Question re: Covid shot reaction

[thinkingagain]

My nephew believes he had a reaction the his first Covid Moderna shot.
I thought I heard that you can report reactions or what may be a reaction
But don’t recall to whom.
I think recall reading about it on DU in the past so I am hoping someone can point me in the right direction.

[Doodley]

1. What kind of reaction?

[70sEraVet]

5. I hope its not his testicles.

[Blues Heron]

2. That means its working, no need to report

[mcar]

3. What kind of reaction?

Many of us had low-grade flu-like symptoms. DS ran a high fever after getting J&J.

[viva la]

4. He probably got an email or text that says where to report the reaction

I did.
He could also call the site where he got the shot- they'll have the number.

[MontanaMama]

6. He can register for the CDC V-Safe

reporting app if he has a smartphone: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/safety/register-for-v-safe.html

[thinkingagain]

7. The reaction was

Achy all over ( not concerning normal)
Cough not really concerning
Blood in stool — somewhat concerning
He is better now
The report would be more for informational for future info for anyone
Or if he should be concerned for his second shot.
He was on the fence about getting the shot. I had to talk him into it.
So don’t want to to go bad.

I don’t know if he got a number to call I never did.

[thucythucy]

11. From what I've seen "blood in stool" is not a common side effect of the vaccine,

Last edited Sat Sep 18, 2021, 10:52 AM - Edit history (1)

in fact I'm not sure it's related to the vaccine at all.

It could be he has an underlying condition he is just now noticing because he's being hyper alert to what's up with his body.

I'd recommend calling his general practitioner about this. Blood in the stool could be anything from hemmorhoids to an ulcer to something more serious. When was the last time he had a check-up?

A friend of mine was in a serious car accident years ago. While being treated for the accident (surgery followed by rehab) he mentioned a symptom to his doctor, thinking it had something to do with the accident. It turns out he had colon cancer, which was caught early and removed via another surgery. The thing is--he never would have gone to the doctor if it hadn't been for the car wreck. So, weirdly enough, being seriously injured in that accident probably saved his life.

I don't mean to get you or your family all upset and anxious, but it's better to be safe than sorry. If I was him I'd at least call my doctor and then act on her/his recommendation.

[thinkingagain]

16. Thank you

It was because of that kinda of concerns I started with the shot information.
I kinda got the he never noticed it before and it’s better now.
Could very well just be hemmoroids.
But as he felt it coincided I felt like it be good for him to do a follow up with someone. I will chat with him or his Mom on the other don’t know if he can get in to see a Dr as Covid is high in his area but he may be able to chat with one.

This is why I appreciate DU so much.
Not just ideas but care and concern.

[thucythucy]

17. You're welcome.

And best wishes to you and yours!

[StarryNite]

15. I'm glad to see he's already feeling better.

Yes he should log in and report his reaction to be added to the rest of the data they are collecting. I had the J&J and felt like I had a mild case of the flu for about 36 hours. I didn't log and report my reaction but I should have.

[thinkingagain]

8. I knew I could get some help here 😊

Another family member who I also reached out to just gave me this

https://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/ensuringsafety/monitoring/vaers/reportingaes.html

So I will share all this shared knowledge with him. Thank you all.

Hopefully some thing will work for him that he will feel comfortable with the process.

[Caliman73]

9. Usually the state health agency or county dept of health.

When I got the shot, I downloaded an app that sent me text messages to check in about symptoms and side effects. I completed the vaccine cycle in February and got my 8 month check in in August.

Check with your local health department, then the state.

[WarGamer]

10. Just to add my experience:

Moderna

shot #1 I had a sore arm and that was it... 100% fine

Shot #2 I had a sore arm and upper torso within an hour and rolled into a 24 hour flu-like spell and felt like I had a cold for another week.

[peggysue2]

12. My husband and I had virtually no reaction to either Pfizer shot

Beyond mildly sore arms at the injection site (only on the first round). I did have insomnia after the first shot which isn't terribly usual for me. But I was pretty jazzed.

My older son, however, had flu symptoms after his second shot: chills, headache, joint pain, fatigue, etc. Ran about 3 days, and then . . . nothing. Went away as quickly as it came on.

I think all our systems are slightly different as are the reported reactions or non-reactions.

[Meowmee]

13. Go to the vaccine site linked

I signed up for that and they are still sending me emails to check in at times. The blood in stool should be checked by a gi doc. Otherwise he had a normal reaction. Bis could be non related. I have never heard of that as a side effect. I had myalgia, fatigue, and pain at the site as well as feeling feverish but no fever. I also had headache. The same for both shots. For shot one I had some palpitations and facial flushing after the shot which went away rapidly.

[Hekate]

14. Hubby & I were tired from Moderna, & I slept it off for a day. Shingrix, on the other hand...

…knocked me for a loop with both shots: a hard hot swelling the size of my hand at the site of the shot, and 4 - 5 days of malaise, like the flu.

To repeat, Moderna was nothing for us. My husband went into the next room, logged in, and worked. I’m retired, so I napped.

I was warned in advance that Shingrix could be rugged, but having nursed my husband thru a bout of shingles, I was eager to avoid it for myself. So, no reporting.

I wish your nephew all the best. Everybody’s response varies, and hopefully his reaction will be short and tolerable — although we have DUers who had the rugged and miserable type reaction. By all means report it, and whoever takes the info will add it to the data base.