Today was my first Pfizer dose. Now 10 hours later, I just started feeling a tiny bit sore in my arm. I was expecting a more sore arm.
I am a bit wheezy however. I haven't been wheezy for many months though that use to be more common for me. I don't know if that is because it has been pretty windy here, vaccine related or something else.
Also, the process for getting the vaccination this morning went extremely well. Based on my friends experience on Wednesday and husband's experience 2 weeks ago , I expected the entire process to run 1.5-2+hours. I was in and out in 27 minutes. That was amazing!!. It was a drive thru at our NFL stadium.
@JeanneMayell I am back to normal. Had a typical Saturday, grocery shopping, cleaning, and went for a spin and stop in the woods for a little while. We were so high (Wachusetts Mountain) and the day was so clear, that we were able to see Boston in the distance (Good Old Pru and the Hancock Buildings). I only feel the soreness of my arm when I have to stretch it. One thing more, I woke up starving this morning. That means my body was working hard to assimilate the vax, and since it was working overtime, it needed fuel, hence my waking up hungry.
I had my second dose of Moderna yesterday (in one of NYC's well-run vaccinations centers) and I can't remember the last time I felt to sick. Fever over 102. Even my fingers hurt.
Did anyone take Advil or another anti-inflammatory? I keep reading that people are discouraged from doing this because it interrupts the inflammatory response, but I'm pretty miserable.
Cheers to all of you who gotten vaccinated, and fingers crossed for everyone still waiting!
@lynnventura. I took Tylenol every four to six hours. I had to do something or I wouldn't be able to sleep and I was just so miserable with aches, chills, and general malaise. I felt like something had invaded my body and it was manufacturing weapons of mass destruction which in truth it was. I took hot baths, and stayed in bed.
After the second day, I still felt bad, but couldn't stand to stay in bed. So I just went out and did some heavy duty gardening -- hauling wheelbarrows full of dirt up hill, digging up boulders and heaving them over a fence. Total work out after a year of couch potato. You would think I'd pull muscles or give myself a heart attack, but it just made me feel better! I also recommend drinking a lot of fluids. I drank cups of strong homemade ginger tea, made from grated ginger.
I should add that after I got myself outside and working out, I got better quickly. And stayed better. I would not recommend that solution for everyone. Every body is different so use your intuition. I can tell when my problem is sluggishness which is solved by getting moving versus a need for rest.
CDC says it's okay to take OTC anti-inflammatory drugs like Advil and Tylenol after, but not before, the vaccine. Although check with your doctor for final word on this. I have provided a link and an explanation in my next post below.
Did anyone take Advil or another anti-inflammatory? I keep reading that people are discouraged from doing this because it interrupts the inflammatory response,
I have read in several different articles that it is OK to take an anti-inflammatory after the shot if needed, but best not to take one before. Also Tylenol (acetaminophen) was recommended as less likely to interfere than other anti-inflammatories. I hope you feel better soon!
@lynnventura, I'm sorry you're feeling some nasty effects from the vaccine. I have friends who have had similar reactions as yours, lasting anywhere from 24 to 48 hours. My understanding is that Tylenol is okay. As Jeanne mentioned, make sure you're drinking lots of fluids. Do you have any bone broths? Those are good if you're not up to eating much.
I had my second shot of Pfizer on Thursday morning and have had a delayed reaction. Yesterday I had joint pain, was extremely exhausted, and went into a panic attack which seemed to come out of nowhere. I took turmeric for the inflammation and did some gentle, lower body exercises so I could ground myself. Today I feel somewhat crappy -- a sick head, achy, slightly nauseous, very fatigued. I've been sleeping okay but waking up a lot, and have had crazy dreams since getting the second dose.
I think Jeanne's remark about the vaccine "manufacturing weapons of mass destruction" is an apt description! I'm sure my body didn't know what hit it. It also makes me think about some medical treatments I've had in the past which have created a Herxheimer reaction, i.e. a healing crisis -- in other words, you feel worse before you feel better. So that's how I'm choosing to look at it.
I hope you're feeling better soon, Lynn. Please keep us posted.
I had my first shot of Pfizer on Saturday. I was a wreck leading up to it, and incredibly fearful about the side effects, despite feeling desperate to receive it. I felt the weight of all the lost souls and had significant feelings of survivors guilt.
After the shot, I felt a great deal of peace. Cupcakes, store bought, helped.
I did develop a wicked headache for a few hours after and a sore arm. I laid down and ended up sleeping it off, accidentally missing the seder.
Today I feel GREAT, Happy, grateful and hoping the next three weeks go fast till I get the next shot.
Thank you everyone! I appreciate the personal stories and advice, and the support! I feel better this morning than at any point yesterday. Hopefully the worst is behind me! xoxoxo
@ghandigirl, Happy to hear that shot#1 is over. Yay for cupcakes! I understand feeling ambivalent about the vaccine. I went through those same feelings. I was specifically concerned about allergic reactions, since I have a history of being sensitive/reactive to a lot of things.
Feeling grateful helped me a lot, even in the midst of my fears. I understood how fortunate I was, and constantly reminded myself of that.
@ghandigirl, remind us when your next shot is scheduled, so we can send some calming and supportive light your way.
