Personal SARS-COV-2 vaccination experiences

[Lady Florida. 55,329]

5 minutes ago, AmandaVT said:

I complained that someone stabbed me in the arm with a stake when the soreness from the 2nd shot kicked in! First one was normal, arm's a bit sore. Second was - did they stab me in the bone?? 

Yep. The first one was normal shot soreness similar to the flu shot. The second one was - what did they do to my arm?

[Lanny 9,905]

Here in Colombia they want to vaccinate 35 million people. Our population is about 50 million.  They began about 10 days ago with people 80+ and some health workers. That was Group 1.   I am in Group 2.  I have been reading a lot about the 6 (?) different vaccines they have purchased. If I have a choice, which is unlikely, my preference would be for the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine. My 2nd choice would be for the Janssen (J&J) vaccine which I don't think has been approved here yet.

Probably it's like in the USA and you receive what they have since it is Free. I think Group 2 begins on Monday, 2 days from now, so this will be interesting.

Friends and relatives in the USA have had both the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine and the Moderna vaccine. A cousin in California is interested in the Janssen (J&J) vaccine probably because there is only one shot?  It is less effective and they are not sure if it works in Elderly people or not.

Awhile ago I read an interesting story (in Spanish so I am not sure of all of the details), The Colombian government sent 6000 doses to 2 "Departments" where I believe it is very hot. Sinovac from China. The temperature got out of control. Now the "INVIMA" the agency in charge of Medicines is investigating to see whether or not those doses can be used. They did approve them to be used.

  Until very recently, I didn't want the Pfizer BioNTech Vaccine because it needed to be kept at -70 C, but then they said that ultra low freezer temperatures are not required. 

Our next door neighbor, 80+ is in the first group and he was vaccinated I believe 2 days ago, on Thursday. Today is Saturday. I am curious as to which vaccine he received.

Edited February 27 by Lanny
typo-removed one letter

[kokotg 2,995]

DH just had his first dose of Moderna. We drove to Alabama because they're vaccinating teachers and not limiting it to state residents. Teachers in Georgia are eligible starting March 8, but no telling how long it would take to get an appointment, so we stuck with the sure thing. He feels fine so far, but it's only been a couple of hours. He has an appointment for the second shot at the same place, but we may be able to find him one here and cancel that one.

 

[Danae 1,827]

I’m just over two hours post shot, and my elbow joint on the arm the shot went in is a little achey.  But that’s the elbow I shattered as a kid, and it gets achey if someone so much as looks at it crossly, so I’m not sure that counts.  

[MissLemon 7,997]

DH had his first Pfizer shot 2 days ago. Zero side effects other than a sore arm. 

I had my second Moderna shot a few hours ago. My arm is really sore and I'm feeling tired and cranky. My sweet 12.5 year old boy asked if I was feeling ok, and was there anything he could bring me to help? ❤️ Such a sweetheart.  

[Not_a_Number 13,010]

1 minute ago, MissLemon said:

DH had his first Pfizer shot 2 days ago. Zero side effects other than a sore arm. 

I had my second Moderna shot a few hours ago. My arm is really sore and I'm feeling tired and cranky. My sweet 12.5 year old boy asked if I was feeling ok, and was there anything he could bring me to help? ❤️ Such a sweetheart.  

From the experiences on this thread, I'd settle in for a crappy 24 hours 😕 . 

Glad your DS is stepping up! 🙂 

[MissLemon 7,997]

3 minutes ago, Not_a_Number said:

From the experiences on this thread, I'd settle in for a crappy 24 hours 😕 . 

Glad your DS is stepping up! 🙂 

I'm prepared. I have air fryer foods and a Poirot dvd box set. Let's do this. 😉 

[RootAnn 14,991]

My mother & my sister's FIL got their 2nd shots today. (God bless my sister for finding them both appointments & driving them separately to get them vaccinated!)

[happi duck 15,615]

So glad to know vaccinations are zipping along!

