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Needles And Me Don't Mix

When I was born in 1955, the practice was to get kids stuck as soon as possible for all types of illnesses and diseases. Polio was a big thing.So were chicken pox,measles,mumps, German measles - you name it, it was a popular sickness.

And here is where I come in.

I hate needles with a passion. I cried and fought every time I had to go to the doctor and get a vaccination.I have a very tender skin, and it didn't toughen up any over the years before I went to kindergarten, either.

Fast forward to 1970's. I found myself in need of a colostomy. No one told me I would need to get a shot before the procedure. I was in my hospital room,sound asleep, with my arms crossed over my chest. I didn't feel anyone pick up my arm, but I sure felt the long catlike scratch on the interior of my left arm - my GOOD arm! I sat up with a loud cry, grabbing my arm with my other hand and crying steadily. The scratch hurt steadily, turning a bright red.

Fast forward to present day. COVID-19 hits the world. The President, the Governors, and everyone else is jumping on the bandwagon to get shots.

I have not had any kind of shot since the colostomy, and I really don't WANT one.I have heard of people getting mild cases of COVIX19o after the shot, and I don't want one of those either.

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soar2newhighs

Yes, I remember when one child had a given condition the other kids in the building were all brought together and exposed. That was a common practice at least in the 50s

MaryJanine · 61-69, F

@soar2newhighs Yes, GOD do I remember. It was "a common practice" because of the polio scares and attacks each year. My poor mother couldn't get me stuck without a fuss or attendant trouble. You couldn't enter kindergarten without these vaccines and twice I had a red bottom in the doctor's office for fighting the medication.

xmedleft · 51-55, M

@soar2newhighs that's only for low-lethality events like Chicken Pox. Hopefully they wouldn't do something like that for Polio or Rubella.

MaryJanine · 61-69, F

@xmedleft If you ever get chicken pox, you have a chance later in life of contracting shingles. My youngest brother had a "play date" with a friend in the next block, and caught chicken pox from him. My mom kept her three oldest kids away from my brother so the disease wouldn't spread. He recovered. but he had shingles twice as an adult.

As for regular measles and Rubella - I caught the former in kindergarten, the latter in the fifth grade. This despite being vaccinated for both in my lifetime.

When I was growing up, vaccines were a must. You couldn't go to school without a record of having them. There was a 50-50 chance of you contracting the disease and polio was an ever present threat for adults and kids.