napervillesun

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Reporter  laments: Why didn’t I get flu shot?

Updated: February 12, 2013 6:12AM



The doctor at the walk-in clinic barely had to take one glance at me as he entered the exam room.

“Yep, you’ve got it,” he said. “Characteristic glazed-over look, headache, fever, aches, maybe a cough, just not feeling like yourself. That’s influenza.”

“Not feeling like yourself” may be the understatement of the year.

I woke up Sunday thinking I had the worst hangover of my life — which didn’t seem right after just one vodka-cranberry after a show Saturday night. Cover-all-the-windows headache, get-the-wastebasket-just-in-case nausea, and I-don’t-remember-swimming-the-English-Channel-yesterday muscle soreness.

For two days, I’ve been nearly unable to move from the couch, whether to refill my water glass, grope around for wherever I laid the Tylenol, or fix the Xbox when it freezes up. The only productive thing I’ve been able to do is catch myself up on the last season of “Mad Men.”

So, would I recommend getting a flu shot this season?

I haven’t had one in at least a decade. After all, I reason, why be stabbed with a needle when you’re perfectly healthy?

But if you haven’t had one yet this year, I would recommend the needle stabbing. It’s much better than this.





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