2nd Covid shot

[retiredhappy]

Well, I got my 2d covid Maderna shot last friday and the good news is I didn't have ANY side effects except a sore arm. I'm glad I'm done at least for now, until a booster shot, if needed. Can't help being annoyed at all the people refusing to get their shots. I just think its selfish. I'm of an age when I remember what a blessing the polio shot was and how it pretty much made it a think of the past.

[snowball]

my son in law gets his 2nd one tomorrow he is geared up to having reaction's as my daughter did and they got the same one... I'm hoping he doesn't just cause he is so worked up to having a bad reaction
glad you are all through more than likely Karen
sheila

[Bethers]

Karen, I had no side effects either. And am just as frustrated with those refusing to get it. One couple working here got shots a couple days ago and both had slight fevers yesterday. I haven't heard today. But at least they got them.

[MandysMom]

Patty, who owns our Curves, and who is a cancer survivor who barely survived treatment, got her second Moderna shot Friday and was sick all weekend, nauseated, weak, mild fever.
Velda

[Cudedog]

I was really geared up and sweating it (had even cooked some meals ahead) when I received the 2nd Moderna. I waited all day for the chills and fever to arrive. But the only reaction I had for the second dose was a sore arm.

Anne

[retiredhappy]

Velda, I don't think being a cancer survivor makes any difference to having a reaction as I, too, am a cancer survivor; four years as of August. I'm just glad I'm done, for now. I understand there will probably be a booster in six months to a year. I'm okay with that.

[MandysMom]

Karen, she barely survived cancer treatment , and has heart and lung damage, and seemed more affected by vaccine than others in her family and circle of friends who got either vaccine.
Velda

[JudyJB]

It also depends on what kind of treatment you had and how recently. Some of my fellow CLL patients had no reactions to shots and had antigen tests that showed no antigens. So they are still not protected. Weak immune system can cause all sorts of problems and reactions or no reactions. Some oncologists, but not mine, are having all patients who get vaccine get antigen tests.

[JudyJB]

Just found this article about a cancer patient who had the vaccine and did not develop antibodies. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/15/health/coronavirus-vaccine-immune-system.html

I had a pretty good reaction, luckily. Still would like to know about my antibodies.

[MandysMom]

Judy, sounds like you getting antibody test would be prudent.
Velda

[JudyJB]

I think I am going to try to get an antigen test, just in case. Just reread the article and found this:

"It’s unclear how many immunocompromised people don’t respond to coronavirus vaccines. But the list seems at least to include survivors of blood cancers, organ transplant recipients, and anyone who takes the widely used drug Rituxan, or the cancer drugs Gazyva or Imbruvica — all of which kill or block B cells, the immune cells that churn out antibodies — or Remicade, a popular drug for treating inflammatory bowel disease."

Oops, one of the two targeted therapies I took was Gazyva. It is a monoclonal antibody, and I had one infusion per week from Nov 1, 2018 through Dec 26, 2018, and then once a month until October 6, 2019. It is an amazing drug that cleaned out dead mutant cells from my spleen and lymph nodes. Neutrophil count is supposed to be below 6, but mine was 104. Within 6 hours, it dropped it to 29! And within 48 hours, the lumps on my neck were completely gone. Blood counts the next week were normal, except it really messed up my platelets, which control bleeding. It has taken over two years for platelets to be almost normal and for me to stop getting bruises on my hands and arms.

And to make things worse, the second drug I took, Venetoclax, is a B-cell inhibitor! (It involves having to take 4 huge pills once a day. Retail cost = $13,000 per month, but I did not have to pay because it was a research study.) It attacks the bone marrow to prevent new mutant cells from being formed and clogging up your system. Leukemia is caused by B-cells that mutate to a version that does not work properly and keep multiplying in bone marrow to the point where you have very few normal cells of all kinds. I supposedly now have only normal B-cells. At least my blood counts have been normal for more than a year and i have no symptoms.

However, the couple of people I know who did not develop antigens, had no reactions to the second shot, and I definitely did. Plus, their treatment was much more recent than mine, so my system is supposed to be pretty normal by now.

[MandysMom]

Well, Judy, I haven't had any of those drugs, but I sure didn't have any reaction other than slightly sore arm so I'm going to ask my Dr to order antigen test when I see him.
Thanks for keeping us up on thus.
Velda

[JudyJB]

It probably only occurs in blood cancers, but there is just so much we do not know about this crazy COVID-19.

I think the relevant thing is that the immune system is controlled by B-cells, and those are the cells that cause problems for things like leukemia and other blood diseases. Not sure how they are affected by other cancers or chemo, which I did not have. One other weird thing is that they found that monoclonal antibodies help COVID patients recover. Another weird thing is how long-term COVID patients say getting the vaccine helps with their symptoms!!

At least, I turned down Ibrutinib, which is the other drug listed. I belong to a CLL forum where a lot of the posters have over the years been part of research studies--sort of a bunch of guinea pigs. One lady was starting on her third study in eight years because she was coming off remission. Luckily, lots of new drugs available, but it is a learning experience to talk about what works and didn't work and what everyone's oncologists are guessing at as causes or cures or whatever. And CLL has a lot of "flavors" which are identified by genetic studies of genes and how they might have been damaged, causing CLL.