THE CRAZY RIDE OF MY COVID VACCINATION
Part I
Setting my intention
On Friday, at 4:30 p.m., I was sitting in my car in my driveway, ready to go take my first shot. Before I pressed the button “start engine”, I stopped and set an intention for what was going to happen. I reflected on how lucky I was to be able to get the vaccine ahead of the official schedule and the blessing of the email I received 24 hours before (if you want to know the details of how I was able to schedule my shot so quickly, check out my March Newsletter HERE). I set the intention to go with an attitude of gratitude. I would thank all the healthcare workers I would meet during this first vaccine shot. I would let them know that I appreciate their dedication to saving lives, that I value their efforts, and recognize all the sacrifices they have done for us. I was ready for this new experience. I started the engine and left for my 18-mile ride to the nearest vaccination station at a local hospital.
On-site
I arrived at the site half an hour early. They said to come 15 minutes before the scheduled shot, but I didn’t want to be late and lose this unique opportunity. I stayed in the car listening to one of my favorite pieces of classical music (Johann Sebastian Bach’s Air in G) until it was time. 5:15: time to go. I walked to the hospital entry. The hospital employee asked me if I had an appointment which I replied I did and they took my temperature. They then told me to take the elevator down one floor to the basement and follow the purple arrows. I thanked the person with my intention mentioned above. I waited for the elevator, stepped in, and pressed the button for one floor down. When the doors opened, a lady welcomed me and told me to follow the purple arrows on the floor. I shared with her my intention, which brought her a big smile. I walked down the corridor to a room where another lady was sitting in front of a computer. She checked me in and asked me to wait in one of the chairs. I shared my intention with her and she really felt valued; you could see it in her eyes. In the room, there were maybe 25 chairs, all 8 feet apart where a few people were waiting already. While I was waiting, I looked at how simple they organized it and how efficient. A few purple duct tape marks on the floor in the shape of an hour, the legal COVID sign you see everywhere, one lady to welcome you, and one to check you in. Simple and straight forward.
The first shot
Maybe 10 minutes later, they called my name with 7 other people. In a group (with social distancing), we walked back to the corridor, opposite to the arrow, and then turned left to a room where they had 6 small rooms where they took one person in. Two nurses were there waiting in each room. One identified me and explained the procedure while the other person prepared the shot. When we all were ready, I pull up the t-shirt off my shoulder. I took a photo to immortalize this moment. She gave me the shot so fast that I didn’t even feel anything. It was done in a split second. One nurse gave me a CDC card with the date of the first shot written on it. I looked at it and that is when I saw I had the MODERNA shot. She told me to keep it and bring it back for the next shot. Then she asked me to sit on a chair outside and wait 15 minutes before leaving. I shared my intention with them again and you could see how happy they were to hear it. I sat there, with the 6 other people (again, 8 feet apart). The reason why they took 6 people at a time is that you have to wait 15 minutes after the shot according to CDC recommendations to see if you have any reaction. They didn’t have more stations to vaccinate people and they wanted to avoid close interaction between patients in the narrow corridor. I thought it was a very smart idea.
The 15 minutes went past and I felt great. I checked out with the nurses in charge and shared my intention for the last time. I took the elevator up, walked to my car, and drove home.
The next 48 hours
During the evening, I felt great. My shoulder didn’t even hurt. Everything was fine. I was super happy. I read and when it was time, around 9:00 p.m., I went to bed (yes, I know, I go to bed early…that is one side effect of this pandemic, I sleep my 8 hours, even more, every day).
I sleep on the side most of the time. In the middle of the night, I could feel my shoulder. It felt like someone gave me a good punch there. I woke up a few times when I moved from one side to the other.
At 5:15 a.m. I woke up. When I put on my t-shirt and lifted my arm, I definitely felt that shoulder. It was like the same pain when you get a flu shot, but maybe a little bit stronger. Every time I raised my arm above the shoulder level, I would feel it. The pain stayed all Saturday. I didn’t have any other symptoms. I went on during the day and even went for a 6 mile run and a one hour walk on the beach in the evening. I was feeling great. I went to bed with just a sore shoulder.
I slept well. Sunday morning, the pain in my shoulder was almost gone. Sunday evening, I felt totally normal, with no soreness at all. During the day, I scheduled my second shot online. One thing I didn’t know is that the waiting time for the Pfizer vaccine between the two doses is recommended at 3 weeks. The Moderna vaccine recommends 4 weeks. So I scheduled my shot for Friday, February 5th at 1:30 p.m. at the same location. For the next 4 weeks, my life went on as usual.
My own experience was very common. Many people do not have any side effects from the first shot. Just a very sore shoulder for the first 24 hours that subsides in the next 24 hours.
Part II
On the 5th of February, I went straight to the hospital where I followed exactly the same procedure and the purple duct tape arrows. I set this time my intention to be of service after this shot. I am a lucky guy that was able to have the vaccine ahead of schedule. I set the intention to work a shift every week at the local hospital where I volunteer with Bodhi (If you want to know more about it and how I scheduled my shot, read my latest newsletter by clicking the link HERE).
