If you had 2nd COVID vax side effects--a ?

[sbgrace]

I am scheduled to get my 2nd Pfizer vax late afternoon next Monday. I've got a morning court appearance for my CASA case Wednesday.They just scheduled me in an open slot at the time I received my first shot, and the court thing never entered my mind at the time. 

If you had "flu like" side effects, how long did they last? I'm trying to figure out how likely I am to not be feeling well enough for that court appearance. 

I don't want to reschedule my vaccination, but maybe I should?  

Edited April 1, 2021 by sbgrace

[Soror]

About 15 hrs after I felt a little off. 24 hrs-36hrs I had fever, fatigue and aches. I was 48 hrs was normal. 

[City Mouse]

I had a mild sinus headache but no congestion for 2-3 days after. 

[Pam in CT]

I had my second Moderna yesterday at noon.  Both my husband and I feel ache-y and tired.  Not incapacitated, but definitely dragging. It didn't come on until about 8 hours after the jab.

My plan is we'll be good as new tomorrow morning.

Anecdotally, more folks I know who've gotten Moderna have had that sort of (mild) response.  My octo mother didn't feel a thing after either Pfizer shot.

[Lady Florida.]

Dh and I got Moderna but ds got Pfizer. He was just really tired for about 18-ish hours. He slept more than usual but that was his only side effect. 

[maize]

I got my second Pfizer shot around noon on Monday.

Developed a low grade fever about 24 hours later; that lasted for 6-7 hours.

Went to bed feeling tired Tuesday night.

Woke up almost back to normal Wednesday.

Edited April 1, 2021 by maize

[Ali in OR]

For me:

2nd Pfizer shot 5:45pm on a Friday. No symptoms at all the rest of Friday
9:00-10:00am Saturday: started feeling tired, wanted to lie down on sofa, chills, low fever, lots of on-and-off napping, fever increased, etc all day and evening Saturday.
Sunday: woke up with no symptoms of illness, but more tired than usual. Napped a little in the morning. After lunch I was doing better.

I could not have gone to work Saturday. I could have gone to work Sunday, but would have been tired and wishing I was not working. In your case, I would not plan to do anything on Tuesday. I could have done a Wednesday court appearance (but would have preferred one more recovery day). BUT...I feel like the vaccine is so important that I wouldn't put it off. I would try to do both the shot and the court case on the current schedule.

Edited April 1, 2021 by Ali in OR

[Tiberia]

I got my 2nd Moderna on a Saturday morning, and felt bad all day Sunday, but felt ok and went to work on Monday. On Sunday, I would not have been able to go to work due to symptoms. I spent the day in bed with chills and nausea. You might consider rescheduling if you can.

[J-rap]

Wow, so many people are getting their second vaccine about now...  I am too!  (on Saturday)  I'd say at least 1/2 of the people I know have felt achy and tired for about 24 hours, and it seems to hit during the night following the vaccine. (Some of them also had chills and a low-grade fever.)  However, none of them had to actually cancel anything.  It's like the worst was at night, but they were still able to go do what they HAD to do the next day ~ my sister had a morning appointment, and my dd had to go to work.  Both of them took a warm bath at the end of the day-after and went to sleep around 6pm.

[Frances]

I had my second Pfizer in late morning, about 12 hours later I had a headache, fever, fatigue. I pretty much slept for the next 16 hours and then felt pretty good. So if you responded like me, you would be good to go for your court date. 

[Ailaena]

Bleh, y’all are making me worried.  I was supposed to get a 2nd shot next Friday morning and then judge a state meet all weekend (2 12-hour days)and maybe I just won’t be able to do that 😞

but the bigger problem is they don’t reschedule missed appointments so I’ll have to be ok with one dose.  Or start a new series elsewhere that gives Pfizer and just show up for the first shot, I guess.  

