Have you gotten a COVID vaccine?

[wenrob]

I got dose #1 of Pfizer at Walgreens on Tuesday. I had a sore and swollen arm Tuesday-Thursday. It feels much better today. I also had a headache on Wednesday. My husband got his first dose of Pfizer end of December and he had flu symptoms after his first and second dose. We are both fairly certain we had Covid in March 2020 and didn’t realize that is what it was at the time.

I go for dose #2 on 5/4. On a side note, has anyone gotten a Pfizer dose at Walgreens and had them schedule you for 4 weeks out rather than 3? Apparently this week they are now allowing you to schedule 3 weeks out and so I must have gotten caught in the swirl of 3 vs 4 weeks. I asked the girl who gave me the shot about it and she actually doesn’t even work for Walgreens and said right away oh don’t worry that is totally ok. My husband is an MD and also said it’s more than ok and that 21 days is the minimum amount of days before you should get a second shot.

Yes, mine was auto scheduled for 4 weeks instead of three.

 

[penn19]

I got my first Pfizer shot. Within a couple of hours I had a rash all over my face. Gone this morning although now my face is very dry. Sore arm. Other than that nothing.

 

[JimMIA]

Apparently the 4 week thing started in some places in order to get more people thru their first shot. Same thing happened to my sister and her husband.

I got my first Pfizer today and the panic attack before, during, and after has not been pleasant. It was at 9:25am and I’m just now calming down a bit. Arm is very sore, and I’m a bit tired but that could be all the adrenaline! I am hoping I don’t get a migraine (I am prone to them) because I fear I will be on my way to the ER fearing a blood clot if I do. Definitely not looking forward to the second shot. I wish I could test for immunity and just skip it, but unfortunately that’s not possible.

I honestly don’t think most people realize how hard doing something like this is for people who suffer from severe anxiety/panic attacks. I take three medications for it - one of which I was afraid to take this afternoon for fear of some weird interaction. Eeesh.

Take Tylenol (NOT any type of NSAID) for the pain and stiffness.

I would certainly check with your doctors before EITHER taking or not taking any medications you normally take. Many anti-anxiety meds are not just something you can skip.

Only your doctors know YOU, your specific needs, and the interactions or other potential problems.

Good luck and feel better.

 

[fortwildernessishome]

I already shared on this thread that my husband and I received our first Pfizer shot a little over two weeks ago. Today the exciting news is that my two boys ages 25 and 27 got their first shots!! We are all so excited and can hardly wait to be fully vaccinated!!

 

[JLTraveling]

Apparently the 4 week thing started in some places in order to get more people thru their first shot. Same thing happened to my sister and her husband.

I got my first Pfizer today and the panic attack before, during, and after has not been pleasant. It was at 9:25am and I’m just now calming down a bit. Arm is very sore, and I’m a bit tired but that could be all the adrenaline! I am hoping I don’t get a migraine (I am prone to them) because I fear I will be on my way to the ER fearing a blood clot if I do. Definitely not looking forward to the second shot. I wish I could test for immunity and just skip it, but unfortunately that’s not possible.

I honestly don’t think most people realize how hard doing something like this is for people who suffer from severe anxiety/panic attacks. I take three medications for it - one of which I was afraid to take this afternoon for fear of some weird interaction. Eeesh.

Believe me, I get it. Had panic attacks right through my first Pfizer, and I'm nervously awaiting my second dose tomorrow. Thank you for pushing through the anxiety, I agree that people who don't have anxiety/panic don't fully understand.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

...
I honestly don’t think most people realize how hard doing something like this is for people who suffer from severe anxiety/panic attacks. I take three medications for it - one of which I was afraid to take this afternoon for fear of some weird interaction. Eeesh.

Don't be afraid to contact your doctor/s and your pharmacist to ask about taking your meds (Rx and OTC) and any possible interactions with the Pfizer vaccine. I had Pfizer and started a migraine almost immediately after both shots. Spoke with the nurse on site, with the doctor on site, with my pharmacist by phone, and with my doctor by phone. All agreed independently that taking my Rx migraine medication should be fine and that they couldn't find any contraindications or weird interaction warnings of any kind. It brought great peace of mind that all four professionals agreed that I should be fine. If calling your doctor and pharmacist might help ease your mind, call! And good for you for being brave (!) and getting your first shot -- more people than you realize are supporting you here!

 

[godisney14]

TLDR: Regular booster shots may be likely a thing.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/real-...-african-variant-better-at-bypassing-vaccine/

That’s unfortunate. This is interesting because almost all studies so far has confirmed that titer levels are much higher when vaccinated versus infected naturally.

