Personal SARS-COV-2 vaccination experiences

[Toocrazy!!]

Both my parents, 83 and 87, who have previously had covid, were vaccinated with their first shot today. Moderna. So far, so good. 

Several friends had their second shots. Fever, chills, general yuck, but only for 24 hours. 

[wathe]

10 hours ago, Murphy101 said:

 

hmm. I’ll have to ask about that bc that’s not the response I was given last I asked a year ago when I got the chicken pox vaccine for a 13 yr old. 

 

From the CDC, "After a person recovers from chickenpox, the virus stays dormant (inactive) in their body. The virus can reactivate later, causing shingles."

 

[wathe]

On 2/4/2021 at 7:43 PM, TCB said:

Not really a personal experience but I’m going to be helping with a mass vaccination clinic organized by the National Guard next week. I think it might be for 2000+ people, but not sure of all the details yet. So glad so many at risk people in my area will be on their way to being safe!

I'm going to be working my first covid immunization clinic shift tomorrow!  Apparently we can do up to 1200 per day. 

[QueenCat]

I had my first Covid vaccination yesterday. So far, just a sore arm. No worse than the flu shot. I've heard that the second shot often has worse reactions.

[Bootsie]

My sister got her second Moderna shot on Thursday.  Twenty-four hours later she had a large, hard, red knot (about 3 inches) in diameter at the site of the injection and said that it hurt to move her arm.  She had one of those forehead thermometers that she placed over the injection site and it was reading 100 degrees.  She was also beginning to have chills.

[sassenach]

On 2/4/2021 at 5:50 AM, sassenach said:

Got my second Moderna yesterday morning and I had a garbage night. Low grade fever, body aches, terrible headache, joint pain...basically everything I knew to expect. I tried to hold off on taking Tylenol but finally had to give in around 2am. Never did fall back asleep. The immune system can be quite unpleasant!

Quoting myself. The first night was definitely the worst of it. I felt pretty awful the entire following day, went to bed at 8 and woke up feeling 98% better. So about 48 hours from start to finish with the worst of it being from about the 16 hour mark through the 36 hour mark. 

 

[sassenach]

11 hours ago, wathe said:

I'm going to be working my first covid immunization clinic shift tomorrow!  Apparently we can do up to 1200 per day. 

Several hospital systems and counties are recruiting nursing students right now and the feeling I'm getting is that they're prepping for the J&J to be approved because it's so much less fussy than the mRNA vaccines. I think we'll see things kick into high gear soon.

[Ali in OR]

We have the a range here. We all got our second Pfizer shot about 5:45 last night. The rest of the night was fine for all. Dh has no symptoms, not even a sore arm. 18yo dd has a headache and is staying in bed. After 15 or 16 hours of nothing but a sore arm that started during the night, I just wanted to lie down, had chills, the edges of a headache if I moved, and fever of 99-100°. Living on the sofa with the cat and dog watching The Great British Baking Show (turns out it's okay to nap through parts and just wake up for the judging). Very glad I got all my chores done yesterday and can have a down day or two this weekend. But this is still much better than Covid.

[Ottakee]

2 hours ago, Ali in OR said:

We have the a range here. We all got our second Pfizer shot about 5:45 last night. The rest of the night was fine for all. Dh has no symptoms, not even a sore arm. 18yo dd has a headache and is staying in bed. After 15 or 16 hours of nothing but a sore arm that started during the night, I just wanted to lie down, had chills, the edges of a headache if I moved, and fever of 99-100°. Living on the sofa with the cat and dog watching The Great British Baking Show (turns out it's okay to nap through parts and just wake up for the judging). Very glad I got all my chores done yesterday and can have a down day or two this weekend. But this is still much better than Covid.

@Ali in OR (or anyone else) how long after the shot before you/family members started having symptoms?

I am scheduled to get my second Pfizer dose Friday about 2:30 but I was asked to proctor an exam about 4pm.   Do you think I would be ok until 7or so pm?  Just need to get through the exam and drive home.

[MEmama]

Both of my parents have had their first shot. Dad (85) has recently recovered  from a minor bout of COVID. He felt ok initially but the following day he felt pretty sore and run over for a few days.
My mom (82) recently tested negative even though she showed minor symptoms at the same as my dad. She felt perfectly fine after her vaccination, but 2.5 weeks after she felt pretty bad for 2 days. I’m certain it was a delayed response.

