And since someone said their doctor wouldn't do a Tdap under 10 years: go to CVS and tell them "I was outside picking up some trash in the yard a few days ago and I jammed a nail in my thumb, it healed right up but someone said I should get a Tdap shot since I don't remember how long it's been?" - ThreadSky

rahaeli.bsky.social • 13 days ago

And since someone said their doctor wouldn't do a Tdap under 10 years: go to CVS and tell them "I was outside picking up some trash in the yard a few days ago and I jammed a nail in my thumb, it healed right up but someone said I should get a Tdap shot since I don't remember how long it's been?"

Reposted from rahaeli

The r0 for pertussis is around 14, and the Tdap booster drops below 50% vaccine efficacy at 4.5 years. If it's been more than 4-5 years since your last Tdap booster, get one of those too. Get them now while they are still available.

Comments

neonastronaut.bsky.social•13 days ago

Or you could say there’s a newborn you’re gonna be hanging out with, so you need a tdap booster. no one argues.

rahaeli.bsky.social•13 days ago

You would think that, and yet I have had a shocking number of people tell me their doctors have refused a Tdap booster because "it hasn't been 10 years and that's what the schedule says"

neonastronaut.bsky.social•13 days ago

!!! Unconscionable!!

worldsworstgoth.bsky.social•13 days ago

I got a TDAP this past fall from CVS with 'new baby in the family and I don't remember how long it's been'! When I showed up, they asked if the request was due to an injury, so either would've worked.

marsecgina.bsky.social•13 days ago

I know it’s not everywhere but my grocery store here in DC did our Tdap boosters when my niece was born - just walked up and asked. Costco also does vaccines.

agtmadcat.bsky.social•13 days ago

You can also say someone close to you is pregnant so you need to re-up!

rahaeli.bsky.social•13 days ago

They will probably not even make you finish the sentence. ("Outside", "puncture wound", and "healed over immediately" are the major indications for a tetanus booster.) Juat make sure it's Tdap and not Td.

jennyil.bsky.social•13 days ago

It is pretty hard to find a Td vaccine any more because pertussis has become so common. Because it is so common, you can get revaccinated in under 10 years if you are in an area with a lot of pertussis (whooping cough cases) or around young children because that immunity may only be 4-6 years.

jennyil.bsky.social•13 days ago

In my experience, once there are enough pertussis cases around to make the news - no one complains about people who ask to be vaccinated any more.

rahaeli.bsky.social•13 days ago

Some places do still stock it, so it's worth confirming! And yeah, with the change to acellular pertussis vaccine, the schedule should be 5 years, but they won't change it and some doctors are SERIOUSLY gatekeepy about sticking exactly to the schedule.

jennyil.bsky.social•13 days ago

Part of that may be that health insurance disincentivizes doctors from offering vaccines while incentivizing pharmacies. I had pertussis in my 30s and whenever I hear about cases on the news I encourage everyone I know to make sure their vaccinations are up to date.

totallynotlisa.bsky.social•13 days ago

When my friend had a baby last year, I checked my records and discovered that my previous tetanus booster had been Td less than five years ago. I just went to CVS and said "TdaP please" and they didn't ask any questions.

thebacon.bsky.social•13 days ago

This is literally how i got my last TDAP
It was also true, but they didn't even check just immediate movement.

libraryn.bsky.social•13 days ago

You may have to mention you have a small child in your life to get TDAP. My healthcare provider was going to deny it until I mentioned I interacted frequently with kiddos because of my job.

auntruth.bsky.social•13 days ago

YES. Just say you've got a grandchild about to arrive, or a sister's baby if you're not old enough for that to fly.

akasha111182.bsky.social•13 days ago

“Two of my coworkers are pregnant.” “Right this way 💉”

kateviolette.com•13 days ago

may be a regional thing?

I cut myself w/ a kitchen knife Oct '23, video urgent care doc asked "how long has it been since your last booster?", I go "uhhh" 🤔, she immediately was like "yeah ok we're gonna ask you to come in for a Tdap" 😆

I don't interact regularly with kids, this doctor knows that

mikestalnaker.bsky.social•13 days ago

We just rolled in and said "Don't remember when the last one was, and better safe than sorry." Jabbed 5 mins later.

rahaeli.bsky.social•13 days ago

Yeah, some doctors are just weirdly gatekeepy about vaccines, sigh.

redshiftsinger.bsky.social•13 days ago

I have the advantage of a sister who works as a pharmacy tech at Walgreens, so I knew she wasn’t gonna be gatekeepy about giving me all the shots. She also gave me a rundown on a good timing plan for which to get in what order to avoid issues (MMR is live so there’s a longer wait after it for more)

redshiftsinger.bsky.social•13 days ago

So I did two visits, a month apart. First one I got flu, covid, TDAP, and the first of the HPV series because I missed it as a teen. A month later, on the HPV schedule, I got the second HPV and the MMR booster. Now I’m only behind one out of the three HPV doses.

