The
“Sweet” Life gets vaccinated!
For most of you, getting a vaccination
is no big deal. Sure, nobody enjoys
getting an injection, but it’s easy for most people to handle. This is where I’m
really quite different. I have a fear of needles that I’ve never really seen in
anyone else my own age. I’ve always been deathly afraid of needles; I
distinctly remember my dear Mom taking me to get a flu vaccine when I was about
nine years old and our doctor (bless him) had to chase me around the room until
he eventually managed to give me the injection! I also remember when the clinic
came to my school to vaccinate all the thirteen year old girls against Rubella,
if I remember correctly – and I dare say I do – I was the only girl in the
grade who cried. I didn’t have to deal with needles again until I had my wisdom
teeth removed, but I actually passed out that time. So, to wrap up, I don’t
like needles.
Anyway... A few months ago I was given
an assignment for my text evaluation module; we had to find a patient
information leaflet or a brochure and evaluate it in terms of text-focused
methods. The Greek’s mom is a pharmacist so I asked her to get me a few
brochures from the pharmacy so that I could look them all over and choose one
to work on for the assignment. Out of the very wide variety of brochures that
she gave me, I chose one that gave information on Human papillomavirus (HPV)
and cervical cancer. The brochure was really informative but some of the
statistics mentioned in there really scared me so, I did a bit of research on
the topic of HPV and cervical cancer. It turns out that HPV can lead to all
kinds of untoward issues like genital warts, too. What really scared me was the
fact that, according to www.health24.com,
cervical cancer affects one in thirty-four women in South Africa. There aren’t
really symptoms, so oftentimes you don’t know you have it, until you do.
How
scary is that?! Luckily there is a little ray of hope at the end of this very
gloomy tunnel. There is now a vaccine that can prevent the spread of HPV and
therefore, cervical cancer and another vaccine that protects against these
medical conditions as well as genital warts. What will they think of next, huh?
However, I didn’t want to jump into
anything that may have untoward effects later on so, I did a little research on
that too. It turns out that there are some temporary side-effects that might be
experienced after the vaccines, some of which include:
- Light-headedness
- Headaches
- Flu-like symptoms
- Nausea
Another potential issue is that one
vaccine doesn’t cut it—it takes three vaccines, the first one, then one a month
after that and the last one five months after the first. And at around R650 – R750
a jab, you’re looking at paying a pretty penny so, medical aid is advised!
Another catch is that the vaccine is only recommended for patients under the
age of twenty-six; so, if you’re like me, you only have a few years left to do
it. While the temporary side-effects, costs and other pre-requisites might seem
like a schlep, I think it’s important to remember the benefits as well. If you
can protect yourself and eliminate the chances of being that one in thirty-four
South African women who is affected by this dreadful illness, then why not? Right?
Well, that’s what I kept telling myself
on the way to the doctor anyway. I was too much of a pansy to go on my own so
dear Sarah drove me to the doctor and promised to come in with me and hold my
hand. I was so nervous, my palms were sweaty and my heart was racing so fast I
thought it might actually jump out of my chest, slap me across the face and
jump back in. When we went into my doctor’s consulting room, I promised myself that
there would not be a repeat of the running-around-the-room incident, mainly
because that would be ridiculous at my age but also because I really like my
new doctor and I would hate to have to go through the annoying process of
finding another new one. So, instead of running around the room, I decided it
would be a good idea to beg the good doctor not to hurt me. The man deserves a
medal for being so nice to me, he was so sweet and understanding and he
promised to be as gentle as possible. Sarah stood next to me and actually held
my hand while I got vaccinated and told me that I am, without a doubt, the
biggest baby she has ever met in her life. I cannot argue with her on that one!
Now, Dear Reader, I should mention another side-effect of the vaccine... It
hurts like the dickens!!!
After this whole ordeal Sarah was nice enough to take
me for ice-cream, and I’m not kidding when I say that it really did make me
feel better. Unfortunately for me, I experienced all of the temporary
side-effects after my first vaccine. My arm was swollen, red and very sore for
about a week after the injection and I also managed to turn my flu-like
symptoms into a chest infection. But at the end of the day, I survived. My
second vaccine wasn’t nearly as bad and I managed to escape with none of the
side-effects the second time around, apart from my arm being red, swollen and
sore again. I even went to the doctor all on my own for the second vaccine and
I didn’t even need an ice-cream afterwards (how brave am I, right?).
My final vaccine is due in November,
after which I will be protected against HPV and cervical cancer. I dare say
that three little vaccines, a bit of a hefty price and some mild side-effects
are a very small price to pay in return for protection against some really
scary illnesses. I’d recommend the vaccine to all of my friends and readers.
The great thing is it’s not just for women. Since HPV is spread mainly by
semen, men are responsible for protecting the women in their lives too. If a
woman gets vaccinated, she protects her cervix but if a man gets vaccinated, he’s
protecting the cervix of every woman he has a sexual encounter with. So, to all my readers, please consider getting
vaccinated! For more information on the vaccine visit: www.everything-i-can.co.za.
Stay tuned for my final “first-themed”
post. Until then, keep it sweet!
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