[GoodGrief3]

Had my second Pfizer dose Thursday. No reaction to first dose, super tired and headachy the day after the second dose. I *think it was vax related, but I broke my ankle and had surgery the previous week, so energy levels have gone up and down. Plus visited the dentist and started Invisalign the day of the vax, so headache could have been from moving teeth. Regardless, fine two days later. 🙂 Big bruise on my arm from the vax. The staff giving the injections are not people that normally do this as part of their job, but were trained for this specific situation. She was wiping off something that ran down my arm after the injection, and I was hoping it was not the fluid itself, lol.

[Ali in OR]

3 hours ago, Ottakee said:

@Ali in OR (or anyone else) how long after the shot before you/family members started having symptoms?

I am scheduled to get my second Pfizer dose Friday about 2:30 but I was asked to proctor an exam about 4pm.   Do you think I would be ok until 7or so pm?  Just need to get through the exam and drive home.

We were fine last night--not even sore arms. So 5:45-9:30 or so was fine. My arm was sore during the night, but I got up and felt ok, did yoga. When I was getting dd up and ready for her day I just really wanted to go lie down on the sofa, then chills, fever, lots of napping. So a good 15-16 hours after the shot. Still going on--hoping I feel a lot better tomorrow.

[Tree Frog]

4 hours ago, Ottakee said:

@Ali in OR (or anyone else) how long after the shot before you/family members started having symptoms?

I am scheduled to get my second Pfizer dose Friday about 2:30 but I was asked to proctor an exam about 4pm.   Do you think I would be ok until 7or so pm?  Just need to get through the exam and drive home.

I had the Pfizer vaccine. I started feeling very tired about 18 hours after the shot. I initially felt chilled, then felt fatigued with a slight headache on and off for about 18 hours. After that, I was back to normal. I would have been fine to proctor right after the second dose.

[Ottakee]

8 hours ago, Ali in OR said:

We were fine last night--not even sore arms. So 5:45-9:30 or so was fine. My arm was sore during the night, but I got up and felt ok, did yoga. When I was getting dd up and ready for her day I just really wanted to go lie down on the sofa, then chills, fever, lots of napping. So a good 15-16 hours after the shot. Still going on--hoping I feel a lot better tomorrow.

Thanks that helps.

[Ottakee]

7 hours ago, Wilrunner3 said:

I had the Pfizer vaccine. I started feeling very tired about 18 hours after the shot. I initially felt chilled, then felt fatigued with a slight headache on and off for about 18 hours. After that, I was back to normal. I would have been fine to proctor right after the second dose.

Thanks.  That helps.

[Janeway]

On 2/5/2021 at 1:37 PM, Not_a_Number said:

Do you think those vaccines are riskier than the associated diseases?

Depends on the vaccination and disease. We won’t do the Chicken Pox one. But I had the Covid one. 

[Janeway]

Most people I know seemed to get sick after the second Pfizer one. I did not. Not even a sore arm.

[Tiberia]

I got my 2nd Moderna shot yesterday morning. Last night I had bad chills and body aches, and I woke up with fever and body aches. I feel pretty good now, so the worst time for me was between 12 and 24 hours after the shot. 

[Jean in Newcastle]

Dh had the 2nd Moderna shot on Friday.  He was achy all day Saturday.  Today (Sunday) he's been fine. 

[vonfirmath]

I don't know if its reaction to the shot I got last Tuesday but I ended up getting tired after church yesterday and sleeping from 1:30p-5:30 or 6.  Then went back to bed at bedtime and slept the night through.

[Ali in OR]

I think I'm pretty much back to normal today after my Friday shot. So it was fever, chills, fatigue, and the edge of a headache Saturday, fatigue only yesterday, and doing ok today, but maybe a little less energy than normal. That could be from just not eating enough too (fear not, I have plenty of fat stores to see me through). 18 yo Dd was fine yesterday after similar symptoms to mine on Saturday. Dh never had symptoms other than feeling like maybe he didn't get enough sleep by Saturday night (so a little fatigue I think), and disabled dd is just hard to tell, but she was happy and hummy playing in her bed Saturday, and I think if she felt like me she would have been silent. And I'd rather me be sick than her, so that's all ok to me!

[Acadie]

FIL is still tired, 10 days after his first Moderna shot. It's improving but he tends to be a power-through kind of guy so it is notable. 

