Poll: Are you going ahead with a Booster vaccination?

[bertiedog]

I was wondering how many here are going ahead with the booster vaccination currently being recommended for those in high risk groups. It feels to me at the moment here in the UK that there is tremendous pressure for us to go ahead.

As someone who doesn't appear to have done well post the second vaccine I am holding back but getting daily texts from my surgery to book an appointment as I am 73. Having paid for a private test recently I know I still have a good level of antibodies so I am happy to wait.

Obviously I don't want this to be political in any shape or form but I have read of several fellow sufferers not doing very well after vaccination with an aggrevation of their symptoms. I guess there will be a big variation here but thought it might be useful to get a general idea of how people here are feeling.

Thanks

 

[L'engle]

I want to ge it but I wouldn't really like daily texts prompting to get it.

 

[Crux]

I will get the booster, I'm more fearful of the covid virus than the vaccine.

However, I will stress dose hydrocortisone afterwards because I had an adrenal crisis after the
second vaccination

 

[bertiedog]

However, I will stress dose hydrocortisone afterwards because I had an adrenal crisis after the
second vaccination

Sorry to hear that. I am steroid dependent too and my bp shot up immediately after the second vaccine which made me feel horrible but luckily I sort of guessed that was happening so when home I checked that this was the case and took a bit more Propananol. I didn't need any extra steroid but I still had a stress response.

My main issue was that I developed a bad cough several days after it (something I very rarely have) and it turned into a throat infection for which I needed antibiotics. Also I developed a nasty allergy to my gluten free bread and crisp breads. I started going puce with a huge rash all over every time I ate gluten free products apart from oats. It made me feel quite stressed and unwell, often developing a migraine.I have never had anything like this before and it lasted for weeks when I tried various gluten free products until I only ate oats and oat products at breakfast.

My GP insisted it was nothing to do with the vaccine but it only changed after I treated my gut with prebiotics like FOS, GOS and PHGG plus some specific strains of probiotics. Thankfully I am now ok if I eat the occasional gluten free crisp bread and I am fine still with oats but the only thing that can have caused this change was the vaccine and I still take the prebiotics daily and the probiotics too.

Basically this has been my worse year energy-wise with my muscles severely affected and I haven't been able to get stable since, so after reading in the Times yesterday that the Pfizer vaccine after 6 months gives 75% protection plus I know I have antibodies too I thought I am happy with that for the time being.

Pam

 

[Crux]

I got the Moderna vaccine and didn't have respiratory symptoms at all.

I had the typical adrenal crisis signs : vomit, diarrhea, pass out.
I start taking HC and salt tablets asap. Keeps me out of ER.

I was weak for a couple of days with GI symptoms.

Still, I'll take the booster, having a long history of respiratory inflammation/infection.

The choices are not great.

 

[Wishful]

I consider myself in the low-risk group. I've had two vaccines, and still managed to get a flu once or twice, but both resulted in minor symptoms for a day or so, so I'm really not worried about Covid. Alberta is only allowing it for high-risk groups at present. I probably won't bother with a booster unless the Alberta government really pushes for it. For a while, they paid people $100 to get vaccinated.

 

[Rebeccare]

I had a booster dose of Pfizer a few weeks ago. I decided to get it because I teach part time and a few of my students are still too young to be vaccinated, plus some of them are unable to wear a mask due to disabilities.

My reaction to each successive dose was slightly worse, so my reaction after the third dose was a little worse than the reaction after my second: aches, chills, and fever for about two days, plus very swollen glands. Nowhere near the reaction you had (and, as I kept reminding myself, nowhere near as bad as the illness itself), but I guess my takeaway is that the reaction to the third dose can be similar to that of the second.

What I'm curious about is how people will fare with the Moderna booster, which is about half the original two doses.

 

[L'engle]

It will be a a while before we get them here as the first and second doses were over spring and summer. I felt pretty rough after the second. Like I had the flu for a day then tired for the rest of the week. After that I seemed to have more energy than normal for a couple of weeks, then back to normal. I expect it will be Moderna. Where I live we generally had 2 months between first and second so that apparently stretches the effectiveness but unknown by how much.

 

[andyguitar]

I was wondering how many here are going ahead with the booster vaccination currently being recommended for those in high risk groups.

Well being in a "high risk group" is'nt the same as being at high risk of getting infected!

 

[Strawberry]

I want to get the booster, but not wanting to flare my MCAS again. Hoping maybe the J&J doesn’t flare it?

