2nd Vaccine dose? What do you all think?

[Cudedog]

I received my second dose of the Moderna yesterday, after responding to the text reminders and filling out the required form online.

Of course (this kind of thing always happens to me, for some reason) when I arrived at the pharmacy to get the shot they had no record of my appointment. They asked to see my "vaccination card" from my first dose - I didn't have one because I had not been given one.

So I'm thinking, well crap - now what? I had my smartphone with me (lordy, what did we ever do without these handy-dandy gadgets?) so when requested, I was able to bring up the multiple texts and the email showing that I did, in fact, have an appointment. The young woman helping me was very cute - she had on bunny ears, a bunny nose, and a flowing pink wig. She made me smile.

Anyway, she took me to the back, gave my phone to someone else to look at (I had no worries - I never use my phone for confidential stuff) and she soon gave me the same paperwork to fill out that I had already filled out online. She also was very patient, I was very motivated to get the shot thing over with, so I happily complied with all requests without comment.

After only a fifteen or twenty minute delay, I received my second vaccination.

I had been a little worried about this second one, having read on here and elsewhere that the second shot tends to "kick one's butt". Had the shot, after a very short spell of dizzyness (which was probably due more to my anxiety and my insomnia of the night before than anything else) I waited for a short while (geez - until one of the men also waiting there post-shot began to cough his head off) then I went out to wait in my car.

I was told that I needed to wait 15 minutes, just in case I had some kind of reaction, I waited a full hour - and you know what? Basically NO reaction at all! No headache, no body aches, no chills, no fever - just a very very minor soreness in my arm.

I kept waiting for the rest of the day to start to feel bad - but never did. This morning, the day after, I feel GREAT!!

I'm still kinda trying to figure this out - for my first Moderna I had dizzyness, cold chills, extreme tiredness - and slept for most of the next 24 hours.

But with this second shot? Basically no reaction at all.

I'm wondering (perhaps the nurse gals on here could offer some insight) if maybe I had a mild case of Covid back at the end of March of last year (2020)? I was pretty sick the last two weeks of March (although I didn't mention it on here) with most of the Covid symptoms - dry cough, low fever, tight chest (progressing to the point that it felt like an elephant was sitting on my lungs, could not take a deep breath).

This went on for about a week, with the symptoms gradually getting worse. To the point I set up an quick and dirty DIY auto-watering system in the back yard for my Big Joe, in case I had to leave in a hurry. All during this time I was popping zinc, vitamin D, vitamin C and glugging down as much hot tea with honey as I could possibly manage (not really liking tea, nor honey either - I almost never drink tea).

Each day that went by, I was feeling worse.

Finally, one night I began to realize that I might be in trouble (I never did get a Covid test, back in March of 2020, as I am sure everyone remembers, tests were just not available).

I resolved to take myself in to the ER the following morning.

The next morning? I felt infinitesimally better, decided not to go in, continued with the zinc-vitD-vitC-hot/tea/honey regimen. Each day I felt improvement, and by the end of the second week of being ill. . . it was gone.

SO.

Could my reaction to the first dose be explained by (maybe) having already had a mild case, which made my immune system react to the first dose?

Could my non-reaction to the second dose be my immune system saying "Hey, been there, done that, no worries, we got this"?

What do you all think? Even the soreness in my arm is pretty much gone this morning.

How have each of you reacted to the second dose of vaccine?

Anne

[monik7]

Anne, I think everyone will be different in how they respond to the vaccines. After my first Moderna shot, all I had was a sore arm UNTIL 10 days out. Then I developed a low-grade fever (100.4), headache, fatigue and body aches. Being 10 days since the shot and well beyond reactions people were feeling immediately after vaccination, I worried I may have COVID. My medical provider asked about symptoms and recommended a test which was thankfully negative. Those symptoms ended 3 days later as quickly as they began. After the second dose and wondering if I would get knocked off my feet similar to others, other than a slightly sore arm, I had no reaction.

My point is it seems everyone is different in how they react to the vaccinations. I think it’s hard to predict how each person will react. I suppose it’s possible you might have had COVID last March. What’s encouraging is you’ve now had your 2nd shot with little adverse reaction. Sounds like many of us here on the forum are getting our second shots and hopefully will be on our way later in the year to COVID being a bad memory.
Sandi

[MandysMom]

I had Pfizer, and other than a slighty sore arm for #2, I had no reaction at all for either. I do know the great majority of people I interact with who eat zero to low carb, if they get CoVid , they seem to recover fairly easily at home, and those who didn't have the virus and recently were immunized don't seem to have much in way of side effects and kept on exercising as usual.
Velda

[OregonLuvr]

I agree that everyone is different. Anne you could very well have had Covid and already had lots of antibodies so your immune system was already in high gear. Others might have been exposed, therefore, antibodies so not much of a reaction. I had a mild reaction the following day. I had a headache, I was cold, no fever, and a queasy stomach. Took a 2 hr nap (and I never nap) then finally took Tylenol at 2 in the afternoon for the HA, and then before I went to bed. I got up the next morning feeling just fine. I wasnt super sick mainly just very puny. I have pretty much kept in my bubble so I dont think I was ever even exposed so my immune system kicked in but didnt last long. Anne you need to get a card as it is going to be required for many things in the future. Campgrounds, flights, and who knows what else.

