Ouch!

I don't know why, but I have some sort of phobia when it comes to shots. So you can imagine my displeasure when Kaiser's travel advice nurse had a slue of shots lined up for me for our trip to Haiti. A booster shot for Measels, the Mumps, and Rubella (What is "Rubella" anyway? I don't remember any kids getting it in my 4th grade class.)? In the old days, I would just line up and wait for the nurse to fire away. But the more research that I conduct about the long-term effects of immunizations, the less inclined I am to be vaccinated. Put simply, I would rather take the short-term risk of catching the disease, and avoid the long-term impact upon my body. In short, I was hesitant about getting any of the recommended immunizations . . . until it was a few days before our trip, and then the thought of getting Malaria, Measels, or some other disease while in Haiti (maybe that's where Rubella comes from!) had a funny way of changing my long-term perspective about the dangers of immunization. (Check back in about 20 years to see if I made the right decision.) So off Susan, Tyler, and I went to Kaiser, rolled up our sleeves, and waited for that dreaded prick of the needle . . . and the next needle . . . and the next needle.