 

[BrightCandle]

Vaccine remains a lower risk to my health than Covid and I have no idea how long my natural defences will last since its been a year and a half since I had it. Given how much worse Covid made me I will do anything to reduce the impact it might have again and the vaccines impacts were short lived whereas I have lived with the impacts of covid for 1.5 years now and its dreadful.

 

[Mary]

I had the booster 4 days ago (last Wednesday). It actually hit me less hard than the original 2 vaccine doses. I did get rather lightheaded and woozy about 20 minutes after the booster, and got home ASAP and had to lay down all afternoon, but apart from some extra fatigue and wooziness for a few days, that was about it.

I was concerned about my health because this summer I had some type of bug for about 4 weeks with night sweats, lots of fatigue, mild respiratory symptoms - I actually got tested for Covid but it was negative and my symptoms didn't really match.

Most recently I was sick for 3 weeks. So my immune system is definitely subpar and I have no idea how I would react if I got hit with Covid, and I don't really want to find out either!

I also pickled my own garlic now - I'm getting a bit desperate trying to build up my immune system and garlic is supposed to be so good for it. It was easy, btw - I'm not a canner, but even I was able to do this: Preservation And Pickling Of Garlic In Apple Cider Vinegar (culturesforhealth.com) I'm now eating 3 cloves a day (when I remember!) They taste like what you think they would, vinegar and garlic . . . but it doesn't burn as much as eating regular raw garlic, I can get the pickled stuff down without burning my mouth. And I don't think I smell like garlic, though it may be like when I used to smoke - I didn't have a clue what I smelled like as a smoker!

ETA: I had the Pfizer vaccine and booster

 

[andyguitar]

Vaccine remains a lower risk to my health than Covid and I have no idea how long my natural defences will last since its been a year and a half since I had it

Yes it's the great unknown, how long immunity lasts. But the leader of the team that developed the Oxford/ Astrazenica vaccine is on record as saying people would have some immunity "for decades".

 

[Strawberry]

@Mary Pickling is amazingly easy! I’ve never pickled garlic on its own, but that was an amazing reminder for me. I do have lots lying around and can’t really cook now. So maybe I’ll pickle. Since I work in an office, buggies go around. Covid or not, I don’t want them! And I’ve heard pickled garlic doesn’t make you smell like you are afraid of vampires, so chow!

 

[Mary]

I don’t want them! And I’ve heard pickled garlic doesn’t make you smell like you are afraid of vampires, so chow!

I read the same thing though I haven't been around anyone I know well enough who would tell me if I DID smell like garlic!

 

[Strawberry]

Well I will (hopefully) pickle all my garlic lying around and let you know if my coworkers complain. Or I will forget, which is more likely.

 

[bertiedog]

was concerned about my health because this summer I had some type of bug for about 4 weeks with night sweats, lots of fatigue, mild respiratory symptoms - I actually got tested for Covid but it was negative and my symptoms didn't really match.

It can be so difficult to know what is going on with our immune system's with this illness. Some researchers report we have an overactive immune system whereas others say some of us are under active.

Looking back at the 4 weeds following the 2nd vaccine I can see I had what appears to be 3 separate viruses through May which I had problems getting over. The first one started around day 6 after vaccination and turned into a throat infection for which I needed antibiotics which I always try and avoid. So basically the whole month was horrible but I did pick up a bit in June until the terrible news on the 23rd that my son's best friend had terminal cancer which meant another awful 8 weeks of distress till he died so maybe it's unfair to blame the vaccine for all my ill health this summer/autumn.

I also noted that the number of steps over the month weren't down much from normal but I can also see that I definitely overdo exercise when unwell and suffer for this.

If only all these researchers could agree what is actually going on with our inability to sustain energy in this illness and how this affects our immune system, we might all be able to see things more clearly!

Pam

 

[bertiedog]

Yes it's the great unknown, how long immunity lasts. But the leader of the team that developed the Oxford/ Astrazenica vaccine is on record as saying people would have some immunity "for decades"

Andy do you think then that the need for the Booster is being exaggerated if you don't mind saying?

Pam

 

[bertiedog]

It would be great if anybody who reads this thread and hasn't voted could do this so we can get a better understanding of the general feeling here on PR.

Thanks

Pam

 

[andyguitar]

Andy do you think then that the need for the Booster is being exaggerated if you don't mind saying?

Yes. I doubt that all the people who are being told to get it really need it. It's become a mantra.