[JudyJB]

I had my second Moderna shot on Wednesday, and I think I had a fairly typical reaction, except for no fever. I have had headaches and body aches off and on and been taking some Tylenol. I have also been sleeping like crazy, but this morning I finally woke up and felt normal. I went to Las Cruces and got a few things from the grocery store, looked for a pan at Bed Bath and Beyond, and am back in my campsite and set up. Going to take it easy rest of day because I am a little tired.

My cousin's DIL is a nurse, and she was very sick and had all the symptoms of COVID way back in late February 2020, but tested negative. My cousin was panicked for several months about her working in the ICU directly with COVID patients, but last summer, the DIL got the antigen test, and it turned out positive.

Anyway, whatever you had a year ago, the good news is that you are certainly protected now. I wore a mask in the stores, but really felt good to know that I am at least mostly protected and will be even more so in two weeks! I was worried that I would NOT have a reaction, meaning that my immune system was weak. But you seem to have had the second shot reaction with the first shot, so I would not worry if I were you.

[Bethers]

Anne, what they all said. My biggest concern is that you got your card showing both vaccines. I think I remember you going outside to wait after the first also. Where i was vaccinated, we got the card when they said we could leave. Make sure they filled in the info for both shots!

[Acadianmom]

I got sick at a campout last spring. I was feeling so bad my sister stayed at my house an extra day. I wondered if I might have had covid. The blood bank where I give blood tests the blood to see if it has covid antibodies and I have been negative twice. I will be interested to see what they find after my shots.

I got the Pfizer shot and my arm was sore for 2 days. The only reaction I had to the second one is that it stung. I think the needle hit a blood vessel because I had a big bruise. Other than that, no reaction.

I think the record keeping for the vaccinations is not very good. I hope they do a better job when they start giving it to children. That record might be requited for school.

Martha

[MandysMom]

Judy said
Anyway, whatever you had a year ago, the good news is that you are certainly protected now. I wore a mask in the stores, but really felt good to know that I am at least mostly protected and will be even more so in two weeks! I was worried that I would NOT have a reaction, meaning that my immune system was weak. But you seem to have had the second shot reaction with the first shot, so I would not worry if I were you.

But, I looked it up and according to Scientific American and other articles, just because you don't get a "reaction" to the vaccine doesn't mean you failed to get a vigorous immune response, that's likely simply a quirk of individual
Immune systems per all current testing amd data . If you got the one or two shots, depending on brand, you have between 90 and 100% immunity per all testing.
Velda

[JudyJB]

I think that is true for most people, but I had serious treatment for over a year for CLL. But the research on the newer drugs that I took is almost all on effectiveness, not on damage to the immune system. I belong to a CLL forum where there are people in a range of situations--wait and watch, beginning treatment, just at the end of treatment, or had treatment several years ago. A couple of people have had the two doses of vaccine and then had antigen tests that showed almost no antigen development. One was on wait and watch, meaning he had had no treatment and one was in the middle of treatment. Oncologists are recommending the vaccine, but there has been no formal research on effectiveness of the COVID vaccine on CLL patients and how it is related to low immunity. We are all told that we are more susceptible to other cancers because of low immunity, especially skin and lung cancer, so we have to be checked more often than most people. I had shingles a year-and-a-half ago (towards the end of treatment) and was on antivirals for 8 months. I am in remission, but I expect that I will need treatment again in a few years because it is a chronic disease. Having a reaction to the vaccine means that at least I have an adequate immune system, which was a concern I had. Will be interesting to see results of any research in the future.

But I agree that most others are going to be immune even without a reaction.

[MandysMom]

Judy, I certainly agree that your situation, and that of others with certain conditions, are in a different category. Hopefully over time, while you are in remission, more and more effective treatments become available. Have you read Dr Annette Bosworths book on her Moms journey? Title is Any Way You Can.
Velda

[Colliemom]

I just read an article in AARP magazine yesterday about Covid vaccinations and anti-bodies. Yes still a lot of research to be done out there yet. But right now we think that people who have had Covid and have recovered do have good antibodies. . What they are finding is, that they do drop down and then come back up and stabilize. But there has not yet been enough research to determine if it’s enough antibodies or how long they last in your system. will last. Right now it may be several months. Where as the vaccines Have a high level of protection but they’re not sure yet how long they are good for, because they were not able to do long term testing like they normally would do if they were creating a vaccine and not in an emergency situation. Thty may for six months are they may last for several years. We might need a booster or might not. this is why they encourage people who have had Covid to get the vaccine shots even if they have antibodies because the antibodies are not going to last. Lots of questions remain to be resolved yet.

[gypsyrose1126]

With the first shot my arm was very sore for a couple days. With the 2nd shot nothing, no sore arm, nothing. I had the Pfizer vaccine.