redshiftsinger.bsky.social•13 days ago

And not behind in the sense of, late on the recommended dose schedule. I’m supposed to get #3 in June. Fingers crossed it’s still available then, but at least 2/3 is still some protection!

juneydel.bsky.social•13 days ago

Thanks for this, I’m at 5 years for tdap and I’m going to use a similar script when I get the vaccine on Monday.

phidphriend.bsky.social•13 days ago

You don’t really have to say anything, just “tdap, gimme.”

rahaeli.bsky.social•13 days ago

You would think, but I've been doing this vaccine education volunteer gig for a really long time and a SHOCKING number of people have told me they've had significant pushback to getting a Tdap "early"

rahaeli.bsky.social•13 days ago

My favorite was the alleged public health worker with vaccine advocacy IN THEIR USERNAME who was extremely insistent that you don't need *any* lifetime Tdap boosters at all and the Td is sufficient

rahaeli.bsky.social•13 days ago

"all you need is the childhood pertussis vaccine", and when I showed them the paper with the actual VE drop-off for a acellular pertussis vaccine (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5088088/) they smugly said "the pub date on that is 2015, the CDC schedule was released after that"

rahaeli.bsky.social•13 days ago

at which point I screenshot the actual CDC schedule that recommends the Tdap (or Td) every 10 years and a screenshot of the post they were nitpicking, in which I said "the CDC schedule says Tdap every 10 years but you should be doing it every 5" and they reiterated that was wrong

rahaeli.bsky.social•13 days ago

at which point I blocked them, lol

flamespook.bsky.social•13 days ago

Thank you!! I, and likely many people, *greatly appreciate* your vaccine education volunteer gig.

blowdart.me•13 days ago

I got blood work done every 3 months, so every year I ask them to check all antibodies they can test for in blood.

Might as well get something useful out of diabetes.

harry-is-human.bsky.social•13 days ago

Does this tell you which vaccines need updating? Or is it just a general disease check?

blowdart.me•13 days ago

It tests the level of antibodies that vaccines bestow.

So, if they're fading away and you need a boost they show as below a certain level.

blowdart.me•13 days ago

Of course insurance doesn't cover this.

harry-is-human.bsky.social•13 days ago

Thanks.

Unfortunately this service doesn't come with my quarterly blood donations, I just know by process of deduction that I must not have about 10 particular bloodborne diseases.

blowdart.me•13 days ago

Oh yea blood donations check for very little. You have to ask your doctor. A blood titer is the phrase.

scribblejotter.bsky.social•13 days ago

*adds tet to the list i sent to my doctor of i think i need a booster*

enigmalea.quest•13 days ago

I honestly, probably need just about everything again. I'll be 40 this year and they last time I got anything other than Flu and COVID was college. :-|

enigmalea.quest•13 days ago

I mention this to my doctors and even as a diabetic they're like "you're probably fine."

monterossino.bsky.social•13 days ago

I’m at nearly 5 years, time to head to my friendly local pharmacy.

zenmuppet.bsky.social•13 days ago

I'm going this weekend for TDaP and pneumonia which are my last 2 I needed to get! Just under the wire here.

sjgochenour.bsky.social•13 days ago

as an aside, my pharmacy did not ask any questions at all before giving me an MMR booster today. (don’t know if I’m going to be charged for it, but this is something I am willing to lay out for.)

rahaeli.bsky.social•13 days ago

You shouldn't, one adult MMR booster is on the schedule so insurance should cover it!

sjgochenour.bsky.social•13 days ago

oh good, I didn’t know that!

expanse.bsky.social•13 days ago

I get to have four vaccines this month. I'm going to be laid up for two or three days with just the usual two. Not looking forward to anything extra, but at least it'll be done.

codepilot.bsky.social•13 days ago

Could also say you have relatives expecting a new baby and you want to get boosted to make sure you have maximum protection before meeting them next month. That's worked for us in the past (but was legit the reason).

totallynotlisa.bsky.social•13 days ago

CVS clinics are the only positive example of pay-to-play healthcare I can think of.

rahaeli.bsky.social•13 days ago

Also the only positive thing CVS does, period

allisonwgood.bsky.social•13 days ago

I had to beg them for a polio booster tho

archangelbeth.bsky.social•12 days ago

I had to get my polio shots at the doctor's. (Not a booster; actual shots. My sire was antivax and by the time I got all my other shots, the doctor was all "eh, herd immunity will be okay."

So in 2021 I went agitating again.

jamtoday.bsky.social•13 days ago

I got a gnarly cut with a kitchen knife and they gave me one in the ED. Anything metal and they'll give you the jab. Clinical guideline is that its efficacious for 3 years so if you get another puncture wound within 3 years you're OK.

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