COVID-19 Vaccine Shot #2

Last month, I was fortunate enough to receive my first shot of the COVID-19 vaccine. A part of the vaccination process is to go back in 3-4 weeks (depending on which brand you get) for your second dose. A few weeks ago, I went in for mine.

For shot #1, I didn’t have any side effects other than a sore arm, which is pretty normal for someone who didn’t have COVID. But I had been hearing through the grapevine (from co-workers who got their second doses before me) that the side effects from shot #2 were especially brutal.

But I’m getting ahead of myself, let me back up.

SCHEDULING YOUR SECOND DOSE

In New York State, where I got my vaccine, after your first shot, you are automatically scheduled for your second dose 28 days later – at the same time and same place. I got a notification of the scheduling a few days after my first appointment.

If the auto-scheduled date and time didn’t work for me, I could go into the system and attempt to reschedule but knowing how hard these appointments are to get, I made sure my schedule worked around my vaccine appointment.

WHAT TO BRING TO THE APPOINTMENT

The vaccine card that you received during your first shot. This was the only identification they accepted, so if you forget this – you probably won’t be able to get your appointment.

A consent form – this will be sent to you with your appointment confirmation email. Full disclosure: I was not as organized for this appointment and forgot to print and fill it out beforehand, but I was able to quickly complete the form during my check-in process

I explained what to wear to your appointment in my first post, but just as a reminder wear a face mask and loose-fitting sleeves or anything that gives them easy access to your upper arm

THE APPOINTMENT

My appointment was super smooth. Even smoother than my first appointment, presumably because of the rush of the first group of eligible people after healthcare workers had subsided.

It was check-in, shot, and then a 15-minute waiting period to ensure I didn’t have any allergic reactions to the vaccine.

POST-APPOINTMENT

After shot #1, it wasn’t until several hours after that I felt the tenderness. Not true for shot #2. I felt the soreness in my arm within only an hour after my appointment. By hour 4, my arm was incredibly sore and I was reaching for the pain killers (over-the-counter of course). My shoulder range was limited to 15 degrees without serious pain. Throughout the night, I kept icing my arm and drinking water.

The day after my appointment, I felt fine, a little more tired than usual but nothing like the headaches and fevers my coworkers were telling me about. To ease my arm pain, I tried Dr. Teal’s body wash – because I don’t have a bath in my apartment. I rubbed that on my arm in a hot shower 4-5 times and it helps so much for at least 4-5 hours.

That was until 5:00 am on day #3, when I woke up in feverish pain. For an entire hour, I was wide awake, my whole body aching. This was not unlike my other two experiences with a nasty flu – once in early 2018, the other in late 2019.

While it sounded like I had the flu, I only had the symptoms of the flu and was not actually contagious. This was confirmed by the health practitioner administering my vaccine.

I was finally able to go back to sleep and I woke up drenched in sweat but feeling the most like myself in the past day and a half. And after that, nothing – no arm pain, fever, or nausea.

For the next few days, I felt more tired and sluggish than usual. I was able to work, but I didn’t feel motivated to do much more than spending a long weekend on the couch in my comfies, watching Bridgerton, which I didn’t feel bad about for a minute.

I want to point out something important - while I experienced negative side effects, none of them compared to the reality of suffering from COVID-19, the pain of transmitting it to others, or the guilt of taking up space in an emergency room. I share my experience with you, negative side effects, and all so that you have all the information you need to be prepared for the vaccine.

When I woke up on Monday, I felt completely normal, grateful, and relieved.

My side effects had subsided.

I felt grateful that I was able to get this vaccine so quickly after it was released. I am thankful that my side effects were limited to fatigue and a 60-minute fever.

I felt relief that I will very likely not suffer from COVID-19 but also that we as a society are one step closer to getting out of the pandemic.

These websites can help you find an available vaccine appointment in the US:

FindAShot.org: “A community service project that checks for COVID-19 vaccine appointment availability at pharmacies nationwide.”

VaccineFinder.org: “This website includes the latest information on COVID-19 vaccine availability at certain providers and pharmacies in Alaska, Tennessee, Indiana, Iowa, Oklahoma, Utah, and New York State (excluding NYC). In other states, information may be limited while more providers and pharmacies are added in the coming weeks.”

HIDrb.com: A standby list for COVID vaccine appointments. “Sometimes, patients have to cancel their vaccination appointments, leaving unused doses at the end of the day. You can sign up to receive text message notifications when they become available near you.”

Tips for Finding and Scheduling a COVID Vaccine Appointment:

Check back often! More appointments open up as more vaccines are shipped and appointments are loaded into providers' systems. Availability changes every few minutes.

Visit your local health department's website for the most inclusive list of your area’s vaccine locations. The websites listed above are helpful but don’t always include all of your available options.

Be aware of your eligibility status. Every state has different rules right now. Use your state’s health department link to find out where you stand.

And this one is hard...be patient. President Biden has publicly committed to having every adult in the US vaccinated by May 1st and the Federal government has ordered enough vaccines to fully vaccinate each person in the country about 1.9 times. As production ramps up and logistics become more organized, more and more vaccines will be available.