{"id":5877,"date":"2021-03-23T22:03:43","date_gmt":"2021-03-23T22:03:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/wellness\/?p=5877"},"modified":"2021-03-23T22:03:50","modified_gmt":"2021-03-23T22:03:50","slug":"my-personal-vaccine-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/wellness\/blog\/my-personal-vaccine-experience\/","title":{"rendered":"My Personal Vaccine Experience"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_blurb image=”https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/wellness\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2021\/03\/IMG_8422-scaled.jpg” content_max_width=”100%” admin_label=”Intro Blurb” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” width=”100%”]<\/p>\n

I got the vaccine for\u00a0<\/span><\/span>numerous<\/span><\/span>\u00a0reasons which all\u00a0<\/span>outweighed<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>the side effects for me<\/span><\/span><\/a>. I trust science and the vaccines. I also want to protect not only my friends and family, but my fellow humans in general who\u00a0<\/span><\/span>aren\u2019t<\/span><\/span>\u00a0yet, or\u00a0<\/span><\/span>can\u2019t<\/span><\/span>\u00a0be vaccinated.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_blurb][et_pb_blurb title=”My First Dose ” content_max_width=”100%” admin_label=”1st Dose Blurb” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” width=”100%”]<\/p>\n

M<\/span>y first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine I had very mild side effects. I received my vaccine in the middle of the day<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0and by the end<\/span>\u2013<\/span>my arm s<\/span>tarted<\/span>\u00a0feeling sore<\/span>\u00a0(this is normal)<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>My arm felt worse the second\u00a0<\/span>day and<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>continued to\u00a0<\/span>hurt<\/span>\u00a0until I went to bed that<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>following night<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>totaling around<\/span>\u00a015 hours<\/span>\u00a0o<\/span>f<\/span>\u00a0soreness.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A<\/span>bout a week later I got what is known as\u00a0<\/span>COVID<\/span><\/b>\u00a0arm<\/span><\/b><\/a>.<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span>It is a mild<\/span>\u00a0rash that starts as a circle around the injection site<\/span>. F<\/span>or me, it<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>gradually got bigger for about 5 days<\/span>\u00a0until\u00a0<\/span>the rash\u00a0<\/span>covered\u00a0<\/span>most of<\/span>\u00a0my forearm<\/span>. It was<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>not as<\/span>\u00a0itchy as a\u00a0<\/span>mosquito bite<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>and\u00a0<\/span>it\u00a0<\/span>went away after a few days\u00a0<\/span>after<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>its<\/span>\u00a0peak<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

PRO TIP:\u00a0<\/span>I put a little anti itch cream on it and that helped a lot<\/span>\u00a0with the irritation.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

After\u00a0<\/span><\/span>receiving<\/span><\/span>\u00a0my first dose of the vaccine,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0I had some mild side effects<\/span><\/span>\u00a0None of which prevented me from doing any of my day-to-day tasks.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>I\u00a0<\/span><\/span>wasn\u2019t<\/span><\/span>\u00a0worried\u00a0<\/span><\/span>for my second\u00a0<\/span><\/span>dose and I<\/span><\/span>\u00a0prepared the best I could\u00a0<\/span><\/span>beforehand<\/span><\/span>\u00a0by asking others what they experienced. I found that to be\u00a0<\/span><\/span>extremely helpful,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0so<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>here is<\/span><\/span>\u00a0m<\/span><\/span>y<\/span><\/span>\u00a0story on getting vaccinated.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_blurb][et_pb_blurb title=”My Second Dose Vaccination Timeline ” content_max_width=”100%” admin_label=”2nd Dose Blurb” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” width=”100%”]<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

I got the vaccine on a Thursday at noon<\/strong>, and by about 10:00 or 11:00 pm I started to not feel the best. I started to get some chills and mild body aches.<\/span>\u00a0Luckily it was\u00a0<\/span>late,<\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>I\u00a0<\/span>was already<\/span>\u00a0headed to bed<\/span>\u2013<\/span>hoping to sleep\u00a0<\/span>off<\/span>\u00a0many of the side effects.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I fell asleep like normal<\/span>, but I a<\/span>woke up around 2:00 or 3:00 am with\u00a0<\/span>worsening<\/span>\u00a0body aches<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0chills<\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>night\u00a0<\/span>sweats.<\/span>\u00a0I also was starting to feel feverish, so I got up and took some acetaminophen to help with my\u00a0<\/span>low-grade<\/span>\u00a0fever and body aches. I then went back to bed.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When I woke up on Friday morning<\/strong>, I\u00a0<\/span>felt\u00a0<\/span>sweatier than\u00a0<\/span>before<\/span>\u00a0and my body aches were<\/span>\u00a0even<\/span>\u00a0worse. I took more acetaminophen to help with the aches and\u00a0<\/span>help with\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>low-grade<\/span>\u00a0fever.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

