On tuesday Mum and I went to the travel clinic for a consultation. Originally it wasn't going to be a consultation, but we were late getting back from Kingston so all we had time for was talking about the meds I would need and getting a TB test (tuberculosis). Malarone (malaria pills) are more expensive than I thought.
The Tb test consisted of a serum being injected into my arm. I was not allowed to scrub it or put a band-aid on it, in case that gave a false positive or negative. If I was TB positive the area where the serum was injected would be large and an angry red. If not, it would look like a little bruise.
Check out how not-infected-with-TB I am!!
So today we went back to get me vaccinated for Typhoid, Hepatitis A, Japanese Encephalitis and Rabies. Apparently the Typhoid/Hep A needle hurts a LOT for about 24 hours, so I was well doped out on Tylenol before arriving. So far, all is well, although I'm starting to feel a bit stiff in my upper arm.
The other band-aid was for my Japanese Encephalitis vaccine, a disease known throughout southern Asia. I'm not exactly sure what it is, but I'm just happy to be immune to it. :D
Finally, the rabies shot. Apparently the nurse has been giving A LOT of these recently to vet students at U of G and to Canada's Nautral Resources people, so she didn't have a lot left. Also inconvenient, the drug plants that make the vaccine are pretty much out, and don't start production again until after summer. I'm lucky to have been able to reserve 3 doses!
And in other, non-medical news, I have started packing! This was Mum's idea since I am notorious for speed-packing at the last minute, not somehting we want to be doing here. I have absolutely fallen in love with her mountain equipment co-op bag, it is PERFECT in every way, shape and form. Most of my stuff, however, has been packed into the Big Brown Bag, which, as I found out afterwards, I'm not actually allowed to take...
22 days to go!
Emily
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