Although I have little to say about it I felt like I should mark this occasion somehow. This week I headed out to Walgreens wearing my COVID-19 vaccine “outfit”… a cold shoulder t-shirt that the pharmacist seemed to appreciate since she said “I LOVE IT!”… and got the shot.
That’s right I officially received my Fauchi Ouchie. Along with my free CDC Mark of the Beast card.
I wanted the Pfizer of Moderna vaccine. But I promised myself whatever the luck of the dice handed me I would take. ( Insert something about a gift horse here.) So I ended up with the one-and-done Johnson & Johnson vaccine. That means I don’t rate on the “cool kids” scale on social media. But uncool is a position I’m used to. No Bill Gates 5G mRNA tracking implant for me. (All joke credits to my friend Ed. I’m not nearly as clever.)
The J&J vaccine was tested on a wider demographic of people. And they tested it in Brazil and South Africa where variants were already hitting hard. So in some ways comparing it to the other two is an apples and oranges thing.
Besides, I figure that there’s little chance we won’t all be up for boosters in the nearish future anyway. So the lower efficacy is not such a big deal. Plus, if I REALLY want the other as things ease up in the coming year I likely can get it.
COVID-19 vaccine side effects
As far as vaccine side effects go I haven’t had a hard time. Although, to be honest, it’s hard to separate my baseline chronic pain issues from other stuff. So who knows. (More on that in a moment.)
My big side effect was intense fatigue. I’m chronically sleep-deprived. So I’m used to a certain level of fatigue. But this was far heavier. I carried on with normal things after the vaccine… working, helping with dinner, etc. But by about 9:30 to 10 PM I was exhausted in a way I have never felt before. And yesterday (day 2) the fatigue continued, although not as intense.
I expected to get the sore arm issue that everyone complains about so much. And although I recognize that if I press on the bicep it feels bruised the pain seems negligible to me. But that chronic pain issue may come into play here because I’m in some degree of pain most of the time. So the arm pain may just not register much with me.
However, I woke up today in full PA flare. Intense pain. Took me a good 10 minutes of stretching to get at all mobile. I’m unsure if it has anything at all to do with the vaccine. Plus it is raining today, which brings up the age-old question of whether or not rain plays a role in arthritic pain.
And it will be interesting in the coming year to find out what studies have to say about the vaccine triggering flare-ups for folks with autoimmune conditions. Either way having the protection is WELL WORTH a flare in my opinion.
In honor of the occasion I made a thing….
PS – Have I mentioned lately how much I detest the “new” WordPress? I will never be down with this ridiculous “block” bull.
