The irony of my chosen career is that I’d be dealing with a lot of needlework in the future yet I hate getting shots myself. Yes. This future doctor is a scaredy-cat when it comes to needles (or any sharp object for that matter).

This afternoon, I had to swallow my fear and get a hold of myself as I faced the needle for my long overdue Hepa B shots. While a vast majority of my classmates had theirs way back freshman year, I had mine only this year simply because I loathed the needle. Actually, I had a dose of Hepa B shot way back freshman year in college, but I wasn’t sure if i was able to complete the doses or not. For me to get away with not having my shots, I had to have my blood tested for the Hepa B antibodies. So off I went to a diagnostic lab only to find out the next day that I had low anti-Hepa B titer which meant I needed to take the shots. No ifs and buts! The first dose was scheduled last Monday but my selective memory loss decided I should forget about it and remember only when it’s already the last school day of the week.

I think I haven’t had that many needles poked into me in the last 6 months compared with the rest of my existence. For the past half-a-year. I’ve had to endure three of them: the first was one of the injectable treatments for acne, the second was for the blood test and the third one being the first dose of Hepa B shots. I think the last time I had someone take a blood sample from me was close to five years ago for dengue screening.

Right now my left upper arm still hurts. It feels like a couple of guys punched me on the arm. There’s a tiny red dot on the lateral side of my upper arm to remind me of the horrible needlework done on me today. I’m supposed to get another shot on the first of September. Great.