Coronavirus Vaccine: Would you/did you get it?

[MajorHoople]

I never had a vaccine until I got my first shot of Moderna 12 days ago: I was never scared of the flu- though thankfully I never got it, but with this wicked killing virus, any side effects from the vaccine pale in comparison to possible death/horrible illness from the virus: My husband and I are in our 70's - the death toll for people in their 70's is extraordinarily high from this virus. Stay safe and be well.

Never had a vaccine before? How did you avoid all the childhood vaccines? I must have had at least a dozen before I could attend the first grade of school.

 

[Simply Southern]

I had the same experience as you- very organized - I have heard only good things about the vaccination process: i would have to wonder though about how well organized it is to give vaccines in a drug store like CVS- I can only imagine lots of people standing close together in line (hope not)--- I really took issue with Mayor Duggan dissing the J&J vaccine, describing it as inferior to the others: he has tried to walk it back after getting tremendous criticism (well deserved)-- He makes that comment to an inner city population who are already leery of getting the vaccine. All I can say is DUH!!!!

My neighbor used CVS and said very organized. An employee checked him in at the front door, large red dots 6 feet apart, snaking around to the pharmacy, 2 chairs less than 4 mins for the jab and you can walk around the store or sit in an area 6 feet apart for 15 mins and check out as you leave the store. He was 10 mins early and only had 2 people ahead of him.

Much quicker than my doctors office. I wanted to use my doctor and brought them warm fresh doughnuts the day of my appointment. I was in the first 65+ group, prior to they only offered to teachers, healthcare workers and EMS. I'm sure they have streamlined the office process.

 

[ilovewings]

Never had a vaccine before? How did you avoid all the childhood vaccines? I must have had at least a dozen before I could attend the first grade of school.

I should have clarified, though I thought it would be understood that I had all my childhood vaccines. As an adult who can choose, I never chose to get vaccinated for any reason.

 

[ilovewings]

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/miami-beach/article249375450.html

Reading this article and watching National TV tonight, makes me shake my head in wonderment- oh, and just watching parents having their little children burn masks in Idaho-- What is going on? These people are living in an alternate universe where the pandemic is gone and life can go on as it was prior to the pandemic: On national TV they showed Florida bars and restaurants with wall to wall people- no masks-- With this type of insane behavior we will never get rid of this pandemic.

 

[ilovewings]

My neighbor used CVS and said very organized. An employee checked him in at the front door, large red dots 6 feet apart, snaking around to the pharmacy, 2 chairs less than 4 mins for the jab and you can walk around the store or sit in an area 6 feet apart for 15 mins and check out as you leave the store. He was 10 mins early and only had 2 people ahead of him.

Much quicker than my doctors office. I wanted to use my doctor and brought them warm fresh doughnuts the day of my appointment. I was in the first 65+ group, prior to they only offered to teachers, healthcare workers and EMS. I'm sure they have streamlined the office process.

Good to know that CVS was so organized.

 

[Mrs. Grueby]

I had my second moderna dose last week and had some very strong side effects. 72 hours of high fever, chills, aches, and the single worse headache of my entire life. I actually was in bed for 48 hours straight. I barely had a sore arm with round 1. I was surprised my body mounted such a response, as I’m 65. I am pretty healthy though, so there’s that. I wouldn’t let anything I say stand in the way of anyone getting it. I’m grateful I was able to get it. I’m in NJ and have to say they really had it together. It was like clockwork both times... in and out in less than 1/2 hour. It was a state mega state. My 90 yo parents had dose two of Pfizer last week too. Other than sore arms, no side effects. My husband had his second today and he seems fine. Good luck everyone!

 

[Mrs. Grueby]

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/miami-beach/article249375450.html

Reading this article and watching National TV tonight, makes me shake my head in wonderment- oh, and just watching parents having their little children burn masks in Idaho-- What is going on? These people are living in an alternate universe where the pandemic is gone and life can go on as it was prior to the pandemic: On national TV they showed Florida bars and restaurants with wall to wall people- no masks-- With this type of insane behavior we will never get rid of this pandemic.