Happy for y'all but I'm feeling so jealous too.  In my state I'm eligible but not in my county or the county of my doctor or job.  (under 65 with certain medical conditions)

I'm also eager for dh and dc to be vaccinated.

I was hoping to get vaccinated before J&J was okayed because I really want the two shot vaccine.

[MissLemon 7,997]

18 hours ago, Not_a_Number said:

From the experiences on this thread, I'd settle in for a crappy 24 hours 😕 .

🙂

You weren't lying. I feel terrible: fever of 102, aches, pains, chills, headache. 

Better than catching Covid, though.

[Not_a_Number 13,010]

19 minutes ago, MissLemon said:

You weren't lying. I feel terrible: fever of 102, aches, pains, chills, headache. 

Better than catching Covid, though.

Ugh. Sorry you're feeling junky!

On the bright side of things, that means your immune system is doing its job! 😉 Go antibodies, go! 

[Dmmetler 25,044]

The first 24 hours after my first dose of Pfizer was like a bad, but not ER worthy, allergic reaction with a sore arm added. Headache, hives and itching, and just plain feeling very fatigued. My joints that have arthritis ached a lot. Now that I'm about 48 hours out, the symptoms are mostly abated. Based on that experience, I'm really glad my return appointment is also on a Friday, so I have two days to hopefully recover before I need to teach on Monday. 

[Not_a_Number 13,010]

5 minutes ago, Dmmetler said:

The first 24 hours after my first dose of Pfizer was like a bad, but not ER worthy, allergic reaction with a sore arm added. Headache, hives and itching, and just plain feeling very fatigued. My joints that have arthritis ached a lot. Now that I'm about 48 hours out, the symptoms are mostly abated. Based on that experience, I'm really glad my return appointment is also on a Friday, so I have two days to hopefully recover before I need to teach on Monday. 

Hmmm. That would make me nervous about the second shot, which is supposed to be much worse. Have you talked to anyone about that? 

[Dmmetler 25,044]

9 minutes ago, Not_a_Number said:

Hmmm. That would make me nervous about the second shot, which is supposed to be much worse. Have you talked to anyone about that? 

I plan to call my immunologist on Monday and see what they recommend. I'm actually wondering if maybe I've been exposed enough since I have been teaching in person so that this was not the first immune response (maybe I never had enough viral load to get an active infection, due to the masking, Distancing, no shared materials, HEPA filtration, etc?). Or maybe my immune system is just being annoying. 

[Not_a_Number 13,010]

10 minutes ago, Dmmetler said:

I plan to call my immunologist on Monday and see what they recommend. I'm actually wondering if maybe I've been exposed enough since I have been teaching in person so that this was not the first immune response (maybe I never had enough viral load to get an active infection, due to the masking, Distancing, no shared materials, HEPA filtration, etc?). Or maybe my immune system is just being annoying. 

That seems like a good idea. 

[Danae 1,827]

Twelve hours post shot my arm hurt enough to wake me up at 2 am.  Twenty-four hours post shot it feels like I was punched (hard) in the arm and the area around it is hot, but no other symptoms.

 

[Not_a_Number 13,010]

Just now, Danae said:

Twelve hours post shot my arm hurt enough to wake me up at 2 am.  Twenty-four hours post shot it feels like I was punched (hard) in the arm and the area around it is hot, but no other symptoms.

First or second shot? 

Also, ouch. 

[Danae 1,827]

8 minutes ago, Not_a_Number said:

First or second shot? 

Also, ouch. 

First.

It hurts enough that I can’t really forget about it, or get distracted enough not to notice it, but it isn’t bothering me, because I’m just so happy to have gotten the vaccine.  It’s like a constant damn that hurts and that means life will be back to normal sooner, hurray!

