I'm in Chicago which gets its allotment of vaccine separate from the rest of Illinois. I believe that is true for all big cities. We were scheduled to start inoculating phase 1b which includes everyone over 65 and essential workers on Monday January 25. About a week before that date I received a note through mychart offering me a vaccination at the University of Chicago Medical Center which is where my pulmonologist is. Unfortunately I had a run in with a kidney stone and spent 3 days in the hospital waiting for it to pass. The hospitalization triggered an exacerbation of copd and I could barely make it to the kitchen let alone to the medical center. Also all of my other doctors are at Northwestern and I am not very familiar with all the buildings that make up the U of C center so I would be reluctant to go there right now. I didn't follow up.

On Friday, 1/22, my cousin texted me that she had an appointment for Saturday at Walgreens and her husband had an appointment for the following week. She included a link and sent the same message to my sister in law who immediately made an appointment at the same Walgreens. The day before my sister in law's appointment she received an email from Walgreens canceling her appointment. We told her to go anyway and not mention the email. She did that and got her vaccination.

I did not want to go into Walgreens little room for a shot. I have been so careful and the risk of going there is too much for me. Also my breathing was still bad so I didn't try to get an appointment.

On Thursday, 1/29, I received an invitation from Northwestern to make an appointment for the vaccine. There were three days of appointments 15 minutes apart available. The invitation said that if there were no appointments available, to try again because they would be adding more dates as more vaccine became available. I spent hours trying to decide if I could go. The vaccine is being given in Prentice, the woman's hospital and I have been there for mammograms. Will I be able to walk from the parking lot through the 2d floor bridge to the elevator to the third floor where C the shots are being given? My breathing is still pretty bad.

By the time I decided that I HAD to do it, only one day was left. I have an appointment for Thursday 2/4. I was so excited and anxious that I mentioned it to my dog walker and he's going to take me there. He'll drop me in front and pull over somewhere waiting for my call to pick me up.

I hope to have immunity by the middle of March but I still will stay at home most of the time and 6 feet + away from everyone until the health experts say that we can burn our masks. Thanksgiving?

I hope everyone who wants the vaccine can get it soon.