In a first of kind small study, Israel finds the Pfizer vaccine to be less effective against reinfections with the South African variant versus having been previously infected wi the the original strain of coronavirus in unvaccinated people.

This corroborates an in-vitro study also from Israel that neutralizing antibodies from the Pfizer vaccine were less effective against the South African variants.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/pfize...st-south-african-variant-israeli-study-finds/
A reason why you can’t just take the numbers reported by the vaccine/drug makers and think it pertains to everyone equally. Things are different once a drug/vaccine is given to the general population (beyond a trial cohort).

J&J’s own clinical trials had showed us that their vaccine was similarly noticeably less effective against the South African variant.

 

[Disneypeach]

[QUOTE="JLemaire7, post: 62858773, member: 663385"

I go for dose #2 on 5/4. On a side note, has anyone gotten a Pfizer dose at Walgreens and had them schedule you for 4 weeks out rather than 3? Apparently this week they are now allowing you to schedule 3 weeks out and so I must have gotten caught in the swirl of 3 vs 4 weeks. I asked the girl who gave me the shot about it and she actually doesn’t even work for Walgreens and said right away oh don’t worry that is totally ok. My husband is an MD and also said it’s more than ok and that 21 days is the minimum amount of days before you should get a second shot.
[/QUOTE]
This happened to me as well. Once the CDC told Walgreens to start doing the 2nd three weeks as Pfizer suggested I called my pharmacy and they told me to call early the next day to see if there were any open appointments. I called at 10am the next day and got my second shot moved to the 3 weeks timeframe.

 

[JLemaire7]

[QUOTE="JLemaire7, post: 62858773, member: 663385"

I go for dose #2 on 5/4. On a side note, has anyone gotten a Pfizer dose at Walgreens and had them schedule you for 4 weeks out rather than 3? Apparently this week they are now allowing you to schedule 3 weeks out and so I must have gotten caught in the swirl of 3 vs 4 weeks. I asked the girl who gave me the shot about it and she actually doesn’t even work for Walgreens and said right away oh don’t worry that is totally ok. My husband is an MD and also said it’s more than ok and that 21 days is the minimum amount of days before you should get a second shot.

This happened to me as well. Once the CDC told Walgreens to start doing the 2nd three weeks as Pfizer suggested I called my pharmacy and they told me to call early the next day to see if there were any open appointments. I called at 10am the next day and got my second shot moved to the 3 weeks timeframe.
[/QUOTE]

Glad to hear you got an earlier appointment. The vaccine rollout in my state hasn't gone very well and with more people becoming eligible in the next 2 weeks, I am afraid of screwing something up so I think I'll just leave my appointment on 5/4. I'm also traveling on 4/28 and don't want to risk the side effects if I got the shot the day before. Had I known this was the situation I would not have made an appointment with Walgreens and would not have gotten it the day that I did. I basically had a split second to decide if I wanted the shot after I learned of the scheduling of the second dose. I had already left work early too so I just said the heck with it. I'll get it and just get the second shot in 4 weeks.

 

[bethbuchall]

I got dose #1 of Pfizer at Walgreens on Tuesday. I had a sore and swollen arm Tuesday-Thursday. It feels much better today. I also had a headache on Wednesday. My husband got his first dose of Pfizer end of December and he had flu symptoms after his first and second dose. We are both fairly certain we had Covid in March 2020 and didn’t realize that is what it was at the time.

I go for dose #2 on 5/4. On a side note, has anyone gotten a Pfizer dose at Walgreens and had them schedule you for 4 weeks out rather than 3? Apparently this week they are now allowing you to schedule 3 weeks out and so I must have gotten caught in the swirl of 3 vs 4 weeks. I asked the girl who gave me the shot about it and she actually doesn’t even work for Walgreens and said right away oh don’t worry that is totally ok. My husband is an MD and also said it’s more than ok and that 21 days is the minimum amount of days before you should get a second shot.

My son got his first Pfizer at Walgreens on Thursday, and they scheduled his second 4 weeks out. He made an appointment while he was there for his wife to get her first tomorrow, and they scheduled her second dose for three weeks.

 

[LeslieLou]

I got my first dose at cvs of Pfizer on Tuesday. I was schedule for return in 3 weeks (Ohio)

 

[DLgal]

Got my second Pfizer shot 5 hours ago. Feel fine still.