[kand 12,125]

Does anyone know how long is too long to consider a reaction a normal immune response to vaccine? I’m beginning to be concerned about my dad. He had his shot Tuesday morning, snd I think it wasn’t until Thursday he started feeling bad. Achey, fever, chills, which is all normal, but also heavy night sweats soaking through clothes and eye pain. He’s today starting to feel better he says, but this seems longer than I would expect for a vaccine reaction. I’m suggesting a drive through test. 

[Danae 1,827]

23 minutes ago, kand said:

Does anyone know how long is too long to consider a reaction a normal immune response to vaccine? I’m beginning to be concerned about my dad. He had his shot Tuesday morning, snd I think it wasn’t until Thursday he started feeling bad. Achey, fever, chills, which is all normal, but also heavy night sweats soaking through clothes and eye pain. He’s today starting to feel better he says, but this seems longer than I would expect for a vaccine reaction. I’m suggesting a drive through test. 

My mother-in-law was miserable for almost three weeks after her first dose.  But I’m not sure how much of it was direct vaccine reaction and how much of it was that she got into a spiral of not eating well and not sleeping well during the initial reaction.  

[Not_a_Number 13,010]

1 hour ago, kand said:

Does anyone know how long is too long to consider a reaction a normal immune response to vaccine? I’m beginning to be concerned about my dad. He had his shot Tuesday morning, snd I think it wasn’t until Thursday he started feeling bad. Achey, fever, chills, which is all normal, but also heavy night sweats soaking through clothes and eye pain. He’s today starting to feel better he says, but this seems longer than I would expect for a vaccine reaction. I’m suggesting a drive through test. 

Oooh. That sounds unpleasant 😕 . I know there've been other delayed reactions on this thread, though. 

[JennyD 3,806]

More on the possible effects of vaccines on long Covid.

[MissLemon 7,997]

9 hours ago, Not_a_Number said:

Ugh. Sorry you're feeling junky!

On the bright side of things, that means your immune system is doing its job! 😉 Go antibodies, go! 

I am mostly back to normal now. My arm is still heckin' sore, and I'm tired because I didn't sleep well last night, but otherwise normal. 

Oof, what a bumpy ride it was!  But well worth it! In a few weeks, I can do exotic things like: Go to the eye doctor! Get a mammogram! Get labwork drawn! Woohoo! 😄

[Not_a_Number 13,010]

3 minutes ago, MissLemon said:

I am mostly back to normal now. My arm is still heckin' sore, and I'm tired because I didn't sleep well last night, but otherwise normal. 

Oof, what a bumpy ride it was!  But well worth it! In a few weeks, I can do exotic things like: Go to the eye doctor! Get a mammogram! Get labwork drawn! Woohoo! 😄

YAY!!! I hope your arm feels better soon. 

[ScoutTN 24,666]

On 2/27/2021 at 6:50 PM, happi duck said:

So glad to know vaccinations are zipping along!

Happy for y'all but I'm feeling so jealous too.  In my state I'm eligible but not in my county or the county of my doctor or job.  (under 65 with certain medical conditions)

I'm also eager for dh and dc to be vaccinated.

I was hoping to get vaccinated before J&J was okayed because I really want the two shot vaccine.

Do you have to get it in your county? In TN, we do not. 

[Starr 6,157]

6 hours ago, kand said:

Does anyone know how long is too long to consider a reaction a normal immune response to vaccine? I’m beginning to be concerned about my dad. He had his shot Tuesday morning, snd I think it wasn’t until Thursday he started feeling bad. Achey, fever, chills, which is all normal, but also heavy night sweats soaking through clothes and eye pain. He’s today starting to feel better he says, but this seems longer than I would expect for a vaccine reaction. I’m suggesting a drive through test. 

We were told 72 hours and to see a doctor if symptoms continued.

[happi duck 15,615]

1 hour ago, ScoutTN said:

Do you have to get it in your county? In TN, we do not. 

I'll check that out.  Thanks!

[maize 77,490]

Update on dh who got the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine on Friday; we waited a few days to see if any side effects would develop but he never even got a sore arm.

