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Word of the Day

Will you find it?

^{As a fun challenge each week, Rachel visits Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day when she sits down to write her weekly story. Whatever the word of that particular day happens to be, she must find a way to fit it into her story. Will you find it?}

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Story of the Week

A Different Kind of Adventure

^{Pictured above: Beli taking a nap on Rachel’s lap.}

As of Thursday morning, Rachel was very excited for her weekend plans. She was set to have a fun Saturday. There would be a visit to a local horse ranch with friends, followed by a holiday craft fair. The weather was set to be sunny and clear with a bit of a chill. How much better could a fall day get?

Her Thursday was going as usual with work and then a walk with a friend. She was excited to tell her friend that she would receive her second dose of the shingles vaccine following their walk. Excited, you ask? Yes, the inordinate number of shingles commercials that had barraged her for the months preceding her 50^th birthday had really sunk in the dangers of not getting the vaccine when you turn 50. There was that and the fact that she had some personal experience when a friend’s mother had gotten shingles. She saw the severe pain his mother had gone through. There was no question in her mind; she would get this vaccine as soon as possible.

In September she received the first of the two vaccines. She was told that she would need to receive the second dose after two months but before the six-month mark. Two months, please. She wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible. She still isn’t a fan of needles even though she loves to donate blood now. She recalls having a bit of a sore arm the following day, nothing out of the ordinary for a vaccine.

Back to Thursday… When she was called back for her vaccine by the same person that she received the first dose from, Mei, they exchanged familiar pleasantries. Once seated, Mei asked Rachel how severe her symptoms were following the first dose. Surprised by the question, Rachel said “symptoms, was I supposed to have symptoms?” Mei replied with an emphatic yes. She said that most people have a significant reaction to the first dose and that the second dose is always much more severe. What?! Rachel responded with a confident, “I will be just fine.” Mei said, “I hope so.” That was that.

Rachel made her way home and proceeded with dinner. It would be only a few hours from the time of the vaccine that symptoms began with diarrhea. At first, she thought she must have eaten something. She did not associate this with the vaccine. In her mind, she would have nothing but a sore arm. Within the following hour, things escalated rapidly. It was if her body was full on rejection mode. The muscle cramping throughout her entire body was the worst, with her low back muscles feeling the brunt. She was unable to get comfortable. The headache came quickly after, along with shivering, stomach pain, weakness, and fever. She took Tylenol and muscle relaxers and went to bed early.

She woke Friday morning after a night full of tossing and turning due to pain.  She could only compare how she felt to having been hit by a truck. Every ache and pain she felt the day prior was intensified. Her stomach didn’t hurt any longer, but she had no appetite. She turned to MayoClinic.com to check out what to expect, as she was fully aware this was the vaccine. The site listed plenty of side effects. Rachel found all of hers in the “more common” section. Of the 11 listed, she was lucky enough to be suffering through nine. Fantastic. The site also said side effects could last one to three days. One, thank you.

In Rachel’s stubborn mind, she thought, okay, one day for me, which means by mid-day Friday will be the end. It may have been the power of positive thinking, or just luck, or maybe the steady regimen of alternating Tylenol and muscle relaxers combined with rest, but by mid-day Friday, the significant symptoms had let up and had become bearable. She was still miserable but wasn’t going to let that take over. Would this affect her Saturday? No way. She would not let a little discomfort affect her weekend.

But then… she received word from her friend that the morning at the horse ranch was being postponed. Maybe that was a good thing, it would allow her more time to rest. Plus, she still had the holiday craft fair she was excited to attend.

She woke Saturday feeling much better, thank goodness. The worst of it was over and the only remaining frustration was the large welt at the injection site and the soreness of that area. The craft fair was to begin at 9:00 AM at a nearby church. She had come across this event on a Google search the week prior. As 9:00 AM drew near, she searched the address so that she could plan her departure time to arrive promptly. It would be wonderful to get out of the apartment. She plugged in the church name, and nothing came up. After some digging, she realized the problem. As it would turn out, she had found a holiday craft that in Omaha, Nebraska. Again, fantastic. Not so nearby after all and she has no clue how she missed it. She took this as a sign from the universe that she was meant to take it easy, yet again.

As of Sunday afternoon, she was feeling almost completely back to normal, aside from the injection site irritation. She never expected to have side effects, as she’s never had them before with any other vaccine, and especially not so severe. So goes life. This certainly wasn’t the adventure she had expected for the weekend. She was happy that Brady and Beli came through to show her plenty of love while she was feeling down. Beli spent a good deal of time on her lap. It was almost as if he knew she needed a bit more attention that usual. Brady also spent a bit more time than usual giving attention.

Her plans for next weekend should be much more fun than what she experienced this weekend. She is very excited and looks forward to sharing in next week’s My Monday Memo. Until next time, be well.

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