The Monster is not a big fan of the doctor’s office.  And still there are times that he’s going to have to go without wanting to do so.

Since we’re in the middle of flu season and the Monster had off on Friday, I volunteered to take him to the doctor’s office to get his flu shot.

Our pediatrician, of course, is aware that the Monster has Autism and she tries to work with that as best as possible… but that’s not always something that’s going to be maneuvered around.  Likewise, further, I’m usually not the one who comes to the doctor with the kids, so I’ll admit that I don’t know which of their staff is already aware and which ones are not.

The staff does, though, know we’re not what I like to call “vaccine-crazies”.  When we came to their practice – three days before the Monster was born – we promised them that we weren’t anti-vax.  The fact that we’d not yet been in for flu shots had less to do with being against the annual shots, and more because of convenience to get our derrieres in gear to get out there and do it.  I had my flu shot during my trip to Austin a few weeks ago, but everyone else has been un-shot.

So, we arrived and I took the Monster inside so I could fill out the paperwork.  The papers gave the option between the up-the-nose mist and a shot… and frankly, I couldn’t remember which he’s gotten previously.  A mist, after all, might be easier and less traumatic for him, so while I was standing there, I asked if they could look it up.

Sure enough, he had the flu-mist last year.  “Unfortunately,” the receptionist told me, after looking it up, “we’re out of flu-mist.”  Well, then why did you ask me which I prefer?  Being left with the choice between the shot or no vaccination, it was apparent that he’d get the shot.

And getting him a shot entailed my having to hold him fully immobile against my chest, my arms and legs wrapped around him to ensure that he’d not hurt himself with the needle as the two-second injection took place…  One of these days, I’ll find a decent social story for him (or, rather, that he’ll go through and remember) about going to the doctor and getting a shot, and how it’s really nothing to be afraid of.  For the moment, though, we’re just going to have to go with the brute-force method of administration…

At least he’s vaccinated now against the flu, for all the good it’s reportedly doing folks.  R’ll get his shot on Monday when he goes for his physical, and hopefully he’ll be better behaved/more compliant.