Injections

So, I'm (I'm Sam, btw) actually going on a mission trip. To Uganda. Which is exciting. So, I'm going to be blogging about a few things that are happening, so that you can all learn from all the stupid things I do.

So, on to the first post. Which is acutally not about me being silly, but sensible. Injections are very important when travelling to 3rd world countries. You are going to be a blessing, and you are not going to be a blessing if you are sick with Yellow Fever.

See your doctor (or a travel clinic) a MINIMUM of a month before time. You might need more than 1 dose of certain vaccinations (rabies needs 3) and you don't want to have multiple doses all at once, or be only partially covered.

I tend to react to everything under the sun, and was expecting to get really sick from the vaccinations, because I'd heard from several people about how sick they got. I even told work I couldn't guarentee that I'd be in the next day. But I was, because I didn't have to have so many injections all at once ("just" 4 injections, to cover me for 8 different things). I have more vaccinations scheduled, and doing them at the proper intervals means that my chance of having an adverse reaction is minimised.

The other thing is, vaccinaions are EXPENSIVE. Remember this when you're budgeting for your trip. I spent over $400 last night on my vaccinations, and I still have 2 rabies shots, cholera, and another one to go. Plus I need to get medications, insect repellant, and other things to hopefully keep me healthy. If you are sensible (not like me, I forgot), it might be a good idea to check how much each injection will cost BEFORE you go to the doctor.

So hopefully this will help you if you are preparing for your own mission trip.