How the first of two Moderna COVID-19 vaccine shot went for me personally.
Last Monday, 5 April 2021, I received my first 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, how I dealt with my side effects, and other not-so-important things I feel like writing about my past few days.
Below are the subtopics/sections for this post:
Some Important Notes Before I Get Started
This post is wordy. If you don't want to read the entire post, 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
Last week on 29 March 2021, Dad received his first of two Moderna COVID-19 vaccine shot. I hoped we both got our first vaccine shots at the same time, but he was happy it didn't work out that way in case of a worst-case scenario where we were both unable to care for ourselves, one another, and my dogs.
My Dad is in his mid-sixties. He didn't feel anything after his morning vaccine shot but started feeling sore in his injected arm late afternoon.
The next day he felt fine. No soreness. No swelling. No pain. No other common side effects as noted on the CDC's website.
Well, that's not entirely true.
Before his first vaccine shot, he couldn't raise his left arm straight up into the air without feeling pain. Now after being injected in his left arm, he's able to raise it straight up into the air without feeling any pain.
Day One
Last Monday, I also got my vaccine shot early in the morning. The vaccine was injected into my dominant right arm so I would be forced to use it to reduce any pain. It was suggested I kept my arm in motion when possible.
By the way, I'm in my late thirties in case that's helpful to know. I have several minor health issues including hypoglycemia, high blood pressure, B12 deficiency, and stomach-related problems (e.g., gallbladder "sludge," thin/damaged stomach lining, etc.).
I'm sharing some of my health issues with you because I'm not concerned about keeping it secret, but don't expect others writing about their experience to do the same. They have the right to keep their health private. Please respect that.
Maybe sharing my health issues are informative as you research more information about COVID-19 vaccinations. I honestly don't know. Really, I hope my Mom hears about this and realize or remember why I won't eat every weird thing she cooks.
I waited fifteen minutes in the designated waiting room of the vaccine site. My heart felt like it was racing. I don't know if that's because of the vaccine or the fact that I was anxious about being a room full of strangers even though we were all socially distant.
I returned to the car where my Dad and dogs were waiting feeling fine. We headed to Rudy's to grab some breakfast burritos to take home.
As I pulled into the Rudy's parking lot, my right arm went completely numb. My first thought was, 'Oh no, not again.' It's not uncommon for my hands, arms, feet, or legs to go numb in the middle of the night, but it was uncommon for anything to go numb during the day.
While Dad went into the restaurant to get our burritos, I started stretching my arm by reaching into the backseat to pet the dogs. The numbness came and went within a couple minutes or so.
After we ate our breakfast burritos at home, I started cleaning, organizing, and other tasks to keep my injected arm moving. I got irritated and bored with adulting after a few hours. I decided to buy myself a new VR game as a fun way to keep my injected arm moving.
Before I could play the game, I spent an hour or two troubleshooting PC problems. I was getting more irritated as time went on. When I finally had a chance to start playing, my PC crashed. I then realized I was exceptionally moody and easily irritated this day.
I don't know if my moodiness had to do with the vaccine or the fact that I didn't sleep well the night before in anticipation of my first vaccine shot. I do know that it's not time for the Red Fairy to visit me, so I don't believe it was related to my normal monthly moodiness.
While Dad was taking care of the water-cooling explosion that killed my PC, I decided to take a nap. I believe it was around 3PM, seven hours after my vaccine shot. I laid on the couch and closed my eyes.
Resting for a few minutes was a huge mistake! I couldn't nap because my injected arm started feeling stiff and painful. Fortunately, stretching my arm helped relieve some of the stiffness and pain.
I'm not sure if my small dog knew I was in pain, but he climbed onto me and started massaging my injected arm with his paws. It surprisingly felt good and helped relieve some of the stiffness and pain.
Around 5PM, I received a text from the CDC's V-safe to complete a "check-in" on my vaccine health. I voluntarily signed up to complete these surveys to help with their research efforts.
The daily "check-in" was quick to complete and asked about the following:
Overall, did I feel good, fair, or poor?
Did I have a fever or felt feverish that day?
What symptoms did I experience that day and were they mild, moderate, or severe?
Did my symptoms cause me to be unable to work, unable to do my normal activities, or require me to get care from a doctor?
On this first day, the survey asked additional questions about pregnancy status, ethnic group, and race.
I hope I'll receive a survey about the "check-in." I'd recommend sending the "check-in" later in the day, preferably in the evening hours.
That evening I had a low-grade fever, a mild headache, and extreme fatigue. However, I wasn't sure if the fatigue was due to the vaccine shot or lack of sleep from the night prior.
