I was finally able to do it. Last week, I went to get my first COVID vaccine. As strange as it may sound, I have actually been looking forward to being able to get that vaccination started. It's incredibly rare that I have ever looked forward to getting a shot. When I was small, and it seemed that a shot from Dr. Parker's office was in my near future, I would put every bit of negotiating power my small brain could muster into action, just to attempt to avoid that painful ordeal. Invariably, I would make every effort to explore the possibility of taking a prescription rather than getting a shot. Pills over impailing any day was my philosophy.
My father didn't help matters. Anytime he would take me to Dr. Parker's office for whatever ailment I may be enduring, I would usually ask if I was going to have to get a shot. His answer was, more often than not, “Yeah, it's gonna hurt, too! They'll probably use a square needle and they'll have to 'corkscrew' it in.” I sort of understand his brand of “child psychology,” now anyway. If he made it seem much more horrible than he knew it would really be, then the experience wouldn't be as traumatic as I had built it up in my mind to be. You may think I'm making this up, but both my sisters can verify all this. The upside of all this was that, if I didn't cry, I would get a Matchbox car afterward.
When I went to get my shot, the nurse prepared the syringe and just before inserting the pointy end into my arm, she said, “Oh, that's not going to work.” For some reason, the needle had become blunted. I didn't look, but from the nurse's reaction, it seemed as if the needle may have been square. You can't believe the relief I felt when she decided to use another needle before having to resort to corkscrewing that one in. I will not tell you a lie; when I did finally take the needle into my arm, it did hurt. But I can't say it hurt much worse than any other shot I've ever had.
I can honestly say that, other than a bit of soreness from taking the injection right into the muscle, I had no bad side effects that I could tell. I am scheduled to get my second shot the middle of next month. I have heard that some folks have more of a reaction to that one. Hopefully, this time, I'll be able to get that Matchbox car I've had my eyes on. Be safe and stay healthy here on the sunny side.