[Joker2 527]

FIL, 82, had his second dose last week and had zero side effects. Not even a sore arm. MIL gets her second dose soon and we hope she has an easy time as well.

 

[Kassia 6,935]

My MIL got her second dose last week (she's 83).  No problems with either dose.  

 

[Not_a_Number 13,010]

My FIL got vaccinated yesterday and DH got an appointment for Saturday! I'll keep you updated on that 🙂  .

[maize 77,490]

I really wonder how many of the people who react strongly to the first dose especially have had a prior covid exposure.

Out of those in my family who have had the vaccine, only my brother had a strong reaction (felt pretty sick for a couple of days).

He got the vaccine less than a month after being sick with something that may well have been covid (he never got tested).

[Plum 15,556]

17 hours ago, JennyD said:

More on the possible effects of vaccines on long Covid.

 

However, there have been reports of central nervous system invasion in SARS-CoV-2 PCR-positive deceased individuals (

Meinhardt et al., 2020).

yes. 
 

 

@maizei posted this a few days ago in another thread. of course, nothing seems universal with this so YMMV. 
 

Both vaccines were generally well tolerated. But, because their immune systems were already in high gear, people who were previously infected tended to have more symptoms following their first shot, such as pain and swelling at the injection site. They also were more likely to report other less common symptoms, including fatigue, fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, and joint pain.

https://directorsblog.nih.gov/2021/02/23/is-one-dose-of-covid-19-vaccine-enough-after-covid-19-infection/

[Not_a_Number 13,010]

2 hours ago, maize said:

I really wonder how many of the people who react strongly to the first dose especially have had a prior covid exposure.

Out of those in my family who have had the vaccine, only my brother had a strong reaction (felt pretty sick for a couple of days).

He got the vaccine less than a month after being sick with something that may well have been covid (he never got tested).

That really does seems to be the common denominator. It's very interesting. Someone should keep track. 

[JanOH 2,526]

My mil (82) received her second Pfizer shot about a week ago.  She was flat out sick for about three days and felt "wobbly" for a few days after that.  She really reacts to a LOT of medication in an extreme way so I expected she would have a hard time of it.  She's back to normal now.    Editing to add that she suspected she had a Covid way back in March 2020.  No testing available at that time to we've never known for sure.  I wouldn't think it would have affected her reaction to the vaccine since it was so long ago.

My parents received their second Moderna at about the same time last week.  My mom (79) who is not in good health with diabetes and kidney failure, said she went to bed early that night because she didn't feel well but then felt fine when she woke up.  My tough father (87) said he "may have felt a little off" but no big deal (nothing is ever a big deal for him - LOL!)  Editing to add:  Neither one had any known Covid symptoms and were being very careful because of my mom's fragile health.

Our governor announced today that the age group for the vaccine is being lowered to 60 this week.  My dh and I will be in the next group after that!  I thought we would have to wait a bit longer so the news was a welcome surprise.  

Edited March 1 by JanOH
clarity

[Kassia 6,935]

3 minutes ago, JanOH said:

 

Our governor announced today that the age group for the vaccine is being lowered to 60 this week.  My dh and I will be in the next group after that!  I thought we would have to wait a bit longer so the news was a welcome surprise.  

Very pleasant surprise (I'm in OH too)!  DH will be in the next group and then I'm after that.  I suspect DH won't go until I do (he's not as keen on getting vaccinated as I am), but I will encourage him to go first.  

 

[MissLemon 7,997]

1 hour ago, Not_a_Number said:

That really does seems to be the common denominator. It's very interesting. Someone should keep track. 

Maybe the CDC is keeping track. I am participating in the VSAFE health checker through the CDC. Every day I log what my symptoms are.  VSAFE says someone from the CDC may contact me about my symptoms, but no one has called yet. I would imagine they are more likely to call the people with symptoms outside the norm and get more information. 

