I was apparently a little premature when I suggested, "the tetanus shot arm seems to be pretty much back to normal." It is, in fact, getting worse. I assume this is par for the course as my white blood cells go to fight off the weakened tetanus germies, or whatever actually goes on with a vaccination.
But, for anyone out there wanting a little schadenfreude, here's the details of my pain (so's you can take pleasure in it).
Friday morning: tetanus shot. I'm just complimenting the medical assistant on her light touch when the injection site actually starts hurting in a quaint sort of burning way. My wrist starts hurting too.
Friday day: Spend most of day rubbing and moving arm. Occasionally rubbing wrist, too.
Friday evening: Pain pretty much dissipates. Decide process wasn't all that bad. Remove band-aid. Can barely see tiny pinhole from injection.
Saturday: Go for a drive. When looking over shoulder to back car up, injection site hits corner of car seat. Reconsider that whole "process wasn't all that bad" thing. Stupidly repeat three times. Yowch!
Sunday morning: Wake up early. Realize this is because arm hurts. Feel extremely pissed off at medical profession specifically and world in general. Take Tylenol. Take shower. Come out of shower. Feel faint and dizzy. Curl up on floor for an hour with head between knees. Make with the continued cursing of anyone I can think to curse. Wonder if I should have mentioned my previous incident of fainting (at a TB test) to the medical assistant.
Put a new band-aid on the injection site, which is now so red and swollen the largest band-aid I have won't cover it.
Sunday afternoon: Go to theatre. Realize I would be enjoying the show rather more if my arm wasn't hurting. Curse self for not bringing more Tylenol.
Sunday evening: Take more Tylenol. Inspect injection site. Note that swelling area is rather hard. Experiment with kneading on site to loosen things up. Call off experiment on account of the pain shooting down to my wrist and the repeat with the light-headedness. Decide to post journal entry and go in search of orange juice.
2 comments:
Uh, T? If I was you, I'd call the nurse tomorrow morning FIRST THING. This doesn't sound good. Find out what's going on.
Thanks for the concern, Andrea. I am advised by a friend of the nursing profession that this is all just part of the fun and excitement of an aluminum based tetanus vaccine. I'm also advised to take an NSAID and ice it. (The arm, not the NSAID.) I'm sticking with Tylenol, but ice does sound like a spiffy idea. But, yeah, if things don't improve by morning, the doc's office will definitely be called, as this isn't supposed to go on for DAYS.
Post a Comment