet.   It’s a good thing I had already scheduled to have tomorrow off work for other reasons, ’cos right now I don’t know whether I’ll feel enough better to do very much.  (I’m supposed to go answer phones at KUT pledge drive.)

Red Tanya, let’s play Saturday by ear.  I have a copy of the release form to show the blood bank, but if I still feel bad I’ll take a bye.  Do have a work-y something I want to get your advice about, though.