I'm on day six of Moderna fatigue

[cyclonefence]

I had absolutely no side effects from shot#1; my husband's arm was pretty sore, but OK the next day. I expected to have very little, if any, problem with #2 and thought my husband might be a little unwell.

Shots on the 14th and that evening we both were wiped out, despite taking it easy all afternoon and drinking lots of water. Since then, we both have had sore throats and sleepiness, taking naps at the drop of a hat all day long. Don't feel unwell except for the sore throat, which responds to salt-water gargle and Tylenol, but feel like we had the wind knocked out of us. We drag around all day, and the smallest chore seems way too much to try to do.

We are 73 years old, with co-morbidities. He's diabetic type 2, and I have copd. Every day we're feeling a little better, and I would do it all over again to get the shot, but I was caught entirely by surprise by the duration of these symptoms.

[Phoenix61]

1. The J&J vaccine made me feel miserable for a solid week. nt

[StarryNite]

7. The J&J gave me flu-like symptoms the first night.

The second evening I had a lower grade fever than the 101.5° I experienced the night before. The next day I was pretty much back to normal. Made me glad I didn't have to have a second one but still real happy I got it.

[moonscape]

2. I took my reaction to the

2nd Moderna as a welcome sign my immune system was doing good works. I had fever and the fatigue you mentioned pretty intensely for several days, then lingering a couple more.

I’m high risk, stopped chemo for a plasma cell blood cancer between doses and for 10 days after, and quantitative blood test indicates I had a very good immune/antibody response.

[2naSalit]

3. Both Moderna shots made me lethargic...

And I take naps whenever the urge arises. Being retired I can do that. I have chores to do and those seem to wipe me out but they get done, just not immediately. Multi-tasking is out for now. Just had my second shot Friday so I'm in the middle of week one on that.

I found that I have little to no appetite, which isn't all bad, but I tried two different take out options last night and neither were something I could get halfway through. A friend invited me to join them after I had the first take out dinner stare back at me. I didn't tell my friend I had just tried to eat because I was still hungry feeling but nothing was appealing. I just didn't have the presence of mind to cook anything and certainly not the energy to cook either.

I'll try again today.

[Native]

8. My appetite was off all week too, but it never occurred to me that the shot was the culprit.

[cyclonefence]

12. I've felt hungry

but presented with food, I have no interest in eating it. Interesting. And of course I don't feel up to cooking anything delicious, although I doubt that I'd want to eat that, either.

[intrepidity]

4. That's how you know it is working

Sounds trite, but it's true. As we age, our immune systems weaken, but feeling those side effects is your personal guarantee that your immune system is sitting up and taking notice. Imagine if you felt nothing... you might wonder if your immune system even noticed anything.

[Skittles]

23. see I read it is the opposite

the older folk are better at beating back the side effects

https://www.abc10.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/vaccine/side-effects-second-dose-covid-vaccine/103-2df70726-14c6-494a-a626-bd82b98b4baa

[intrepidity]

28. Hmmm... well, I interpret "side effects" as evidence of an immune response

That older folks would have fewer/milder, says to me that the immune response is not as vigorous and robust as that in younger/naive patients.

[Skittles]

29. ah OK, yes that makes sense

yes indeed

[Unwind Your Mind]

5. I'm on day four after 2nd Moderna

Yesterday I had, as you say, a spontaneous nap come on while trying to work

I’m still a little fuzzy and headachey but each day is a little better

[Native]

6. It's been a full week for me, and like you I'm still lethargic.

It is getting better, and I've found that if I have caffeine, I almost feel normal. I had one day in the middle of the week that I felt pretty good, but the next day I was wiped. I haven't had the sore throat, but I've definitely had post nasal drip and bouts of serious nose blowing. I also had that weird ass Covid headache for a full day and night and then residual pressure in my right eye and ear for several days. One day the ear pressure felt exactly like it used to feel when I had ear infections as a kid.

I'm 63 with no comorbidities, and I'm very healthy.

Hang in there! I live in a community with a lot of older people, and I've heard some crazy stuff symptom wise. One friend who has arthritis said it caused a horrible flare up that lasted 2 full weeks and basically moved around so it hit just about every body part. And I had Covid Arm with the first shot. That started 1 week after the shot and lasted a full week. The itching was so intense I wanted to claw my arm off.

While symptoms vary, one thing is for certain - they eventually resolve. Just pamper yourselves and know you'll feel back to normal soon.

[2naSalit]

10. I have arthritis...

In my feet and spine, they have been achy but nothing worse than after a very busy, physically demanding day. But my front teeth are now sensitive and achy when eating or drinking something other than room temperature.

[cyclonefence]

13. I'm really kind of glad to know someone else had the snots and earache! n/t

[Native]

18. As I'm reading this I can hear my husband on a business call, & he just said you had an earache too?

That makes 3 of us! Lol.

[Laffy Kat]

9. I had the second shot on January 18th and had to take the rest of the week off work.

I felt terrible and slept through four days. Still, no regrets and I'd do it again.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

11. Being 74 and retired, I may or may not suffer from Moderna fatigue.

How would I know the difference?

