Culture

NYC is a bad place to not get the flu shot

By on • ( 9 Comments )

I am a hardcore New Yorker. Love it. Defend it at all turns. Relish in walking through the city streets and seeing the beautiful skyline at night. With that said, occasionally I do think New York is a bit tough of a place in which to live. Such were my thoughts one morning as I rode the subway to work.

I recently had the flu. It was horrible. I actually had three things at once. Go big or go home. That’s how I live my life, even in sickness. I got the flu partly because I didn’t get the flu shot. I’m allergic. I carry two epi-pens with me at all times due to my severe allergies; which have gotten worse with time. But that is a whole other story.

I also got the flu, in my opinion, because it is the first time in six years or so that I am riding the subway day in and day out. And while I love the subway system for how extensive it is, it can be a bit much. It can be a shock to the immune system. Coughing and sneezing kids wiping their hands on the seats and poles. Adults using their sleeves as tissue. Used straws all around. As I sat riding the train I kept thinking about how I didn’t want to get another bout of the flu. It’s completely possible. I was beginning to wonder if I needed to walk around in a bubble. No, of course not. I just needed to get re-acclimated to my beloved subway system. Meanwhile hand sanitizer, gym wipes, and my iPod were going to be my friends for the foreseeable future.

Categories: Culture, current events, Health, new york, Psychology, society

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9 replies »

  1. SMiLes i avoided the Flu since ’86.. hehe then i became
    a Public Dancer and all the Hi-5’s and Handshakes
    constantly came.. the Truth is i thought i was
    tough enough to kick the Flu’s Butt without
    A Flu Shot.. Yes.. Lesson learned
    my condolences to Your
    Allergies to the Flu
    Shot in the Subways
    each day of New York.. yes.. indeed
    Possible to Acquire a New Strain Next..
    but nah.. i can’t stop Dancing and both
    me and and my Wife will get that Flu
    Shot Next Year.. all it took to convince
    Her is the Ten Dollar Gift Card at Publix.. hAha…
    Trivia Note.. as a Generation X’er You may Remember
    Jack LaLanne exercising all his Life and proving that Older
    Ages Need not be any more weak than an 18 Year-Old Cat
    Still Thriving Outside.. However at 96 he Decided to fight
    Pneumonia without visiting the Doctor as he probably didn’t
    realize the
    Severity
    of his
    Cough..
    ‘the Meek’ truly
    do inherit the Earth/Us
    and the tiniest things will
    most definitely put us in our grave…
    or if necessary clean up the remains..
    Cheers to Hand Sanitizer and there
    is always the option of wearing a breathing mask…
    If the Coronavirus comes it will probably be seen as ‘normal’..
    Ugh.. i was so embarrassed when i first had to wear Shades every
    where in Public but we really have to do what it takes to survive and
    shake the ‘shade’ off..
    It’s like the literal
    Prescription from
    my Doctor for Moving
    Meditation (Dance) to
    Regulate my Emotions
    And Integrate my Senses
    And prevent my Legs
    From going Numb..
    It really is an effective
    Treatment for Symptoms
    of both Autism Disorder and
    Bi-Polar Disorder.. nah.. Doctors
    Don’t give out Prescriptions as Jokes
    and for me at least it is Proof for any Store
    Management that it is an accommodation for
    the Symptoms of Potential Functional Disability…
    i’ve never had to Whip it out though.. i tend to convince
    people once i talk to them that i have enough IQ points
    to keep it all ‘sane’ enough and they do whatever they have
    to not to be Nerd Bombed Again with Technical (ALL THE DETAILS) Information hehe..
    really as a Psychologist You May find this Interesting… an issue with Bi-Polar Disorder is
    Low Levels of ‘Latent Inhibition’ in Filtering Environmental Stimulus out including the
    Emotional and Sensory Environment… Asperger’s Syndrome in many Cases
    includes an extreme Leaning Systemizing Mind associated with higher than
    Average IQ too.. Research shows that those ‘Creative Folks’ with
    Low Levels of Latent Inhibition providing more Free Association
    are less likely to go ‘mad’ if they Have the Balance of
    Plenty of Mechanical
    Cognition to
    Bring them
    back to Earth in
    Terms of ‘Hypo-Frontality’ too…
    Smiles.. Bi-Polar Saves My Imagination/Creativity
    And Asperger’s Syndrome Brings me back to Earth…
    My My My isn’t the Human Condition in all its colors
    Fascinating i LOVE IT ALL!
    Perhaps
    that is
    because
    i experience
    so many Human Conditions too…
    hehe.. ADHD.. just about everything….
    INTJ and ENFP Personality flip of a Whim/Reason
    Jack (Fred) of All Trades DarK Thru Light Soul i could
    go on
    but i’ll
    STOP NOW..
    Online is Great
    there is always an off button for me..
    Writing Provides Focus and it really
    is a Learning and a Teaching Experience
    to Share with others Freely to Stimulate
    our Minds and Souls Wherever We go..
    but on the other Hand We Live in a ‘Twitter World’…
    i Seek Depth.. Complexity.. and Variety i get it here and i like it..
    It’s all about Consuming the Gifts of Mind and Soul others offer freely too..
    but on the
    other hand
    i said i said i’d stop..
    i’m so excited i get to
    see my Psychotherapist
    today.. She gets Paid to Listen to
    me for 30 Minutes it’s great! rarely
    do i ever talk about any problems though…
    we are always talking about how to help her
    other ‘patients’… and some of mine too… hmm…
    but of
    course
    that is
    also part of
    the inherent ‘problem’ i guess..;)

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  2. People like you – who can’t have the flu shot – are why the rest of us need to be immunized. Herd immunity protects those who cannot be protected directly by vaccines. Those who would get a mild reaction at best need to remember public health, including that of their children and elderly relatives.
    The measles epidemics in a civilized country should have been the last time we needed to have this demonstrated.

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