Needles!

Mission prep is a work out, but it also generates some pretty funny experiences. Probably the broadest facet of mission prep is the medical side. Latter-day Saint missionaries are encouraged (if not required) to get their wisdom teeth removed, get corrective surgeries if they will inhibit the missionary's ability to work, get various vaccinations, etc.... Well, I don't need any corrective surgeries and I had my wisdom teeth removed two years ago. Also, up until a couple of weeks ago, I believed that I had received all of my vaccinations. I was very glad of this, because I hate needles.

I scheduled an appointment at my doctor's office to get a physical. I thought it would be a quick, in-and-out experience. I got all the procedural things done: weight, eyes, ears, so on. And as the nurse was looking over my sheet, she asks, "Have you ever received your 4th Hepititis A vaccine?" "Uh, yeah. I think so." I didn't even know there were 4 Hepititis A vaccines. But really, who remembers that kind of thing? Nurse says, "Well we don't have that noted on your sheet. Nor do we have the Hepititis B booster, the chicken pox booster...." Long story short, I had to get four vaccinations and a TB test. Two in each arm and the TB test in my forearm. (it was negative, by the way.)

So that definitely was unexpected on my part but after the fact it was pretty funny, too.