I often times feel like I’m living in a whole different world. We’ve been self isolating caring for my 90 year old parents for a year now! I’m almost 2 weeks out from my 2nd dose, and can’t even imagine going into a store.

 

[SeekingJana]

Error in posting.

 

[SeekingJana]

I often times feel like I’m living in a whole different world. We’ve been self isolating caring for my 90 year old parents for a year now! I’m almost 2 weeks out from my 2nd dose, and can’t even imagine going into a store.

What a lovely couple you are to be there for your parents during their twilight years. I hope the storms around your family unit will be clearing into full sunshine soon.

I haven't been inside a store, a restaurant, nowhere except a doctor's office for 13 months now. Had my flu vaccine inside my car. My husband, who has not had COVID, goes out briefly wearing a fresh disposable mask for necessities and that's it.

We have gone to Fossil Rim Wildlife Center, in Glen Rose, Texas, not too far from our house several times. We stay inside our car. It is a huge drive through very natural and sometimes very rugged, up close and personal with the animals safari where no one talks to anyone outside their own vehicle. It restores my soul. I watch the beautiful animals living there without bars or cages ( they have barns according to herds which aren't viewable by the public) , feed the giraffes and many exotic species of antelope from all over the world out the sunroof, and cry with happiness like a little girl again. I love watching the cheetahs and the rhinos.. they are fenced in huge enclosures in natural grasses and for the rhinos, mud and water holes.
My husband takes us every time he can get a day free from his work for Lockheed from home.. He got us a couple's annual membership- I cried again.

I had thick BROWN hair and I've always gotten professional colorings and cuts until 13 months ago. I'm just happy my stylist is OK, although her mother passed away.
It is what it is until we can SAFELY resume activities with masks if possible.
I put my " Dog Mom" cap on and just go to necessary doctor's appointments and for the vaccine series. . Waiting patiently, for there is a huge warm joyful light at the end of this isolation and darkness.

I felt SO very happy being around other people getting their vaccines, with careful 6 ft. minimal distancing. I just wanted to look at them without staring because I hadn't seen PEOPLE in so long. I wanted to see the faces of the staff and volunteers there- I realized I could not see their faces to know if they were smiling or not.. That was freaky.

Bless you again for taking care of your elderly parents. You are a super daughter.

I live in Texas, and we respect and pray for our governor to lead the state out of such a dark time. But, this family unit of two plus four very loved dogs will take careful precautions as long as we believe it's necessary. I'm a recently retired RN and I am struggling with lung damage from COVID.. It seems to be worse with seasonal allergies and may be a continuing Cytokine Storm response.

I may never not buy boxes of masks again. Just because so many people who are opposed to vaccines are going without them. Everyone who's had a series of COVID vaccines or a single dose brand vaccine should know that booster injections will likely be needed because of the ongoing mutations. We knew at the onset that all viruses mutate. We WILL be OK if we do what the CDC/ NIH recommends.
Don't listen to politicians so much, listen to the CDC/ NIH leaders who know about infectious diseases ( THEY DEALT WITH EBOLA IN DALLAS in the 21st century!!!)

 

[ilovewings]

Maskless revelers take to the streets in Mississippi after mask mandate is lifted | Daily Mail Online

The pictures in this article say it all- Sigh

 

[SeekingJana]

Maskless revelers take to the streets in Mississippi after mask mandate is lifted | Daily Mail Online

The pictures in this article say it all- Sigh

I was embarrassed for them, the young adults in NOLA, and in FL. Talk about rough looking and stupid acting, IMO. Round up as many unvaccinated people as you can and have a bonfire. Or Mardi Gras, or Florida beach mob scene. Tacky.

Kids that age used to be so cute and photogenic, and had GOOD common sense!!

 

[SeekingJana]

I should have clarified, though I thought it would be understood that I had all my childhood vaccines. As an adult who can choose, I never chose to get vaccinated for any reason.

I just wanted to support you by saying: I know what vaccines I had by looking in my Baby book my mother kept. She recorded EVERYTHING.

