COVID-19 Vaccine: The Second Dose
Hello again!
Originally I was thinking about including my second dose story with the first dose but there’s enough that it warranted it’s own post. If you want to read about the first dose, check it out here.
I received my second dose as a healthcare worker from Intermountain on Monday this week. I’ve been really nervous about this one. The second dose has had a lot of bad press and it was the reason I had originally decided to wait. But, since I had gotten the first one, I decided I needed to continue on.
I’m going to include my mom’s and sister’s experiences as well. Between the three of us we span age groups from 20-60 so that covers a fair amount of what people could experience after receiving their immunization.
First off, my mom. She is in the age range of 50-65 and is a high risk healthcare worker. She was one of the first people to get it at her hospital and received her vaccine in the first week they were available in our state.
2nd dose was given around 12 PM. She felt fine for the rest of the day.
12AM. That night she woke up feeling nauseous. Her stomach just felt very unsettled.
6 AM. 18 hours after injection. She was able to get up and go to work just fine but while there she started chilling and had body aches and all around just felt miserable.
12 PM. She was able to come home, take a nap, and take some medicine. After that she was back to feeling mostly normal. She was tired and her body hurt a little but by the end of the night all symptoms had gone away.
Next up is me. I’m in the 30-45 age range so all you middle age folks this is for you.
1/11/2021
6:30 PM. Received the 2nd dose in my left arm just as before. This time it hurt a little more but felt just the same as a flu shot. I waited 15 minutes to see if there was any reaction (there wasn’t) and then got in the car and drove home.
7-9 PM. My arm was sore to the touch and I had a slight headache.
That wasn’t anything out of the ordinary and could have been from the adrenaline rush since I was super stressed. I kept hearing about how nasty the second dose was and that did not do nice things to someone with anxiety who already obsesses over things.
11 PM. I took Ibuprofen before bed as well as Dramamine since my mom’s experience was nausea and vomiting about 12 hours after her 2nd dose.
1/12/2021
7 AM. 12 hours after first dose. I was feeling just fine. My left arm was fairly sore but I could use it just fine. I had a headache that would come and go but Tylenol was great for that.
I was tired and mostly just wanted to sit around but that can happen normally as well. I have a baby that still wakes up 2-3 times a night to eat and a toddler with night terrors. There are nights when I get VERY little sleep.
5 PM. My body started aching like I had done a good workout but I didn’t think much of it.
6 PM. My joints joined the fun but it still wasn’t worse than a pulled muscle or hard workout. However I was also feeling lethargic. I just wanted to curl up in a ball and watch TV but I did grocery shopping and other things just like normal.
9 PM. My whole body ached and I started chilling. I feel like this would have been better if I had kept Ibuprofen or Tylenol in my system to stay on top of the symptoms.
11 PM. I dosed up on Ibuprofen and Tylenol again and it took care of most of it. Also took a hot bath with Epsom salts for body aches.
1/13/2021
6 AM 36 hours after injection. I woke up feeling normal. No body aches, no chills, no headache. My left arm is still slightly sore but mostly to touch. Just feels like a little bruise.
All in all, it was not nearly as bad as I was expecting. I’m very grateful for that. For all of you I strongly recommend taking medicine to help with body aches and chilling. I am also very happy that the symptoms just don’t last. I don’t think there’s any set way to know when they are going to hit since with my mom it was 12 hours and with me it was 24 but regardless it was over in less than 12 hours from onset of symptoms.
Lastly, my sister. She is in the 18-30 age range so all you healthy college kids will know who you’ll feel. She will get her 2nd dose next week so once I hear from her I’ll add her experience in here as well.
Age group 18-30:
First dose made for a very sore arm but no other symptoms and totally normal after 12 hours.
Second dose was administered 3 weeks later and she felt quite sick for about 12 hours but was able to work like normal. After that she felt great. She was also in her first trimester and there have been no complications or problems to so far with her pregnancy. She received the Moderna vaccine.
Alright who has questions? It’s been a fun ride.
I do have one more note/request. If you know someone who is resisting/worried about getting the vaccine… Be nice. I was terrified to get it but I did it anyway because I decided the benefits outweighed the negative things I’d heard. Like I’ve said before, I want all of this to be OVER. I want to see my friends again. I want to have family birthday parties and BBQs this summer. I want to go on trips and travel. For me, the vaccine is the way that I can make that happen.
I also decided that I would be healthier for me. I knew that I wouldn’t feel great after getting the second dose but a day of being miserable is better than weeks of getting sick with the virus. It’s better than having long term breathing problems or cognitive deficits. I chose the option that was best for me.
And you know what? Not everyone feels that way. And that’s ok. You can feel nervous about this. That’s ok. You are entitled to your feelings. And no amount of bullying or convincing will change that. You can’t logic away feelings. I’ll repeat that. You can’t use logic to argue against how someone feels. Do I need to say it again? If you have questions reach out to me. I’d love to talk/listen. But I do not respond to anger or aggression. We’ve had enough of that this last year. I’m SO over it.
So let’s get healthy. Let’s help each other. Let’s be nice. Let’s have a good year. Good luck out there peeps!
