Posted on March 12, 2021
Bring on the vaccines! I am so thrilled that people are getting vaccinated, and hopefully this is the first step to returning our world to some normalcy. So should you get the vaccine before surgery? What are things to think about?
- Get vaccinated. The best possible thing for you before surgery is for you to be fully vaccinated, which means you should be two weeks out from your second round of shots. Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson. All are good. Remember not to premedicate with Tylenol or Advil before you get your vaccine shot- you don’t want to blunt your immune response. Blog on what to expect HERE.
- Look at the timing of your vaccine. Usually with the first shot people do pretty well. Maybe a little achiness, pain at the injection site, a low grade fever- all this tends to be gone after the first 24 hours. THE SECOND SHOT IS WHEN PEOPLE TEND TO HAVE SYMPTOMS IF THEY ARE GOING TO. (And with the single shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine, the symptoms could be after the first shot- I don’t know as much about that vaccine yet.)
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- The Pfizer vaccine tends to do the second shot at 21 days after,
- Moderna at 28 days after, and
- Johnson & Johnson is a single shot.
- There is a little flexibility around the second shot. Ideally you would be two weeks after the second shot, so you would have full immunity, and if you had a hard reaction, you would feel okay again.
- With my first shot, I had a slight headache, but really nothing. When I had my second shot, I felt totally fine for 24 hours. Then I had around 6 hours of achiness, chills, and some swollen lymph nodes. I didn’t take anything, went to bed early, and was totally ok the next day.
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- You should not do surgery if you are feeling bad. Most symptoms are around 12-24 hours after the second vaccination shot. There are some people who feel bad for days after the second vaccine. I did have one patient who felt terrible like “a really bad flu” for five days after her shot. She was scheduled for an elective breast reduction. We postponed her surgery. If you are feeling bad, your body isn’t in a good place to divert its energy to healing your surgery. Surgery is a stress. For elective cosmetic surgery, you want to optimize. You need energy to make sure you avoid infection, heal quickly, and have pretty scars.
- You still need to avoid getting an active Covid infection. Being vaccinated doesn’t mean you can’t contract Coronavirus. So before surgery you need to wear your mask and follow all those rules we have been doing: social distance, no large gatherings, etc.
- You still will need to get a Covid test (not an antibody test, but the test to see if you have active infection) prior to surgery. Why? It still could affect your healing (and oxygen levels or blood clot risk), and many adults are still not vaccinated. So we need to protect them.
For blogs on cornonavirus risks and surgery, read my many blogs HERE.
The information provided on this website is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of a qualified healthcare provider for any questions regarding your health or medical condition.