H1N1 Vaccinations and the Ensuing Paranoia

I waited in line bright and early this morning to get three tickets.  I wish I could say they were for some fantastic concert or at least a good movie but I can't. 

No, instead they were tickets for the H1N1 vaccine, tickets I have to return on Thursday morning at 8 a.m. to redeem for 1 stick in the arm and a system full of who knows what in the hopes that me and mine might avoid this porcine plague.  It seems kind of ironic to me that in general we are being counseled by health organizations to avoid large gatherings yet here we were packed into close quarters at their bidding, all sharing the same air not knowing who's potentially carrying what and all just to get our stupid shots in the first place, but I digress.

Earlier in the season I had debated getting the flu shot for my son at all and I posed the question to those who read my personal blog, curious about their position on the subject (you can read more about that here).  The response was varied of course, some were for it, some were totally against, and some were more middle of the road like myself.  I'm not an opponent of vaccinations whatsoever (yay vaccinations!), but I am discerning and cautious about the process and content of what goes into those shots and subsequently into my son's body, the flu shot is no exception and certainly the H1N1 vaccine as well.  After a good amount of "I don't know" and "what do you think?", along with phone calls to our pediatrician and copious amounts of internet research between my husband and I, the boy ended up getting his flu shot without even shedding a tear.  That was over a month ago and at that point my vote was "yes" to the seasonal flu shot and "nay" to the H1N1 so that's what we went with.  I figured we'd just hole up for the winter and drop our weekly play dates with cousins and friends and maybe even cut back on our trips to Target (gasp! the sacrifice of it all).  There, decision made.   

Then people started dropping like flies.  Every day it seemed there was a new article in the paper or report in the news about more people dying and sick children and babies and pregnant mothers in a coma, and holy cow this stupid H1N1 virus is taking over the world!  When people start dying I start paying some serious attention.  Then my cousin and her family came down with it, then another, than my niece and her kids.  I started to feel surrounded, like a caged mother beast waiting for the inevitable, and how am I going to protect my young when everyone around us is practically teeming with the very thing we were trying to avoid the most?  To make things worse, health departments in Utah can't keep enough of the vaccine in supply for everyone who wants it.  Salt Lake County gave out over 7,000 doses in one day, people stood in line for hours and many were turned away when they ran out.  Yikes.  

That's when the panic set in and I knew I couldn't live in paranoia all winter wondering when we were going to contract it and who was going to pass it along.  I can't keep my son in a germ free bubble as much as I try to, I mean every time I turn my head that kid is licking the shopping cart or putting some random object in his mouth.  My best germ avoiding efforts are no match for his skills.  And slapping people's hands when they reach out to touch my toddler isn't likely to win me a lot of friends either.  So when I heard about Utah County's vaccination clinic today I knew I had to go.

So I did.  I got my tickets, and you can bet that all three of us will be there at 8 am on Thursday morning to get our shots.  Call me paranoid and crazy and you bet your bottom dollar those are accurate observations, but I'm a mom now, it comes along with the territory.   

This is an original Rocky Mountain Moms Blog post. Find more Kalli elsewhere on the internets at her personal blog My Life as a Kalli or in real time on Twitter @mamakalli. Stop by, and maybe bring some cake.