People Being Turned Away for H1N1 Shots

OK, now some of you know that Doc has planned to not have the Swine Flu vaccination so you are probably wondering, "Why would Doc be turned away for something she doesn't even want?" Let me clear this discrepancy up, before I even begin this article.

I was actually at my doctors office, Tenny Mountain Internal Medicine on Tenny Mountain Highway in Plymouth New Hampshire, getting my tetanus shot that is required for those working in the construction trades. That is when I found out the following information posted around the doctor's office.

On just about every square inch of wall space available in the office there were signs saying, "We received 25 doses of H1N1 vaccinations but all of them were given out immediately upon delivery. We have no clue when and if another shipment will come in. Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause." Just above this statement was yet another statement. "Sorry but we don't have any flu shots available and don't know when and if we will. If you know of a flu shot center being set up in your area, please take advantage of this service."

Reading these signs over and over and over as I waited for the doctor to shoot me with my required tetanus shot really began to bug me. Twenty five shots gone within minutes at a tiny little family practice. That truly shows how panicked people are becoming over this situation. I could almost bet people were coming from far and wide to line up for this meager assortment of shots. An assortment of shots that we don't even know are safe to take or not. And, that is not just Doc's opinion, that was in the recent on-line news reels. People are so frightened of the disease that they in effect are running for the cure that could very well do more harm then good or do no good at all.

Speaking of more harm then good, my tetanus shot ended up causing an infection in my arm that is just killing me and making work almost unbearable. Could you imagine what side effects could occur from a vaccine that we don't even know that much about yet? I can and I have the swollen arm to prove it. Sometimes, as the old saying goes, the cure is what will kill you.

Long story short, I still think that everyone is overreacting to this so called pandemic. Sure, it is bad. I know because I dealt with it with my own daughter. However, it is like any other flu bug. Interesting fact to ponder, the regular, old fashioned flu bug claimed thousands of lives yearly in the old days, before people understood about methods of keeping fever down and germs from spreading. Even today there are still deaths reported from the common flu. The swine flu, according to a local nurse I spoke to recently, is nothing more then just another flu bug. Sure, some people will die from it but far more will live because modern medicine now knows how to keep fever down and infection from spreading.

This truly isn't a pandemic but more an overreaction by the general public created by the media circus surrounding this disease. It is almost like plane travel. You hear far more stories about death on planes then you do about car accidents. However, in reality, there are far more car accidents then plane crashes. Same thing with the swine flu. You think it is really really bad because you hear so much about it. However, the same amount of deaths that H1N1 are claiming are being claimed by the regular flu as we speak.

As I have said in the past. Wash your hands regularly, clean frequently touched surfaces and stay clear of infected people. That is the far better solution to standing in lines at doctor's offices only to be told that they are out of H1N1 vaccine, which may or may not be safe for you to use. Worse yet, hanging out at doctor's offices for unnecessary reasons just exposes you to more germs that you may not have been exposed to at home. I wish all my readers luck, whether healthy, H1N1 infected or infected by the common flu bug. Keep strong and you will make it just fine. No fears.