Vaccinations

I have been poked, prodded, prescriptionized and all round vaccinated in preparation for Nepal. My Hepatitis A vaccine stung like the dickens! I had to resist the urge to slap the LPN. It still hurts. (Insert sound of helpless groan expressing minor but high annoying pain)

Then came the blood draw, which was skillfully done, I have to admit. It took just seconds, and I hardly knew it was happening because I looked away. I always look away. Something about the sight of an IV going into my skin gives me an unbearable compulsion to rip it out. I don't think God meant us to have tubes stuck in our skin.

I have to take a Typhoid vaccine orally for a week. Then I picked up about four other prescriptions to combat the infamous "traveler's diarrhea" and minor infections I might contract. It reminds me how happy I am to have a strong immune system and be healthy, but also how vulnerable I am once the environment changes. I know I can't drink the water, but there are some exposures you can't control. It's a sobering thought. Especially considering that whenever new exploration took place, disease was always one of the primary factors in shaping the future of that society.

Evidently areas of high altitude do not have a malaria risk, so I did not have to get vaccinated for malaria. It isn't a problem in Kathmandu, although lowland areas might have it. I just have to make sure I'm always above 1200 feet!