Making sure that I get my vaccine at a familiar place

March 22, 2021

This morning online I made my first appointment for the Covid-19 vaccine. When I made the appointment, I had to think about the location where I wanted to get it and how soon I wanted to get it done. I was hoping to book an appointment at a local pharmacy but I would have had to wait several weeks for an appointment. I decided to book my appointment at a different location.

Tonight, I was thinking about this appointment and it bothered me because I wasn’t familiar with the location that I had picked. I decided to go online to see if I could figure out how to book another appointment but make it at the local pharmacy. Even though I have a built-in navigation system in my vehicle, which means that I would probably find the location, I thought that I should change it. The reason that I felt strongly about changing this appointment is because living with a memory impairment impacts so much of my life and keeping my environment as familiar to me as possible is important in helping me to function at my best.

I was able to go online and figure out how to book another appointment but this one is at a local pharmacy that I go to very frequently. Once I made the new appointment, the website automatically cancelled the original appointment that I made. Even though the new appointment is a few weeks later, I think that this is the best choice for me. I think that the vaccination process will go a lot smoother for me because I won’t be looking around trying to understand where I am. This often happens when I go to a new place. I seem to need to get my bearings so to speak.

With my cognition problems, I thought that it was more important for me to have this shot at a place that is very familiar to me rather than an earlier date. I will continue to make changes that help me because no one else is going to do that for me. I will always do what is best for me and do what helps me function at my best! I will try to continue to predict what could happen that won’t go so well for me. That way, I can make changes beforehand that will help with the outcome. I’m not saying that this will always work for me but it is better than not trying anything. I just never know how living with a memory impairment will affect the decisions that I make.

I think that I also thought about the fact that if I needed to have two shots, they would be done in the same location. If having the first shot at an unfamiliar location was challenging for me, then I would have been concerned about the second shot.

I'm also not a fan of needles but I do fine with the flu shot each year. Blood work and Iv's are very stressful for me and a lot of times I don't do well. I might have a little anxiety because of this so lessoning that is very important!

UPDATE: March 24, 2021

This morning after I arrived at my daughter’s home to babysit my three granddaughters, she asked me if I booked my first appointment for my Covid-19 vaccine. I told her that I called on Monday and made an appointment. Then after thinking about my cognition and how much it is affected by different environments, later that evening, I decided to change my appointment. I was able to get an appointment at my local pharmacy. This is a very familiar place to me, so I think that it will work out better for me. I have been going to this pharmacy for about two years.

I was trying to explain this to my daughter but all she could say was, “well you have a built-in navigation system that you can use.” I told her that because I really hate needles, I will probably have a little anxiety before this appointment. Having this injection done in a familiar place will be so much better for me. The fact that my daughter was focused on the fact that I should have been able to find the location where my first vaccine was scheduled, tells me that she really doesn’t get what it is like for me to live with a memory impairment. I feel like I have been trying to educate her but it doesn’t seem to be working. I am hoping that after my book is published, my children will take the time to read it and educate themselves. My

Update May 13, 2021: Today my daughter and I were talking about the Covid-19 vaccine. Our conversation led me to believe that she just doesn’t get it. No matter how many times I try to explain things to her, I don’t think that she understands. She said something to the effect that because I didn’t want to drive that far, I had to wait a while for my first appointment. I thought that I had explained this to her in March. It had nothing to do with how far I had to drive but it had everything to do me having it done in a familiar place. I don’t think that I said anything to her today. I didn’t feel that it was worth explaining it again. What was the point? I already tried that two months ago and obviously she didn’t get it! Was she even paying attention to me when I talked to her about this two months ago? I probably will never know the answer to that question.