• Welcome to Phoenix Rising!

    Created in 2008, Phoenix Rising is the largest and oldest forum dedicated to furthering the understanding of, and finding treatments for, complex chronic illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia, long COVID, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), and allied diseases.

    To become a member, simply click the Register button at the top right.

Has anyone had a Covid vaccine yet?

L

lenora

Senior Member
Messages
4,926
When are you getting your second shot, @flitza? I'm due this coming Sat., and just received a message from the hospital indicating the virus will be in stock and to keep my appt. That's good news. I hope you won't have more serious reactions to the second, but the arm problem does seem to be fairly common. Not so much the other rashes on your neck and chest.

I'm going to call the pharmacist later to find out if I can take benadryl before or after the injection. I certainly don't want to mess the effectiveness of the injection by taking it beforehand. That's good news for you, and I'm glad. Yours, Lenora.
 
F

flitza

Senior Member
Messages
145
Happy to hear you're up for your second shot. I'm due the first week of March. I do not believe I will have a serious reaction. The only outlier was the rash as you said, but I will take H1 and H2 blockers, as I do every day and have some Benedryl on hand in addition. I'm really happy to have the opportunity to be protected.
 
2

2Cor.12:19

Senior Member
Messages
280
Sushi said:
You have to sign up on a phone or tablet and they text you every day with lists of symptoms and space to add ones they don’t list. If you tick a symptom, it opens another menu. I’m told that if you list severe for some symptoms they will phone you. https://vsafe.cdc.gov/
Click to expand...

@Sushi Do they ask what health conditions you have? Also, I read Nancy Klimas' recommendations and I don't tolerate antihistamines at all. However, I do take tumeric daily, which is a powerful antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and COX2 inhibitor, and I also take CoQ10. I've tried most of the other things she listed and they didn't agree with me. So I hope my current regimen will suffice.
 
Last edited:
L

lenora

Senior Member
Messages
4,926
@flitza. Hello, I'm glad you had your first injection and you didn't have problems beyond the rashes. I know the second one is supposed to give more symptoms of the virus (for about 24 hrs.) so I'm quite prepared to put up with it. It's only a possibility and it certainly doesn't occur in all people. Actually, it shows that the immune system is prepared to defend you against the real thing. People are even advised to have their immunization on Friday so they'll have Saturday and Sunday to recover, so this must be at least a common reaction. L.enora.
 
Sushi

Sushi

Moderation Resource Albuquerque
Messages
19,935
Location
Albuquerque
2Cor.12:19 said:
@Sushi Do they ask what health conditions you have? Also, I read Nancy Klimas' recommendations and I don't tolerate antihistamines at all. However, I do take tumeric daily, which is a powerful antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and COX2 inhibitor, and I also take CoQ10. I've tried most of the other things she listed and they didn't agree with me. So I hope my current regimen will suffice.
Click to expand...
No, they don’t ask what health conditions you have though most state health departments have you fill out a questionnaire on health history before you register for a vaccination. As far as antihistamines, there are some natural ones like quercitin, though I was fine with Zyrtec. I did find that loading on fluids and electrolytes was important for me. I didn’t do it for the first shot but did for the second and there was a difference though I can’t say for sure what caused the difference. I took an Epsom salt bath in the evening after the second as I had chills after the first one and I think that also helped.
 
A

andyguitar

Moderator
Messages
6,610
Location
South east England
Here's some info on the risks of having a bad reaction to the Pfizer jab. There's a lot there but one thing stands out. If you are allergic to Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) you should not have the Pfizer jab.
 

Attachments

  • Screenshot_2021-02-23 Advising individuals with allergies on their suitability for Pfizer-BioN...png
    Screenshot_2021-02-23 Advising individuals with allergies on their suitability for Pfizer-BioN...png
    1.2 MB · Views: 25
L

lenora

Senior Member
Messages
4,926
Well, the worst that can happen is that I'll end up in the hospital again. Since it's the one I usually go to, I'll at least feel somewhat at home. There's too much worrying in today's world....there's a danger associated with everything, including smoking and/or drinking too much, and yet that never stopped anyone who really wanted to, did it.

Sorry, it's late in the afternoon, and I'm afraid my sense of humor has moved on into the bedroom. I'm heading that way now, too. Not to sleep, but my body's has had enough of trying to stay propped up. I hope you fared OK after your jab. Did you? Yours, Lenora.
 
2

2Cor.12:19

Senior Member
Messages
280
andyguitar said:
And here is some info about the Oxford/Astra-Zeneca jab. Main point is that you should not have it if you are allergic to Polysorbate 80.
Click to expand...
@andyguitar And the Moderna is the same of which the CDC says,
"
  • An immediate allergic reaction means a reaction within 4 hours of getting vaccinated, including symptoms such as hives, swelling, or wheezing (respiratory distress).
  • This includes allergic reactions to polyethylene glycol (PEG) and polysorbate. Polysorbate is not an ingredient in either mRNA COVID-19 vaccine but is closely related to PEG, which is in the vaccines. People who are allergic to PEG or polysorbate should not get an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine.

