Hurry up and jab me.

I had a rubella shot today- or, correction, my MMR jab, because they don't do the single vaccine doses in this country anymore.

I am not fond of needles. I wouldn't go so far as to say I am "phobic" but it did prey on my mind all day that I was going to have to go have this done later, and wishing I could get it over with. I had a really bad experience in college giving blood, and since then the sight of anyone coming at me with a needle unnerves me somewhat.

There have been more needles in the last three months than I have encountered in the past 10 years- so far I have had blood drawn for 3 three separate thyroid tests with some extra blood extracted for progesterone and the rubella antibodies check. And now the shot. It's sort of all right if I don't look, but only if I don't see the needle.

The nurse, who was nice but a wee bit ditzy, ran around for ten minutes looking for the purple form. "You haven't filled out the purple form!" I didn't recall this elusive purple form being mentioned earlier- so I'm thinking, do I have to sign a disclaimer saying I won't have unprotected sex for the next month once I have the shot in case I get pregnant? Can they make you sign something like that? Is that legal? And what would happen if you did become pregnant, and the baby got somehow infected by the rubella shot? Could they sue you for damaging your unborn child? Or arrest you? Even though in this country unborn children have no rights until they are born? Except for the peculiar legal anomaly that is the "Nasciturus Fiction" (subject of a whole other blog) and that wouldn't apply in this case.

This is how my mind works. I need to get out more.

Turns out all she was looking for was the form you fill out when you are getting vaccines before you travel. I explained that I am not, as far as I know, going anywhere. At which point she calmed down and pulled out the needles. Then there was this big to-do of all the little separate vials and bottles. I am becoming increasingly agitated at this point. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, GET ON WITH IT, AND GIVE ME THE SHOT. No, she loses one of the little bottles, and gropes around the desk for it until I point out she has already attached to the needle, the NEEDLE- and I really begin to feel myself starting to have shallow, panicked breathing.

Finally she does it. And it was fine- it always is. Let's put it this way, the paper cut I got this morning felt worse and bled more.

So we are now now officially on a month off from TTC. I am telling myself this is good- I can sort out my blog, drink some wine, recharge the old batteries in the bedroom as it were. And brace myself for more needles.