I do not remember my preschool and possibly some early school vaccinations because I was such a sick child, being premature. It took a few years of school for my immune system to be normal. I was in my doctor's office getting injections from before I was 1 year old and was hospitalized for Pneumonia 3 times before I was 2. On top of this, I have a single gene for CF, and while it was not believed that there was a CF carrier state, like there is for, say, Sickle Cell, there IS one for Cystic Fibrosis. I always wondered if my parents just didn't catch my illnesses soon but nope, I got incredibly ill very fast, and a MILD state of CF may be to blame with the damaged premature lungs.

What I CAN recall as a child: standing in a long line outside some school while some nice people passed out the oral Polio vaccine on a sugar cube to all of the little children. My mother made me open my mouth and prove I'd crunched it up. Parents were terrified, and I believe I had 2 series of Polio injections as well. ( one batch has terrible issues but I'm not going there).

I also remember getting a Smallpox vaccine not too long before I went to a private Kindergarten for gifted children in the early to mid 60's (1964 I guess). My mother watched me like a hawk to make sure I didn't touch that scab. I was so afraid of my own arm from her lectures, and no baths except sponge baths and this and that, it was pathetic.
I remember she told me if I touched the scab and then my eyes, I'd go blind.
I had a LOT of my adopted mother's fears to overcome early on. Thank the Lord for my daddy, who loved the baby he'd adopted enough to encourage me to be a rough and tumble child ( but not to pick at that scab).

Note- My best friend, a pale girl with hair so light blonde it was gorgeous did pick at her scab and did get the complication called " Vaccinia" which was specific only to the Smallpox vaccine made with Cowpox.

I also remember that my Pediatrician put my Smallpox vaccine way up on my shoulder. ( I guess it was the multi- needle intradermal type). He told my mother I was so pretty, I should be able to wear sleeveless dresses without the telltale white scar shining through a tan. She was so proud. I just screamed, because needles on bone hurt.

Lord, we were so loved as children. I am SO thankful we do not remember our childhood vaccines, by and large.
Hugs to you!!!

 

[SeekingJana]

@oceanblueeyes ( and another poster, duh me):
I had NO clue pain in the flank area- where our kidneys are- was a sign of a vaccine reaction.

I have a history of kidney stones and severe pyelonephritis w/0 stones, and I almost went to the ER. Because I'm so afraid of hospitals these 13 months and counting, I stayed home, drank lots of fluids and rode it out. Hot soaking baths twice a day helped me a lot.

My shoulder did the exact same thing. I asked my husband to see if he thought it was dislocated. ( He was qualified for the Olympic swim team but NASA called him up to do an internship with them in college and he chose his education over Speedos).
He has a lot of hands on knowledge about shoulder joints that nurses never know.
We know how to do exercises but an ICU nurse is not likely to ever see an adult dislocated shoulder.

He said I didn't have, it was some sort of reaction to the virus in the joint there instead of the muscle. ( Deltoid muscle was a tiny bit sore but I was surprised at the " tiny" soreness. (Part of my vaccine leaked out onto my skin from the tissues- no one's fault as far as I know, just an adverse event).

I'm going to look into these reports we're sharing of a deeper, visceral discomfort and see what I can find and correlate. Apparently, it's not rare, but it seems it should be.
The only thing I can come up with is that the drug is excreted by the kidneys after metabolism, and there may be either an acidic or alkaline pH which causes renal spasms ( a milder form of renal colic) in sensitive people who may have a history of some kidney infections or stones in the past.
Or, in those who have no history of kidney infections or stones in the past.
This is interesting to me- deep organ pain and a large joint ( shoulder joint in total) with stiffness and pain transiently.

I'm glad we are all either OK or getting better. ( I'm fine).

