“The Incredible Hulk”

If any of you have or had young children you know how stressful it can be having to take them to the doctor – whether it be for a routine checkup or for those dreaded shots that they must have before going to school. The first time they go willingly, no problem.  However, each subsequent visit they start screaming as you approach the doctor’s office.  I remember when I was young and had to get shots. The only difference is that back then they used to give shots in school. We would go as a class to the nurse’s office, form a line (usually in size place order) and one by one we would get whatever shot was needed. I don’t remember much about it except my arm would be sore for a few days afterwards. I still have my “shot records” (a little booklet) that contains all the shots I received. Immunization was just one of those things, just like getting your tonsils out when you turned five years old. I suppose getting your shots at school was a good way to do it because it wasn’t left up to the parents to take the children to get immunized. We have surely come a long way since then. Now parents have a choice about immunizations. I suspect that one of the reasons for such resistance to shots these days is because in, my parents’ generation and my generation as well, the majority of children were vaccinated and therefore you didn’t see the horrors of children dying from disease.  Parents these days feel less pressure to vaccinate.  They never witnessed first-hand masses of children with deformities because of disease. Each generation has its disease/diseases to conquer. When I was young it was Polio, Smallpox, Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis (whooping cough).  I remember Polio being a big concern.  In fact, Franklin D. Roosevelt was plagued with polio which confined him to a wheelchair when he was only 39 years old. It wasn’t until 1953 that Jonas Salk (noted scientist) came up with a vaccine for Polio. I therefore was a recipient of that vaccine. With all the myths associated with vaccinations these days, it’s a wonder that any child gets vaccinated. And about extracting tonsils – that’s pretty much obsolete unless the child suffers from frequent bouts of strep throat. Childhood diseases like chicken pox, measles, mumps were fairly common when I was a child. Although I didn’t have measles, I remember very vividly having the chicken pox and the mumps which was definitely no fun. My sister managed to somehow contract measles. I remember my parents putting her in a dark room (no sunlight) with the vaporizer on. She was quarantined for about a week with a very high fever.  After that initial week, she, like hundreds before her, got better with no residual effects or anything. I don’t remember much because I was about 4 at the time, but I do remember that it was serious and I couldn’t even see her for that week. Following my mother’s lead, when I had my children, I took them to be vaccinated. I think it really helped that most of the shots were given while they were young.  I had no problem with the girls, but Yamil absolutely hated getting any shots. Usually I had to let Nayda and Maya go first so that Yamil wouldn’t put up so much resistance when it was his turn.  He would watch the girls get their shots without crying – so of course he had to “suck it up” and get his.  Even as an adult he doesn’t like needles and will go to great lengths not to get one.  He’s one of the few people I know that will have dental work done without any Novocain.

When we lived in Ohio, Yamil was in first grade (6yrs old) and Maya (4yrs old) went to KinderCare. One day they called from KinderCare to say that Maya had had a seizure. I immediately left work and went to get her.  By the time I got there she was just sitting looking quite “spacey”. I decided to just take her home and watch her over a period of time. After calling her father at work, he told me to bring her to the ER. Of course a battery of tests were performed, all of which came back negative. At the conclusion of them, it was decided that it was an unexplainable event.  What they did discover, however, was a blood disorder. The recommendation was that we all were to get tested and then make an appointment for genetic counseling.  One afternoon when school was over, I picked up Yamil and proceeded to take him to the Hospital where his father worked to get his blood test. We got there and had to wait a few minutes in the lobby. Yamil was reading books to me and everything seemed to be ok. They told me that they would take the blood from his finger since he had such a problem with needles. Finally the nurse came out to get us. I asked Yamil if he was ok and he responded very calmly that everything was fine. We had been laughing and joking in the lobby waiting for our turn. By the time they came out for us, true to his nature, he had charmed everybody in the waiting room.  I sat down in the chair (much like the chairs they have in elementary school, and sat Yamil on my lap. As soon as the nurse starting approaching him he started screaming!!!! “ NO, NO, YOU’RE NOT GOING TO TAKE BLOOD FROM ME……NO! NO!”  He started jerking his hand away. I had my leg across his body trying to hold him still and hold his hand out so she could get a stick. Imagine my surprise! This meek, mild little boy all of a sudden turned into “The Incredible Hulk” right before my eyes. It took three of us to get that finger stick as he flailed and screamed to the top of his lungs “NO!, NO!, YOU\’RE NOT GOING TO TAKE BLOOD FROM ME!!!!”. The nurse asked, “Is this Dr. Pirela’s son?” I said yes.  She asked if I wanted her to get him to come down and assist. I was so embarrassed!  I said no that we would try again. I started thinking that maybe a should have brought the girls with me.  Surely he wouldn’t be acting like that with his sisters in view. By the time we got enough blood I’m sure I had lost 10 pounds after wrestling with him. Leaving the nurses station I was all disheveled. My hair was out of place, my clothes needed to be adjusted.  Yamil on the other hand looked perfectly normal.  He was back to his normal congenial disposition. As we approached the waiting room the people in the waiting room where looking quite quizzically at me. One lady asked……”Was that HIM that was making all that noise back there?” I said “yes!”.  She gave me “the side eye” –  like  really???? Nobody believed me as they looked at this little sweet “angelic looking” boy walking beside me. I quickly grabbed his hand, bolted from the waiting room and headed towards the car.  I decided that from that point on there would be no more shots for Yamil without his sisters. Who would have thought that MY child would act like that!!