[Danae 1,827]

32 minutes ago, Kassia said:

Very pleasant surprise (I'm in OH too)!  DH will be in the next group and then I'm after that.  I suspect DH won't go until I do (he's not as keen on getting vaccinated as I am), but I will encourage him to go first.  

 

Suggest to him that in case you both have strong reactions it would be better not to have them at the same time so that you can take care of each other.  That made my dad feel better about getting it before my mom.

 

Update:  my arm now only hurts if I poke it. So stop poking it. But then how will I know if it still hurts when I poke it?

[AStableBeginning 106]

I am 6.5 hours post first Pfizer shot. My arm is noticeably sore but nothing too bad.  I am the first in my immediate family to get the vaccine, hoping my DH will be next now that the J&J is approved.

[Corraleno 36,883]

42 minutes ago, JanOH said:

Our governor announced today that the age group for the vaccine is being lowered to 60 this week.  My dh and I will be in the next group after that!  I thought we would have to wait a bit longer so the news was a welcome surprise.  

I'm so jealous! Oregon has a very complicated system, with all different types of criteria in each tier, most of which have nothing to do with age. Enrollment is just now opening to over-65s, and then ages 45-65 with no underlying conditions aren't on the schedule until June! In between there are a whole lot of different subgroups, with essential workers in different occupations in different tiers, young people in multigenerational households come before older people who live alone, etc. So a 20 yr old who works the night shift one day a week at a grocery store can get it weeks before a 64 yr old cancer survivor with high blood pressure (they don't count either of those as underlying conditions).  I know of perfectly healthy people in their early 20s who work from home for healthcare companies who were vaccinated last month. I think they are totally overthinking it and it's greatly slowing things down here. Super frustrating! 

[Kassia 6,935]

54 minutes ago, Danae said:

Suggest to him that in case you both have strong reactions it would be better not to have them at the same time so that you can take care of each other.  That made my dad feel better about getting it before my mom.

 

He tends to be very sensitive to vaccinations so I already told him it would probably be best for us to stagger them in case I have side effects too (we expect him to).  We'll see...  😛  

 

[Dmmetler 25,044]

5 hours ago, Plum said:

 

However, there have been reports of central nervous system invasion in SARS-CoV-2 PCR-positive deceased individuals (

Meinhardt et al., 2020).

yes. 
 

 

@maizei posted this a few days ago in another thread. of course, nothing seems universal with this so YMMV. 
 

Both vaccines were generally well tolerated. But, because their immune systems were already in high gear, people who were previously infected tended to have more symptoms following their first shot, such as pain and swelling at the injection site. They also were more likely to report other less common symptoms, including fatigue, fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, and joint pain.

https://directorsblog.nih.gov/2021/02/23/is-one-dose-of-covid-19-vaccine-enough-after-covid-19-infection/

I'm getting my antibodies checked since my first vaccine had a pretty big reaction. If I did have COVID, it was very mild, but since I am teaching in person, being exposed seems extremely likely. 

[Dmmetler 25,044]

2 hours ago, MissLemon said:

Maybe the CDC is keeping track. I am participating in the VSAFE health checker through the CDC. Every day I log what my symptoms are.  VSAFE says someone from the CDC may contact me about my symptoms, but no one has called yet. I would imagine they are more likely to call the people with symptoms outside the norm and get more information. 

I'm doing VSAFE as well. I'm guessing symptoms that don't fit their checklist may be more likely to get followed up.

[Murphy101 32,905]

Got mine today. Moderna. The shot site aches. I wasn’t feeling very good when I woke up this am. I think the kids gave me their throat bug. 2 of them were really tired, headache, sore throat for a couple days then just fine. Tested negative for covid. This morning it took a lot of motivation to crawl out of the bed at 9 am (usually I’m up around 5:30/6) and my throat feels a bit raw and I have a mild headache. But no fever and otherwise fine so I kept my appt for my vax. Got shot and had mild discomfort waiting the entire 15 minutes.  Most likely just my asthma tho bc once I got out in fresh air and could take my mask off it subsided.  Ate some great lunch with my college girl and now I plan to go home and do nothing much beyond go over school work and house management and knitting or crocheting for a few days.

