Yesterday was my appointment with Passport Health to be educated about and vaccinated for the various diseases I could contract while in Ghana. It was actually the second time I had scheduled the appointment, because the first time I couldn't find the office to save my life and finally called them about 45 minutes past my appointment time to give up and reschedule.
This time I found the office just fine (I went to the Monroeville office instead of the Carnegie one, even though it's about twice as far), but I was still late because of rush hour traffic. Sitting in traffic in a minivan with the sun beating through the open windows without air conditioning or wind = not fun. They were super nice about it at the office, though, and the nurse made sure to go over everything very completely with me and make sure I had everything I needed, even though she stayed way past 5pm to do so. May God bless her!
There are no fewer (and probably even a few more) than 17 serious illnesses I am at risk for in Ghana, only 7 of which I am now vaccinated against. There just aren't vaccines for a bunch of them, and the rest are usually not fatal, I guess. And anyway the vaccines/meds for typhoid and malaria don't even guarantee immunity. Although my regular vaccination schedule had me covered for the more common diseases like meningitis and hepatitis B, I still chose to get the shots for hepatitis A, pneumococcal polysaccharide, polio, rabies, yellow fever (this one is required to enter the country), and typhoid fever. This last one is an oral vaccine, meaning that they gave me a little box with four pills in it. And it is live. I'm actually introducing a weakened strain of typhoid fever into my body. I took one this morning and will need to take one Saturday, Monday, and Wednesday morning, too, before I'm done. But that still leaves 5 shots at one time...
I guess I wasn't thinking that this would be a big deal when I made the appointment. I get 3 allergy shots every other week, I thought. I'm used to being pricked. But as she began to wipe down my left arm with alcohol, I truly wanted nothing more than for someone to be there to hold my hand. So I began to pray. I said Hail Marys through all 5 shots, two in the top of the left arm, one in the back of the left arm, and two at the top of the right arm. I'm not gonna lie, it was kind of intense. It was just so much at once, and the needles were bigger than allergy shots, and there was more liquid in the syringes, liquid that had now been unnaturally forced into my arm muscles. The nurse tried to distract me with small talk, but I must have looked slightly shell-shocked when she was all done, because she gave me a slightly concerned look and asked if I was ok. I took a deep breath and smiled and said yes, I was fine. I was. The truth is that I did feel the presence of my Blessed Mother very strongly throughout the little ordeal. I'm so glad she was there with me; I don't know how I would have handled it without her. And I offered everything for the mission. And I got three cool Snoopy bandaids. :)
Most of the vaccines carry with them the slight possibility that I could get sick, or at least experience a low-grade fever, some stomach aches, or nausea. I've never had a reaction to a vaccination in my life, but to be perfectly honest, I am feeling a little under the weather right now. I'm just really tired and I feel a little achy and my arms really are killing me. It's not just the sites of the shots that hurt; my muscles are sore all up and down my arms, especially the left one. I've been keeping my fluids up, and luckily I'm not working today, so I should be alright. I am blogging and watching TV on my laptop and shopping for lightweight pants and long-sleeved shirts to protect against mosquito bites. Nothing too strenuous haha.
Speaking of mosquitoes, I will also be on anti-malarial meds for the duration of my trip. One pill a day and increased sun sensitivity, so I will need to wash all of my clothes with Sun Guard and buy a big hat. And most of the diseases there are spread through insect bites, so I'm supposed to wear long sleeved shirts with the cuffs buttoned closed and long pants tucked into my shoes to prevent bugs from reaching my skin. Cute. Apparently just wearing long pants isn't enough protection and bugs will fly up my pant legs if they're not secured by a band or tucked in. I have to treat all of my clothes with a very strong insect repellent before I leave and will probably treat my sleeping area with it, too, once I arrive.
I felt hugely relieved on my drive home, even though there's so much left to do now. My mom told me when I got home that this was the part of this trip that she was the most worried about; the vaccines. I told her that I'm so glad she waited until after I got the shots to voice her concerns; I don't know if I would have had the courage to go through with it otherwise! She assured me that of course she would never do that to me, that it was just her protective motherly instinct, and that if I was called to the mission, I just had to take those things as they came. God bless my mother!!!
This is all so crazy and so real that it's finally coming clear to me that this is really happening. I am going to a hugely underprivileged area to work and live with the people there, to experience their poverty and try to do a little something about it. And yet I know that, in their simplicity, they are far richer spiritually that I have ever been, that I am the one who will truly gain by engaging with them.
Plus, now I'm INVINCIBLE!!! Hahahaha bring it on, Africa!
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