A heads up about feeling lousy after getting your Covid vaccine.

[dflprincess]

I had heard, as I'm sure most of you have, that a person might get tired and achy after the second dose and that has been the experience of friends who have had both shots.

I had also heard that those of us who have had Covid may have the reaction after the first shot. What I never heard was how really awful a person can feel. Fortunately, I had been at the dentist on Wednesday and the hygienist gave me a heads up based on her experience. She had also had Covid and the day after her shot couldn't get out of her bed.

I received my first dose Friday afternoon and felt fine the rest of the day. When I woke up Saturday morning I was running a high fever, had a headache and ached everywhere. As the hygienist told me just getting up to go to the bathroom took monumental effort. I actually felt worse than I ever did when I had Covid. I spent most the day in bed in a near catatonic state until I moved to the couch and spend the evening staring blankly at the TV.

The good news is that today I'm just tired and the remaining aches may have more to do with how little I moved yesterday than with a reaction. The other good news the hygienist told me that the second shot was easier, I'll find out if that's true for me on April 1. A couple hours before I left to get my shot the local Blood Bank called to let me know I did test positive for antibodies and they'd love to have me back to donate more convalescent plasma so I do wonder if the having the antibodies is why my response was so dramatic.

To be clear, I'm not posting this to scare anyone from getting vaccinated just to inform. I would have been seriously frightened about how I felt had I not heard from the hygienist about how bad it got for her. Remember, it's just your immune system recognizing the invader and saying "Oh hell no, we are not doing this again." And a day or two of feeling bad is worth not getting covid.

[SheltieLover]

1. Ty for sharing!

Did you sign up for CDC's V Safe, post-vax symptom tracker?

Requires smart phone & only takes a minute to fill out brief survey daily.

There is also a small window to type in extra info, which would be perfect for your situation!

[dflprincess]

8. I had not heard about that

I will sign up - the more they can learn about it the better!

[SheltieLover]

11. Here is the link

https://vsafe.cdc.gov/en/

[dflprincess]

14. Thanks!

[SheltieLover]

16. Yw!

Ty for participating!)

[kskiska]

36. I did that. They contacted me every day for about a week, and now

I hear from them once a week. I had no after-effects whatsoever.

[Hortensis]

37. I hadn't heard of it either, but just did for us. Thanks. nt

[TreasonousBastard]

2. I had my second shot Saturday and am still feeling lousy...

Sleeping a lot and so weak it's really tough to get out of bed.

But, this too shall pass, and it's not really all that bad. Main thing is that at my age I'm always paranoid about getting pneumonia again, or worse.

[Hortensis]

33. Oh, yes! Pneumonia, "the old man's friend," except we're not that old.

It hit me out of nowhere, 2 days in the hospital, and I couldn't rise from a squat for another 3 weeks.

Tomorrow'll be that much better.

[TreasonousBastard]

35. Had pneumonia last April and was in the hospital for a week. Got over it and was good as new...

But the clue was I couldn't get out of bed. Gasping for breath, too. Ambulance crew carried me to the stretcher.

So, every time I feel a little weak (which happens a lot, being diabetic) I freak out for a few minutes. Usually, I realize I'm more or less OK because I can breathe, and I check blood oxygen with one of those fingertip clip-on gadgets.

A lot of times it's low blood sugar, and the treatment for that is a bowl of ice cream or plate of donuts. If only all treatments were so easy.

[Hortensis]

38. :) And pleasant. Wow to your onset. What an experience.

We hadn't "bothered" with pneumonia vaccination before, last time I was in the hospital was to have a baby and he'd never been. Now I'm actually looking forward to a year having passed so we can get the other pneumonia vaccine.

Huh! Looking forward to a second pneumonia vaccine. How many definitions of being old are there?

[MizLibby]

3. I had my 2nd Pfizer jab last week..

I feel like I am slowly dying. Cough, fatigue and body aches. Who knew? I’m being selfish for bitching about how I feel, but if it saves anyone else, so be it.

[Hortensis]

39. It's the next day and sure hope that means you feel like

you'll live after all, MizLibby. I just signed up at the CDC's data-gathering site SheltieLover mentioned for reporting reactions. Sounds like you're having a "good" one.

[FlyingPiggy]

4. I had the same experience. It wasn't fun but it wasn't that horrible

Just stay in bed until it passes. And just as quickly as it came, it went just as quickly as well. I get sick every year from the common cold and viral crap that can linger for weeks. This was a breeze compared to that. I would never hesitate on getting this Covid vaccine w the data that we have on it. I feel blessed to have had both shots and thank my lucky stars. I hope and pray everyone else are able to get their shots as well.

[leftieNanner]

5. Sorry you have had such a rough go

Which vaccine did you get?

[dflprincess]

9. It was Moderna

And, now that it's over, 18 hours or so of feeling bad wasn't so bad when you consider what Covid can do - and it won't stop me from getting the second dose.

What threw me & would have really scared me without prior knowledge was that my temp hit 102 - though it didn't stay that high for long. I haven't often been sick enough to run a temp that high.

[ashredux]

18. 18 hours is exactly about the time frame I experienced

[meow2u3]

6. I already got a heads up about the side effects of the COVID vaccine

My sister, who's a nurse who works with COVID patients, got both her Pfizer COVID shots. She has severe allergies, so she has to carry an Epipen, so she took the precaution of taking Benadryl after she got home.

She warned me that the second shot made her feel lousy for a couple of days.

If only I could get a freakin' appointment. I tried to book one through my local health system, but no such luck. What do I have to do? Jump the line? Or are rich people in my area jumping the line?

[sheshe2]

12. Keep trying.

Don't stop. Try vac finder, cvs in certain states and walgreens. It took me a week trying 24 hours a day. I finally got one, cvs.

