Nick Postagulous
Wednesday, October 06, 2004
The Chiron Hustle
My work announced that it was going to be letting us have free flu shots if we'd just wait in line like good little droogs on the 13th. So, I knew that I was taken care of. Also, Nina has a doctor's appointment on that same day, so I'm sure she'd get one then.
And I know, you naysayers out there, fussing that it's a roll of the dice and that it's possible to get flu symptoms off a vaccination. Sure, true, but 24 hours of Flu-Lite is lots better than a week of Captain Trip's Miracle Uber-Flu.
[Note: Captain Trips is the stupid name that Steven King used for a flu that wiped out nearly all of humanity in The Stand. I know it sounds drug related, but it's not. And now that we've flushed all possible humor away from my little literary reference...]
So, I'm heading out in my van, going to install a computer controlled rain gauge for my flow monitoring enviro-crap, and I hear on the radio that the UK yanked Chiron's pharmaceutical manufacturing license, thus, possibly changing the 48 million flu vaccs that they normally send to the US from medicine into an environmental paperwork issue. The only other company, which has a French sounding name, makes the other 54 million injections that the US uses. And usually, even with that 102 million, there are still always rumors of shortages.
I called Alison and she called Nina's doctor's office and we got her an appt for this afternoon. I'd be taking Nina to the doctor for the first time.
By the time, I had gotten of work, the big flu story had hit the mainstream media. Flu shots would be yanked from the common people and given via age discrimination to the elderly and other at risk types.
Hit Me With Your Best Shot
Nina was pleased to see me, but also oddly wanted to just leave her grandmother's house. I wonder if it was because on Friday we went on a walk with Brad and then on Monday we went to see my parents who feed her cake and pineapple and ice cream, etc. But today, nope, no fun for you.
She did enjoy the ride there in the Miata. She usually does. But she was acting tired and sucking her tongue, which isn't the best look, but I guess it's more acceptable to be a toddler and do that than an adult. But still, not a good look for being in public.
The actual doctor's office visit was what Alison and I would call a "surgical strike." I was maybe in the building for seven minutes and most of that was Nina walking herself out. We went in and I expected panic once she recognized the building, or the elevator, but she just wanted to push the elevator buttons. When we got into the waiting room, everything was still cool. Only when we were led into the actual exam room did she start crying a little. But once the nursey type who walked us back left the room, I said, "She's gone. You want to look around some?" And we did look around for about a minute and then the lady was back.
I was told I had to hold Nina down while the gal gave her a shot in the leg. I hugged her down, rather than using some obvious suppression move. Granted, I only worked for a vet for about 8 months, but I know how to hold an animal in an unescapable but comfortable hug.
A little crying after the shot. But once we cleared the room she had stopped. She got a sticker for her vaccination and a Wiggles sticker for just showing up. Once we were home, she was pleased as punch and had her first Boohbah fix since Friday.