I do wonder if he had Covid before, and if that would make any difference in terms of side effects. His idea of minimizing exposure during the pandemic is going to church and the gym, seeing some patients in his office, and having a few close friends over for dinner. He had a stroke several months ago and I will always wonder if it was a late complication of prior Covid infection. 

[Laura Corin]

My brother turned 65 last Monday, so he entered a different vaccine urgency cohort.  Today, his GP sent him a text that included a link for booking his first vaccination.  He's booked in for Friday at a nearby health centre.  He's really excited, even though he hates needles.

[Not_a_Number]

My dad and his family in Israel have gotten their second Pfizer shot. He reports no unpleasant side effects for the second shot, interestingly enough. I hope they didn’t get a bad dose or something!

[Lady Florida.]

On 2/5/2021 at 2:07 PM, wathe said:

Yes.  Shingles is literally the reactivation of the chickenpox you had as a kid. 

 

On 2/5/2021 at 2:33 PM, Not_a_Number said:

Yep. Like all the herpes viruses, it sticks around in your body, right? Like my cold sores, which will never go away...

Yes, this is certainly true. If you had chicken pox that virus is just sitting in your body waiting for its chance to reactivate as the painful shingles virus. I was recommended to get the shingles vaccine right before the shortage happened a few years ago, so I had to wait until the supply returned. I've since had the shot and the booster. I've known two people who got shingles repeatedly and seeing what they went through made me determined to get the vaccine as soon as I could.

Back to the Covid vaccine. There were some reports of people getting an itchy rash on their arm 8-10 days past the first Moderna dose. I'm past that and haven't experienced anything like that. As I previously said, just a sore arm for a day or two. Ds got the Pfizer a few days after I got my Moderna shot, so he'll actually get his second dose a few days before my second one. We're still trying to get dh scheduled. He's on the state waiting list and I keep getting up early when Publix opens appointments. I'm hoping we'll soon have Walgreens, CVS, and Walmart as options since the feds said they'll be sending vaccines to those pharmacies. 

FYI, Dh and I both qualify due to age. Ds23 qualifies because he works in a long term care facility. Where he works, all employees are tested twice a week and both employees and residents are getting vaccinated. Dss and ddil (adorable Emma's parents) are a firefighter and nurse respectively and have both been fully vaccinated.

Edited February 9, 2021 by Lady Florida.

[Ali in OR]

1 hour ago, Not_a_Number said:

My dad and his family in Israel have gotten their second Pfizer shot. He reports no unpleasant side effects for the second shot, interestingly enough. I hope they didn’t get a bad dose or something!

I just read somewhere (after my somewhat strong reaction to the second shot) that the age range most likely to feel sick ended at 55. Sorry, I don't remember where it began. It just stuck out to me because I'm just about 55, and I know in general like for flu shots and such, older people do not have the same immune response as younger people (they now have stronger flu shots for them), and I was wondering if it's the same thing. I was looking at that as the positive aspect of feeling sick after my shot--I know my immune system is responding. But my dad at 84 felt nothing but a sore arm.

[Not_a_Number]

10 minutes ago, Ali in OR said:

I just read somewhere (after my somewhat strong reaction to the second shot) that the age range most likely to feel sick ended at 55. Sorry, I don't remember where it began. It just stuck out to me because I'm just about 55, and I know in general like for flu shots and such, older people do not have the same immune response as younger people (they now have stronger flu shots for them), and I was wondering if it's the same thing. I was looking at that as the positive aspect of feeling sick after my shot--I know my immune system is responding. But my dad at 84 felt nothing but a sore arm.

Even my little sister in Israel didn’t feel much, though! And she’s in her 20s.

[Ali in OR]

4 minutes ago, Not_a_Number said:

Even my little sister in Israel didn’t feel much, though! And she’s in her 20s.

I do think some of it is random, or your own personal system. My 18yo was just like me, but I'm pretty sure my disabled dd at 23 didn't have too much of a reaction. Dh is 56 and was fine (oooh, but over the 55 mark!🙂)

[SarahB82]

I had my second Moderna on Saturday. I may have felt a little drained on Sunday, but may have just been tired from being active with the kids all weekend. My arm was slightly sore for a day but otherwise no issues. 

[Carrie12345]

Dh and dd got Moderna #2 Sunday morning.

Both took naps in the afternoon. Both really struggled Monday with headaches, low fever, muscle aches, and fatigue.  Dd got a bloody nose and was told that was a rare but known issue.

Both are feeling okay today.

