Post vaccine panic

Been there.

What helped me was giving myself time allowances. Like I knew that it was completely normal to have a fever and feel really awful for a day or two after the vaccine, and also that those reactions occasionally can occur up to a week afterward. So I told myself that I would not worry about things I felt within a week.

Per my LLMD's suggestion, I drank plenty of water and electrolytes, and jammed antioxidants before and after the vaccine for a few days (glutathione, vitamin C, quercetin, zinc, etc.).

Historically, my immune system activates and performs fine (to process a vaccine or fight off a virus) but then has trouble knowing when to shut off and starts attacking other things (myositis, neurological inflammation, etc.). Does this happen to you? I resumed my immune-modulating and anti-inflammatory herbs a few days post-vaccine (paused them before and after, so as to allow my immune system to react fully to the vaccine itself) to make sure I would not have that over-reaction. (Curcumin, quercetin, bromelain, medicinal mushroom complex, etc.) These reactions occur for me 2-6 weeks after my immune system is activated, so I told myself I could let go of that worry at the six-week mark. During that time, I was very mindful about stress, sleep, and diet, so that my system would not have any unnecessary challenges. It's great that you are reaching out and actively trying to combat the stress you're feeling.

Like basically everyone else I know, I felt like garbage with a fever for 36 hours after the vaccine, and then back to baseline. That was over two months ago. Looking back, it wasn't too bad. I felt terrible, but I knew it would be brief and that I wasn't sick with anything contagious, so it was way better than actually being sick. I just enjoyed some movies, popsicles, and seltzer for a couple of days.

And it's really nice to feel safer.

Also I forgot to answer your question. I do take supplements but like you I didn’t take anything today, just to allow my immune system to do it’s thing. Also I’m eating lots of veggies and fruit, drinking water and my detox tea 😀

I know what you mean, CQ. I was scared, too - of what COVID would do to me, and of what the vaccine might do. I'm deeply averse to doing anything that might destabilize any hard-won health and reliability I have. People don't get it. What I kept telling myself was that if I did react poorly in a long-term way (a short-term flare was acceptable to me in exchange for protection from COVID) then I already had ideas for what to do. (I made a list!) I would not have been back at square one, now that I know more about the processes at play in my body. I didn't have a flare, either short- or long-term, fortunately, but it felt good to have the list.

How are you feeling today?

I should note that I got the J&J shot because it was the first one available to me. It was administered at the end of the day from a clinic with leftover doses. The next morning (about 12 hours later) I woke up with a fever to the news that the J&J vaccine has been suspended due to safety concerns! As we all know now, the clotting condition associated with it is extremely rare, and much less of a risk than COVID, but at that moment, I was not pleased!

Thank you both for your responses. They made me feel so much better!
Except for my arm that is still sore, I seem to be back to normal (although it terrifies me to write this as I don't want to tempt fate, haha).

So glad to hear you’re doing ok cauliflower!