Vaccines: The Good — The Bad — The Gross
My personal account for all of the vaccines that were recommended for my journey. On the list are Typhoid, Japanese Encephalitis, Hep A & B (Twinrix), Influenza, Tetanus, Polio (I believe this is a childhood vaccine so maybe just the booster), Malaria (90 day prescription) and Prescription for Travelers Diarrhea. I will continue to update this list as I receive my vaccinations.
Typhoid (Vivotif)
I choose the pills as opposed to the shot. I just didn’t feel like getting poked that day, the pills last longer and cost less. I was overwhelmed by the amount of vaccines that I will need and the cost. Waaaaaayyyyy more than I originally anticipated.
Shot: 1 dose = 1 shot and lasts 1 year…$125
Pills: 1 dose = 4 pills taken every other day and lasts 3 years…$100
***Pills must be taken on an empty stomach, 1 hour before a meal or 2 hours after, but must be at the same time for each dose***
Friday May 2nd 8:30am EST – Pill 1
Almost immediately after taking the pill my throat felt very warm and kind of scratchy. Similar to when you have a sore throat. The left side of my face around my eye down to my chin was very cold and numb-ish. I thought well this is weird, but not total uncomfortable. I can still breath and the heater is on under my desk so it shouldn’t last long. I honestly didn’t notice when this feeling went away.
Around 10:30a I decided that I was going to have some juice, this is the first thing that I had “eaten” all morning. Maybe an hour after that my stomach started to growl fiercely. I’m thinking it’s because it’s almost lunch time and I’ve decided to do a juice fast. At noon I finally tear myself away from my desk to use the rest room, I have to pee. As I ready myself to pee, my stomach growls again and I think, I really must be hungry….not so much. I quickly realize that this noise is my stomach working hard to get rid of everything in it. Awesome!!!! Diarrhea :/
I was really surprised to say the least, I wasn’t nauseous, my stomach didn’t hurt, but it did make the same fabulous noise for the majority of the day. My diarrhea lasted about 24 hours. I drank as much water as I could without feeling sick to stay hydrated.
Sunday May 4 8:30a – Pill 2
I don’t remember noticing anything other than the sore throat symptoms and cold face. My stomach was intact all day and it was beautiful outside.
Tuesday May 6 8:36a – Pill 3
Again almost immediately my throat felt very warm and kind of scratchy. The left side of my face from cheek to chin and nose to ear are cold and numb. I have a new symptom today, my upper left thigh is also cold and numb. I don’t know if I just didn’t notice before or if it truly is new.
It’s 10:15a now an I’m starting to get more feeling in my face and leg although both feel very cold, but when I touch my cheek it actually feel kind of warm. Weird. I will call my brother (he’s a pharmacist) later to see if this is “normal” or if I’m having a slight allergic reaction.
10:31a – So, numbness and cold are not normal. Possibly a minor allergic reaction to the Typhoid vaccine.
Sadly, diarrhea is listed as a side effect. Mixing so many acidic fruits in the juice from my fast (I have since switched to a 6a to 6p fast) with the meds was not the best option. I’ll continue to see how I feel throughout the day. My last pill in this series will be on Thursday morning.
It’s 5:45p now and I’m still having a little numbness in the face. I drank a lot of water today to try and work this through my system. Hopefully Thursday will be better.
Wednesday May 7 – No Pill
I woke up this morning hoping that all the weird feelings would have magically disappeared overnight. I wasn’t that lucky. The cold numbness in my face and leg never completely went away. This morning it feels as if it has spread across my shoulders and upper back. My face is flush. Kind of a Jolly Santa look…my cheeks and under my eyes were a bit rosy. And my skin is hot to the touch even though I’m freezing. I’ve had the heater under my desk on all day and just can’t get warm. I don’t have a thermometer at my desk, but I’m guessing I have a fever. My friend say it mini typhoid fever 🙂 Tomorrow will be a better day.
Thursday May 8 – Pill 4 (Last One)
7am – I guess my mini fever broke last night. I woke up feeling fine.
8:30a – I took my last pill today. I’m very excited to be done with this series. Okay, so what am I feeling… Instead of the warm sore throat sinsation, my throat feels like I’m drinking cold water or chewing Ice Breaker gum. I feel cool in my shoulders, back, chest, and back of my neck.
10:45a – My stomach has started cramping…seriously cramping. I must look like I’m in pain because my co-worker keeps asking if I’m alright. I don’t want to sit and I don’t want to stand. I just can’t find a comfortable position.
5:30p – Ahhh!!! It’s happening again. My diarrhea had returned. AWESOME! I’m supposed to go the the Taste of Alpheretta tonight….We’ll see how that goes :S. I text my brother to tell him what’s happening; he text back one word…Immodium. Headed to the pharmacy now.
