How the second of two Moderna COVID-19 vaccine shot went for me personally.
Last Wednesday, 5 May 2021, I received my second of two Moderna COVID-19 vaccine shot. I'll share the side effects my Dad experience when he got his first vaccine shot last week, the side effects I personally experienced, and how I dealt with my side effects.
Below are the subtopics/sections for this post:
Some Important Notes Before I Get Started
If you're also curious to know about the effects I experienced after my first vaccine, you can read about when I Got My 1st Moderna COVID-19 Shot. I also shared my age range and some health issues in that blog post in case it's helpful to know.
You can skip to My Thoughts below for a short recap of the side effects I experienced the past few days.
The side effects I experienced may be different for you!!! I'm not a doctor. I don't even know what I'm doing most of the time when I try something. What worked and didn't work for me may or may not work for you.
You can review the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine Overview page through the Center for Disease Control and Prevention website and talk to your doctor if you have any concerns about the side effects that you as an individual may experience.
You know... do the things smart, trustworthy people tell you to do when you have concerns about your health. Research and ask for help or more information from a health professional.
You can also find more information about other COVID-19 vaccines through the Center for Disease Control and Prevention website.
Dad's Experience
Dad received his second and final Moderna COVID-19 vaccine shot in the morning hours of 28 April 2021. This time Dad received the injection in his right, non-dominant arm.
It only took a couple hours before he felt pain around his swollen injection site. This was unlike his first vaccine shot where he felt no side effects. Fortunately, the pain only lasted a couple days.
He was also extremely fatigued for three days. Dad, who typically suffers from insomnia, took two multi-hour naps the first two days of his vaccine shot.
He mistakenly fell asleep on his injected arm and awoke with sharp pain to his arm. Dad claimed massaging the injected area helped ease the pain.
Dad also claimed his sense of smell and taste were "off" the first couple days. Good food didn't taste all that good to him. He also smelled things around the house that I couldn't smell.
Three or four days later, his right elbow started to hurt much in the same way his left arm would hurt prior to getting his first vaccine shot. It was funny to us because we joked about something weird happening to his right arm after the second vaccine shot since his left arm problem was cured after the first vaccine shot.
Otherwise, Dad didn't experience any other side effects. No pain. No fever. No nausea. No other side effects as noted on the CDC's website.
Day One
Last Wednesday, I also got my second and final Moderna vaccine shot early in the morning. The vaccine was injected into my left, non-dominant arm.
My arm was swollen and sore within a half hour of being injected. I didn't expect it to happen so soon, but I was happy my entire arm didn't go completely numb like after my first vaccine shot.
I recalled how keeping my arm in motion helped keep the soreness at a minimum, so I made sure to stretch my arm at the least when I was sitting or lying down. I also kept my arm in motion by playing VR games and crafting.
My sense of smell and taste were extra sensitive. Certain smells, like my Dad's hot coffee, were stronger than most normal days. In fact, I could smell the coffee well from a different room in the house.
Food and drinks tasted different like they consisted of more than the usual amount of ingredients. For example, salted chips tasted unbearably salty for my liking.
The thing that took me by surprise the most was my heart racing and heartburn. Although I didn't eat anything spicy, my chest felt like it does when I eat too much spicy food.
I shared this last side effect with my Dad late afternoon, and he decided to check my blood pressure for grins. He placed the cuff around my right arm so he wouldn't irritate my injected left arm that was still sore at this point.
Yet, when he started the blood pressure measurement machine, it felt like the cuff tightened more than normal. I screamed because I was in pain. My scream took my Dad by surprise. I was in pain. I started yelling at him for attempting to "amputate" my arm as a joke.
Of course, the cuff didn't complete its amputation attempt. I was likely overreacting to the pain I felt when a blood pressure measurement doesn't otherwise hurt. I don't recall the numbers my Dad read to me, but I recall him saying it they were high.
I no longer felt soreness in my injected arm, but my other arm was painful. I also had a headache from the pain I felt during the blood pressure measurement.
That evening I had extreme chills and developed a fever not exceeding 101.8°F. I had muscle pains that made it difficult to move. Since I was laying on the couch, I opted to sleep on it for the night.