Tons of food products list polysorbate as an ingredient - it's an emusifier. A google image search will bring up lots of food labels.
As for the PEG, it's in MIralax - so if anyone is worried, they can always take a test drive with a shot of Miralax. If all it does is give you a quick trip to the bathroom, you're probably good to go. LOL!
 
S

serg5

Messages
38
I would love to have the vaccine. I managed to get a gp to call me back and was told that M.E is not an 'underlying condition'. Hopefully others here will have a better outcome with a different GP. I got covid in March and would not wish it on anybody - I couldn't breathe to the point that I thought I wouldn't make it. I self -medicated with Doxyclcine based on a doc on twitter and I think that saved me - so I really want the vaccine as soon as possible. I don't know what the thinking is about the vaccine is re M.E but for me - I don't care because I don't want to go through covid again.

As usual with the health service, will have to go along with the fact that they either have no clue about M.E or they don't care - and have to deal with the feelings that come along with that.
 
Mary

Mary

Moderator Resource
Messages
17,386
Location
Southern California
I had the first Pfizer jab last Wednesday (Feb. 24). I didn't have any immediate reaction, but got quite tired in the afternoon and had to take a 1-1/2 hour nap. It was a 1 hour drive each way, plus 2 hours at the vaccination site, so a total of 4 hours, which was kind of rough on me but even so, the nap was kind of unusual. That night I slept 9 hours - which I never do! And was wiped out the next day - it felt like a combination crash (to be expected from 4 hour-excursion) and vaccine reaction. It upset my stomach, not actual nausea but no desire for food. By that night I felt halfway decent, again in line with a typical crash. And then felt quite a bit better in the morning but then my appetite went away again. And today I'm worse, I've been tired all day and unable to do anything but it doesn't really feel like a crash, and my appetite is off again. I'm hoping tomorrow will be better!

But none of my symptoms have been extreme or something I couldn't handle. I think ME/CFS trains us well in how to handle feeling sh**y!

I chose the Pfizer vaccine because I read that Moderna has a 10% chance of fatigue, etc. vs. 5% for Pfizer. Also, the Moderna vaccine has 100 mcg. of vaccine vs. 30 mcg. for Pfizer, so I figured I would probably have an easier time with the Pfizer vaccine. Here are some links:
Fever, aches from Pfizer, Moderna jabs aren’t dangerous but may be intense for some | Science | AAAS (sciencemag.org)

COVID-19 Pfizer and Moderna Vaccine Comparison (astho.org)
 
L

lenora

Senior Member
Messages
4,926
Hello Everyone. I had my second dose of the Pfizer vaccine yesterday a.m. I'm fine, my arm doesn't hurt nearly as much as it did the 1st time. Just aches a wee bit...nothing to complain about.

Thus far, no other side-effects. Tired, but isn't that just par for us? I even managed to do some fast walking around the house today. Had to walk a long way yesterday to get the shot, didn't need wheelchair, although there were plenty available, then made 3 stops on the way home. Altogether I was out for 3 hrs. Yours, Lenora.
 
2

2Cor.12:19

Senior Member
Messages
280
lenora said:
Hello Everyone. I had my second dose of the Pfizer vaccine yesterday a.m. I'm fine, my arm doesn't hurt nearly as much as it did the 1st time. Just aches a wee bit...nothing to complain about.

Thus far, no other side-effects. Tired, but isn't that just par for us? I even managed to do some fast walking around the house today. Had to walk a long way yesterday to get the shot, didn't need wheelchair, although there were plenty available, then made 3 stops on the way home. Altogether I was out for 3 hrs. Yours, Lenora.
Click to expand...
@lenora Yay! So glad you're doing well. Thanks for sharing! I get my first one on Tuesday and I'm sooo nervous! I had an awful reaction to a flu/pneumonia shot decades ago - caused severe panic attacks that sent me to the ER and landed me on xanax f.o.r.e.v.er. Haven't had a vaccine since because I don't want that kind of crazy ever again. But then COVID came along.......
 
keepswimming

keepswimming

Senior Member
Messages
327
Location
UK
I had my covid vaccine (astrazeneca) last Thursday morning. Felt fine till the evening when I started feeling a bit achey. The next day I felt quite achey, I could tell my immune system was working. By the Saturday the aches had gone, I was just left with a sore arm and increased fatigue (however no more increased than I get regularly anyway - I'm not even sure the fatigue was due to the vaccine as I'd overdone it a bit too). I've just taken things slow and I'm nearly back at baseline now.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.