Immunizations and vaccinations are a form of preventive medicine. They can help you experience minor symptoms or no symptoms at all if you are ever exposed to the germ in question, because the vaccine prompts your body to create antibodies against the germ for future defense.
If you had never been immunized against a certain pathogen but you became infected with it, your body could launch a severe immune attack on the invader. The immune system then may cause severe symptoms, including anaphylaxis, which causes a loss of breathing.
Vaccines are available at hospitals, clinics, doctors’ offices, and other types of immunizations centers. Before getting immunized to a pathogen, you will need to answer certain questions in order for the healthcare professional who is administering the vaccine to assess your fitness to receive it. After all, just like a medication can have contraindications (negative reactions) with other medications, people can have negative reactions to vaccinations.
Let’s talk about some of the questions you can expect to be asked before receiving a vaccination or immunization, and where you can go in North Richland Hills to get your vaccinations.
Questions Asked Before a Vaccination
Some of the questions patients may be asked to answer before receiving a vaccination include:
- Are you feeling well today, or do you feel sick? Do you feel as if you are coming down with something?
- Are you allergic to any medications, foods, latex, or vaccine components?
- Have you ever had a negative reaction to a vaccine? If so, what vaccine was it, and what were your symptoms?
- Do you have a chronic disease, such as heart, lung, or kidney disease? How about diabetes, cancer, HIV/AIDS, or any condition that might make you immunocompromised?
- What medications or long-term therapies are you taking? In the past three months, have you taken medication or received treatment that may weaken your immune system? (Examples are steroids, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy.)
- Do you have any immediate family members (parent, sibling, child) who have problems with their immune system?
- Do you have a history of seizures or other problems with the nervous system?
- Have you received blood or plasma (immunoglobulin) transfusions in the past?
- Are you pregnant? If not, is there a chance that you may become pregnant in the next month?
- Have you received any vaccines in the past year?
These are common questions that are asked of patients before having a vaccination in order to ensure eligibility. They are usually printed on a form, which you will then answer by ticking boxes or filling out your answers.
Immunizations Center in Fort Worth, TX
EMC Express Care is a walk-in clinic and urgent care center in North Richland Hills providing vaccines and immunizations for our community. If you have any questions about vaccine availability or anything else, call our walk-in clinic today at (817) 503-8800 or drop by our clinic at Precinct Line Road and North Tarrant Parkway.
We are open every day from 10 am to 8 pm. We look forward to serving your whole family whenever you need medical care!