 

[dmac55]

I had my 2nd Pfizer vaccination this morning at a 24/7 drive through mass vaccination site, at State Farm Stadium near Phoenix, AZ

I qualified because of my age

The initial registration process was difficult, frustrating, and time consuming
I did not succeed in securing an appointment so many times

The vaccine administration process at the site I went to was very organized and efficient
They give a vaccine every 10 seconds
It's pretty amazing

Even though my lifestyle will not change at this time, the feeling i have now is comfort

(There was a time last fall when I didn't think I'd make it to a vaccine because of my age/health)

The above is my experience

 

[ilovewings]

I had my 2nd Pfizer vaccination this morning at a 24/7 drive through mass vaccination site, at State Farm Stadium near Phoenix, AZ

I qualified because of my age

The initial registration process was difficult, frustrating, and time consuming
I did not succeed in securing an appointment so many times

The vaccine administration process at the site I went to was very organized and efficient
They give a vaccine every 10 seconds
It's pretty amazing

Even though my lifestyle will not change at this time, the feeling i have now is comfort

(There was a time last fall when I didn't think I'd make it to a vaccine because of my age/health)

The above is my experience

Like you I have been so terrified I would not make it to the point of getting a vaccine because of my age. I still am terrified to some degree: i had my first Moderna shot almost two weeks ago-- I think there is some protection at the two week point after the first vaccine. My husband is fully vaccinated. Getting the vaccine does provide a level of comfort though I have not changed one thing about the way I live my life: masks, washing hands, no dining out -no seeing friends and all of that. We are certainly not out of the woods though if you saw pics of people living in Florida and some other states, you would never know there is a pandemic!!!!

 

[dmac55]

Like you I have been so terrified I would not make it to the point of getting a vaccine because of my age. I still am terrified to some degree: i had my first Moderna shot almost two weeks ago-- I think there is some protection at the two week point after the first vaccine. My husband is fully vaccinated. Getting the vaccine does provide a level of comfort though I have not changed one thing about the way I live my life: masks, washing hands, no dining out -no seeing friends and all of that. We are certainly not out of the woods though if you saw pics of people living in Florida and some other states, you would never know there is a pandemic!!!!

You and I match re: not changing anything about the way we are living
And that made me smile

And you are also correct about protection after the 1st Moderna vaccination:

"The Moderna vaccine has been shown to have an efficacy of approximately 92 per cent in protecting against COVID-19, starting 14 days after the first dose."

The Moderna COVID-19 (mRNA-1273) vaccine: what you need to know
The Moderna COVID-19 (mRNA-1273) vaccine: what you need to know

 

[dixiegirl1035]

@oceanblueeyes ( and another poster, duh me):
I had NO clue pain in the flank area- where our kidneys are- was a sign of a vaccine reaction.

I have a history of kidney stones and severe pyelonephritis w/0 stones, and I almost went to the ER. Because I'm so afraid of hospitals these 13 months and counting, I stayed home, drank lots of fluids and rode it out. Hot soaking baths twice a day helped me a lot.

My shoulder did the exact same thing. I asked my husband to see if he thought it was dislocated. ( He was qualified for the Olympic swim team but NASA called him up to do an internship with them in college and he chose his education over Speedos).
He has a lot of hands on knowledge about shoulder joints that nurses never know.
We know how to do exercises but an ICU nurse is not likely to ever see an adult dislocated shoulder.

He said I didn't have, it was some sort of reaction to the virus in the joint there instead of the muscle. ( Deltoid muscle was a tiny bit sore but I was surprised at the " tiny" soreness. (Part of my vaccine leaked out onto my skin from the tissues- no one's fault as far as I know, just an adverse event).

I'm going to look into these reports we're sharing of a deeper, visceral discomfort and see what I can find and correlate. Apparently, it's not rare, but it seems it should be.
The only thing I can come up with is that the drug is excreted by the kidneys after metabolism, and there may be either an acidic or alkaline pH which causes renal spasms ( a milder form of renal colic) in sensitive people who may have a history of some kidney infections or stones in the past.
Or, in those who have no history of kidney infections or stones in the past.
This is interesting to me- deep organ pain and a large joint ( shoulder joint in total) with stiffness and pain transiently.

I'm glad we are all either OK or getting better. ( I'm fine).

