On being a hermit

[norsegirl]

I don't like the media. They're all about selling fear. Fear that the terrorists are going to kill us all, fear that universal healthcare will degrade our quality of care (honestly, can it get any worse here?), fear that swine flu will kill us all and now fear that the vaccine is the thing to be scared of.

I hate that people are more likely to trust the wealth of fear-mongering articles from news people, who are going to sensationalize because really, all they are about is selling papers but that they won't listen to arguments made by people with credentials because there's more of the former and the latter aren't saying what they want to hear. Really, take a good hard look at that... would you rather get a shot or have a bone set by a doctor or by a journalist? I don't care how charming, trustworthy, or well-written a journalist is, they're simply not trained in the medical field and I don't honestly think they have your best interests at heart either. So if you wouldn't let them administer the health care, why would you take their advice on medical issues over that of your physician?

Anyway, I've been doing a lot of thinking and the whole flu/infant thing is going to be changing some of my plans this year. I'm not going to Estrella because I can't guarantee that no one on the plane or in my camp is going to be sick and I just don't want to risk Georgia's health. I'm also going to be a hard-ass when it comes to visitors. If you didn't get vaccinated, you're not allowed in my house. And yes, I know that non-vaccination doesn't mean they're a plague rat, but in order to get to my house, pretty much everyone has to travel over a long distance, exposing themselves to a bunch of people on the way. So you won't have any reasonable way of knowing you haven't come in contact with anything and aren't shedding virus like Pig Pen from Peanuts. By Pennsic Georgia will be all up on her vaccinations and we should be up to travel again.

In other news my neighbours have put up their Halloween decorations. This mostly consists of a massive inflatable horsedrawn hearse. It's rather impressive, but a bit over the top for me. I'm a big fan of simple and home made. Speaking of which, I need to get out there and finish mine off some time in the next day or two. Need to get a sledgehammer before I can though as I need to drive in the stakes I'm going to be harnessing the web on around the garden. As I don't have the car today I guess that's going to have to wait one more day. I did get some vacuuming done today though, so that's nice. Still have to do kitchen, games room, bedrooms and sewing room, but I got hall, stairs, dining room and living room done. I guess that's about half the house. I also tidied up my bedroom a little. Not sure what to tackle next. I'm still feeling overwhelmed by stuff. I think I'm coming up on time to do another purge.

Comments

[ya-inga.livejournal.com]

About Estrella - it's likely to have run it's course by then dear - we sure would love to see you.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_medb_/]

And that's exactly why I wasn't going to get vaccinated until I talked to my doctor today and changed my mind- there's just too much misinformation getting spread around out there and I had no clue what was true and what wasn't (even my doctor was getting confused by all the stuff out there!). After talking to her though, I'll certainly be looking into getting it once the panicked rush calms down over this week- I figure if she's this concerned with it, then I'll listen to her because she's an amazing doctor and wouldn't be recommending it unless she was totally sure it's a good thing to do. Heck, from what she said I definitely wouldn't want to deal with getting even a MILD case of it.

And there's nothing wrong with being prepared or cautious about it, especially with a little one (my doctor has a 13 month old, who's getting the shot). The big thing is to be rational about it and not panic like crazy- that's why things got so stupid during SARS. :)

[eve-the-just.livejournal.com]

I don't think things got stupid during SARS. I worked in a hospital at the time, and yeah, some of the precautions were a little silly or annoying. The hospital was restricted down to 1 entrance so they could control who was coming and going, and that was a bit inconvenient. Every morning I had to sign a release saying I didn't even have the sniffles and hadn't been to China that week (yeah, cause after work yesterday I flew to China and back), but I guess it made you think about how you felt that day, so that's good. And I had to remember my ID every day, no sneaking in and saying I forgot it at home. Again, not an unreasonable expectation no matter what the circumstances.

I look on this as a little thing we can do for the greater common good. Like why we have speed limits. Sure I can control my vehicle at a lot higher speed than that road is rated, and sure I go over a little, but I don't gun it and try to see what my vehicle's top speed really is. If I did someone might die, and it might well be me, so I drive a reasonable speed and I expect others to do the same.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_medb_/]

It depended on where you were- for the most part people were pretty logical about it (thankfully!), but I do remember cases of Asians being pretty much shunned in parts of Toronto.

[snowy-owl30.livejournal.com]

I applaud you for your choice! Not that it needs applause or anything...

The media is all about fear and sex. I agree that you really have to filter what you get from them. And while I trust my doctor, she's not entirely convinced herself (she has a private practice and works a walk in clinic 2 days/week) that the shot is necessary for everyone. She's only recommending those who are at high risk and telling everyone else to use common sense and good hygiene.

I think that people in general need to have more thought about how they affect those around them. It's my choice to not vaccinate myself at this time and as a result of my choice, I'll be careful not to expose myself to potential contact with the virus as much as I can. I'll also be careful not to get too close to those who can be most at risk from the virus (including my husband's grandma whom we see fairly frequently).

[eliskimo.livejournal.com]

I'm annoyed that my child & I seem to be a hidden category that I can't find any information on. The Ontario website says pregnant women and children 6 months to 5 years should be among the first to be vaccinated. Then it talks about seniors, adults, older children, those with chronic conditions, health care workers ... pretty much everyone except breastfeeding women and babies.

I wish it wasn't such a pain to get a hold of my doctor so I could ask her.

[eve-the-just.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I feel the same way regarding being forgotten. We can't even get H1N1 down here yet so it's a moot point for me, but I'm getting the seasonal shot tomorrow at least. Ironic since I think this state was the place with the most cases. Or maybe just after California. Something about sharing a border with Mexico. Sigh.

I figure babies are not addressed because they cannot receive this vaccine. So nothing there to discuss really. And I think you and I just qualify as adults in whatever age category we happen to fall into (by which I mean breastfeeding teenagers are just teenagers, and you and I are just adults). I don't think the breastfeeding thing has any affect on us with regard to the vaccine. I'm hoping it might confer some resistance to our children, but probably not. Still, better for them if we're not getting sick right?