This is The Marylebone, but not the same surroundings
The flu season is with us. Even the vaccines have several names and that mean more decisions. There is the Swine flu jab and plain old flu jab called the seasonal flu vaccine. Which do we take when we are having Chemo? Both or none. Who do we ask? Our oncologist, the NHS, the daycare centre, the center for disease control, the world health organization,the internet, our best friend, our mother (mines out of it, she’s no longer with us)?
My book club is meeting today but I received two protective warning emails from 2 of our 7 participants. Here are some of the reasons they said I shouldn’t go; Shingles,
Chickenpox
Bad cold or flu
The others be damned they are thought to be able to handle these problems.
I wonder about going to the theater, or movies or public transportation . There is a cough coming from my friend in the other room. Should I run for my life?
The problem is with the Swine flu jab and the Seasonal flu jab. I wonder who knows if we should have all of these and Chemo. too. Should we go full hog and have them both in one day? How about the same day as the Chemo? The side effects according to one internet site is a drowsy and nauseating feeling in the body. The vaccinated people have complained about high fevers, shivers, digestion problems , and achy muscles, and the question I ask is ‘ do we need this in our lives, now? If we took them all together would we have all the side effects at one time and be done with it. It fortunately is Friday night and I have the weekend to make up my mind. What about one or the other or neither?
I’m in a noisy Friday night cocktail lounge writing my blog with the help of my one a week cocktail, called The Marylebone, after the area I live in London. It says on the menu that it is Tanqueray 10, Pomegranate juice, red grapefruit juice , and Seville orange Marmalade. I will let you know how it tastes if I ever get it. The answer to the jabs should be clearer after I have had this special substance. It is served in a martini glass, very cold and an orange peel floating in it. I can taste the gin, and maybe the grapefruit juice. Don’t know about the Pomegranate or the orange marmalade. Have to trust them on that but I’m no taste expert. I think this is the smallest most expensive cocktail I’ve ever had. I don’t think there is anything as expensive as pomegranate juice in it or as marmalade. Is pomegranate juice more expensive than gin these days. Wouldn’t surprise me. It will no doubt be good for my flu symptoms when I get them
Before substance, I think that life being what it is, I have a greater probability of seasonal flu than something as exotic as swine flu. (unless swine relates to difficult people rather than pigs). I kid you not there was an art exhibit at a very fancy London gallery called White Cube which featured several live ‘swine flu’ pigs from China. Maybe that’s where it comes from.. art installations.
I think I’ve decided on seasonal flu jab first. I bet my NHS practice has run out by now, so I should be safe. They asked me to come in months ago, but I was in the middle of diagnosis anxiety. Time to get the check. Now is moment of flu anxiety and it is getting crowded here. Time to go home, avoiding every cougher and sniffler on the street.
I’ve been zapped. I didn’t go to the germ-ridden book club, nor to the crowded streets, nor take public transportation. I didn’t go to crowded openings nor crowded theatres. Nonetheless I have a chest infection. And guess what I get to take? An antibiotic and the side effects are….wait for it….the big D. (diarrhea). And even better news… it can happen two weeks after you stop taking the drug. Wow, I haven’t had the big D in at least three or four days and now I can look forward to having it soon again. Whoopee!
