I finally did go get the children vaccinated, but there was, of course, more to the story before we were through.
Miraculously, we did at long last get our state health cards, after a seven month wait. And for a brief moment, I was jubilant, thinking that all my vaccination woes had been solved. I tracked down a number for the primary health care corporation that runs the local health care clinics and I called. They gave me a number to call to talk to someone directly about vaccinations--glory be!
But then, I called that number and had the following conversation:
"Hi, I'm calling about vaccinations."
"Go."
"Umm, okay, yes, well, my son needs some vaccinations, and I am wondering where I should go?"
"Is he an infant?"
"No, he is 4 years old."
"So he has had his vaccinations. Why are you calling?"
"No, I mean yes, he has had earlier vaccines but he needs to have his final shots."
"Then you go to your local clinic."
"Yes, I would like to, but I can't find a list of them."
"Go to the one nearest your house."
"I live in Al Rayyan; is there one near by?"
"Yes, the Al Rayyan Clinic."
"Okay, where is that exactly?"
"I do not know."
"Do you know the phone number?"
"No, you cannot call. You must go in person. You must give them your vaccine record and they will convert it into a Qatari record and then they will call you and tell you which vaccines you need and when you can come in."
"Okay, where do I go then?"
"I do not know."
"Excuse me? There is no phone number and you don't know where it is? Can you tell me what street it is on?"
"No. I do not know."
"Does anyone?"
(mumbled questions) "No. All we know is that is near the Furousiya roundabout."
"Well...I guess...thank you?"
Click.
Guess what? I never found it! Go figure. Instead, I headed back to the private hospital and got the boys vaccinated there. I had told them there was a possibility that they would need shots after their "check up," and J decided he was going to be brave and go first to set an example for E. Another miracle! Only when he was on the table to get his one shot, J screamed at the top of his lungs like a 16 year old girl and set E off. In the end, while J was over it and playing on the iPad happily, I had to hold a screaming, writhing E down on the table with the help of a doctor and a nurse while a second nurse stuck him twice and then the doctor tried to drop the oral polio vaccine in his mouth. She got one drop in, at which point he started dry heaving and, when she tried to get a second in, he spit it into her face. I'm not actually sure he kept enough down to count but we weren't going to get any better than that.
It's always a stellar day of parenting when you make both your children scream.
It's an even better day when you have had to go through all this aggravating ruckus and actually do research so you can have the privilege of making them scream...Gosh darn it!
Miraculously, we did at long last get our state health cards, after a seven month wait. And for a brief moment, I was jubilant, thinking that all my vaccination woes had been solved. I tracked down a number for the primary health care corporation that runs the local health care clinics and I called. They gave me a number to call to talk to someone directly about vaccinations--glory be!
But then, I called that number and had the following conversation:
"Hi, I'm calling about vaccinations."
"Go."
"Umm, okay, yes, well, my son needs some vaccinations, and I am wondering where I should go?"
"Is he an infant?"
"No, he is 4 years old."
"So he has had his vaccinations. Why are you calling?"
"No, I mean yes, he has had earlier vaccines but he needs to have his final shots."
"Then you go to your local clinic."
"Yes, I would like to, but I can't find a list of them."
"Go to the one nearest your house."
"I live in Al Rayyan; is there one near by?"
"Yes, the Al Rayyan Clinic."
"Okay, where is that exactly?"
"I do not know."
"Do you know the phone number?"
"No, you cannot call. You must go in person. You must give them your vaccine record and they will convert it into a Qatari record and then they will call you and tell you which vaccines you need and when you can come in."
"Okay, where do I go then?"
"I do not know."
"Excuse me? There is no phone number and you don't know where it is? Can you tell me what street it is on?"
"No. I do not know."
"Does anyone?"
(mumbled questions) "No. All we know is that is near the Furousiya roundabout."
"Well...I guess...thank you?"
Click.
Guess what? I never found it! Go figure. Instead, I headed back to the private hospital and got the boys vaccinated there. I had told them there was a possibility that they would need shots after their "check up," and J decided he was going to be brave and go first to set an example for E. Another miracle! Only when he was on the table to get his one shot, J screamed at the top of his lungs like a 16 year old girl and set E off. In the end, while J was over it and playing on the iPad happily, I had to hold a screaming, writhing E down on the table with the help of a doctor and a nurse while a second nurse stuck him twice and then the doctor tried to drop the oral polio vaccine in his mouth. She got one drop in, at which point he started dry heaving and, when she tried to get a second in, he spit it into her face. I'm not actually sure he kept enough down to count but we weren't going to get any better than that.
It's always a stellar day of parenting when you make both your children scream.
It's an even better day when you have had to go through all this aggravating ruckus and actually do research so you can have the privilege of making them scream...Gosh darn it!
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