I suppose you can’t be too careful! I certainly don’t feel clinically extremely vulnerable, or immunosuppressed. But cancer treatment is a bit harsh on the body, especially the chemo.
But it was only a couple of weeks ago that I was in hospital with a dose of sepsis, and I was still having chemotherapy in the summer. As far as the doctors are concerned, I need to be looked after. In reality, they think I should be shielding.
All this means I get special treatment, and a free flu jab! When I worked in the city, vaccination was mandatory but I probably haven’t had one in ten years.
Getting it done
The lady in Boots was very sceptical about my free jab… “and what makes YOU vulnerable hey?”. “Well, I’ve been undergoing cancer treatment. For my enormous penis. I’ll show you if you like?” “errrm no, not in the shop, just take a seat over there for me”
I wonder how many fraudulent flu jab claims a high street chemist gets over the course of the year? Maybe it’s an enormous problem… In the great scheme of things the NHS wastes money on, actual healthcare seems to be a strange thing to target.
Huge efforts go into making vaccinations really easy to administer, and the flu vaccine is no different. A quick rub of some alcohol on your arm, and a tiny needle. Ten seconds later I’m on my way home with a load of paperwork I’ll never read.
I’m having the COVID vaccine next. We seem to be absolutely steaming through vaccinations in the UK at the moment, with more than 1.5 million completed. I know lots of people in the NHS that have had it already, and all the small towns locally have their own vaccination centres. They seem really busy, and just up the road in Stevenage an enormous vaccination centre has been built.