I was seated in the same room waiting. This time, they changed their procedure. The room still had probably around 25 chairs 8 feet apart. Along the wall, they had small vaccine stations separated with the gray curtain you often see in hospital rooms between beds. I waited there until they called my name. I waited maybe another 10 minutes and when it was exactly 1:30, they called my name again. Pretty precise…they could make a Swiss watchmaker jealous! I went in, they asked the same questions, and administered the shot again at lightning speed. I took the shot in the same shoulder. The reason was that I had a torn rotator cuff on my left shoulder but read my recommendation later on this blog. I didn’t feel much. The nurse gave my CDC card with the second shot written on it. This time, I received a little clock set to 15 minutes. I sat back in the waiting room. Then you could hear one clock after another going off. The person would stand up, give the clock to the nurse, and if they felt okay, they could leave. When it came to my turn, I did the same. I went back to my car and drove home. On the way, I went to the grocery store. When I came back home, I cooked, read, and watched a movie. Around 7 p.m., I had a very slight headache and definitely could feel my shoulder. The pain was at the same level as when I got the first shot. But besides that, I was feeling good. Around 9:30 p.m., I went to bed, this time with a sore shoulder and a very slight headache.
Midnight owl!
Around midnight I woke up. Something was not right. I was freezing cold. I didn’t shiver but my entire body was cold, from my toes to my fingers. I put my yoga pants on, a t-shirt, and a wind-stopper pullover made with wool, the one I use to go skiing in cold winter. I put on warm socks and went under the covers. I was still freezing cold. When I put on my pullover, I felt my arm really badly. I could feel not only the big pinching pain on the shoulder but I could feel soreness up to the joints of my fingers. My head was hurting too with a huge headache. I went back under the covers and couldn’t warm up. After 20 minutes of being restless in bed, I decided to put a winter jacket on and a beanie. I was still cold. I try to curl up in a little ball but couldn’t. My shoulder was hurting too much on the left side. If I turned on the right, my torn rotator cuff hurt too. All over my body ached, like when we have the flu. I was miserable. I laid on my back, under the covers trying to warm up. I slid my hands between my butt and the mattress to warm them up. I couldn’t warm my hands. The rest of the night, I was tired but restless. I had a wave of cold than, an hour later, I was warm. The headache and muscle ache were constant. I pushed through the night until 5:30 a.m. when I had to wake up, feed my Bodhi and take him out for a quick walk.
When I stood up next to my bed, my body was sore all over, especially my back. I walked like an 80 year old man. I was in my winter clothes moving super slow. I warmed up a cup of tea while Bodhi ate. I was super tired, sore, miserable, and had a big headache. I didn’t expect to be hit so hard by this second shot. After a quick 15 minutes’ walk, I went straight to bed. I was so uncomfortable and restless that I couldn’t even sleep. In any position, I was miserable. So I decided to keep myself busy. My guess from the research I read, was that I would have to suck it up for the next 24 hours, so better do something to keep my mind busy and kill the time.
During the day, I worked very slowly in redesigning my website and creating a new presentation. I was able to sit for maybe 30 minutes without interruption. Then I had to stand up because my entire body was sore. I was cold the entire day, especially my fingers. I couldn’t wear gloves (and I would have, believe me!) because I was typing on my keyboard. During the day, I drank a lot of water and tea. I made a vegetable soup with chicken. I didn’t have any appetite but somehow, eating a little bit helped me feel better.
Around 4 p.m., I felt better. The headache was half its strength. My body was feeling a little bit better and I started to warm up. That was a good sign. At around 8 p.m., I had a slight headache. My body temperature was okay. I was still sore on the shoulder and had muscle ache, but it was subsiding. In the evening I asked my neighbor to walk my sweet dog Bodhi. I was tired and didn’t have much energy.
When it was time to get in bed, when I took my clothes off, I started to be cold again. Hoooo nooo, not again. I didn’t want to spend a night freezing again. So I went with my yoga pants, socks and a normal sweater in bed. My headache was still light. I knew if I lay down on my back tucked under the covers, I would make it through the night.
Around 6 a.m., I could hear Bodhi’s tail beating on the carpet. He was patiently waiting for me to wake up, feed him and take him on his morning walk. I looked at him and decided to get out of the bed.
Surprise…I had no more headache, I didn’t feel any muscle ache or soreness in my shoulder where I got the vaccine was almost gone. I felt good, just a little bit low in energy. It was a huge relief. I made it through to the other side. I was freezing no more, but I still needed to wear my sweater and pants. Sunday is my day where I journal about the past week (debriefing of what happened during the week) and plan my next week. I felt good. In the afternoon I went for a 45-minute walk with Bodhi. In the evening, around 5 p.m. I was back to normal like nothing happened. I couldn’t believe what had just happened in the past 48 hours. From being down like a beaten dog to back strong again. What a crazy ride!
