Just got my (eliot) inoculations for India - Hepatitis A and Swine Flu, plus a prescription for Doxycycline. Still current on Typhoid, Tetanus and Polio (probably....maybe......I hope so......I think so).
Hep A - for turbid and untrustworthy water and food sources that'll give ya' the nasties. Bad wrong nastyness. Serious nastyness.
Swine Flu - I don't really know, but the nice former-Rhodesian travel clinic doctor told me infections are up in my age group, and being exposed to so many people in planes, trains and rickshaws are going to up my chances of infection. So into my arm it went.
Doxycycline - For Malaria - among other things - like reduced acne (not a problem, I, uhm, assure you) and a golden brown hue on the old epidermis. Apparently, Doxy is good for not just blocking Malaria from F-ing with your system, but it's also prescribed to pizza-faced dorks like Eliot circa 1997! Also, it makes you "photo-sensitive", which means I can leave my cocoa butter at home and simply expect to get toasted by the sun on a regular basis. Nice! One pill per day.
Declined Japanese Encephalitis, Hep B and Rabies. Crossing the fingers I don't get bitten by a Japanese-mosquito-junkie out there on the trail. We're camping in a sweet tent (thanks Alexis) that is essentially like a giant mosquito net, and we'll be treating it with Pemrethin to keep the little dudes from penetrating our defenses, and subsequently, our precious skin.
Many thanks to Passport Health San Antonio for injections and advice - oh, one more thing: I asked what to do in case of snake bite. My doc mulled it over for a few moments and deduced that I should see a doctor. No EpiPen or emergency steroid injection, I asked? Not really good to do out in the bush, she said...hmm. SO, one of the goals will to NOT get chomped on by any asps or pythons. Just in case, I will be picking up a poison pump, that apparently is better than having your buddy suck the poison out or slicing off a big chunk of your leg. Also, we're going to carry another preventative measure: a big stick.
Amen to that.
a big stick is always a good countermeasure to any problems that may arise along the way
ReplyDeletealso: mace, batons, guns, bombs, grenades, fire trucks, whips, ninja stars, and my favorite: running away screaming like a little girl, flailing my arms and throwing my money behind me.
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