I never felt feverish and only checked my body temperature after my Dad suggested I should do so. I never had chills, so I wouldn't have known I had a low-grade fever if I didn't check.
I also started craving anything salty. I snacked on potato chips that evening to address my craving.
I never mentioned these on the next day's "check-in" because the questions' wording asked about "today's" symptoms. I was never sure if I should've included the overnight side effects in the next day's "check-in."
Day Two
I woke with a mildly sore and stiff injected arm. I spent the first ten minutes stretching it before I got out of bed.
I worked on my laptop for the first half of the day typing/writing, website editing, video editing, and organizing my digital files. I worried working on my laptop wouldn't allow me to move my injected arm enough but typing and using a mouse seemed to help keep the arm from feeling worse.
Fortunately, I played my new Job Simulator VR game on-and-off for the second half of the day. I'd play for about an hour and quit for an hour to prevent myself from developing a migraine. The game encouraged me to keep my arm moving. I found myself throwing objects at robots for fun.
I worried playing the VR game too often would overwork my injected arm, but it didn't seem to have a negative impact. When I wasn't playing the game, I stretched my arm, danced with my 19lb dog in my arms, cleaned something, and massaged my senior dog's arthritic legs.
I had to keep occupied because I was very tired. I forgot to note that in my V-safe "check-in" for the day because I felt no fatigue when I was actively doing something.
Again, I completed the V-safe "check-in" around 5PM. Later that evening, I developed a low-grade fever that went away at some point during the night. I felt extreme fatigue and fought going to bed earlier than normal. I craved something salty and snacked on popcorn to address my craving and stay awake.
Day Three
I woke with a mildly sore arm that I stretched for a few minutes before getting out of bed. The soreness completely disappeared by late morning. I kept stretching throughout the day, but I didn't feel like it was necessary to keep the soreness from returning.
I was tired all day. I decided to take it easy with arm stretches. I spent the day chasing my small dog when he freaked out over the rain showers and watching YouTube videos on my living room TV.
I completed the V-safe "check-in" around 5PM once again. And again, I developed a low-grade fever later that evening.
I also developed stomach pains that evening. I don't know if it's a response to the vaccine shot, a reaction to the homemade chili I ate earlier, or my stomach-related issues I've had for years. I thought I'd mention it anyway in this post.
Day Four (Day of This Post)
I woke normally for the first time this week. I felt no soreness, no stiffness, and no fatigue. I think the side effects I've felt since Day One are finally gone!
My stomach is still in pain at the time of writing this post. I believe it's related to my pre-existing stomach-related problems I've had for years. I spent much of March feeling ill because of these problems.
However, I'm still mentioning the stomach pain in case the vaccine could've triggered it somehow. Then again, it could've been yesterday's homemade chili. The chili tasted great and there's leftovers, so I'll probably eat it again today despite feeling pain.
I've yet to receive a text to complete the V-safe "check-in" at the time of posting this. I won't mention the stomach pain since I believe it's likely related to my pre-existing stomach-related problems.
My Thoughts
As a recap, below were the side effects I had after receiving my first of two Moderna vaccine shot:
Day One: brief numbness, mild swelling around injection site, mild arm soreness, mild arm stiffness, extreme moodiness and irritation, extreme fatigue, low-grade fever, salty cravings
Day Two: mild swelling around injection site, mild arm soreness, mild arm stiffness, extreme fatigue, low-grade fever, salty cravings
Day Three: mild arm soreness, mild fatigue, low-grade fever, moderate stomach pain
Day Four: moderate stomach pain
I still believe the stomach pain is either related to my pre-existing stomach-related problems or yesterday's homemade chili. I mentioned it anyway to honestly share how I've felt the past few days.
I also believe my salty cravings were related to my B12 deficiency. Again, I mentioned it anyway to honestly share how I've felt the past few days.
Who knows? Maybe the vaccine triggered the stomach pains and salty cravings while it spread within me. I don't know. I'm not a health expert. Sometimes I don't even know what I'm talking about.
Keeping my arm moving seemed to help keep my injected arm from getting stiff or feeling sorer than it did. Simple arm stretches throughout the day helped when my arm was feeling stiff or sore.
Dad only had a mildly sore arm for a day and no other side effects after his first vaccine shot last week.
What's Next?
If you found this post interesting or somewhat helpful, check back in a few weeks when I share my experiences after getting my second Moderna COVID-19 vaccine shot. I don't have a date or time for my second vaccine shot yet. I'll receive an email asking me to confirm an availability the county will suggest for me.
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Thanks, and have a great day!
Simply Jelly Jam
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