Vaccine Diary (Day 5)

Dear Diary,

Finally, I have good news. After all this time of me suffering from the side effects of my covid-19 shot, I have relief from most of them! It took a lot of time, and even more tender love and care from my adoring fiancee and various fluffy animals. I still have a few lingering side effects, but for the most part, I feel good. I wanted to list off the symptoms I still have and one I forgot to mention:

1. Fatigue

Even though I feel better, I still have a fair bit of exhaustion from the recovery process. Frequent naps, nutritional meals, vitamins, and some coffee usually helps me out, but I'm going to be bleh for a while. Sometimes I drink ginseng tea instead for a refreshing zip of energy to help me get through my busy days! Moving on:

2. Sinus drainage

The environment doesn't exactly help me out with it, but I know that my sinuses have gotten worse since the shot. They are better than before, but still, they give me a lot of problems. I take Benedryl and decongestant liquid medicine for the majority of it, and ear drops, eye drops, Vick's Vapor Rub and tissues for everything else. I honestly wish I could take Claritin or Alegra, but I'm quite sensitive to medications so I have to be careful. Next up the one I forgot to mention before:

3. Brain fog

I forgot to mention this before, but since the shot, I have experienced a lot of fuzziness in my brain. Mainly memory loss and slowed down thought process. While it sounds terrifying, it's not that bad. I had a similar problem when I had been diagnosed with covid-19 back in February and it went away after a little bit. I'm confident that it will get better, I just have to be patient. Continuing the list:

4. Sore throat

The hoarse and sore throat issue hasn't gotten better, but it goes hand in hand with the sinus drainage issues, so until they subside, I'm stuck with it. Hot tea, cough drops, and Chloraseptic helps out a lot. It's bizarre, but I cover rag in lukewarm/hot water and wrap it around my neck, and it seems to alleviate some discomfort. I highly recommend it if you don't feel well. Moving on:

5. Tender skin

While my body aches are gone, the injection site continues to be a pain in my butt and my arm. There was a large bruise on the spot a day after the injection, but its disappeared since then. I used vanilla extract for the area, similar to using it for black eyes, and it cleared up fast. The site is very tender and occasionally throbs but isn't half as bad as it was. The final thing I still have on my list:

6. Acid reflux

Stomach and indigestion issues are ongoing, but they might be around indefinitely for all I know. The bad flare ups come and go, but are still present every day. I drink 2% milk, take Pepcid, and drink lemon ginger probiotic tea. In addition, I take active probiotic supplements and eat Greek yogurt for both stomach issues and for my well-being.

For now, that’s all I have. I believe this will be my last journal entry, at least for now. I’m still debating on whether or not I should document my body’s reaction to the 2nd shot coming up in May. From what I hear, it’s by far the worst of all. Everyone I speak with claims it is horrible and made them sick as a dog. Yeah... I’m not looking forward to that disaster. Hopefully, my job realizes how dedicated I am to them, because I wouldn’t have gotten this dumb vaccine so quickly if it hadn’t been for their stupid rules.

Until the next time, stay safe!

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