Simply put, I hadn't thought to ask.  I had never previously, after all, suffered any notable reaction to any kind of inoculation I'd had.  And on this occasion my doctor who had, at the time of my general health examination, urged me to agree to having an inoculation against pneumonia, hadn't mentioned the possibility of any kind of reaction. 

Nor had the nurse, that poor harried woman, made any mention of such a thing; she was focused on just getting it over with, so she could get back to other pressing calls on her nursing skills.  It was obviously a busy morning for them.  Although when I asked, my enquiry elicited a laugh and the response that every day there turned into a madhouse.

That evening I became aware of something quite amiss.  No mere irritation in response to the inoculation, this.  My right upper-arm where the nurse had injected the serum inter-muscularly, was swollen and painful.  So much so that my physical movements were stringently impeded.  Everything became awkward that was previously simply second-nature to performing physical tasks.  And that night I slept very poorly, numerous times, very aware of great physical discomfort, my arm throbbing.

The following day I looked up online the question that was then burning in my mind: the potential side-effects relating to reactions from pneumonia inoculation.  And learned there were two types of the anti-pneumonia inoculation; one administered inter-muscularly, the other just under the skin, subcutaneously.  Just my luck.  And the incidence of reaction?  Well, 50%, so wasn't I among the fortunate ones.

Not so fortunate, as it turned out, since my upper arm continued to swell and to throb painfully, and become obviously contorted, and I became even more awkward at attempting to perform normal physical manoeuvres, to the point where my movements were almost completely curtailed, and my husband had to assist me with the most mundane efforts, including removing clothing, and alternately getting dressed.

I know that had I been forewarned, I would have shrugged off the possibility of a reaction of this type.  Not for me, since my past record was one of tolerance to foreign substances in the form of inoculations being introduced into my body.  Quite the comeuppance.