[ScoutTN]

About 7 hrs (6 p.m. on a Thurs) after my 2nd Moderna shot I got a headache and just felt off. Drank water, took Tylenol, went to bed. Chills, fever, aches all night. Same early am. Ate b’fast took ibuprofen, felt much better. A bit tired, but nothing huge. I was much better hrs out 24. 30 hrs out, all good.

eta: I have two autoimmune diseases and my docs were vigorous proponents of my getting the vax.

Edited April 2, 2021 by ScoutTN

[Starr]

I was miserable the second day and was tired and rested the third but I could have gone to work or taken care of little kids if needed.

[Jaybee]

Surprisingly, with my 2nd Pfizer, I had less side effects than with my 1st. I only had a mild headache for a couple of days with the second one. With the first, I had some fatigue, but not horrible. I could have done the activities @sbgraceand @Ailaena are concerned about. It might have helped distract me from the headache.

[Rachel]

I had Covid, so was told my side effects after the first dose may be stronger. I never felt anything other than when I touched the injection site, I felt like I had a slight bruise. I had my second dose earlier today, it’s been 9 hours and so far I don’t feel anything. 
 

My husband had his second dose last week, he felt a slight headache around bedtime, but was fine the next day. He went to work and didn’t have any issues. 

We both had Pfizer. I hope you have minimal side effects as well!

[sassenach]

How did you react to the first one? Moderna has a higher side effect profile than Pfizer. Each body is different, but I think you'll be fine. 

[Storygirl]

2 hours ago, Ailaena said:

Bleh, y’all are making me worried.  I was supposed to get a 2nd shot next Friday morning and then judge a state meet all weekend (2 12-hour days)and maybe I just won’t be able to do that 😞

but the bigger problem is they don’t reschedule missed appointments so I’ll have to be ok with one dose.  Or start a new series elsewhere that gives Pfizer and just show up for the first shot, I guess.  

CVS has an option for scheduling just the second dose.

[medawyn]

DH and I gout our second Pfizer shot at 2:30 pm on Tuesday.  Both were fine the rest of that day.  DH woke up with a low grade fever and serious body ache on Wednesday and was down for the count. I felt very slightly “off” but had a completely normal day.  By Thursday morning we were both 100%, not even a sore arm.

[Pam in CT]

I had second Moderna Wednesday at noon. 

• Nothing at all for ~8 hours
• A bit ache-y right before turning in to bed Wednesday night; took ipuprofen
• Tossed and turned much of the night, ache-y and perhaps lowgrade fever (I never took temp so cannot be sure)
• Very ache-y and just dragging all day yesterday (no fever); took more ipuprofen and lots of OJ and other fluids
• Tossed and turned first half of the night last night
• Woke up this morning feeling totally normal and so far so good

Husband, who had his 2nd at the same time, reports his aches have not subsided though he's better than yesterday.

I was definitely dragging yesterday, but not so impaired that I *couldn't* have gone to work had it been necessary.  I zoom-attended a couple of meetings and zoom-taught a class and managed OK; just lay around like a slug before and after.  Husband did maybe ~5 hours of real work and then napped.

Edited April 2, 2021 by Pam in CT
typo

[Bambam]

My dh had his second Pfizer vaccine. Probably 5-6 hours later started feeling off. Went to bed, bad chills/seriously bad shakes. Felt bad next 36-48 hours. Shaking episodes (very scary, like shaking bad enough that you can't take a drink because your hands cannot kee glass up to your mouth) off and on that entire time. Usually didn't last that long (5-30 minutes) but painful as it was muscles contracting/relaxing.  Then totally fine - said he felt better than he had in a while. 

[sassenach]

4 minutes ago, Bambam said:

My dh had his second Pfizer vaccine. Probably 5-6 hours later started feeling off. Went to bed, bad chills/seriously bad shakes. Felt bad next 36-48 hours. Shaking episodes (very scary, like shaking bad enough that you can't take a drink because your hands cannot kee glass up to your mouth) off and on that entire time. Usually didn't last that long (5-30 minutes) but painful as it was muscles contracting/relaxing.  Then totally fine - said he felt better than he had in a while. 

Oh wow, that sounds unpleasant!