[Not_a_Number 13,010]

On 3/1/2021 at 3:10 PM, Not_a_Number said:

My FIL got vaccinated yesterday and DH got an appointment for Saturday! I'll keep you updated on that 🙂  .

My FIL felt fine but not great on Monday, then felt really junky on Tuesday and felt better the next day. Part of it, though, was that he wasn't supposed to take ibuprofen, and he usually does take ibuprofen to keep inflammation down. 

He has GI symptoms, if anyone is interested in the range of possible vaccine reactions. He had a fairly strong reaction but had never had COVID, as far as I know -- they were very careful. 

Edited March 5 by Not_a_Number

[Pawz4me 39,741]

DS22 had his first Pfizer vaccine this morning. So far he says he's felt nothing unusual except for a very slightly sore arm.

[Elfknitter.# 4,237]

My battling stage 3 breast cancer for a year now mom got her first Moderna shot today! 🥳

[Toocrazy!! 350]

DH and I both got first shots of moderna  today. We’re only about 6 hours out, but nothing for me, DH says slight arm pain if he sits for too long. 
we were not expecting to get shots this soon! Very grateful. Our local hospital got double the expected doses this morning so they were just filling in people. 

[Pam in CT 62,645]

Connecticut moved this week to all age-only eligibility system from this point out.

My husband and I became eligible as of Monday. We spent hours on Sunday gearing up for the eight (yes, eight) portals through which appointments could be made, creating login credentials for both of us for all 8 and writing up a plan of attack. At the stroke of midnight we both started logging in /dialing AS FAST AS WE  COULD. It was ridiculous. But we did both manage to get appointments, me on Monday and him on Tuesday, in both cases over an hour away in different directions, but we were willing to go anywhere in the state.

We both ended up getting Moderna. I barely had any effect at all; his arm is still a little sore and he came home and napped.

 

My octogenarian mother has had both doses of Pfizer with no effect other than sore arm. My octogenarian aunt & uncle both got Moderna. She was fine, he was knocked out for 2 days on the second dose.

Soooooooooooo ready to move back towards Nearly Normal. It'll be by degrees, since my kids won't be eligible until May.

[frogger 5,061]

On 3/1/2021 at 3:53 PM, Corraleno said:

I'm so jealous! Oregon has a very complicated system, with all different types of criteria in each tier, most of which have nothing to do with age. Enrollment is just now opening to over-65s, and then ages 45-65 with no underlying conditions aren't on the schedule until June! In between there are a whole lot of different subgroups, with essential workers in different occupations in different tiers, young people in multigenerational households come before older people who live alone, etc. So a 20 yr old who works the night shift one day a week at a grocery store can get it weeks before a 64 yr old cancer survivor with high blood pressure (they don't count either of those as underlying conditions).  I know of perfectly healthy people in their early 20s who work from home for healthcare companies who were vaccinated last month. I think they are totally overthinking it and it's greatly slowing things down here. Super frustrating! 

Agree on the overthinking. Just get shots into people already instead of doing backflips to get the "right" people.

 

IHS is doing way better in my state than the State itself. Native foundations are kicking butt and that is what makes our vaccination numbers look so high. I'm annoyed at the percentage of doses administered by the State. When they announced they were opening up a new tier they said something to the effect of, "We did everything in our power to get as many over 65 to come except personally knock on people's doors"  They also offered vaccines to people who would help older people get vaccinated, which sounded like a good idea but honestly, in addition to that they should just keep opening things up and moving along. Those choosing not to get vaccinated or struggling to get a ride or whatever they need will still be better protected if the state would get the other 65% of the doses they have into people's arms faster.