Ugh.
What a LONG weekend it has been… and it’s still not over.
This is a quick summation of the timeline of symptoms for the second dose of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine. This was my experience and I type this here in the hopes that if you are experiencing side effects from the dosage you’ll know you’re not alone.
I received my second dose of Moderna at 10:30 AM on Friday, April 30th.
For the next nine hours my arm was sore but I felt mostly pleased that I had done my part for myself, my loved ones, for strangers, for everybody in fact by getting fully vaccinted.
Hours 9 – 36, it all went to hell. Every part of my body hurt — not just my arm, but every extremity, including the very tips of my hair on the top of my head. I got chills even though it was 85 degrees outside. My head hurt in such a way that every beat mof my heart sent not just blood through my veins but a coursing pain through my forehead. The head also felt incredibly heavy, like it was hard to even stay upright. It hurt to sit, to stand, to lie down. I felt nauseous and questioned all life decisions. At one point I think I hallucinated, but it was a quick hallucinated. I also dreamt that Joey Tribbiani, of FRIENDS and of MAC AND CHEESE fame within that show, died in a car crash and all television anchors were as distraught as if another Kennedy had been shot. I was a lousy person to be around, grouchy, in pain, argumentative if only to avoid being in one place for too long. I spent the majority of time in bed, if not sleeping then just curled up in a fetal position.
Hours 36-48 post shot: somewhere in here the fever broke and the pain and aches receded. Not entirely mind you, but at least I’m back to being functional. I walked down to get the mail if only to escape the mole like existence of my house.
We are just now passing the 48 hour mark. And I’m not great but I feel like there’s light at the end of the tunnel. I’m glad I got vaccinated but it has been a really, really LOOONG weekend.
So if you are gearing up for the second dose of Moderna, know that if you have reactions you’re not alone. Don’t panic — it’s the right thing to do. It’s just going to suck for a while.
In many ways, the Moderna vaccine is a collapsed timeline of the Coronavirus Pandemic — it takes you through the stages we’ve just lived through for the past year in hours not months. Things start fine, seems like it’s under control. It all goes horribly, horribly awry. Them there’s hope on the horizon… just don’t get cocky.
I’ll admit, there were times when I thought, “well, why even f’in bother?” And I’ll still worry that might be my reply giving the incredible (and I do mean defying credibility!) numbers of people who refuse to get vaccinated or take this seriously. Even those that have been vaccinated and think it’s over — it’s not. Do NOT clap your hands, give a sigh of relief, and go about like everything’s hunky dory. I still have some aches and pains, I still have some issues. And so does the world at large.
Get vaccinated. And then stay vigilant and mindful of those around you. This isn’t political. This isn’t a violation of your rights. This is just being a good neighbor, a good citizen, a good person opting to do what’s right for the good of the whole… and for the good of oneself.
Stop the lies. Stop the rumors. Live for yourself. Live for others.
Stay safe. Be kind. Change the world.
And pass the tylenol. It ain’t over yet.
