innoculations

So here's what's happened to me since my last post, or more appropriately, what's happened to my arms since. First my left arm got the Hep A booster, and now I'm good for life with that puppy. That one wasn't that bad, I can't say I felt it for long after. Then a few weeks pass until my appointment with a global travel nurse, to advise me of any and all additional innoculations that I should receive before I embark upon my journey to non-Western countries. Because a journey to Western countries is not a challenge - if I survive, then I guess I've been able to avoid the dreaded Dengue Fever, but more 0n that in a moment.

At the travel nurse, where I was for an entire seventy-five minutes, mind you, I found that where I was most concerned about malaria or intestinal parasites, I am now phenomenally concerned with dengue fever (for which the only prevention is a good repellant), rabies from stray mammals (if I see one stray animal ashore, I will run back to the boat like a hobo running towards a hot apple pie), and the classic influenza deterent, the bird flu (I read a report today that it's expanding again in Asia, so I'm really thrilled about it...)

The nurse asks which my dominant arm is, and shoots the Typhoid Fever vaccine into the non-dominant arm (which is apparently only good for two years, the vaccine, not the arm). The non-dominant arm is used because the innoculation makes the arm sore, and as I learned very sore. I have a low pain threshold and I'm not afraid to admit it.

Then comes the interesting innoculation, the one I need to enter Brazil, the Yellow Fever shot. A shot so, uh.., important that it comes with its own paperwork. I was told there's only a small risk of death because it's an active vaccine. That was comforting. Also, literally a second before the needle went in the arm, the nurse mutters, as if it were a passing comment, "I've been told by past patients that this stings." And in the needle goes!

The side effects of the Yellow Fever are in 25% of the population and include aches/pains, fever, and soreness. I was fine for days afterwards, what one would think would make me good to go. However, my focus was not on the Yellow Fever shot, because the Typhoid shot made my arm so sore, it felt like I had a really, really good work-out on it. So that soreness is with me for about two and a half days, and then feels fine. Both arms feel fine as a matter of fact. As a result, I did some work around the house: cleaned my room a bit, moved some heavy boxes, basically things that I couldn't do with the sore arm.

Then the next day came and the Yellow Fever arm began to get sore. Then the next day came and the arm was worse, and then the day after came, today, and it was no better. And I'm annoyed because I can't figure out if the soreness is from the Yellow Fever shot, moving the heavy boxes, or a combination of the two. I have no idea - I just want the pain to stop because, as you know, I have a low pain threshold. I've taken Tylenol, then I tried Advil, and neither are really doing much. I thought that stuff was supposed to work. I don't like being the anomoly.

So that's the update. I'm hoping the updates continue to be frequent before the trip departs because once I'm gone, you might go weeks before hearing from me again. This internet stuff is expensive at sea...