Covid vaccine

[Martha]

An update on my Monday morning post: By mid-afternoon Monday I began feeling tired and achy. I got a slight fever (99.3) and chills. Tuesday I felt pretty good, but Tuesday night I again had chills. Today, Wednesday, I don't have a lot of energy, but I feel okay.

I definitely prefer these slight reactions to getting covid.

[jennifer]

Martha,i hope you are feeling better tonight!

Tex, Are you still doing ok?' Like you, i have never had the flu shot, so i am SCARED!!

Jen

[tex]

I'm feeling fine. I spent most of the day cutting up and removing broken tree limbs from the yard.

It's the second shot that causes the symptoms for most people. Very few people have any symptoms from the first shot, as far as I'm aware.

Tex

[jennifer]

You weren't going to let a sore arm stop you, Tex!
Glad to hear it.
Jen

[TM]

My husband and I each received our first dose of Pfizer 5 days ago at a PDX parking lot drive-thru operated by the medical school. Very efficient, unlike the process of getting appointments. No problems other than sore arms for 2 days, although I was surprised that they scheduled our second dose for 4 rather than 3 weeks later.

I read about another possible effect of the vaccines: swollen lymph nodes usually under the arm that received the vaccine. These can show up as cancerous on breast imaging (usually in the first few days after vaccination) and result in unnecessary testing and trauma. Anyone who’s had lymph nodes removed during breast surgery on one side only is advised to get the vaccine in the opposite arm and discuss possibly delaying breast imaging with your provider. Mayo Clinic advises not to delay imaging, although the Society of Breast Imaging states: “If possible, and when it does not unduly delay care, consider scheduling screening exams prior to the first dose of a Covid-19 vaccination or 4-6 weeks following the second dose of a Covid-19 vaccination.”

Teri

[Pebbledash]

Had first moderna shot yesterday. Bad diarrhea last night and this morning--not sure if that has anything to do with the vaccine or just part of my normal ups and downs. Will take extra cholestyramine today and hope that works.

Paul

[sonja]

I'm feeling fine. I spent most of the day cutting up and removing broken tree limbs from the yard.

It's the second shot that causes the symptoms for most people. Very few people have any symptoms from the first shot, as far as I'm aware.

Tex

Dear Tex and others
I doubt about the kind of vaccin I want to take. At first I didn't want to take the vaccin and I am not afraid of Covid, but there are several reasons for me to take it, especially because of my husband who gets his first shot at this moment (pfizer).
Because I have so many antibodies in my blood (food, but also IGG and IGM for Lyme-disease), I had my blood tested for Covid: negative.
I am afraid for getting reactions on the longer term. Now I was thinking dat the Johnson&Johnson vaccin would be te best option for me, because it prevents people from getting very ill and needing a hospital and because it is only one vaccination. Tex writes that most persons react more on the second vaccin, so that is in line with my thoughts. BUT I've read that with the Johnson&Johnson vaccin works because the imuum reaction will be aroused several times, maybe even through the rest of my life?
So maybe this is not such a good option after all.
I would very much like te hear your opinion.
Love, Sonja

[tex]

Hi Sonja,

Those are very good points. At my age (I'll be 80 in a few months) the vaccine is sort of a no-brainer. But you're younger, and if I were younger, I might be inclined to avoid the risk of a vaccine also, because I once had an anaphylactic reaction to an insect bite. But let's put this into perspective by looking at the facts, analytically:

I keep up with all the virus-related articles on the Medscape website (the site used by many, many doctors). They've reported on reaction rates to both the Pfizer and the Moderna vaccines. but I don't recall seeing any articles about any reactions to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine (at least not yet). If any reactions had occurred, they'd be warning doctors to look out for them, especially in the categories of people who are most likely to have a reaction. The main concern I have about the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is that it's only about 70-something percent effective. In my opinion, the Pfizer vaccine is the best choice, based on its effectiveness, and its safety record.

Lyme disease antibodies shouldn't affect a vaccine (of course there's no published research to support that — that's just my opinion). And remember — those giving these vaccines are prepared to handle reactions. And so far, while there have been a few reactions per million vaccines, no one has died from a reaction. No one. How many have died from the virus? Millions, so far. That means the risk/reward ratio is infinite, from a mathematical viewpoint.

