In Pieces
So today was ultra-exciting. We did our pre-deployment shots. I only needed three, smallpox, typhoid, and PPD. Smallpox was nothing but due to it's super-contagious and lethal nature it's the messiest of them. First, it's three stabs with a needle. No injection, just a needle covered in the stuff and jabbed into my left arm. Then they put a bandaid on it and gave me 16 more bandaids and some hand sanitizer. If I touch the skin around it, I have to immediately use the sanitizer, I need to change the bandaid daily, and I have to wash my clothes seperately from Katie's. Apparently it's going to look like an infection soon then scab over and then when the scab falls off I'll probably have a scar from it. Oh and I should be feeling like utter garbage in a couple days. Hooray for overseas vaccinations!
One down, right? Typhoid was next. It was like a regular shot in the arm but now my arm is REAL sore. But it was feeling a lot worse before we did some pushups to loosen up the muscles. Then it was time for PPD. The last one and I'm done. So I'm feeling alright and one of the medics from the smallpox table hasn't given a PPD vaccination before so I was going to be kind of a test subject. That's fine, there's nothing but medics everywhere and these are the guys saving lives so I don't mind. Well this is a weird kind of shot and he fucks it up a couple times before the girl giving the PPD shots takes over. Well I wasn't watching anything but after they were done they asked if I was alright, I guess I was looking shitty. So I say "yes, I'm okay. I'm okay. I'm not okay." as I feel my head rolling back and my eyes closing.
I come to and I'm on the floor. I can't feel my legs or arms and there's hands around my head but I can't really feel them. There's a hundred floating heads over me. I get "what's your name", "what day is it", "where are you" before the questions about how I'm feeling start up again. "I can't feel my legs" so they loosen up my boots and lift my feet. Then the feeling comes back and they've got a chair behind me so I sit up for a minute and get in the chair. I'm getting my pulse taken and blood pressure checked every three minutes. And then I'm feeling better so they let me finish up.
They said I was dehydrated and I needed food in me. Well yeah, if I knew I was going to do this today I probably would've prepared a little more. But that's okay, I didn't pass out till I was done with the shots and now I've got it done. They had to take some blood later but they made me lay down for that and it wasn't bad. And that's my exciting first experience with passing out.
So later back at the shop we find out that there's a new computer guy coming. He's the same rank as me but he's fresh out of school so I've got to bring him up to speed. This is good because now I won't be AS bogged down in work but I don't like working with people. I like having total control over my workload. Oh well. At least he's my subordinate until he proves he's better at this than I am.