Flu Shot Season Is Here

Just the other day, I took Brennen to get his flu shot. I was the mean mommy who held him down while the nurse inflicted pain on him with a needle. At least, I am sure that is how he viewed the experience. From my perspective he endured a small amount of pain in order to be protected from greater harm.

Let’s go back one year ago to illustrate my point. Brennen and I both got the flu shot, the hubby did not. It’s not that I didn’t remind the hubby to get his shot. I did everything short of holding his hand and dragging him to a pharmacy to get one. But he is an adult and he made the decision to not get the flu shot.

Now fast forward to the height of flu season. It was the week of Thanksgiving and the hubby was SICK. Sicker than I had ever seen him in the eleven years we have been together. He had all the classic signs of the flu, not the nausea and vomiting of the stomach flu, but the fever, aches, chills and fatigue of the seasonal flu. A trip to the doctor’s office confirmed our suspicion and the hubby ended up having to be off of work for one week. SEVEN. VERY. LONG. DAYS. I quarantined the hubby into our bedroom to minimize the chance of the flu spreading to Brennen and myself. I slept on the couch and the hubby only came out of the bedroom to eat, drink, or use the bathroom. I also cleaned the house like a mad woman, disinfecting every surface and washing countless loads of laundry. 

Thankfully, Brennen and I never got the full-blown flu. Instead, we both had a couple of days where we did not feel 100%, but neither one of us ever became really sick. On the downside, Thanksgiving came and went in our house without much celebration last year. Instead, we gave thanks once the hubby fully recovered and our lives were back to normal.

The moral of this story is: Flu shots are very important! They protect you and your loved ones from getting sick. Will you be getting your flu shot this year?