I Got Paid To Get A Flu Shot

I'm one of the lucky ones. I have a job that provides health care insurance, and, as we all know, there's a huge battle raging among the politicians over the issue of accessible and affordable health care. My health insurance company is now called Florida Blue, formerly Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Florida. Over the past five years, I have noticed subtle changes from year to year that have brought health care to be more about preventive care and less about healing you once you get sick. I think you'll agree that it's a lot cheaper to prevent a person from getting sick than to provide medical care, pharmaceutical drugs and, in some cases, hospitalization after they fall ill.

So, last October I received a notice from my health care provider that if I got a flu shot at Walgreen's or CVS Pharmacy I would receive a $25 Visa Debit Card to spend any way I like. I found that to be a darned good incentive for getting a flue shot! Shortly after receiving the notice I stopped off at Walgreen's and got that flu shot. It took every bit of 20 minutes from start to finish. I got the band-aid on my arm at the injection site and a heart sticker for my shirt! And, honestly? That was the last time I thought about it.

Until January, when I got my $25 Visa Debit Card in the mail! I've been carrying it around in my wallet and one day, soon, I'll be spending it. Probably on that beautiful pink Michael Kors bag I've been lusting after ...

Here we are at the end of May, and, one would think the flu season is over. But, it's not. 75% of the people in my office have been out with a bad-ass flu for the past week. I, on the other hand, feel fine. {Knock on wood!} The people who have been or are sick with flu-like symptoms did NOT get a flu shot. They pooh-poohed me when I shared the offer from our health care provider ~ they had each received the same thing in the mail. They pooh-poohed me again in January when I announced I'd received my $25 Visa Debit Card. I'm thinking they're not pooh-poohing me now as they lay suffering on their sofas with the flu, missing out on life.

I can hear you now, asking, "And, your point is?"

My point is, get the flu shot. The Center for Disease Control has a comprehensive web site with answers to any question you might have about flu shots here. And, the research to support the effectiveness of flu shots is voluminous! Flu shots prevent people from getting the flu. I ask you: who needs fever, body aches, chills and sweats, nausea and vomiting, and all the complications that can occur as a result of the flu? I won't mention the 3,300 to 49,000 deaths that occur each year in the United States, though. I wouldn't want to scare you. However, flu CAN cause complications that result in death, so, why not get a flu shot? If you don't have health insurance, they are offered free of charge at the beginning of the flu season (October) or for as little as $25. I've decided I'll get it even if I have to pay for it. I really do think it's cheaper in the long run. Don't you?

Alice, big and small

I feel a little bit like Alice did when she drank from a bottle labeled "DRINK ME" and became small. And, it's not the most comfortable feeling. You see, in order to talk about it, I'd have to go into details. Are you supposed to go into details on your blog?

Okay, then. Here's how it's gone. So far.

I'm a big fan of Jazzercise. It's fun and it keeps me fit. I honestly don't know how I would live without it. So, during a class sometime in August we were doing plié (Which looks a lot like a squat, but Jazzercise founder Judi Sheppard Missett doesn't like to call them squats!) and I noticed something going on in my lower left abdomen. If you put a pair of socks in your jeans pocket and squat, that's sort of how it felt, but inside my body.

When I got home after class, I disrobed and examined my abdomen. Now, I have never had a flat stomach. Not even when I was a teenager. So, I long ago gave up any hope of looking like those skinny models in VOGUE. I accepted my body the way it is. And, that's been okay so far. But, here I am in front of the mirror, naked as a jaybird, looking at my abdomen. All the crunches I've done in Jazzercise have paid off, because my abs are looking good for an old lady like me. But, that little pouch on the lower left ... is that fat? And, why do I have it on the left and not on the right?

Over the last couple of months, I've poked and prodded my abs, wondering why it feels weird, like I have a pair of socks in my pocket. Since it didn't hurt, I figured it's just fat. Until last week.

I was leaning across a counter that just happened to be at the right height for me to press my lower abdomen against it with my full weight behind it, and I felt something. It wasn't pain, but it was something to think about. And, after I thought about it, I called my doctor.

I've had the same physician for more than 20 years, which is saying something in today's world of healthcare. And, he's a good doctor. I told him what I've just finished writing here, now, and after a thorough examination, he suggested we should do sonograms. (I like the "we." It makes it feel like "we're" doing something together, even though it's me who endures the procedure.)  So, three days later, I arrived before sunrise at the local women's clinic with a full bladder. The tech was terrific, letting me go pee as soon as she was done with the first scan, the one requiring the full bladder! She did three scans and sent me off with a pink carnation in honor of October's Breast Cancer Awareness.

Later in the afternoon, my doctor called and said the results from the first scan had come in and it showed "an abnormal thickening of the uterus." I guess that's my pair of socks, huh?

I have an appointment next week with my GYN. Lucky for me, I've had the same GYN for at least ten years, so he's got all my medical history right there, which I hope is helpful. And, now, like Alice, I feel small. My imagination runs away with me on most days, and I suddenly feel as if my time is running out. I am mortal. I am human. I am oh, so small.

There are a hundred "what if's" and I've poured over most of them while waiting for that next appointment. In the meantime, I'm looking for that little cake with "EAT ME" on it so I can be big. I really need to be big.

Where IS that little cake? Where is my courage? Did I lose it when I fell down the rabbit hole?