Wednesday, April 14, 2021

COVID 19 #29 - SECOND VACCINATIONS IS WHY I DID NOT POST LAST WEEK - THIS GETS WORSE AND WORSE - IT WAS NOT POSTED LAST WEEK!!

 Okay, now I have not posted in 2 weeks.  My apologies I posted the following last week, at least I thought I did.  It was held a draft and never posted, though I swear I posted it and saw it on the blog.  My GREAT apologies.  When you read this week's post, it might explain why my brain is turning to oatmeal and I only thought I posted -

 Two weeks ago I apologized for posting a day late.  Today I apologize for posting an entire week late.  Last Thursday my husband and I got our second vaccination.  I normally post late Wednesday night to me – early Thursday morning to everyone else.  This was the first time (I think) that I did not post for entire week.  My husband is very nervous about a number of things, two of them being medical matters – especially those which involve him getting a ”shot” and another being doing things one does not normally do.  So going to get a Covid vaccination at a chain pharmacy, even though we had done so for the first one, is high on his list of things to be nervous about.  Last Wednesday evening was spent “packing” for the trip to the pharmacy and “hand holding”.  

We pack to go just anywhere – even these days for a trip to the supermarket.  We over think and over pack most things in life.  Doing anything away from our house (even before the pandemic) involves planning and packing.  If there is a possible problem or situation that one of us does not think of – the other will.  

Pack?  To go and get a shot at a pharmacy?  Yes. Understand that we wanted to make sure that we didn't catch the corona virus from going to get our vaccinations.  

First – papers – Our first vaccination we had downloaded and filled in the information/questionnaire which the pharmacy had its vaccination page.  The pharmacist (a wonderful, understanding, nice woman) had been handing us the blank questionnaire forms to fill in when we went for our first vaccinations, but when she we had them filled in, took our filled in forms and told us to take the blanks she had to use for our second ones.  (Our thought in filling in the form in advance was to spend less time out of the house and in the pharmacy and lower our chances of coming in contact with Covid – or anything else – from those in the pharmacy store.)  So we filled in the papers again the night before our second appointments.  (We also kept kept scans of both sets of forms, just because it something we would think to do “in case”.)

We had needed our driver's licenses and medical insurance cards the first time – not sure if we need them again.  We again put each set of license and insurance cards in a snack sized zip bag.  Easy to take out and hand to the pharmacist and not need to fish our wallets out of our pockets.  After the cards were given back – easy to put them back into their bags and then let them sit a few days at home before taking out of the bags.  This second trip we also each put our vaccination record card into the bag with our license and insurance cards.  

The cards in their small bags were put into the larger gallon sized zip bag that we our completed papers into.  This way when we were at the pharmacy, everything we needed was in one bag – that if we wanted to we could just toss out afterward or could use to keep the papers together on our way home.  

The papers were all assembled and put in the bags on Wednesday night (instead of posting to you).

Second – clothing -  since it still cold weather, my husband is wearing his long sleeved shirts and I am wearing a sweatshirt over my tee shirts.  But, we had to be able to uncover our arms.  I had pulled a short sleeved shirt out for him when he went for his first shot and after it was washed, put it in his closet (as opposed to where it had been with his stored short sleeved shirts) for him to use again.  I did not wear a sweatshirt (tee shirts are short sleeved).  We did each wear a winter jacket – but while each one of us had their shots, the other one could hold the jacket of the one getting the shot and then switch for the second person to get their shot.  

Third – clothing for when we came home.  We each brought down a shirt, jeans, and socks so that when we came home we could take off same that had been worn when sitting in the chair at the pharmacy to get our shots and toss it in a clean garbage bag for awhile to let any virus picked up somehow from the chair die before we touched it.  (Right now, a week later, the clothing is being washed in my weekly laundry.)   

Fourth – laundry.  I do the laundry starting on Wednesday night and continue at night until all of it is done for the week (generally continuing on Thursday night, sometimes Friday night or even longer).  I am actually doing our laundry as I write to you – clothes first, then a load of towels. Last week I wanted to make sure that all of the laundry was washed and dried or drying when we went to bed.  I then fold laundry in bed when we go upstairs up for the night.  I folded the clothing/hung up his shirts before going to bed as usual and I knew if we needed towels they would be dry even if I could not carry all of them upstairs to fold on Thursday night (which neither of us could do).

Luckily the store was almost as empty (it had been completely empty of customers the first time) as the first time we went.  We had the same nice pharmacist to give us our shots.  She remembered us when we walked towards her (two old, short, fat people, overdressed for the weather) and everything went off easily.  (She did not need our insurance cards or ID this time, so I dropped them back into the larger bag.  She did need the questionnaire forms.  It all went off quickly and easily again.

When we had our first vaccinations husband's arm swelled and hurt.  Mine did neither.  This time the same thing with happened with his arm – but bigger swelling and more pain.  My arm hurt also, but I get the impression his hurt or more.  It took until Monday (4 days later) until I could lift my left arm all the way to the bottom shelf of the kitchen cabinets without feeling any pain.  And I had to deal with cooking and clearing up for Easter with it hurting.  

The dealing with the packing to go to the pharmacy along with sitting and keeping husband company the night before we went made me forget to post to you.  Then the ache in my arm and getting ready for Easter made me, well, forget completely that I had not posted.  

THOUGHT OF THE WEEK -

Please go and get and YOUR vaccination when it is your turn.  I want to keep my readers as long as possible and I worry about all of you.   It was much easier around here to get an appointment at this particular chain pharmacy than at state or county locations or at either of these other two large pharmacy chain locations around here.  

Be organized and plan before you go.



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