I just got my Covid vaccine. I get that I am a lucky one, as I was in the line behind the medical personnel in the hospitals. I am truly grateful.
I believe in vaccines. It doesn’t mean you can’t get Covid. The vaccine means that your body has some preparation to fight it, so you won’t get as sick. And there is so much we don’t know about long term effects of getting Covid infection. Take Chicken Pox. I had Chicken Pox as a kid. It was better to get it when you were young, you knew you would get it at some point, and other than a bunch of red lesions all over the body which went away, it was really no big deal. But Chicken Pox is why we get Shingles later in life. Did your kids get the Chicken Pox vaccine? Mine did. And because they did, my kids will never get shingles. My point? Vaccines may not only help you now by giving you a milder case of Covid, they may help you down the road in ways we just don’t know. Covid does a myriad of weird things: taste and smell loss, brain changes, heart changes, covid toes.
What vaccine should I get? Pfizer and Moderna are both excellent. Get which ever one you can.
Could I have an allergic reaction? When I got the shot, they asked me if I have reaction to bowel prep or miralax. They think there could be some association when people have an issue with ethylene glycol.
Should I take Tylenol or Advil PRIOR to the injection? This was a new one for me, but most doctors say NO. Why? They want you to react to the vaccine. They don’t want to blunt your immune response. They say taking it after you have had the vaccine if you have symptoms is okay.
How will I feel after the shot? I have seen doctors posting for weeks now, as they have been getting vaccinated. Most have little effects. For those with some side effects, they say soreness in arm, headache, muscle aches, tired, fever, nausea, swollen lymph nodes.
- If you are having an allergic reaction, you might have difficulty breathing/shortness of breath/swelling of face or throat, fast heart rate, rash, hives, dizzy, or weak. If you have a severe reaction contact 911 or go to the ER.
- I have felt fine. We’ll see as time goes on. I fully expect the second dose will have more symptoms. This is normal and frankly good. I want my body to form an immune response.
Vaccines are awesome. Both trials had over 30,000 people in each trial. At this point, hundreds of thousands of doctors and nurses have had the shot. If there were big issues, you would be hearing about it.
I’m looking forward to a time where the world can return to normal, where Covid is just like the flu.