[SheltieLover]

13. Here is CDC Vaccine locator

Worked for me, but apparently doesn't work for all states, at least yet.

Newly repurposed CDC site, about 1 week ago.

Good luck!

https://vaccinefinder.org/search/

[SMC22307]

7. No COVID-19 for me, 1st Pfizer dose zero issues, 2nd dose felt like I had the flu...

for about 24 hours. Started tapering off after that point and I was back to normal after 48 hours. Tylenol, fluids, and plenty of rest got me through it.

[dflprincess]

10. To be clear, my experience will not keep me from getting the 2nd shot

As I said, I had not heard the aftermath could get quite this bad - it may be beause I had had Covid and my immune system went into overdrive.

Mild as my case of Covid was, I don't want to do it again.

[SMC22307]

28. I certainly understand that.

I just posted my experience in case it might help someone. That first night in bed with the flu-like symptoms was pretty rough -- chills, body aches, headaches, runny nose, sweats. But it's better than the alternative!

[JenniferJuniper]

15. My niece is only 27

and an EMT. She got her second Moderna shot on Thursday and is still in bed. Worse than any flu she says.

But she also says she knows this won't kill her and it's better than never seeing her 93 year old grandmother ever again.

[Mr.Bill]

17. I almost feel guilty.

I have had both Moderna shots, the second one just this last Friday. No adverse reaction at all from either shot except a very slight soreness at the injection site. The shots themselves I never even felt. Here's my thread:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100215190774

I'm 67 years old and have never been tested, never had Covid to the best of my knowledge.

[catrose]

19. I was draggy for days after first

So I'm arranging for days off after I get second. I don't have sick days, but it will be worth it.

[BobTheSubgenius]

20. I am quite surprised at how dire the reaction to the vaccine can be.

I had a reaction to cholera vaccine, and, while unpleasant, was NOTHING like what was described in the OP. Not that I disbelieve the OP in the slightest.

[dflprincess]

22. I have never had a reaction to any vaccine

and, even with the warnings, was surprised by it.

[Mickju]

21. I had no reaction to the first dose. (Pfizer)

I did have a reaction to the second dose. It wasn't bad, just more arm pain and feeling extremely tired. I was fine in two days. I'm 76.

[AllyCat]

23. Plan a light day. It's better than a tube down your throat.

It’s immune response, not illness. But as the OP says, it can be crummy.

[yuiyoshida]

24. I WONDER if weed will get me though that stuff....

I am hoping to get the Johnson and Johnson shot at some point. There was even talk on the radio about door to door service here in the city.. but I have asked my doctors about the side affects, and was informed that it would be nothing compared to the disease itself.. now I know if I have a headache, if I have nausea , if I feel depressed... or even achy.. weed will help me though it... So I hope that will be the case after I receive the shot. I plan to smoke my tiny water bong, and hopefully be able to get though all of that stuff..

[Ka-Dinh Oy]

25. For some it sounds like the reaction I had to my first shingles shot.

I have a friend who knows a couple of older people who had to go to the hospital after their shot.

After what I have been reading it sounds like a good thing to schedule for 3 days of nothing to do.

[leftyladyfrommo]

26. The nurse that gave me my shot said she had Covid and

Got a bad reaction.

But the shots also seem to be helping the long haulers.

[Laurelin]

27. Thanks for posting

I might have had covid but if so it was before they were testing here. My symptoms weren't considered covid at the time. I didn't run much of a fever but got a sore throat and gi symptoms for a day and the illness went straight to my chest. I coughed, chest hurt, and was exhausted for over a month, then I got purple spots on my toes. I was hanging out with two friends who had covid before I got sick (they were diagnosed after I got sick, when we were together they thought they just had colds with this weird loss of smell. It was a year ago. What did we know? ) Did I mention my classmate came back from Wuhan a week before I got sick? He had quarantined, though.

Anyway the first astrazeneca shot gave me a headache, chills, aches and fatigue for three days. On day three I got a really bad migraine that's hung on for four days, but I kind of doubt that's vaccine related.

I'm looking forward to my second shot but won't get it for eleven more weeks. It's totally worth it even if the migraine came from the shot. It's spring and I have allergies so ALL of my symptoms could be a coincidence. I do think the migraine was too long after the shot to be caused by the vaccine.

[certainot]

29. my 90 yo mom got the moderna and got headache and stiffness and i was worried it was the actual

real thing because we had to wait for over an hour in a crowded albertsons pharmacy with dicknoses wandering around.

[womanofthehills]

30. NYT - People Who Have Had Covid Should Get Single Vaccine Dose, Studies Suggest

New studies show that one shot of a vaccine can greatly amplify antibody levels in those who have recovered from the coronavirus.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/19/health/covid-vaccine-single-dose.html

My friend who had Covid called CDC on this and they told her she would be fine with one shot.

[dflprincess]

31. A couple weeks ago The Lancet had a similar article

but did say more study was needed before they'd recommend someone only get a single dose of Pfizer or Moderna. Until most the experts agree about it and make a big deal of it in the news, I'll stick with getting the second shot.

[demtenjeep]

32. glad you are feeling better

we get our 2nd next week

[dflprincess]

34. Thank you!

It's was a small price to pay for immunity! I just wanted to let people know it can get bad but there wasn't anything to worry about and it passes pretty quickly.

[Klaralven]

40. The verdict is in: People who've had COVID-19 need just one shot, researchers say

https://www.businessinsider.com/people-who-had-covid-19-need-one-coronavirus-shot-2021-3

Antibody Responses in Seropositive Persons after a Single Dose of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA Vaccine

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc2101667