Getting a flu shot

 

There is a lot of disagreement about whether kids really need a flu shot; some people think it makes them more likely to get sick, others go ahead and get them anyway. My husband and I belong to the last category, which means by the time September rolls around, my daughter starts bargaining about the size of that needle.

She wasn’t always squeamish; in fact, she used to be a trooper, forgoing the crying and focusing on payoff instead (cute band-aid, lollipop, score!).

Then, about three years ago, she contracted Strep Throat. It was time for antibiotics. The nurse asked if she wanted the ten-day-long pink stuff, or the one time shot. Isabella’s eyes lit up: “You can do that? One shot, and I don’t have to swallow the gross stuff?”
The nurse looked at me, and I shrugged.
“If that’s what she wants, fine.”

I was secretly elated. Remembering to fill that syringe three times a day has never come easy; if she’d just take the one shot, I would be off the hook. Perfect. No more nasty sticky stuff in the fridge, no more weird acrobatics trying to get the last bit out of the bottle, no more double doses when my husband and I both decided to give it to her, and no more frantic searches for that syringe, only to find it chewed up inside the garbage disposal days later.

The nurse left, and came back a few minutes later with the biggest needle ever.
“This is going to hurt,” she said. “Can you hold her down?”
I grabbed Isa’s arms, but the nurse wasn’t satisfied.
“No,” she said, “I mean, really hold her down.”
That’s when I took a long hard look at that needle; and yes, it was rather large. In fact, it started to dawn on me that this was a classic case of ‘Very Bad Idea’. My daughter on the other hand wasn’t impressed. “I’ll be okay,” she muttered, as I positioned my body half on top of her, ready for impact.

The needle went in, all her muscles tensed, I had to use all my weight to hold her down, but the cry I was waiting for never came. Instead, she gritted her teeth and growled like an animal. It was an earth-mother sort of sound, a deep roar that came from her toes. It also marked the end of her courage. Whatever crying she didn’t do that day has been coming out during every doctor’s visit since. That one needle turned my daughter from a brave, brazen, “I’m not scared of anything” kind of girl, into a sniveling, cowering baby, any time someone mentions the word “shots”.

Which is why, half way through July, she starts campaigning to maybe skip that flu shot this year. She’s not thinking about how tiny the flu needle is; the fact that every needle since “The Big One” has been practically painless hasn’t registered. Still, we’re getting a flu shot later this year. The fact that none of us can remember the last time Isabella had the flu is worth a little drama at the doctor’s office.

For more on flu shots: Kids health,  Teens health,  or Dr. Ravazi's Info