Like a lot of my people men -- I shy away from anything medical. I don't like to be prodded and poked. I don't like the smell of doctor's offices. I've never figured out how to work those gowns they give you that tie in the back.
But the other day, I screwed up my courage, marched into the local pharmacy (Neuhauser on Monroe Street) and took my medicine. I looked away and never saw the needle. I flinched but I didn't cry or whine. I was very strong. Very brave. After the trauma had subsided, I rewarded myself with a cup of coffee and a nice pastry at the place down the street.
I don't know this for a fact, but I would guess that more flu is spread by men than women because we tend not to get the vaccine. Most years that's bad enough, but this year is turning out to be an epic -- and maybe epidemic -- year for the flu virus.
Here's one way to look at it.
Even if you're a young, healthy guy (or a middle-aged more-or-less healthy guy like me), it's not about you. If you get the flu and spread it to your family, that's not being very responsible, is it? If you get the flu and spread it to your coworkers, how does that help the bottom line or the productivity of your shop? And in the worst case, if you get the flu and spread it to somebody who is frail, that person could actually die from it.
I know of one case where a friend of mine didn't get a flu shot many years ago. His young son caught the flu from him and missed a week of school. As a result, the kid fell behind in his studies and didn't have the GPA to get into the UW. He wound up going to the University of Alabama. Now, the kid is back living at home and since Monday night, every five minutes or so, he yells "Rolllllll Tide!"
Don't let this happen to you. Get a flu shot.
