Vaccine Diary (Day 2)

Dear Diary,

Here we go again. If you kept up with my posts, this would be the second journal entry on my vaccine adventures. Wow, so much excitement there. Not really. I despise it with a passion. Anyways, it's been about 24 hours, give or take, since my 1st round of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine. I'm here to break down my experience so far with it, what is happening, what isn't, etc. So far, here are my first-hand issues with it:

1. My employer was condescending to me!

I mentioned this before, but my employer made it mandatory for the care providers to receive the vaccine in order to keep their job. Immediately after I got mine done, I drove over to my job and gave my vaccination card to my big boss for my records. She made copies and gave it back to me, but when I told her my next appointment day, she said, “Bless your heart! The second shot is just the worst.” when she knew that I did not want to do it in the first place! She sits in that office all day, forces us all to abide by stupid rules, and then acts like that? Screw that. Moving on:

2. The headaches aren't gone!

As mentioned yesterday, I started getting headaches within an hour of my shot. Unfortunately, they have not stopped. I'm having a hard time with the pressure, but I'm handling it as bed as I can. Darkroom, Tylenol, and soft music. I also drink chamomile tea for stress relief and relaxation. I'm sure they will go away; I just have to tough it out! Next on the agenda:

3. My arm burns!

I think I said this before, but instead of my arm being sore, it's now burning! Terrified, I made an emergency E-Appointment with my physician. My doctor says it's normal within the first week to feel some heat from the site, but if the burning gets worse, to come back or go to the ER if they don't clear up. Guess I have to use a cold pack for the discomfort until then. Ugh, I wish this was over with already! Whatever, it's worth the inconvenience, I suppose. Either way, moving on:

4. The fever is here!

Everything feels like a million degrees to me. I check my temperature twice a day from now until my self-quarantine observation period is over. I'm thinking about a week should be sufficient. Either way, it's been moderately normal with only occasional spikes of around 99.0 as opposed to 98.6, the normal range for body temperature. Nothing that Ibuprofen won't help with. But other times, I firmly believe that I'm in a deep fryer. I took a cool shower today to help it, but I know I just have to power through it. Yay for health! Anyway:

5. Body aches!

Most of my go-to medicine for the effects have been either Tylenol or Ibuprofen, but neither of these have prepared me for the achy feeling that I suffer from. I feel like I'm a 70-year-old man with Rheumatoid Arthritis instead of a 28-year-old woman with moderately good health. What isn't achy is tender to the touch, especially in combination with the fever mentioned earlier. I'm not trying to be dramatic about my experience; I'm trying to inform people about the process of the shot and what to expect.

That's all I have for right now, but on a positive note, I have begun exercising regularly during my time in self-quarantine. I have done a bit of research and found that keeping active during the immunization process helps out with some of the side effects, but also, I'm doing for my weight loss journey that I began recently. For the time being, I wish you all the best of luck in this crazy world we live in, and prayers for everyone that is currently positive for covid-19 or who lost someone dear to them because of it.

Until next time, be safe!

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