As many mutations of the virus as the world has seen already (and many of the mutations are more contagious), humans (and other animals) will probably still be dealing with this family of viruses for at least several generations to come. We will never be able to eradicate the virus, because we cannot vaccinate all the other animals that can carry it. And we'll almost surely need annual or biannual booster shots to keep up with the new mutations each year. This is similar to the flu, except that this family of viruses is about 10 times as lethal as the flu. That raises the stakes, and makes gambling on this virus so much riskier. Catching the flu is unpleasant and inconvenient. But rarely fatal. Catching a coronavirus is ten times more likely to have a fatal outcome, which means that it might not be just an inconvenience. Death is so final.

But those are just some of my thoughts about the family of SARS-CoV-2 viruses.

Love,

Tex

[sonja]

Hi Tex
Thank you so much for your quick and professional answer. Good to hear that you follow this site and that you prefer Pfeizer. The Johnson&Johnson vaccin is just shortly approved.
It is not yet my turn to get a vaccination, so that gives me some time.
I will follow your updates, but I still have some trouble with the new format.
Thanks.
Love Sonja

[Patricia]

Hi everyone,

Sorry I have been absent for a long time. It is SOOO nice seeing the names and reading what everyone wrote.

My oldest daughter (23 years old) who also has MC and my husband received the Pfizer vaccine yesterday. My daughter was slightly tired yesterday and had a sore arm, no other symptoms. My husband only had a sore arm. I am not yet eligible to receive the vaccine, nor are my other daughters. Knowing how sensitive my oldest daughter is and how easily she reacts to anything (food, procedures, stress, you name it) and how well she did with the vaccine gives me a lot of hope for when it is my turn to go. I also might take Benadryl like Vandolyn suggested. Can't hurt! And I will bring my Epipens with me, just to be on the safe side.

Love,

Patricia

[sonja]

Hi Patricia

Good to hear! Thank you for sharing this.

Love, Sonja

[Kari]

Hi Everyone,

I was very nervous about getting the vaccine due to my various allergies to drugs and food, so I called my PCP to consult with her. She advised that getting the corona virus would surely be worse than getting the vaccine, so I went ahead and got my first dose of Pfizer a couple of weeks ago. My reaction came about 44 hours later. It was about a thousand sneezes, combined with a nose running like a faucet.

My SO put on his mask and asked that I do the same, as we both thought I was getting a bad cold. After about half a day of this, it abruptly stopped, so I realized it was a reaction to the vaccine. This made a lot of sense since my last colonoscopy diagnosis was Mastocytic Enterocolitis, which is related to histamines.

I'm getting my second dose on Wednesday, and have been fretting about it, but realize that I need to start Benadryl after the vaccine, which will hopefully mitigate any severe reaction. Curious what you think about this?

Thanks and stay well,

Kari

[tex]

Hi Kari,

That was an interesting reaction, but I agree that it was probably caused by the vaccine. I have similar episodes (much sneezing and a runny nose) around Christmas almost every year. These episodes last for a few hours, and I'm sure they're associated with some kind of histamine issue, but I have no idea what triggers them. They only occur around the Holidays.

Incidentally, don't most people (who use Benadryl as a prophylactic against a vaccine reaction) begin taking it a day before the vaccine? Or am I confused?

Tex

[Kari]

Tex,

Interesting that you have those episodes as well. In December 2019 I had a very strange case of this. It started with a severe headache (which is rare for me), then my sinuses opened up and started leaking. I expected this to last a day or two, but it lasted almost a month . Even though I'm plagued with frequent sneezing and runny nose, this was highly unusual.

Once we started hearing about the coronavirus, I was wondering if it could have been "my version" of the virus, since we supposedly all react differently. Then when I had a similar, severe episode (short lived) after my first Pfizer vaccine, I was thinking there could be a connection. Don't they say that you may experience similar reactions to actually having the virus?

Anyway, it is all a puzzle. I never take Benadryl, so I have no idea how I will react. My PCP said I should take Benadryl if and when I have a reaction, but I have also heard (like you) to start it before the vaccine. Wednesday I go in for my second dose, so we'll see how it goes.

Stay well - you've been through a lot down there in Texas lately. Hope the problems with freezing cold causing water and electric outages did not impact you as severely as it did so many others !!!

Love,
Kari

[Kari]

I was thinking about my last post and realized that the issue of when the coronavirus came to the US is controversial. From the very beginning, I always believed that it was here sooner than commonly reported. Perhaps as early as November 2019. Anyhow, I am certainly no expert and am going by what I have read.

There is so much mystery and uncertainty surrounding the virus, and I believe we still have a lot to learn. Getting the vaccine sure gives a lot of hope that brighter times are ahead, and is well worth any discomfort that comes along with it ..... Kari