Unfortunately, I didn't sleep well or long that night even after I mustered the strength to lay in bed.
Day Two
In addition to the senses' sensitivities, headache, chills, fever, and muscle pain, I spent the day fatigued and nauseous as well. In short, I felt horrible! At least the high blood pressure and heartburn were gone this day.
Because it was a blog post and YouTube upload day for me, I spent the entire morning and much of the afternoon writing and editing video. I didn't anticipate taking so long to do these two things.
I chose a simple, personal blog post topic (Why I Don't Like Celebrating My Birthday) and gameplay video clip (Job Simulator: Auto Mechanic | Completing "Legal" Jobs) for this day because it doesn't normally take me long to complete these. It typically takes me a couple hours or so to write my thoughts about past experiences and another couple of hours to edit and render a short gameplay video.
It took around eight hours to write and edit my blog post, edit and render my video, and upload the completed pieces to their respective websites. This excluded the time spent on drawing sketches and creating a thumbnail image. The sketches took less than a half hour to sketch, ink, and paint the day prior before I started feeling bad. The thumbnail took me a minute to edit a saved template with a new image and text.
The urge to stop frequently and rest increased the time it took me to do what typically takes a significantly less amount of time. I've been told by doctors that I have a high pain tolerance which is likely why I didn't just skip uploading a blog post and YouTube video this one time.
I spent the remainder of the day watching TV and reassuring my old dog that I wasn't dying. Shadow, my fourteen-year-old senior dog, wouldn't leave my side. Shadow would growl at my little dog, Rascal, if he attempted to leave my side for whatever reason.
Shadow tried to knock me back down onto the couch where I've already spent most of the day any time I stood up. If I went to my bedroom to go to my master bathroom, Shadow would block the door to try to keep me by the bed.
My dogs have a way to let me know when they needed to "go" in the backyard. On this day only, they would bark until my Dad came out of his room and ask him to be let out.
Shadow didn't eat anything other than the cheese I wrapped his daily afternoon pill in, and the daily dental treat I gave in the evening. He even turned away "human" food I offered him throughout the day. He spent the day watching me instead of the TV he normally loves to look at when we're not out of the house.
The chills went away, and my fever reduced by the late evening. I was able to sleep well that night.
Day Three
I woke with a mild headache and nausea. My body felt odd like it was restless and couldn't completely relax. I don't know how to describe it. I wasn't in pain and I wasn't fatigued, but I didn't feel normal and had to keep my body moving. I couldn't stay stationary for long.
However, all other side effects from the day prior were gone. No fever. No muscle pains. No sensitive senses.
A part of me wanted to lay down and rest, but I previously had plans to do things and go places.
So, I started the morning by crafting and engraving. By late morning, my Dad, dogs, and grabbed takeout to enjoy at a park. We stayed out for much of the day to my dogs' delight. I choose to believe the fresh air helped my headache go away and Shadow return to his normal self.
I felt like my normal self by the evening. No more nausea. No more sensitivity to smell and taste. No more restlessness or "odd" feeling in my body. My birthday ended well.
My Thoughts
As a recap, below were the side effects I had after receiving my second and final Moderna vaccine shot:
Day One: mild swelling around injection site, mild arm soreness, sensitivity to smell and taste, high blood pressure, heartburn, moderate headache, severe chills, moderate fever, moderate muscle pain
Day Two: sensitivity to smell and taste, moderate headache, mild chills, moderate and low-grade fever, moderate muscle pain, moderate fatigue, moderate nausea
Day Three: mild headache, mild nausea, body felt "odd" or restless
Dad had mild swelling around injection site and severe arm soreness/pain. Dad developed new pain to the elbow of the injected arm. Two weeks later, his elbow continues to hurt when he bends or stretches it to its max.
The second day was the worst day for me. I have a habit of pushing through any pain by completing tasks and chores. However, I'd imagine someone with a lower pain tolerance would need to take a day or two off from school or work to allow the second vaccine take control over the body.
What's Next?
I'm fully vaccinated! Woo-hoo! I'll celebrate by enjoying some arts, crafts, and gaming.
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Thanks, and have a great day!
Simply Jelly Jam
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