[Kassia]

12 minutes ago, Bambam said:

My dh had his second Pfizer vaccine. Probably 5-6 hours later started feeling off. Went to bed, bad chills/seriously bad shakes. Felt bad next 36-48 hours. Shaking episodes (very scary, like shaking bad enough that you can't take a drink because your hands cannot kee glass up to your mouth) off and on that entire time. Usually didn't last that long (5-30 minutes) but painful as it was muscles contracting/relaxing.  Then totally fine - said he felt better than he had in a while. 

Did he take anything (ibuprofen/Tylenol)?  My DH had this reaction to his tetanus shot last month but it only lasted a few hours.  That's awful what your DH went through.  We are concerned about that with my DH's second covid shot - his first went pretty well.  

[Storygirl]

We haven't had our second shots yet, but our fathers have. They are both in their 80s, and neither had side effects, other than a sore arm. My dad didn't even have a sore arm after the second one. I believe they both had Moderna.

[Jenny in Florida]

I had my second Moderna dose yesterday afternoon. Felt a little sore in that arm for the rest of the day, but nothing terrible. I woke up this morning feeling truly lousy -- queasy, sore all over, exhausted. I went back to sleep for a couple of hours then forced myself out of bed because I have a work thing today that I really need to do. I'm now a little less than 24 hours post-vaccine and, again, feeling sore and weak in that arm, a little headachy and just kind of tired, but otherwise mostly okay.

[Rachel]

2 hours ago, Bambam said:

My dh had his second Pfizer vaccine. Probably 5-6 hours later started feeling off. Went to bed, bad chills/seriously bad shakes. Felt bad next 36-48 hours. Shaking episodes (very scary, like shaking bad enough that you can't take a drink because your hands cannot kee glass up to your mouth) off and on that entire time. Usually didn't last that long (5-30 minutes) but painful as it was muscles contracting/relaxing.  Then totally fine - said he felt better than he had in a while. 

That’s worse than my Covid experience! I’m glad he is feeling better. 

[Rachel]

14 hours ago, Rachel said:

I had Covid, so was told my side effects after the first dose may be stronger. I never felt anything other than when I touched the injection site, I felt like I had a slight bruise. I had my second dose earlier today, it’s been 9 hours and so far I don’t feel anything. 
 

My husband had his second dose last week, he felt a slight headache around bedtime, but was fine the next day. He went to work and didn’t have any issues. 

We both had Pfizer. I hope you have minimal side effects as well!

An update now that it’s been almost a full day. I woke up with a headache and sore shoulder this morning. Coffee cured the headache. Once I started moving around my arm felt fine. If someone asks me how it’s feeling and I focus on it, I notice it’s a little sore but I feel good other than that. 

[KungFuPanda]

My daughter had a pretty intense reaction to her second moderna shot.  From what I read, it seems that the stronger your immune system is, the more dramatic a response you get from that second shot.  So, Yay for your systems being in vigorous working order, but what a miserable few days.  

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[Acadie]

FWIW what I'm hearing from family and friends is that Pfizer side effects, if any, often appear and resolve sooner than Moderna for both first and second shots. Not universal, of course, but between the two it's probably good you're getting Pfizer.

My guess is in all likelihood you'll be feeling better in time for court, especially if you get good sleep, healthy food and lots of water for a few days before and after. Then again, I don't know what this court appearance requires of you. Personally if I really needed to be on and feeling/thinking/speaking well for a hearing where the stakes were high, I might reschedule. But if you are more in an observing/recommending role without a big performance component that seems more doable.  

[Toocrazy!!]

DH and I both got second moderna yesterday. He’s been pretty much asleep all day. Sore muscles, exhausted. 
I’m not that bad off but I wouldn’t want to have to do too much today. Headache, queasy, sore. None of it awful, but added together I just feel yuck. 

[ktgrok]

I had flu like symptoms for my first shot but not my second. First shot I had vaccine in the morning around 11:30am, felt icky around 5 or 6pm - low grade fever and chills mostly. Felt fine the next day...maybe a bit tired. 

