Well, i don’t know for sure. I know i had a slightly irregular pap smear and was tested for HPV, and it was negative.
I assume either my partner would have to be unfaithful or I would have to have another partner to be exposed? I’m one of those weirdly monogamous creatures. And should the unthinkable happen I don’t believe I would remarry.
I’m at extremely low risk now. But if my husband dies before me (and the odds are he will, both from actuarial tables and from family history) I’d probably date. And vaccines work better when you are younger.
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I don’t even know any single men in the right age group. Wait—I know 2. Nope, not dating them. (Not that they’d want to date me.)
Having grown up in a large family and marrying way too young, I’d actually love some alone time. (Yes, Mr aj knows this, and no I’m not planning anything.)
If you’re planning on being in a mutually monogamous relationship for the rest of your life then you are at much lower risk than the general population. But still not zero risk. There’s still the possibility of coming into contact with it through a shared towel or other clothing or fabric, or God-forbid, rape.
I understand that.
shared towel? that seems really unlikely.
Google “Can I get HPV from a towel” and you will get dozens of hits saying “yes”, including from reputable sources like Mayo Clinic, county health departments, medical schools and such.
oh wow, ew didn’t know it was that easily spread.
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soooooooo, don’t get it.
i never said you needed to.
i disagreed with you when you claimed there is no benefit to your kids though.
yeah, that’s different than my reaction. there was no actual mark on the injection site. It didn’t actually hurt much at the beginning at all. I think I felt a minor ache that I wasn’t sure if it was the vaccine or the few PT exercises I do that involve my arm. It became very apparent it was the vaccine an entire month later when the pain became really bad. Still no mark. My arm just hurt, like in the muscle in the exact spot where the needle went in.
It was similar to the pain I had from the covid booster, except it was a month later and it didn’t go away quickly.
For several years, I didn’t get flu shots because of my experience.
In 2020, I spent a week in ICU for non-COVID reasons. While I was in bed, hooked up to a bunch of machines, a nurse asked me if I wanted a flu shot, phrasing the request in such a way as to suggest that “no” wasn’t really an answer. I got it and had no issues.
In 2021, I figured I’d give the flu shot another shot. I didn’t have a decent night’s sleep for a couple of months afterwards – I’m a side sleeper, and every time I rolled onto that side…
Heading into 2022 flu season when I was debating getting the flu shot…my plan had been to get the “hypoallergenic” version of the vaccine, thinking that was the reason for my woes. Someone here mentioned that injection site can matter. I mentioned that to my vaccinator when I got the shot…and found out after the fact that I had been given the regular vaccine despite my request for the non-eggy version. It wasn’t quite the non-event that the 2020 vaccine was – I had a few (4-6?) nights of bad sleep because of arm discomfort, but it wasn’t the two months of lousy sleep from the year prior.
I’m on the fence about what I’m going to do with the flu shot for 2023. Of all the vaccines I’ve had as an adult (recently: flu, COVID, TDAP, and shingles), the flu shots are the only ones that give my arms trouble.
If I knew that I was guaranteed a couple of months of lousy sleep, the decision would be easy. However, since my experience over the 3 prior years has been inconsistent… 
any clue what they did differently in the ICU that you had no issues?
I suspect mine isn’t an allergic reaction and instead it was where they put the shot in that my arm didn’t like. It just felt like muscle soreness that just wouldn’t go away.
sleeping wasn’t an issue as I got it in my right arm and I sleep on my left. If I get the 2nd dose though, I’m going to have to get it in my left arm because I don’t want my right arm to fall off being hit with this twice.
For the 3rd dose, dunno as I’m out of arms to injure.
ISWYDT
The possibilities that come to mind:
- ICU nurse more skilled at giving shots than clinic/pharmacy technicians?
- I wasn’t asked about egg allergies in ICU, making me wonder if I got the non-eggy shot there.
- I was hooked up to an IV for about a week. Maybe the medication or fluid made a difference.
- Combination of the above?
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I finally messaged the doctor who I got this vaccine through because I’m due for the 2nd dose and my arm still hurts slightly. She suggested I see a physiatrist to determine if it’s safe to get the 2nd dose. So I booked an appointment with a random physiatrist from zocdoc for Friday. Hopefully they can give me answers quick as I’m going to be escaping NYC again for a while after April and therefore won’t be able to get it.
well that doctor called me and said they don’t deal with arm injuries.
i might just give up and risk it and just get the 2nd dose and hope my arm doesn’t fall off.
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contacted the practice and the doctor on the patient portal asking for a referral, but this was right before they closed.
After they closed, I stalked the website for openings and made appointments with 2 physiatrists, one for Friday and another for Monday. The Monday one is a doctor I saw before for my back. it was confusing for that one because it would only let me put it as a “follow up” because I’ve seen him before and then said I need a referral otherwise I have to pay more of a co-pay. My insurance doesn’t require referrals.
Hopefully one of them sticks. I’m not cancelling either until I know it sticks. This vague reference to a Physiatrist is confusing to find the right one.
I’ve never even heard of a physiatrist, but I hope you figure out what’s going on with your arm.
I think physiatrists are similar to orthopedists, except orthopedists do surgery while physiatrists do not. I think physiatrists are also similar to sports doctors. I don’t actually know the real difference there. When I had knee, hip, or back issues, i got referrals for either one.
I had a physiatrist who I loved, but I think she left that field and now does acupuncture.
If it wasn’t for wanting the 2nd dose, I’d probably just let my arm hopefully heal on its own. It’s not that bad at this point. It’s just not entirely gone.