The Other Rubber-Soled Shoe

It was Father’s Day and JT was cooking. He had already made delicious omelets with mushrooms, peppers, garlic, cheese and lots of spices for breakfast that were the hit of the morning. But JT was also worried. Not about his cooking. JT is a damn good cook. He was worried because his mom had an appointment to get her second Covid vaccination that afternoon; and given all the issues she had with the first one, including the fact that her mouth and most food tasted like, elastic bands, old tires and rubber soled shoes, he hated the idea of her not enjoying his dinner. He was, after all, making Carne Asada Tacos with homemade Pico De Gallo (pronounced Guyo, something he has been trying to get his mother to say properly for months!) Anyway, if you’re interested, you can read about her first vaccination here.

The appointment time arrived and other than feeling this shot more than the last one, which she never felt at all, things started off pretty good. But no matter how good they seemed, she, along with JT, was constantly waiting for the other rubber-soled shoe to drop. Luckily it didn’t drop before dinner. The tacos were delicious, and she enjoyed the taste of every bite. Beef, tomatoes, hot peppers, two choices of salsa, on corn tortillas all covered in fresh cilantro. (JT did say that they would look much better if not displayed on a yellow plate.)

It wasn’t until later that evening that some side effects kicked in. By around nine, she was beginning to get cold. By around ten she was in bed with the heated magic bag after taking a Tylenol. At around one in the morning she woke up drenched in sweat with a raging headache. This time she took a Motrin and went back to bed. By morning everything hurt and the headache just wouldn’t quit.

JT’s mom gets headaches. She gets Tylenol headaches, Motrin headaches and Advil Cold and Sinus headaches. They all feel different, hence the different medications. On Monday morning, it felt like an Advil Cold and Sinus headache so that is what she took. Surprisingly, that is what dulled the pain. It wasn’t gone but it was greatly reduced and she was able to function in a limited capacity. And all this time, she was still waiting for the other rubber-soled shoe to drop. Her tasting ability was now limited, but nothing tasted like rubber, which was by far the worst taste she had ever encountered in her life.

The day progressed and included putting in some shrubs, which she was determined to get in place no matter how bad she felt because there was two days of rain coming up in the forecast. Right around that time the lymph nodes of her right armpit began to yell, something that was expected because it had also happened after her previous shot. All this was followed by a nap, then dinner, of which she could only taste and eat very little. Then an hour of puzzling before feeling chilled and heading back to bed with layers on while hugging the warm magic bag. At two in the morning, she woke up feeling as if someone had clobbered her with a baseball bat. Whoever did it, they hadn’t missed anything because every inch of her body hurt. This was a Motrin problem and on her bed table was a glass of water and a bottle of Motrin. She woke up several more times during the night, each time soaked in perspiration with her head and lymph nodes roaring.

Then she woke up at 9:30 Tuesday morning; and the first thing she realized was that the headache was gone, the injection site was feeling much better, and although the lymphies were still squawking a bit, the rest of the aches and pains seemed to have abated considerably. Oh yes, and she really needed a shower.

Currently, there is a slightly metallic taste in her mouth, and food has very little flavour. Her appetite is limited but she has yet to taste rubber and feels that maybe, just maybe, that other rubber-soled shoe isn’t going to drop after all.

As a side note, JT’s mom was informed by a health-care professional after her last shot that side effects are a good thing. They mean that she has a very healthy immune system and that it is working very hard to buildup the necessary antibodies. So take that all you people who never experienced any side effects. No pain, no gloating. JT’s mom has definitely earned the right to gloat.

Thank You for reading.

Photos: Jenn Stone,