I will be the first to say that I’m not always the most health conscious person. I know in the back of my mind that I should pay more attention to my health. I know I shouldn’t eat McDonald’s often and I should get 30 minutes of vigorous exercise everyday, but more often than not I put off my health concerns until I can’t ignore them anymore. Like realizing I’ve had chicken nuggets for dinner every night this week, or the last time I had something green was two weeks ago in a ham sandwich. So it’s not surprising I’m not always the most diligent when it comes to being vaccinated every season for the flu. My most common arguments are it takes too much time, and I didn’t understand why I should do it. But last week I made the conscious decision to schedule my flu shot, possibly because spending more time in The Well and listening to a next-door nutrition class has made me a little more conscious of my heath needs.
To my surprise, scheduling an appointment took less than a minute. The entire appointment took less than five. It took longer to walk to the examiner room down the hall than getting the actual vaccine. My nurse, Joyce Peckover, RN was courteous and knowledgeable. She told me that flu season doesn’t really have an end or beginning, so while most people get vaccinated in October or November, getting your vaccination as early as they become available is always the best option, unless notified otherwise by your physician.
This made me feel proactive because it wasn’t even October yet, and that I must be an amazingly healthy person for thinking ahead. Or that’s what I would tell my friends when I told them to schedule their appointments because I wasn’t taking care of them if they got sick. One friend I was talking to thought you could get the flu from the vaccine, which is some made-up fact (that still isn’t true) that I remember going around in middle school. I’m not even sure how this rumor got started because, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, vaccines use either dead or weakened flu virus to create the vaccine – not active or live virus.
Joyce added at the end of my appointment, “The single best way to prevent seasonal illness is to get vaccinated.” I would rather take the ten minutes to get a vaccine than spend two to three weeks recovering from the flu at the height of midterms or finals. If you don’t care about getting the flu, maybe think about someone other than yourself. While you might not get sick, you can still carry the virus to people who may be more susceptible to the life-threatening effects of the flu, like young children and the elderly.
Well, students are in luck because flu vaccinations are available on campus! Health & Wellness Services offers flu vaccinations and they can be charged to your student account or billed to your health insurance. Call 507-457-5160 to make an appointment at H&WS.
Have further questions about getting vaccinated at Health & Wellness Services? Call the Ask-A-Nurse Message Line at 507-457-2292 to get your questions answered. The Ask-A-Nurse Message Line calls will be returned within two hours during the business day. Calls placed after hours will be answered the following business day.
Be sure to get vaccinated and stay healthy this cold, busy season!
–Roxanne Zweber
