Immune

Today I got my last round of shots. I’m done with injections of hepatitis A and hepatitis B, Polio and Japanese Encephalitis. The latter is my favorite. Before I went to the vaccination clinic last time, I was coming down with an unmistakable ick. I had a sore throat, a tight chest, and felt like I was encased in antique glass. I asked the clinician if she thought it would be a problem for the vaccination if I was already ill. No, she said, these bugs are pretty strong. She shook the little bottle next to her ear. Maybe she hears them say things sometimes.

Anyhow, I walked out of the clinic and did a few bank errands – on the edge of what I expected to be a blossoming head and chest cold. After a couple of hours though, all at once, my symptoms cleared up.

I think Japanese Encephalitis kicked the butt of my puny little Midwestern cold.