My personal conclusion
I am really grateful to have had the vaccine. To be sure my immune system is ready, I still have to wait 2 weeks to make sure that I am well protected. I know it is not a 100% protection, but following guidelines will improve the chance for me to be well protected by any attack of the virus.
Now, you must be scared from reading my experience. If you read the first article in the section “Good Information to Read” from Katherine J. Wu, you will understand why I reacted so strongly to the second shot. She explained really well what happened exactly to me. I have a very strong immune system. So when the new protein spikes were produced in my body through the RNA vaccine, my body went in full charge to respond to this attack. It is why I got those side effects (muscle aches, headache, pain in my shoulder and arm, feeling really cold). It is basically a good sign. It shows that your body is reacting properly and that the vaccine is working. If you have a weaker immune system, my guess is that you may have fewer side effects. If I can use a metaphor, I will say that I have ridden a wild powerful wave, one of those giant waves pro surfers ride in the extreme. You may have a softer wave, like more a swell that may take a little bit longer but with less intensity in the side effect.
I was really down for 24 hours. It didn’t start before maybe 8 to 10 hours after the injection of the second shot. But when I had the side effects, I had them for a good 24 hours before they subsided. When they started to decrease in intensity, it really went fast. I gained back my strength pretty quickly. I don’t think I had a fever, I was just cold.
One thing I planned when I got my second shot was to take it easy for the next couple of days. For me, I was lucky that I got the shot on Friday so that I had the weekend to ride the wave. I was tired and restless. Any position made me sore. One thing I did that really made a difference was keeping myself busy. It is a game of time. You just have to go through the next 24 to 48 hours. More about it in my recommendation.
The last thing I would say is that everyone will have a different experience. My mum had COVID with no symptoms. She is 78. She took the two shots and didn’t have much reaction or side effect. So everyone will get a different ride. But it is important to be prepared and put yourself in a position that you can be as comfortable as possible. Just don’t be scared. A strong immune system may react strongly and that is okay…you are strong, right?
If you want to read about how I was able to get my shot ahead of schedule, click HERE. I will share with you how you can make a good deed for your community, being of service with the potential reward to get your vaccine.
I hope this blog will help you better understand what to expect. Feel free to share your own experience or comment. The more we educate ourselves in the community, the better prepared we are, and the better we can support each other in this historical journey. I am here for you and I will be happy to help you.
Recommendation
Disclaimer
The information, including but not limited to, text, links, and other material contained on this blog are for informational purposes only. The purpose of this blog is to share my experience with the COVID vaccine and share the articles I read that were really helpful. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new health care regimen, and never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this blog.
From my personal experience, 5 recommendations
Take the second shot to the other shoulder. If you have the choice, I would suggest taking the second shot to the other shoulder. Your body has a smart defense system. It sends many antibodies in alert around the area of the first shot like soldiers ready to fight in case the enemy is coming back to the same place. They want to be ready to react fast. If you get the second shot in the same place, the chain reaction could be faster and stronger and thus soreness and pain greater; this was my case.
Eat and drink plenty of water. I was not hungry the 48 hours after the second shot. I didn’t have nausea, I just was not hungry. I forced myself to eat something and it made me feel better. I was very tired, but the food really helped. So eat something even if you don’t feel like it. I also drank a lot of water and warm tea to fight the cold I felt for 24 hours straight. Drink tea or eat your favorite soup.
Plan something to do. Before the second shot, I didn’t think I would have a strong reaction, but I did. What I learned is that I needed to have something to do while waiting for the side effects to subside. So plan an easy, relaxing, low energy activity. Don’t go running a marathon or lifting heavy weights, but keep yourself busy. It is a waiting game. Maybe read a book (if you don’t have too much of a headache), try a new recipe and cook something delicious, maybe try crafting, painting, drawing, or a puzzle…whatever you love to do that is easy, not physical and something you enjoy doing.
Have some support. If you live alone, make sure you have someone you can count on. The second day after my shot, I was really low in energy. I didn’t feel like taking Bodhi for a long walk. My neighbor stepped in and offered to walk him. She loves Bodhi anyway. So make sure you have someone beside you that can help if time gets hard. Make sure to also talk to your doctor ahead of time if you have pre-conditions. Don’t wait until you are in trouble. Plan ahead.
Gratefulness practice. If there is one thing I have learned through the years, when times get tough, practice gratitude. There is always someone who is in a worse position than you are in that moment. If you are alive and you are getting your vaccine, be grateful. Many people wish they could be at your place. Many people could have survived if the vaccine were available earlier. You are blessed to the next in line for the vaccine. When you feel down and miserable, stop for a minute and remember that you are lucky now to be alive and get this shot. Be grateful. Then think about what you can do post-vaccine. How can you help others getting their shot? The community needs you to step in. Make this experience something unique, something positive. Think about yourself in 10 years. How do you want this experience to be remembered? If you have grandchildren, what do you want them to see and hear through your experience? Don’t you want to be seen as a role model, someone who inspires others? Think about that for a minute.
- Hubert
YourHPcoach
Good information to read
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