MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY

Sometimes I am remarkably innocent, downright unknowing and ignorant. At the beginning of this week I had not even heard of respiratory syncytial virus. Yesterday my doctor mentioned that getting a vaccine against it would probably be a good idea. Mild side effects might include achiness and slight fever. And, as I am all about not dying any earlier than is absolutely necessary, I went for it.

It took about twelve hours for side effects. By late evening yesterday I felt like crap. Soreness at the site, all-body ache, mild irritability, and feverishness. All of which continue to a lesser extent this morning, and at this rate I should be oojah cum spiff again by teatime.

So I look up the respiratory syncytial virus. Key quote from Wikipedia: "While RSV very rarely causes severe disease in healthy adults, it can cause morbidity and mortality in the elderly and in those with underlying immune compromise or cardiopulmonary disease. Older adults have a similar presentation to younger adults but tend to have greater symptom severity with increased risk of lower respiratory tract involvement. In particular, the elderly are more likely to experience pneumonia, respiratory distress, and death." End quote.

So I'm glad I got the vaccine yesterday. But I feel horrible.

RSV is most common during the winter months.

From immediate personal experience, I can state that side effects of the vaccine seriously interfere with enjoyment of one's usual coffee and pipe smoking of a morning. Not as much as "morbidity and mortality" might -- one imagines that both of those, as well as "pneumonia, respiratory distress, and death", could put a crimp on enjoying a nice cup of coffee and a contemplative hour with a pipe, at least for a while (although I can see myself wheeling my hospital bed out of a side door and down the alleyway to indulge in a puff, so I shall have to remember to put a few good briars and a tin of Fribourg & Treyer in my overnight bag if I ever come down with RSV so bad that I need hospitalization or a morgue stay -- but this is darn inconvenient. My usual Wednesday routine of chachanteng for lunch followed by grocery shopping will have to wait till tomorrow.

This cup of coffee does NOT taste as good as previous cups of coffee. It is kind of blah.
I haven't assayed a pipe yet, although last night's smoke after dark was indeed enjoyable. The Virginia leaf reduced to a fine white ash, so there was also that neurotic pleasure.


Well, at least I shall probably not be reposing on a gurney in Trenton Alley trying to stay invisible to passing doctors and nursing staff. Severely decomposing because of that increased likelihood of morbidity and mortality, with a pipe still in my mouth.
That would definitely be a downer.



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