I lucked out and was referred to a VERY nearby Travel Clinic and got all of the information I needed over the phone for the initial consultation.
I was told to visit the clinic, with immunization records in hand (preferably without children, to expedite the consultation). They would then have me fill out "some paperwork" and then the doctor would visit with me about what vaccinations were needed and which were recommended.
Yesterday morning, Mia and I visited the Travel Clinic, immunization records in hand with the intention of getting the consultation 'out of the way.'
First off, know that if you ever need the services of a Travel Clinic, they will charge you for this consultation. You will be required to fill out about an hour's worth of paperwork (or maybe 15 minutes for each person, since I had four people to accomodate?).
After paying $180.00 for the privilege of filling out paperwork, I realized that we no longer had any time to visit with the doctor for the vaccination recommendation since Tony would soon be off of the bus.
Home to get Tony off of the bus after feeling very defeated for not getting much of anything accomplished.
Then, after an afternoon of VERY crabby children, I decided .... why keep the crabiness to myself? Why not share their griping and whining with the Travel Clinic? At worst, they would expedite the process of recommending vaccinations, and then administering shots because they wanted the crabbiness out of their office! Brilliant plan, I thought!
So we loaded up and headed - all three kiddos and I - to the Travel Clinic.
20 minutes later, we started the process of obtaining weights, temperatures, blood pressure stats, and I gave a review of allergies, any medical problems to note and normal eating habits.
Then the doctor came in, who spoke with a Russian accent (very hard to understand) and started going over the options - Japanese Encypha-something-or-other-that-I-can't-spell .... Hepatitis A, Typhoid, Polio, Cholera, Meningitis, etc.
I think that at this point, I was realizing that this MIGHT not have been the most brilliant plan. The crabbies and I had now been in the office for about an hour and still no vaccination recommendation had begun.
I'll spare you the details. It was ALOT of shots, alot of crying, wailing and thrashing about. The kids each got 2 shots and I got 4. Let me tell you, these are no flu shots.
Typhoid feels like hot lava coursing through your veins, and in the other arm, Hepatitis A reminded me of ice shooting up into my shoulder. Poor babies ... if I was hurting during the process, I know THEY were!
Lessons learned?
- Take someone with you to the Travel Clinic to help keep little ones occupied during the wait
- Promise McDonalds after their experience. If you're lucky, you'll get away with a simple Happy Meal for the young ones and an extra large order of fries for the teenager.
- Be meticulous in obtaining your immunization records BEFORE ever stepping foot in the Travel Clinic
- Try to find a Travel Clinic associated with a pediatric office or urgent care. MUCH nicer than our previous experience (prior to Africa) at the Health Department!
- Take your OWN bandaids ... nothing says "feel better lovey" than bandaids with colors, cartoon characters and barbie dolls!
- Be aware that you'll have to pay out the nose for these vaccinations! Our bill was over $800 (for the four of us, which actually wasn't TOO bad) and will not be covered by any insurance. This amount doesn't include the prescriptions for anti-malaria medication (oral).
- Pre-dose everyone with Motrin/Aspirin to take a bit of the edge off of the soreness factor. It's nearing 24 hours later and I still am unable to lift my arms above shoulder level, let alone pick anything up.
- Finally? Be grateful that even though the shots hurt like hades, that you are able to receive vaccinations in the first place!