By around 2:00 pm on Friday<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0I no longer had any body\u00a0<\/span>aches<\/span>\u00a0and my fever\u00a0<\/span>was almost completely gone.\u00a0<\/span>I started to feel\u00a0<\/span>much<\/span>\u00a0better the rest of the day<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>besides feeling<\/span>\u00a0a little groggy and f<\/span>atigued<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That night I still felt very mild chills. I woke up a few times in the night\u00a0<\/span>due to the night sweats causing me to feel\u00a0<\/span>extremely cold. I changed pajamas and blankets and went to back to bed.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When I woke up Saturday morning<\/strong>, I felt\u00a0<\/span>very slow<\/span>\u00a0and not quite right<\/span>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>I\u00a0<\/span>later\u00a0<\/span>realized that\u00a0<\/span>I was dehydrated<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>After drinking water and a bunch of\u00a0<\/span>Gatorade<\/span>, to help with electrolytes, I felt much better.\u00a0<\/span>This brou<\/span>ght me up to a total of\u00a0<\/span>52<\/span>\u00a0hours and then I was feeling<\/span>\u00a0100%<\/span>\u00a0b<\/span>ack to normal.<\/span>\u00a0Because I became so dehydrated<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0it took me a little longer than m<\/span>ost<\/span>\u00a0people\u00a0<\/span>to recover.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

T<\/span>oday,\u00a0<\/span>about\u00a0<\/span>four weeks later, the only\u00a0<\/span>sign of having the vaccine is a pale bruise and the peace of mind knowing I\u2019ve done my part to keep others safe.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

Knowing that I would get these symptoms would I still get the vaccine? My answer YES<\/span>\u2013<\/span>ABSOLUTELY! While I didn\u2019t feel good for about a day and a half, the lasting effects of COVID-19\u00a0<\/span>could be much worse.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_blurb][et_pb_blurb title=”What I Learned” content_max_width=”100%” admin_label=”What I Learned Blurb” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default” width=”100%”]<\/p>\n

If\u00a0<\/span>I<\/span>\u00a0h<\/span>ad I worked harder at staying hydrated<\/span>\u2013<\/span>I would have felt better much sooner. So, if you find that you get chills mixed with sweat, have an electrolyte drink and lots of water on hand.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are some tips that helped me:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Stay hydrated<\/span><\/b>\u00a0with water and if needed a drink with electrolytes<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Plan ahead<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/b>to stay in bed or on the couch for about a day<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Have medication<\/span><\/b>\u00a0on hand<\/span><\/b>,<\/span>\u00a0such as Tylenol<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Know who to\u00a0<\/span>call if your symptoms become much worse<\/span><\/b>\u00a0or last more t<\/span>han a few\u00a0<\/span>days<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Others that I know that got the\u00a0<\/span>Moderna<\/span>\u00a0vaccine\u00a0<\/span>experienced<\/span>\u00a0similar side effects as myself. They did not have any problems with\u00a0<\/span>sweating<\/span>\u00a0but<\/span>\u00a0had all the other<\/span>\u00a0side\u00a0<\/span>effects,<\/span>\u00a0such as feeling achy, fatigued and feverish<\/span>. All of them felt much better sooner than 48 hours after the time of the vaccine<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0and most within 24 hours.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Have questions or concerns about your COVID-19 vaccine?\u00a0<\/span>Contact Ask-A-Nurse<\/span><\/a>\u00a0at\u00a0<\/span>askanurse@winona.edu<\/span><\/a>\u00a0or 507.457.2292.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2013 Alice Bygd \u201823<\/b>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_blurb][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I got the vaccine for\u00a0numerous\u00a0reasons which all\u00a0outweighed\u00a0the side effects for me. I trust science and the vaccines. I also want to protect not only my friends and family, but my fellow humans in general who\u00a0aren\u2019t\u00a0yet, or\u00a0can\u2019t\u00a0be vaccinated.\u00a0My first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine I had very mild side effects. I received my vaccine in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":67,"featured_media":5880,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[729,1],"tags":[728,730],"class_list":["post-5877","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-covid-19","category-wellness-blog","tag-covid-19","tag-vaccine"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/wellness\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2021\/03\/IMG_8422-scaled.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7PQJv-1wN","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/wellness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5877","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/wellness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/wellness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/wellness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/67"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/wellness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5877"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/wellness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5877\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5888,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/wellness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5877\/revisions\/5888"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/wellness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5880"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/wellness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5877"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/wellness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5877"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/wellness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5877"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}