Taking Snoopy for a Ride

I got my flu shot yesterday. There were tears.

I don't do well with needles.

From where I was sitting, the pharmacist did a stellar job, though the parents did say I had him a little worried.

I do okay until they start prepping my arm. I start falling apart rather rapidly at that point. Yesterday was worse than usual. He swabbed my arm with alcohol. I put my head in my free hand and suppressed a sob. He stuck the needle in me and I dropped a few tears. He administered the vaccine and I had to close my eyes and concentrate on not throwing up in his lap. Then he put the band aid on me. I was done, and I was fine. I wiped away my tears, popped out of the chair and smiled. Another year done.

When I was a small thing my doctor had bright blue band aids with snoopy on them. I always got one when I had any short of shot done. After smoothing on the band aid the nurse would smile (probably in relief--I've never done well with needles) and remind me to take snoopy for a ride around the block. I would then obediently pump my arm back and forth and up and down in a distressed, small child's approximation of a circle. This was intended to dispel soreness and any lingering pain.

It became something more for me. It was the lull at the end of the battle, the sign that I had successfully navigated another needle. These days I take snoopy for a ride as much to pat myself on the back for being awesome as to avoid later soreness. I was taking snoopy for a ride periodically throughout the day yesterday and I got some pretty weird looks, but probably they were just jealous of my awesomeness.