[Ottakee]

Just word of mouth experiences here with teachers, but experience is saying to be well hydrated with water and Gatorade before the second vaccine and then again for a day or 2 afterwards and that really helps with side effects.

Not sure if it is true or not, but staying well hydrated is always a good idea.

[Terabith]

1 hour ago, Not_a_Number said:

Even my little sister in Israel didn’t feel much, though! And she’s in her 20s.

My husband had the Pfizer and had very little side effects from his second vaccine.  A sore arm and slight tiredness but nothing major.  

[Not_a_Number]

37 minutes ago, Terabith said:

My husband had the Pfizer and had very little side effects from his second vaccine.  A sore arm and slight tiredness but nothing major.  

Good to hear 🙂 .

[Ali in OR]

11 hours ago, Ottakee said:

Just word of mouth experiences here with teachers, but experience is saying to be well hydrated with water and Gatorade before the second vaccine and then again for a day or 2 afterwards and that really helps with side effects.

Not sure if it is true or not, but staying well hydrated is always a good idea.

Yeah, both dd and I couldn't tell if our little almost headaches were from the vaccine or if we just needed more water. Water helped. So did not moving my head.

[cjzimmer1]

My dad (over 80) got his first shot about a week and half ago.  He had some wooziness later in the day (but's he's had multiple brain surgeries so it's doesn't take much to trigger this reaction for him) but no soreness.  My mom got her invite to get her shot later (she's under 80) and had her appointment scheduled for this coming Sunday. However, the state (or maybe it's just that health group), has run out of vaccines so her appointment got canceled.  It's tentatively rescheduled for early March.  My dad's second shot is suppose to be before then but we don't know if we will actually be able to get in on time or not.

[Kassia]

My MIL is 83 and had her first dose last week with no side effects at all.  I don't know which kind she received. 

 

[Starr]

7 hours ago, cjzimmer1 said:

My dad (over 80) got his first shot about a week and half ago.  He had some wooziness later in the day (but's he's had multiple brain surgeries so it's doesn't take much to trigger this reaction for him) but no soreness.  My mom got her invite to get her shot later (she's under 80) and had her appointment scheduled for this coming Sunday. However, the state (or maybe it's just that health group), has run out of vaccines so her appointment got canceled.  It's tentatively rescheduled for early March.  My dad's second shot is suppose to be before then but we don't know if we will actually be able to get in on time or not.

I hope they get more vaccine soon. That is so frustrating.

[cjzimmer1]

57 minutes ago, Starr said:

I hope they get more vaccine soon. That is so frustrating.

They reported this morning that they had 93 doses and over 22,000 people scheduled.  This is only the 65+ crowd.  They haven't gotten to teachers, grocery store workers, etc at all yet.  I'm not even sure if they've done all the police/fire fighters/emt yet. 

At this point I'm glad my Dad was at least able to get one in.  He's got far more health risks than my mom and has barely left the house for the last year because he knows he won't survive COVID.

[Ali in OR]

My worry was that they wouldn't have a second shot for us, but I now think they reserve vaccine for second shots here. They were obviously prepped to be able to give you Pfizer or Moderna to match whatever you had the first time.

[popmom]

On 1/12/2021 at 3:35 PM, popmom said:

Dd got her first shot early this morning. I just checked in with her. She said her arm feels horrible. It’s swollen, very sore, and she can barely move it. 

 

On 1/12/2021 at 4:04 PM, popmom said:

 

To update...I just got off the phone with her. I don’t think she has much actual swelling—She reports the orange under the skin feeling. And she’s just keeping that arm tucked into her chest because it hurts so much to move it. I told her to take ibuprofen. Oh—another interesting thing—she said she bled like crazy. That the nurse kept telling her “don’t look at it!” lol 

 

quoting myself to update

My dd got her second dose (Moderna) Tuesday morning at 8:45. She was once a again the first shot of the day, but she had a much more experienced nurse this time. She said she barely felt it. She also had much less pain at the injection site. Just normal shot soreness. At about 11pm she texted me. She was exhausted and still had studying to do. She was in tears. I told her to check her temperature. It was 99.5. She felt even worse an hour later. Temp was 100.5. She emailed her profs that she might not make it to class Wednesday. Wednesday mid morning her temp was still elevated--99.5.  Most of her profs were understanding, but she has one who always has to be a hard ass. She was really put out that she had to zoom my dd into class.

