October is the month that I get annual blood work and the usual well check-up. It’s also the beginning of cold and flu season. This year we add one more virus to the mix and find ourselves in a bit of a mess if we don’t take every extra measure to stay healthy.
I’ll admit I have not taken a flu vaccine since 1976, and that was when they prepared for a swine flu epidemic. Not that I haven’t caught the flu before, and I know firsthand the agony of a good hit. But out of all my years, I have contracted four bouts of this aching illness. The worst being the Hong Kong flu.
With Covid-19 still circulating, I gave some deep thought to my stubbornness toward the flu vaccination. In a conversation with my Doctor, she helped bring me to a decision. As nervous as I was, I went ahead with the injection. Catching a cold or flu will weaken a person’s immune system and perhaps make one more vulnerable to catching Covid-19.
My side effects were almost none. The second day I felt fatigue and mild leg aches. I took a Tylenol and that was the end of it.
Now I’m ready for the “get back to life” vaccine for Covid-19 and it can’t get here fast enough!
Click here for more information about the 2020-2021 flu season