The Epic PCS: Vaccinations

Tilly hates shots too. And hugs.

While there is a tropical paradise awaiting my family on the other side of the world, the amount of paperwork that it takes to get my husband, my cat, and myself to Okinawa is astonishing. This is our first PCS, which stands for Permanent Change of Station. The military helps you move to a new location since you will be there for a number of years. I have never arranged a move through the military before, and of course I am starting with the farthest and most complicated PCS possible. This is our epic PCS, and I am documenting my experience in order to help any spouses also attempting to move across the globe by jumping through a seemingly endless number of hoops.

I began the medical screening process for myself this week. I am only allowed to accompany Matt if I can prove that I am healthy enough to not need any major medical care while in Japan. The first step I decided to take was to take care of my vaccinations. There were five that I needed. The navy medical officer told me that I could produce documentation that I had the vaccinations, get the vaccinations again, or take a blood test to prove that I was already immune. I had no idea where my shot records were. Keep in mind that I had moved twice in eight months and had ninety-five percent of my belongings in storage before you judge me. I did not really want five shots, so I asked the sailor in the immunizations office about the blood test. She agreed it was faster than getting the shots since many of the shots had to be given in stages. I was about to sit down for the blood test when I thought to ask how much blood we were talking about. She casually mentioned one vial...per immunization. That would mean I had to give five vials of blood in one sitting! I knew from experience that nurses often had to fight my veins for blood, and I wanted to keep that high quantity of blood inside my body thank you very much. Therefore, I quickly excused myself and did what any twenty-something would do in this situation.

I called my mother and asked her if she knew where my shot records were. Since she is my mother and is also amazing, she had copies of my shot records on file and emailed them to me. The next business day I went right back with my records and was informed I needed two shots to be up to date. Two measly little shots seemed like a fair trade for a tropical paradise, so I sat down to pleasantly chit chat with the nice lady giving me the shots. I am not afraid of shots, but I began to worry just a bit when she mentioned the tetanus shot would cause some soreness and fever. That sounded unpleasant, but I still tried to remain optimistic as she jabbed the needle into my arm. And she kept it there. And wiggled it around. My arm started to hurt! I expressed some concern that I lost feeling in my hand, but her response was to give me a shot in the other arm. I expressed some concern that I was blacking out. I then proceeded to faint. 

I felt all nauseous and had trouble catching my breath. The lady with the shots told me it was lucky I was small because she had to throw me onto the examination table. She had called in her superior who told me I hyperventilated. The lady in charge then called in a junior sailor in order for him to observe what to do when someone faints. I guess I am glad to be a helpful teaching tool for him. I lay on the table sweating and breathing deeply while three people stared at me. Great. 

Nobody worry. I perked back up, and I got a snack and a soda at the hospital cafeteria before I drove home. No more shots before Okinawa! Yay! One more step completed as part of the epic PCS.