Prevnar-13 vaccine

This past fall, a link from the CDC website was being shared on various CI-related facebook groups and such.  The CDC updated their pneumococcal vaccine guidelines, and recommended that those who are getting a cochlear implant, or those who already have the implants, should get both the Prevnar-13 and the Pneumovax vaccines.  I shared this link with my CI audiologist in email late last October, and she was going to bring it up at the next team meeting at the CI Center.

Well, last week I got mail from the center, and enclosed was the information on the updated vaccination recommendations for cochlear implant users.  I then shot off an email to my primary doctor's nurse about this, and she had to do some research before finding another doctor's office that has the adult Prevnar-13 vaccine.  She was able to get me an appointment with them.

Yesterday, I went to this doctor's office, filled out some paper work, and then got the vaccine.  The nurse was wondering why I was getting it and asked if I was immunocompromised, so I told her it was because of the cochlear implant and the CDC updating the recommendations.  Turns out she has a son with hearing loss, but he doesn't qualify for an implant just yet, but maybe a few years down the road.  Anyway, I got the vaccine, and she covered the injection site with a Daffy Duck bandaid. Cool!  Then I was on my way.  Now I'm covered!

I may not like shots, but I most certainly do not want to take any chances when it comes to pneumococcal meningitis, so I was fine with getting this vaccine (even if it resulted in my arm being pretty sore).