Vaccinations, and Needles, and HIV, Oh my!

So today I went to the doctor's office to get my pneumonia and flu vaccinations.  She gave me a shot in each arm.  It didn't hurt at all when she gave them to me, not like I was expecting it to.  I always fear needles and I hate getting shots, but each time is never as bad as I feared.  


The pneumonia vaccination she gave me was called Prevnar 13 (www.prevnar13.com) is a newer vaccine, one which guards against 13 different strains of pneumonia.  People with HIV are at much higher risk of pneumonia infections (not just PCP) so we must get this vaccination to guard against this risk.  What is additionally scary is that 70% of healthy adults carry the S pneumoniae bacteria at any given time.  Also, over 302,000 adults over the age of 50 are hospitalized each year for pneumonia.  Concurrently, we are seeing higher numbers of people over 50 contract HIV (because the ones who have always had HIV get older and also because of a rise in infections in people over 50), this is certainly an alarming number.  


I myself am lucky enough to have a high T-cell count and my HIV viral load (the amount of virus floating around in my blood) is undetectible, so my risk is not that much more than an HIV- person.  But I know many people who fight day in and day out to get their T-cells up, so the risk is very real and always present for them.  


And now I am feeling sickly and very sore all over.  The vaccination can cause muscle weakness, fatigue, muscle pain, joint pain, headache, chills, and fever.  Thankfully thus far I just feel weak and sore, much like one would feel after a tough workout, so I am sure I will be fine in a few days.  


I highly encourage anyone with HIV to get the vaccine as well as anyone over the age of 50.  It only requires one shot, so once you get it you are good for years to come.  I believe that many pharmacies also provide the vaccination as well, so that should be a bit easier than going to the doctor's office.  I already had a follow-up appointment scheduled, but I also like having it done at the doctor's office so my vaccination records are in one place.


Anyway, I am rambling now, so I suppose I am winding down.  Goodnight.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What Stigma Means To Me

Like an onion, there are many layers to HIV-related stigma.  Stigma can be internalized to oneself, or it can manifest outward.  Like an interstate, stigma can also move in both directions at the same time.  Consequences to stigma can impact a person, a relationship, or a community.  Like an elevator, stigma can move up and down the age scale.   The impact of stigma can have physical, emotional, and social effects to both HIV- and HIV+ men.  It seems to me there is a growing and widening divide between HIV+ and HIV- men.  Like an infection, it seems to be only getting worse.   I find myself being a part of the very stigma I detest, I have become an oxymoron and my behavior has become hypocritical of what I know to be right.   I would much rather become friends with someone with HIV than someone without it.  But...for me friendships with HIV- men too often become mentally exhausting; I get tired of the endless HIV-related...
Read more

Hello, Again!

Image
So I am starting up my blog again. I feel like it is the best way to present myself to the world authentically. Social media has become a cesspool of influencers and people who chase clout and clicks and likes and popularity. I have no wish to be involved in any of that rat race, and I have found social media to be lacking in connection or authenticity. I write for myself, mostly. I use writing as a tool to explore myself, my thoughts, my feelings, my hopes, my dissapointments. Whether or not that is "viral-worthy" or not, well, I just don't care about that. So welcome, or welcome back. Either way, this is a work in progress, as am I. Have a great day! Here are my cats:
Read more

What Domestic Violence Did To Me

There was a time when I was happy, healthy, whole, and fun-loving. Before domestic abuse, I had hope. Even during the hardest times, even while living with HIV, I believed there would always be a brighter day ahead. Fifteen years of abuse left me a shell of who I once was, and I grieve that person every day. Undoing the damage and conditioning he inflicted has been incredibly difficult. I tried to numb the pain through drug use, but that only created another problem. I am now in intensive outpatient therapy for CPTSD and addiction, and it is helping. I highly encourage IOP to anyone who can access it.   For 15 years, I minimized what was happening. The abuse was a gradual process of grooming and control. Before I realized it, I was financially trapped with someone who monitored and controlled nearly every part of my life. He followed me to work, put up cameras in the house and outside the house. After my parents died, that trap felt inescapable.  Eventually, the ab...
Read more