This little piggy went to market, this little piggy got swine flu

Its almost a guarantee. I will get the swine flu. No matter how much Purell I bask in, no matter what type of mask I wear, I will get it. Just looking around my ER I see staff sneezing (not into their recommended shirt sleeve per the CDC), then touching their face, then the mouse. I see patients sneezing and coughing and not even bothering to attempt to cover up the splattering germs; I see doctors walking in and out of rooms not washing their hands, gloves still donned, touching the keyboard.
I feel like I’m in a bad dream when the monster is running after you and you can’t run away fast enough. But in this dream its a ginormous, pink, pig shaped virus looking to commandeer my cells and multiply.

I would go crazy running around being the Purell police. All I can do is remind when I can and try, try, try to avoid Mr. H1N1.

But I don’t think its possible.

I did, however, get my first flu shot ever. (As an adult I mean, maybe I was held down as a kid and injected?? I’ve blocked it out). People ask me why I sold out and endured the needle in my deltoid; and the reason is simple: I can’t afford to be sick. Financially, emotionally, career-wise, or scholastically. I just can’t. So I am taking any and all precautions available. And guess what? My arm didn’t hurt, I didn’t get sick or tired or even mildly febrile! I might even try the H1N1 vaccine.

After all, I am totally outnumbered. The odds are not on my side. If I get through until 2010 without the symptoms on the Nyquil bottle I will consider this flu season a success.

But, I’m afraid to say, I am not optimistic about it.

Does anyone have a Hazmat suit I can borrow for a few months?

Rebekah Child

Rebekah Child attended the University of Southern California for her bachelor's in nursing and decided to brave the academic waters and return for her master's in nursing education, graduating in 2003 from Mount St. Mary's. Rebekah has also taught nursing clinical and theory at numerous Southern California nursing schools and has been an emergency nurse since 2002. She is currently one of the clinical educators for an emergency department in Southern California and a student (again!) in the doctoral program at the University of California, Los Angeles.

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