In case you were wondering, dear reader, yes, the Peanut was involved in the Great Swine Flu Debacle of 2009 - that is, the thousands-strong lineup that formed outside North York Civic Centre on day 1 of Toronto Public Health's high-priority H1N1 vaccination clinics. Luckily for us, we only had to endure a couple of hours of the mayhem before we got word from Auntie (now officially! more on this later) Esti that Dr. Morty's clinic had just received its shipment of vaccine goodness, and Master Peter could receive his shot from him. So we abandoned the friends we had made so recently while standing out in the cold, and high-tailed it home.
We have made it through the whole of Pedro's seven-month existence so far without so much as a sniffle (except for a couple bouts of allergies that kept us out of the NICU until we realized it was just that dastardly ragweed again), but now that cold and flu season has begun in earnest, we know it's just a matter of time before one of us falls prey to the endless supply of germs in circulation. We just hope the culprit won't be either the dreaded flu or respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Funny how this RSV biznatch is something you never hear about until you have a baby, and then it becomes the sole purpose of your daily existence to avoid it.
Speaking of RSV, looks like P dizzle will be quite the pin-cushion this winter. After some minor drama, it appears that he does in fact qualify (duh) for the uber-expensive RSV shots provided to high-risk babies. Trouble is, RSV prophylaxis is not a vaccine (where typically a dead virus is introduced so that the immune system can create antibodies against it); rather, the antibodies themselves are introduced to the babe's system. So, unlike a vaccine (which usually only needs to be administered a handful of times, spaced a couple of months apart), RSV shots take place every four weeks for the duration of the season (November-April in these parts). Which is a drag. You see, first off, I'm a total wimp, and it breaks my heart to hear that needle cry. Second, the Peanut seems to be one of those babies who "react" to shots - meaning he becomes a royal pain in the ass for a couple of days afterwards. Don't get me wrong: I'm not an anti-vaccine type (I fall more on the anti-Polio side of that particular debate). I just dread the look of total betrayal on the P dog's face when he realizes he's been "stuck", and wish that somebody else could deal with the aftermath.
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