First, I’m peeved with our unit M.O. (medical officer) who can’t seem to get all his proverbial stuff together. I mean, maybe I’m getting an unfairly filtered picture of the guy (dear lord, I hope his wife and I don’t have mutual friends…does he even have a wife? I don’t even know his name. Maybe that makes all this ok. I am angry with a faceless officer of the United States Navy.), but it just seems like one thing after another through all this. He’s primarily there to make sure no one dies, I suppose, but ideally he’s contribute to morale, right? Like those dudes on MASH. They’re medical, they’re officers, and they’re stinkin’ hilarious. This guy isn’t funny at all.
First, he sets it up for all the guys to get their smallpox vaccine a mere five days before returning home from EMV back in July. Not at the beginning, in case something went wrong, not at the beginning, since they’d all be out there together with fellow vaccinnees and the incubation period wouldn’t matter. This means—ta da!—no close contact with wife and baby for at least two weeks, because you can get smallpox from the injection site. Nice. What a great way to come home after a month. Joe’s vaccine “didn’t take” so we were actually spared all the fun of that inconvenience. They said the guys who needed to be redone would be done right after they leave, sometime in the admin period before they get too far out in the boonies of you-know-where.
NOW the nutball has it all nicely arranged so that the guys whose original vaccines “didn’t take” (technical medical term, I have no idea what it means) can get their vaccine redone on Monday. MONDAY. Less than two weeks before they leave. Last two weeks before a deployment, and no one can touch Joe, or his laundry. And he can’t touch us. No playing with baby, no hugging his mom goodbye (she’s coming on Monday to visit for a week), no chillin’ with all the nieces and nephews that are coming in next week for V’s birthday party. Idiot medical officer.
Oh, also they’re getting a flu shot on Monday. Nice. Oh, and also he didn’t evidently feel like it was key to let everyone know at our pre-deployment brief (you know, the one in which they told us what to expect in these final weeks and then through the course of the deployment?) that these vaccinations would be coming up, as well as MALARIA PILLS. Malaria pills which give you intense nightmares. Very helpful. Good to have these things on my list of “things aware of and prepared for.” Nice to not have to stress or be concerned about them.
OK, as someone who (at least I believe) can accurately comment on this... I don't care if you have mutual friends with his wife... and I don't care if you figure out his face or not... you are 100% allowed to be PEEVED at him. Vocally even.
ReplyDeleteAs far as malaria pills... Pete warned me that he "might try and kill me in my sleep" (wonderful communication skills that are utilized in my marriage) and assured me that "he didn't mean it if he did" and I was to wake him up by kicking, punching, etc... and he wouldn't take it personally. lol... fortunately, he doesn't remember dreams, and not once did I get strangled, punched, or anything elsed. I didn't even notice if he actually had intense dreams.
As far as the small-pox... that stinks. We just "went with it" and didn't take any MAJOR precautions... I didn't go rubbing the site, or lick it or anything obviously, but we definitely slept in the same bed and spent normal time together. HOWEVER, you have a little one, and I imagine that you therefore need to throw less caution to the wind.
And be as angry as you like... this time is so important, and as medically un-sound advice as this is... take your chances. Say a few extra prayers. But keep this time with your hubby. It's too precious to let a little disease like small-pox to get in the way. (and while small pox may not actually be a little disease... the time is DEFINITELY precious enough to risk cuddles and hugs - but still make him do his own laundry ;) if for no other reason than WHEN else do you get an excuse THIS GOOD?)
Funny end to the story? Joe told him about the list of proscriptions for getting this vaccine (i.e. baby in house, etc) and he was like, "Uh, oh. Ok. Should we wait, then? Maybe the corpsman can do it on the plane." So they're doing it on the plane. Problem solved, for now. I think probably the guy just doesn't think things through. Maybe?
ReplyDeleteStill the malaria pills, though. The other night aliens landed in our backyard and we were unable to lock our doors against them and they were coming in to kill everyone. So I'm told. (This is not making fun--these are JUST like the wierdo dreams that I had when I was pregnant, and the WORST ones are where you're in your own house and can't find a way to be safe. Yuck.)