The Human Pin Cushion

I was thinking back on how scared I was when getting shots as a kid. I remember squirming in my chair, hoping that I could beg, cry, or bargain my way out of it. It always ended up the same way -- a bandaid (because I could totally bleed out from an injection, right?) and an overcompensating receptionist at the checkout counter offering me a lame sticker that said "super patient" or "way to go!" in consolation. As an adult, this hasn't gotten much easier for me, though I've managed to control my squirming and keep the whining to a minimum. This is a good thing because I have two more rounds of vaccinations.

We went to our travel medicine clinic last night to meet with a specialist and get our "exotic vaccines", as our family physician suggested. She went through a bunch of health risks associated with our move, provided us a list of recommended vaccines, and gave us a bunch of options for vaccination methods and malaria prevention. We got the first shot in a two shot series for Japanese Encephalitis, the first shot in a three shot series for Rabies, and opted for an injectable vaccination for Typhoid Fever; it lasts two years as opposed to the other option which lasts five. That one is a four-dose oral capsule taken every other day on an empty stomach. 


In addition to vaccines, we talked about malaria prevention. There are several options, all oral, some once-daily, others weekly, with a varying array of side effects and contraindications. For our upcoming trip in two weeks I'm going for the once-daily dose of doxycycline. 

Our total last night was $1698.00. The office visit was $55, the Typhoid vaccine was $115, the Rabies vaccine is $354 per shot (I need 3), and the Japanese Encephalitis is $325 per shot (I need 2). If I add the remaining vaccines to the total, we end up at $3764.00. That doesn't count the malaria medications, whichever we choose, but I can't imagine it will add too much on top of that.

On the housing front, it turns out that we won't know where we're living until we actually move in January. EEK! We talked to the relocation agent and she said she'd be showing us neighborhoods, apartment samples, and residential comps to give us an idea of what to expect, but that we'll most likely be living in a hotel for the first few weeks until we get settled. I'm really looking forward to getting a glimpse at what our daily life is going to be like, but am kind of anxious about not knowing where we'll be living.

Should be an adventure! 

All these vaccines! Polio will also be necessary if my partner and I can't find our immunization records...

Enjoying the farmers markets while it's still warm! 28 Sept 2013

Oysters are back in season on Long Island!! 28 Sept 2013