So that 12-14 hour span was the worst of it.

Edited February 11, 2021 by popmom

[Starr]

13 minutes ago, popmom said:

 

quoting myself to update

My dd got her second dose (Moderna) Tuesday morning at 8:45. She was once a again the first shot of the day, but she had a much more experienced nurse this time. She said she barely felt it. She also had much less pain at the injection site. Just normal shot soreness. At about 11pm she texted me. She was exhausted and still had studying to do. She was in tears. I told her to check her temperature. It was 99.5. She felt even worse an hour later. Temp was 100.5. She emailed her profs that she might not make it to class Wednesday. Wednesday mid morning her temp was still elevated--99.5.  Most of her profs were understanding, but she has one who always has to be a hard ass. She was really put out that she had to zoom my dd into class. So that 12 hour span was the worst of it.

I'm glad the worst is over and she's feeling better.

[Starr]

I got my second Pfizer vaccine this afternoon. My arm is a little sore but not as bad as the first shot. So far so good. Dh got his a few hours later. His arm is a little sore as well. We will see how the night goes. 

[ScoutTN]

On 2/8/2021 at 4:35 PM, kand said:

It appears it does. People who have had Covid seem to react to their first dose as if it was the second. 

My dh’s doc told him not to get the vax for three months bc he just got over covid.

[Shoeless]

2 hours ago, popmom said:

 

quoting myself to update

My dd got her second dose (Moderna) Tuesday morning at 8:45. She was once a again the first shot of the day, but she had a much more experienced nurse this time. She said she barely felt it. She also had much less pain at the injection site. Just normal shot soreness. At about 11pm she texted me. She was exhausted and still had studying to do. She was in tears. I told her to check her temperature. It was 99.5. She felt even worse an hour later. Temp was 100.5. She emailed her profs that she might not make it to class Wednesday. Wednesday mid morning her temp was still elevated--99.5.  Most of her profs were understanding, but she has one who always has to be a hard ass. She was really put out that she had to zoom my dd into class.

So that 12-14 hour span was the worst of it.

Omg, that prof needs a kick in the head. It's not like she's hungover from partying and wanting special treatment! 

[Starr]

This really is not fun! I had my shot at 3:00 by bedtime I felt cold, didn't sleep well. 5:00 AM fever, chills, headache, and 2 Tylenol. I'm a little achey and have a bad headache now. It's weird. It has flu symptoms but I don't feel sick just miserable. It's worth it. I know I'll feel better soon. I can't imagine what some of the folks with covid feel like. 

[ktgrok]

My parents had second Moderna yesterday. Haven't talked to mom yet, but Dad said just a sore shoulder today, but not as bad as first shot. He just got back from a 2.5 mile walk! (he retired right when Covid started and has lost a ton of weight now that he's not at a desk all day - plus his twin brother started losing weight and they are competitive, lol)

 

[Ali in OR]

2 hours ago, Starr said:

This really is not fun! I had my shot at 3:00 by bedtime I felt cold, didn't sleep well. 5:00 AM fever, chills, headache, and 2 Tylenol. I'm a little achey and have a bad headache now. It's weird. It has flu symptoms but I don't feel sick just miserable. It's worth it. I know I'll feel better soon. I can't imagine what some of the folks with covid feel like. 

Yes, this sounds like my day Saturday. Tomorrow should be a lot better.

[Starr]

3 hours ago, Ali in OR said:

Yes, this sounds like my day Saturday. Tomorrow should be a lot better.

Thanks for the encouragement.💗 I could really do without the chills. 

[Laura Corin]

On 2/9/2021 at 2:40 PM, Laura Corin said:

My brother turned 65 last Monday, so he entered a different vaccine urgency cohort.  Today, his GP sent him a text that included a link for booking his first vaccination.  He's booked in for Friday at a nearby health centre.  He's really excited, even though he hates needles.

My brother had the vaccination - it was Pfizer.  He has a slightly sore arm and a stuffy nose, but the latter might be because he cycled back in the cold afterwards (after the waiting period).

[math teacher]

I had my first dose of Moderna Wednesday afternoon. I didn't even feel the shot. By evening, my arm was a little sore. By 11:15 Thursday, I was feeling bad enough that I didn't eat lunch. My temp kept going up, and by the time I left school, it was 101.5 ish. I called off today, but I feel much better. I could have probably gone in, but I wasn't sure. The poor sub has to deal with the Valentine's party.