Friday, August 03, 2007
The week of voluntary needles
I'm not a fan of needles. But yesterday i had my first Gardasil vaccination. I just assumed that it would be one, possibly two shots, but NO this one takes 3 shots! Thankfully they're spread over 6 months, so it's not too bad. It's not actually the needle that hurts, but the stuff they force into your body. My arm is still sore, but then after my last tetanus booster my arm was sore for a week! The tagline for this vaccination programme is 'i can', which is why the bandaid on my arm says 'i did'.
The HPV Gardasil vaccination programme is currently free for women between 18 and 26 so if you're in that bracket, have a chat to your GP.
Just be forewarned, 'free' isn't always free. My 'free' vaccination still ended up costing me $85. Check with your doctor to see if they will still charge for consultation and nursing.
My second needle for the week will be tomorrow, when i make my second visit to (as they even refer to themselves!) The vampires at the blood bank. Now THAT'S a big needle. For the record, i'm O+ if you ever need any blood.
If you're not a blood donor, please do it! At the most it's an hour out of your day once every three months or so. It's such a little thing that can make so much difference in someone's life.
