My Last Jab

I was nervous as hell when the day came for my final booster of the Hepatitis B jab. The first 2 boosters had hurt and I dreaded each booster. Compared to a normal injection where the vaccine is a 0.5ml bottle, Hep B calls for a 1ml vaccine. Not only it is a double dose injection, Hep B as explained by the doctor, is administered through the muscle.

Due to my traveling to some exoctic countries some months back, I was required to take a string of injections for health protection. All those jabs were bearable and truthfully, didn't hurt much. So when the Hep B came, I was low on guard but man, it hurt real bad! My whole arm was numb after the injection. Exactly a month later I went back for the 2nd booster and this time I was near pleading with the doctor to make it as least painful as possible by rubbing more of that alcohol swab to numb me. He did and he even used a smaller needle. But instead of trying to distract me by talking about other things, he was explaining what he was doing as he was injecting me!

At least that 2nd booster didn't cause me pain afterwards. I could swing my arm and it didn't have that achy feeling I did in the first. When the final booster was due, this time a nurse did it. I again reiterated my fear of the pain and she switched to a smaller needle and even showed it to me to comfort me. I couldn't look at it for long. I just told her to try her best to jab me painlessly. She was good! Sure it did hurt but it felt the least painful of the 3 boosters.

As she was jabbing me though, she was telling me the prick of the needle into the skin doesn't hurt. It is only when she's pushing the medication into my muscle that will hurt. And as she said it, she was in fact pushing the syringe into me!

Anyway, I'm glad it's all over and done with and I won't be going for any jabs in the near future. Not Hep B at least for the next 10 years!