My Annual Flu Vaccine

You got yours, too, right?

I ask for the preservative free one, which is reserved for pregnant ladies. No mercury for me, thanks.

It costs more.

My insurance pays for it.

Some pharmacies carry it. Not CVS.

I go to my lovely Primary Care doctor for it.

However, I would get the regular flu vaccine if that were the only one I had access to, because it contains a very tiny amount of mercury.

The flu vaccine is very important.

In studies, people who get flu vaccines are less likely to end up with Alzheimers. That’s good news. Guess the flu takes a toll on your brain. Who hasn’t experienced post-flu stupidity? And dizziness.

As we age, our immune system function changes for the worse, which is why elderly people die of pneumonia. And Covid-19.

Plus, I don’t like the flu at all.

When people get the flu vaccine and say it made them sick, they had contracted an illness before getting the vaccine.

When people get the flu vaccine and say they got the flu anyway, well, the vaccine does not protect against all flu strains. Scientists do the best they can.

Would I get a Covid-19 vaccine?

When the time comes, I’d have to see the studies on it. No one has ever made a coronavirus vaccine, so could it even be done?

A couple friends of mine got the Pfizer trial one. Well they are not sure what they got, the trial vaccine or a placebo. One had the typical vaccine reaction of sore arm, as the immune system responds. The other did not.

It’s hard to imagine that a Covid-19 vaccine made under this anti-science, game show administration would be safe, but I will keep an open mind.

I do get every vaccine that I can. They are medical miracles.

In the meantime, Dr. Fauci suggests Vitamin C and Vitamin D to help immunity.

What I have been up to lately, medically.

I made a video about getting my 2020 flu vaccine and what I’m doing medically these days.

Unfortunately one cannot easily change a video, or at least I won’t spend the time — note the low production value — so I will further comment here.

My shoulder is still incredibly painful. The nurse hit where the deltoid muscle inserts. Ouch! I cannot lift as much as I would like, so that is making me angry, but these things happen. I still managed to clean my floors on my hands and knees (for the exercise) and I’m still doing a lot of free weights. It will stop hurting altogether soon. It hurts less everyday. Must focus on the positive.

My Aortic Dilation

I did get that ultrasound to see what it showed about my aortic bulge.

To catch you up, I switched to a new cardiologist, and in taking my medical history he suspects my EDS grandfather died of an aortic rupture, not a heart attack. Yikes! So we thought we’d better keep an eye on my aortic dilation.

Aortic bulges are common in hEDS. They are thought to be stable, but who knows when we don’t even know what disease we actually have until we get the genetic cause found.

Dr. Cardiologist hoped the ultrasound would show the same about my aortic dilation as the Magnetic Resonance Angiogram (an MRI that looks at blood flow) so we could have a quick look whenever.

I have been getting thoracic MRAs since I was diagnosed years ago. You, too, right?

But ultrasounds can be inaccurate due to shadows and reflections. This one showed my aortic diameter being normal, which we doubt. So much for that plan. I am getting a fresh MRA next week.

The ultrasound also looked at my heart. I have some mild regurgitation at my mitral value, but no big deal, and we already knew that. I hope you see a cardiologist regularly if you have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.

Dr. Cardiologist also ordered an ultrasound of my carotid arteries to see if I have plaque buildup, since I cannot get my LDL in a normal range. Lipid abnormalities are common in hypermobility Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Looks super clean as it did last time. Phew! I had that done about three years ago.

I rarely take calcium supplements, and few supplements at all because they are not regulated, so, you do not know what you are actually taking.

Nobody knows what happens when you take many supplements together, as, unfortunately, many chronically ill people do.

I also can think of more fun things to spend my money on. Like treatments that work.

Calcium pills seem to cause calcium build up in arteries, something you do not want. Calcium from food doesn’t. So enjoy your cheese and yogurt. Skip the pills.

Okay, that’s the latest.

Be safe.