I've said this many times before, I think that the scientific community is going to learn sooooooooooooooo much that they didn't know before because of the focus. It's like man going to the moon did decades before that will benefit so many and be a jumping point for much more learning and knowledge. MOO

 

[dixiegirl1035]

I had my 2nd Pfizer vaccination this morning at a 24/7 drive through mass vaccination site, at State Farm Stadium near Phoenix, AZ

I qualified because of my age

The initial registration process was difficult, frustrating, and time consuming
I did not succeed in securing an appointment so many times

The vaccine administration process at the site I went to was very organized and efficient
They give a vaccine every 10 seconds
It's pretty amazing

Even though my lifestyle will not change at this time, the feeling i have now is comfort

(There was a time last fall when I didn't think I'd make it to a vaccine because of my age/health)

The above is my experience

Congratulations! Best wishes.

 

[SeekingJana]

I've said this many times before, I think that the scientific community is going to learn sooooooooooooooo much that they didn't know before because of the focus. It's like man going to the moon did decades before that will benefit so many and be a jumping point for much more learning and knowledge. MOO

I THINK I figured it out. I have to go to my knowledge of a biologic called " Rituxan" which is given for certain deep visceral cancers and non- Hodgkin's Lymphoma, plus other cancer.
What it does, simplified, is cause the person's body to create antibodies ( T cells) to fight the harmful Beta cells ( I don't have the beta symbol on keyboard).
I've seen large strong men with a small amount of Follicular Lymphoma ( an indolent cancer which some oncologists won't treat aggressively) literally unable to walk or even turn in bed due to the muscle pain from the reaction going on in their own bodies.

I believe the vaccines using mRNA ( Moderna and Pfizer) are activating a mini " fight" inside ALL our cells which can take the form of almost any pain ( except heart pain- you must call 911 and get help for heart pain!!!) in the human body for just a few hours to a few days.

I also believe that in the absence of " young people's" response of chills, fever, ( mild flu- like symptoms, we know what they are), we feel the deep visceral response more acutely than we would if we were having chills, mild fever, etc that likely all of us had at one time.

This past fall was the first time I got a flu vaccine and never had a bit of reaction. I believe it's because my age is just on the cusp of getting the more powerful flu vaccine.

Our bodies lose a lot of our antibody/ antigen response as we age. Because this now affects me and in a decade will affect my husband, I am seriously in favor of age and weight based dosage calculations for all medications.

We've done weight based dosages for some medications for years, but never age- based. Maybe this will have something very productive come out of it for us.

I send my applause and sincere admiration to everyone who has stepped way out of their comfort zone and gotten their vaccine. I remember my parents teaching me " It's not always easy to do the best right thing. Do it anyway. You are stronger than you think."

To those who haven't yet scheduled a vaccine, you have time if you are staying home, handwashing, and have a family member who goes out for all the things we need. Please do make an appt. online if you can, and grab someone you love to be your support person for that day. Almost everyone I saw where I got my vaccine had a family member or friend with them.
It's not like " NO visitation in the ICU". You CAN have a friend or two or a relative or more with you at COVID vaccine areas. People do better with a support person.

 

[Sundog]

My neighbor used CVS and said very organized. An employee checked him in at the front door, large red dots 6 feet apart, snaking around to the pharmacy, 2 chairs less than 4 mins for the jab and you can walk around the store or sit in an area 6 feet apart for 15 mins and check out as you leave the store. He was 10 mins early and only had 2 people ahead of him.

Much quicker than my doctors office. I wanted to use my doctor and brought them warm fresh doughnuts the day of my appointment. I was in the first 65+ group, prior to they only offered to teachers, healthcare workers and EMS. I'm sure they have streamlined the office process.

We had a similarly good experience at Walgreens. DH had his Pfizer vaccination at Walgreens (both first and second shots) and it was very well organized. On the other hand, I had my first Moderna shot at a hospital and it was very crowded and the small rooms where they had you wait for 15 minutes after the vaccine had too many people in them who were chatting, etc. with masks below their noses, etc. and I wondered also about the ventilation in those rooms. The whole thing wasn't a good experience, I wished I'd had the option to go to Walgreens as well. Anyway, one more shot this week, back to the hospital setting, but this time know to avoid those small waiting rooms after the vaccine.