It was another busy medical day today. Our chiropractor returned from vacation, so we made sure to get to his office early to avoid having a long wait, and it worked.

I had an appointment with my allergist at 11am and got there right on the dot. They’re still adapting to their new electronic medical record system, I guess, because I didn’t get called by the receptionist until 11:30 and didn’t get to see the nurse until 11:55am – and the doctor was still working with the previous patient. But when he finally got to me, he spent a long time with me (close to an hour). He looked at my CT scan and wasn’t surprised by what he saw – infection, fluid where there should be air, and other issues; he even showed me what he was seeing.

At the end of the appointment, I had prescriptions for prednisone, an antibiotic (Biaxin), and an antihistamine (Atarax) to help me sleep when the prednisone kicks in. Somewhat to my surprise, CVS was able to fill them all by dinnertime tonight, so I’ve already started on my new regimen – it’s complicated enough that I made a spreadsheet to keep track. And I decided I’d best put off my Hepatitis A vaccination until after I finish the prednisone (and maybe the Biaxin, too – I’ll be taking it for a full month).

If I’m testy for the next couple of weeks, I’m blaming the medications!

Diane and I want to be vaccinated against Hepatitis A before we go to Africa this fall. She definitely needs the first shot soon (and the second shot after we return); I’d rather avoid unnecessary shots.

I’ve made two trips to regions which have a high Hepatitis A risk – Brazil in 1993 and China in 2005. There was no vaccine available in 1993, so I went to the Santa Clara County Travel Clinic and got a gamma globulin injection; I also avoided uncooked fruit and vegetables like the plague, even though they looked delicious and I was staying at a five-star hotel.

In 2005, I think I got the Hepatitis A vaccine before my trip, probably at the Travel Clinic, but I can’t find any record of it. I can see the immunization record card in my mind’s eye, but I can’t find the real thing (nor a copy of it). My doctor’s office shows me getting a dose of the vaccine in 2006, after the China trip, which would give me lifetime immunity if it was my second dose but is useless to me if it wasn’t.

The Travel Clinic has been closed since March of last year, so I can’t check to see if they still have my records, so I guess I’ll get the shot anyway. Costco offers the vaccine at a reasonable price, so we’re planning to make our first post-pandemic in-person visit to Costco this week. I expect we’ll visit the wine aisle as long as we’re there, too!

The weather today was very pleasant, though we’re in for a hot weekend. I enjoyed the cloudscape on our evening walk, too.