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Ouch!
If the disease hurts worse than this, then I guess it's worth it. (Do you like the toilet in the background?? Today I decided to take care of any
health requirements necessary.
I was referred to a
travel clinic: this is a clinic which specializes in poking adventurous travelers like myself full of needle-holes and then charging a lot of money. Not a bad racket, really.
I went to Passport Health of Austin (http://www.passporthealthaustin.com/) and met with a nice lady named Elisa, who sat down and calmly explained all of the horrible lingering deaths that were possible from insect bites, eating, drinking, animals, birds, breathing, walking, touching people casually, touching people intimately, and just plain going about your business without doing any of the prior.
We discussed which kind of
anti-malarial drug I would prefer:
1) The one that causes psychotic episodes and horrendous nightmares (been there, done that);
2) The one that causes nausea, yeast infections, and makes you ultra-sensitive to sunlight; and
3) The one that costs $800 for a four-month supply
I'm really hoping my insurance will cover #3.
In the "Health Alerts" section there was no mention of the insidious Pig or Swine that is causing such consteration in North America right now. There is still an alert out for Bird Flu, though,
just confirming my belief that birds are evil flying rats. When Elisa warned me to steer clear of live birds, I could quite easily say, "No problem." (for those of you who don't know, I hate birds)
We also went over the 2-page list of suggested
vaccinations. It was a smorgasbord of everything fun, from Rabies to Japanese Encephalitis. I should mention, for those of you who think you've been vaccinated for J.E. (like I thought), that the docs have no idea how long the vaccine lasts and the only way to tell is by getting a blood test for antibodies. I guess I'll take my chances, even though the Air Force pretty much poked me full of everything on the menu.
I was further offered a can of Permethrin (bug repellent), a universal water purifier, a TB test, and reams of advice. I selected to have the booster shots for
Tetanus, Typhoid, and Polio.
I forgot how much the d*#$ typhoid shot hurts; I've been flapping my arm like - yes, a chicken - all afternoon and it is still throbbing.
On the lighter side, (and having absolutely nothing to do with travel except that
it might be the last chance I have to cook until my first Asian cooking course), I made dinner for my parents tonight using recipes from
Bon Appetit magazine: Grilled Chicken Salad with Radishes, Cucumbers, and Tarragon Pesto; and Chocolate-Dipped Frozen Banana Bites. If you want to check out the recipes, do a search at www.epicurious.com.
All for now....
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Yum!
Dinner for your parent? What a good daughter... :)