Second shot I had minor flushing feeling and was sort of sleepy, but that was it. Like a relaxed sleepy more than a sick fatigue - I said it felt like I took some good drugs, lol. I had a cup of coffee in the evening and was fine by bedtime. 

[ktgrok]

11 minutes ago, kand said:

Someone suggested to me that they'd been hearing that people who have a strong reaction to the first shot frequently have an easier time with the second. I haven't noticed a pattern to see if that seems to be holding up. I wonder if it's true (I can see it being likely to be true in the case of people who have recovered from a Covid infection).

I was the first I'd heard of, but since mentioning it on social media a few friends have had the same experience. That some have a harder reaction to first, some to the second, some have no bad reaction and very few have a bad reaction to both. 

 

[ktgrok]

4 hours ago, Rachel said:

An update now that it’s been almost a full day. I woke up with a headache and sore shoulder this morning. Coffee cured the headache. Once I started moving around my arm felt fine. If someone asks me how it’s feeling and I focus on it, I notice it’s a little sore but I feel good other than that. 

huh....okay, so my first dose I felt crappy, and I remember skipping my afternoon coffee. 

This time, 2nd dose, I was fine, but the first thing I did when I got home was have a latte (two shots espresso so about the caffiene of one cup of cofee, plus fair life high protein whole milk). I also had a cup in the evening when I was feeling a bit tired. No other symptoms or side effects, SO much better than first dose. 

Maybe coffee is the answer? Worth a try, lol. 

[Murphy101]

I had my 2nd moderna yesterday around 3ish. By 11pm I had a terrible headache and was cold. By 3am I could not stay in bed despite being utterly exhausted bc my head hurt too bad and every joint in my body felt like my jabbed arm and I was freezing even under electric blankets. Intermittent nausea too. I still feel all of the above. I’m alternating passed out a asleep and hydrating with hot Korean plum tea and Tylenol in the bedroom recliner. I’ve had some hot coffee but it made me a bit queasy (typical for me when sick) Hoping to feel better by Sunday. I’ve felt worse at times in life  but this is about 5-7 on scale of 10 due the terrible headache and extreme exhaustion and chills. Dh had his second and said it wasn’t even as exhausting as the first. Lucky duck. My first just needed a nap and early bedtime. This 2nd jab and I’m definitely incapacitated. Thank God for stations of the cross at church being within walking distance for my older kids and veggie tales for the others. That’s the new plan for Good Friday. 

[Pam in CT]

23 minutes ago, Murphy101 said:

I had my 2nd moderna yesterday around 3ish. By 11pm I had a terrible headache and was cold. By 3am I could not stay in bed despite being utterly exhausted bc my head hurt too bad and every joint in my body felt like my jabbed arm and I was freezing even under electric blankets. Intermittent nausea too. I still feel all of the above. I’m alternating passed out a asleep and hydrating with hot Korean plum tea and Tylenol in the bedroom recliner. I’ve had some hot coffee but it made me a bit queasy (typical for me when sick) Hoping to feel better by Sunday. I’ve felt worse at times in life  but this is about 5-7 on scale of 10 due the terrible headache and extreme exhaustion and chills. Dh had his second and said it wasn’t even as exhausting as the first. Lucky duck. My first just needed a nap and early bedtime. This 2nd jab and I’m definitely incapacitated. Thank God for stations of the cross at church being within walking distance for my older kids and veggie tales for the others. That’s the new plan for Good Friday. 

Yuck. Hope you feel better soon. Our first day post-Moderna 2 was crap but we're both at 98% now (two days post).

[Bambam]

9 hours ago, Kassia said:

Did he take anything (ibuprofen/Tylenol)?  My DH had this reaction to his tetanus shot last month but it only lasted a few hours.  That's awful what your DH went through.  We are concerned about that with my DH's second covid shot - his first went pretty well.  

He took ibuprofen and Benadryl. Maybe that helped? Maybe not.