@lynnventura, so glad you're feeling better! Is your fever gone? Perhaps if the weather is good and you're feeling up to it, you could get out for a leisurely walk in nature.
❤️
Cupcakes, store bought, helped.
Cupcakes make *everything* better.
@lynnventura You can take the tylenol after the shot, but not before. [Link to news source Added: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/17/cdc-safe-to-take-tylenol-or-otc-pain-medications-after-covid-vaccine.html ]
Hi All, Day three after my shot. Tylenol yesterday helped a lot. I was feeling great in the afternoon but not so great at night. I had a fever again but that seems to have gone away. Fewer aches, but still have a dull headache. Whatever the side effects though, I am grateful I got the shot, that my employer gives us COVID-related sick time and does not deduct it from our accrued sick time, that I have people who care enough for me to bring me what I need, and that I have this community to share my experiences with. So, I'm feeling so much gratitude this morning. I hope you are well. Love to you all!
More problems for AstraZeneca.
Canada and now Germany have recommended banning the vaccine for use by people younger than 55 and 60 respectively.
Updated recommendations came amid new data from Europe that suggests the risk of blood clots is now potentially as high as one in 100,000, much higher than the one in one million risk believed before.
Most of the patients in Europe who developed a rare blood clot after vaccination with AstraZeneca were women under age 55, and the fatality rate among those who develop clots is as high as 40%.
This is seriously setting back vaccination efforts isn Europe and Canada.
Any of our Canadian or European friends wish to comment on this development?
https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/german-state-suspends-astrazeneca-vaccine-60s-76766477
My next shot is April 17. Weren't you the one who saw me relaxed and happy getting the shot?
I can't WAIT to see my mom when all of this is done.
Sorry, I am ranting.
I know someone said there would be a problem with vaccines. I hope this is it. Being in BC, again, someone predicted things would get crazy; well, it's a mad, mad, mad world as we went over 1,000 cases for the first time today. I admit my covid paranoia hit a new level, so did my blood pressure.
The upshot is the Astra Zeneca that came in from Europe was released today for 55-65, and I think our share of the vaccine shared by the US will also go out that way. As I am just under that, I am hoping soon. Did it go smoothly? People that got the shot think so, people that did not do not at all.
Additionally, they've opened up to 18 for first nations in my province, and given my wife is both first nations and younger than me, I am pretty happy about that. She will get her first shot in the next week.
We have many mRNA vaccines coming in early, which will balance things vs the AZ issues. I know we were expecting J&J to arrive shortly, but there are issues there tonight, I hear.
Here's the thing, I am amazed at how fast and effective things have been. I get it; consumerism mindsets don't mesh with pandemics. Still, I am getting tired of the people who complained that too much was being done/too restrictive are now the same people (at least here) who are complaining not enough has been done. They also seem to be the same people who likely feel they are the kings and queens of the world, and rules don't apply to them.
Really?
Anyway, that's how things are in my corner of the woods.
As many as 15 million doses of the J &J covid vaccine will need to be tossed after a quality control issue at a US manufacturing plant.
That is a lot of doses.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/31/health/johnson--johnson-vaccine-manufacturing-problem/index.html
People are asking if they can take Over the Counter pain relieving meds like Acetaminophen (Tylenol) and Ibuprophen (Advil) before and/or after receiving the vaccine to relieve discomfort. Scientists have been studying the effects of the OTC meds pre-and post vaccine and found:
Unless instructed otherwise by your personal doctor, do not take anything before the vaccine, but it's okay to take it after.
Studies found that if you take anti inflammatories before you get the shot, they can reduce the vaccine's immune response to the shot. So it lowers the immune protection from the vaccine.
CNBC had a good explanation why:
"Covid messenger RNA vaccines work by giving cells genetic material that tells them how to make a non-infectious piece of the virus. The immune system then creates antibodies against it — which is controlled inflammation — and can remember how to trigger an immune response if exposed to the virus in the future.
But OTC pain-relieving medications “reduce the production of inflammatory mediators,” Kelley (CDC) said. That’s why it’s important to wait until after you’ve gotten the vaccine (and have started creating an inflammatory response already) to take pain medication."
I've had my two shots (Moderna) but I am remaining careful because, according to CDC, they do not yet know if it protects against the South African variant, which is spreading, although the Pfizer vaccine trials show that it does protect against the South African variant.
Data is changing daily on the variants.
This update (3.29.21) from Medscape.com which is a sumation of the New England Journal of Medicine's March 23rd report on the vaccines and the variants:
The three variants of concern at the moment are the UK variant, the Brazil variant and the South Africa variant.
The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are effective against the UK variant, less effective but still providing a cushion of protection against the Brazil variant, and according to a 4.1. release, Pfizer is protective of the South African variant but Moderna is still being studied.
The Medscape article has a chart that is worth a look if you want to understand how the vaccines measured up although remember that studies are still going on so stay tuned. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines look damn good compared to others in protection against Covid (not variants). In large scale trials these two vaccines are 95% effective in preventing Covid-19 and 100% effective in preventing severe Covid-19, Astra Zeneca and J&J less so.
If anyone gets more up-to-date information, please post, but only if you have a link.