I got anxious before it, during the drive to CVS, even though I am 100% for this vaccine and I did fine after the first shot. The mind will do what the mind wants to do when you have anxiety. However, the pharmacist who vaccinated me started asking me questions and honestly, just having a conversation helped tremendously. I didn't feel a thing this time (my first hurt a LOT) and I got through the 15 minute wait by watching a DIS video on You Tube of Ryno reading the news. His voice is so soothing to me.

Hoping that I sail through without too many side effects. Glad to be on the other side now.

 

[DLgal]

Take Tylenol (NOT any type of NSAID) for the pain and stiffness.

I would certainly check with your doctors before EITHER taking or not taking any medications you normally take. Many anti-anxiety meds are not just something you can skip.

Only your doctors know YOU, your specific needs, and the interactions or other potential problems.

Good luck and feel better.

I talked about this with the pharmacist and she said either is fine. OTC NSAIDS like ibuprofen or naproxyn sodium aren't strong enough to impair immune function. She said whatever my OTC pain killer of choice is, use if I start to feel bad.

She said you should not take OTC NSAIDS immediately BEFORE vaccination, but after is fine for discomfort.

 

[Nora03]

JLemaire7, I wouldn’t worry if it was three weeks or four weeks until your second shot. In Canada we have to wait four months until we get our second shot. They are trying to get as many people vaccinated with the first shot quickly because of supply issues. I’m hoping we really don’t have to wait four months.

 

[tinkerhon]

Believe me, I get it. Had panic attacks right through my first Pfizer, and I'm nervously awaiting my second dose tomorrow. Thank you for pushing through the anxiety, I agree that people who don't have anxiety/panic don't fully understand.

I understand--- trust me--- Disabled due to sever OCD/panic attacks, and anxiety--- case has to be very severe to warrant disability--- I was told I could take my Xanax 2 hours prior to my vax--- (J & J--- I would not have been able to wait around 3-4 weeks for a second shot-) --- It helped to get my thru--- well, that, and an amazing DD15--- my appt was at 3:15 AM on a Monday (school day), and she came with my for my vax--- Incredible kid.

 

[JLTraveling]

I understand--- trust me--- Disabled due to sever OCD/panic attacks, and anxiety--- case has to be very severe to warrant disability--- I was told I could take my Xanax 2 hours prior to my vax--- (J & J--- I would not have been able to wait around 3-4 weeks for a second shot-) --- It helped to get my thru--- well, that, and an amazing DD15--- my appt was at 3:15 AM on a Monday (school day), and she came with my for my vax--- Incredible kid.

Thank you. It really helps to have a support person, doesn't it? My dad drove me to my first one and is driving me today. He's super calm, doesn't get rattled, and that energy really makes me feel better.

 

[tinkerhon]

Thank you. It really helps to have a support person, doesn't it? My dad drove me to my first one and is driving me today. He's super calm, doesn't get rattled, and that energy really makes me feel better.

My daughter is the epitome of calm--- Im a single dad, and its hard having this affliction, and taking care of two kids, but son is a pleasure, and DD is amazing--- she didnt hesitate at all--- I knew I would be too nervous driving, so she got us the Uber (kids w tech these days are amazing!) back and forth, and was there w me every step !!!

 

[montreid]

Absolutely this entire pandemic has been an anxiety provoking event for 15+months. Yes, these vaccines are under EUA and developed in record time. They've also all shown a dramatic, sustained, protection against a virus that has claimed 550,000+ American souls.

Psychologically, though I worry about the immune reaction of the vaccine and took tylenol to mitigate the side effects; I felt an immense long term anxiety lifted a bit knowing this journey out of social isolation was beginning. So with a sore arm, I slept so much better that evening and since then now fully vaccinated.

Stepping into ToD at DCA a few weeks ago knowing we were fully vaccinated and a growing number of folk there too was a great feeling and good practice for Disneyland's reopening in a few weeks!

 

[DLgal]

So, update on second shot after effects. At around 9pm last night (7 hours post vaccine), I started having VERY minor body aches, mostly in my forearms. The skin on my arms was sensitive and my wrists and hands were achy. When we went to bed, my husband mentioned I felt warm so I took my temp. 99.8. I didn't feel bad at all so I just went to bed. Woke up around 7am. Feel pretty normal. Arm is a bit sore when I move it. Otherwise hoping that last night was the worst of it.

I do know side effects can pop up anytime in the first week after the shot and all my other family members had a pretty rough time after shot #2, so I'm being cautiously optimistic here.

My 16 year old goes tomorrow morning for shot #2.

 

[montreid]

Yeah, #2 put me back a day. Fever, aches, chills. All done by 48 hours. DD and wife both did fine with #2. DS getting his #2 today -- then fully everyone done and ready for DLR all together!