(Celebrating - now more than two weeks since second Moderna)

I'll take a nap now, but I'll contemplate this issue later.

[cyclonefence]

14. I get up, have breakfast, go back to bed for nap #1

and that's a *normal* day!

[lunatica]

15. I've never been a nap person

But after the 1st Moderna shot I took almost daily naps. It felt great! Luxurious. I’m hoping my second shot, which I get tomorrow, will feel the same if there must be side effects. My arm did hurt and then itched too. I’ll find out soon enough.

[Native]

19. I never take naps, so with this I'd just randomly fall asleep in the middle of whatever I was doing

and I wasn't doing much cuz I couldn't keep a straight line of thinking going on. Like I'd go out to the garage refrigerator to grab a soda and come back into the house only to find a soda already on the counter that I had gone out to get about 3 minutes prior. I was legitimately walking in circles trying to figure out where it was that I wanted to go.

[obamanut2012]

16. Two weeks today after my 2nd Moderna and still fatigue

Brain fog, some dizziness, and hot flashes from hell. A little bit of gastro issues still. Days one to three I could barely move, and also had joint pain, swollen fingers and toes, and other stuff. Twenty years younger than you, no real co-morbidities.

I've worked since Day Four, and have played golf twice and the driving range once. Every day a little better, like you said!

[Native]

20. Oh geez, the hot flashes and the new GERD symptoms are from this too?

I've been trying to figure out what the hell I've been eating that's been doing this because I haven't been eating differently, and I've had hot flashes at night ever since the first shot. Gah.

[BradAllison]

17. Weird

My mom is in her 80's and said aside from some chills on the 2nd she was fine.

[Ilsa]

21. I'm so sorry you are feeling so bad.

I'm elated that you got your shot and probably won't ever have to be admitted for COVID-19. I wish I had some soup for you.

[cyclonefence]

22. Aw, thank you

But I'd do it again to get protection from covid. I think my reaction means I'm making super-antibodies.

[Skittles]

24. I routinely work 12 hour shifts on three hours sleep

I doubt I would even notice "fatigue".

[cyclonefence]

25. My god in heaven

[FlyingPiggy]

26. It is so weird how these vaccines work on different people

Without any rhyme or reason. My mother, who is a few years older than you, barely got any reaction from her second moderna shot. I, on the other hand, got the worst body and joint aches of my life. It was terribly painful. It hurt just to lay still in bed. But it only lasted 2 days for me.

[cyclonefence]

32. I'm beginning to think

that my immune system was not as strong as I thought it was, and I suspect differences in ability to fight off infection might explain some of the differences we're seeing in responses to the vaccine.

I'd still rather have the side effects than not be vaccinated!

[FlyingPiggy]

37. oh me too!! as horrible as my second vaccine was to deal with, I would rather have it than not.

I feel so much better knowing that I have it. And even though I have had both shots since Jan, I still wear masks and stay socially distanced.

[cyclonefence]

38. I plan to keep masking and distancing, too

because at this point it seems only sensible.

I just hope that airing my complaints didn't cause anybody to hesitate to get a shot. As you say, it's such a relief to have been vaccinated!

[mainer]

27. Fatigue lasted a week for me

Then around day 8 I woke up feeling normal.

[Generic Brad]

30. Imagine how badly actual Covid-19 would have affected us?

I had the Pfizer. I had all the reactions except for fever the next day. I lost my appetite for a week and have needed an extra 1-2 hours sleep a night. I strongly suspect the actual virus would have hit me extra hard.

[cyclonefence]

31. You're right

I'm still exhausted, and I think what happened is that my immune system is/was weaker than I thought it was. I've been thinking just what you suggest, that if I'd been hit with covid in this apparently weakened state, I would really have been in trouble. Actually, my pulmonologist told me early on (when we thought it would be easier to get vaccinated) that getting covid would be a death sentence for me. I kind of put that out of my mind, since my husband and I have pretty much totally quarantined ourselves for the past year, but now I'm beginning to see what the doctor meant.

Think of all those Republicans and other people who do not plan to be vaccinated!

[theneworiginal]

33. Day 7. Congested, fatigued, sent for a COVID test

I had no idea this could be fallout from the second shot. Feel like I have sea legs and brain fog. Thought it was from lack of oxygen because I am stuffed up. Better than I was, but nowhere near normal.

[cyclonefence]

34. Chest congestion?

I found that my normal tv watching posture (in a recliner) was very bad for clearing chest congestion. The position causes phlegm to pool low and to the back of lungs, where it tends to stay put. I lay on my side on the couch for tv and found it helped my breathing a lot. Lying down (not on my back!) also helped clear my sinuses.

[womanofthehills]

35. My neighbor had really bad brain fog

Not a good time to drive. She drove on the wrong side of our dirt and almost hit another neighbor and just kept driving like nothing happened. The next day - she came out of her driveway and instead of going left or right - she went straight into her neighbors fence. It took about 2 weeks for her mind to clear.

[LisaL]

36. Vaccines can't cause covid.

They don't have the live or dead virus in them.
But someone can be coincidently infected with covid.