Covid-- difference between shots 1 and 2?

Gunner - My wife is on oral chemo and estrogen meds and had the two shot Pfizer vaccine. First shot was fine, second shot, she was tired and out of sorts the next day but fine after that. Her oncologist was clear, get the vaccine when you can as you need it more than some minor side effects. She said Covid would not be a pretty picture if you got it with a compromised immune system.

Cheryl is getting her 2nd Pfizer shot later today. So far, no SE!!! (G).

I'll update later. My 2nd shot is scheduled for Sunday morning.

We are targeting life to quasi-resume first week in April.

Mel

Good luck, Mel. I hope you both tolerate the second shot well.
By the way, in an earlier post I mentioned my 65-year-old sister in Tennessee who developed COVID with pneumonia 3 days after her first shot (not caused by the shot, of course. She obviously was already developing the disease when she was vaccinated. Just an odd case of bad timing).
Thankfully, after about four days in the hospital on Remdesivir, steroids, and other medications, plus oxygen, she is home as of yesterday. She's still on a bit of oxygen, but she's doing well and recovering.
Her husband, who had been vaccinated several weeks earlier, was the only one in the household who did not develop symptomatic COVID. Their 30-year-old daughter and her two kids, who are living there while the husband is on military assignment, all developed symptomatic COVID. The daughter wasn't admitted, but is on steroids, antibiotics, and an inhaler. The two little ones fought fever and other symptoms for a couple of days but are now OK.
It's definitely a disease to avoid.

compiler said...
Clock:

So glad to read your sister is doing better. It is very sobering to read of real-life experiences with this disease. Otherwise, things become very abstract, including the horrible hospitalization/death large numbers. The idiots that party while refusing to wear masks need to read these accounts.

Mel

Yes, Mel, I wish the maskless idiots had some basic understanding and/or thoughtfulness but alas. Clock's story reminded me of what unfortunately happened to my step-mother. She was diagnosed with COVID a couple of days after her first shot. It supposedly was a "mild" case but she took a turn for the worse and died a week later despite some heroic efforts to save her. She was in a memory care facility and then in the hospital. She was 89 but, other than the memory issues, she was in excellent health. This disease is nothing to fool around with.

And now Spring Breakers partying hard and still a bunch of folks who refuse to be vaccinated. Sigh.

Jim

Hello, Clocknut ---

Thankful for your sister's recovery in Tennessee. It really impacted your sister's household, to be sure.

My folks got corona last August. My sister took my dad to the emergency room, and caught corona subsequently.

Dad - a leukemia and prostate cancer survivor, was on oxygen and hospitalized for 2 months.

On a day that he was fading away, he received an emergency transfusion of convalescent plasma from a corona survivor, and finally rallied.

Dad needed skilled rehabilitation in the hospital before he could return home. The doctors said his recovery was a miracle.

My folks and sister have gotten much better --- but there are lingering side effects --- some occasional "brain fog" and fatigue.

Dad goes on daily walks around the city park, to rebuild his strength from spending 2 months in the hospital.

My sister --- younger than me --- says she doesn't feel as focused and mentally sharp as she was before she caught corona.

My family's story, back in my Midwestern hometown, was enough to encourage many to seek out the vaccine, as soon as possible.

I have lost 3 friends in recent months --- and also one work colleague of mine from the school where I teach --- due to corona. The vaccine simply wasn't ready in time for them ...

I was thankful to receive the two-dose PFIZER recently. A day of malaise afterwards was my personal sign that the vaccine was already WORKING to my benefit. Peace of mind followed ...

I now know I have done all I can to protect myself, my family, friends, neighbors, school students, and fellow teachers & staff at my school.

Thankful, very thankful, for your sister's recovery, Clocknut! It means a lot to me to hear that!

Best to each and all ---
C-Y-C-L-O-N-E ~ # Iowa State University

OK, no new SE for my wife. In summation, very slight headache, arrested with a quick ibuprofin. It might have even been a sinus headache, unrelated to the vaccine.
I had mine this morning, about 6 1/2 hours ago. The needle hurt a bit more this time: a slight sting for an entire second!! That's it...so far.

Mel

On a related note: I wonder if we sometimes ascribe some little ills as SE when they aren't.

For example, after shot 1, I ran a 99.5 degree fever in the late afternoon. But I felt fine and for me if I'm moving around a 99.2 degree temp is not that unusual and it usually goes down a few hours later, as this did. SE? If I had to guess, I would say 60-40 NO.

Cheryl had shot #2. She does get sinus headaches this time of year (changing weather). She felt one starting and a quick ibuprofin stopped it. SE? She thinks...totally... MAYBE (50-50).

By the way, my last post referred to my shot #2 this morning and I indicated no SE. Soooo...I then shut down my laptop and was putting it away. I brushed against something and...OUCH! Pretty sore...that arm!

Mel

Pfizer second shot on Saturday, really sleepy and low grade fever Sunday afternoon. Sunday evening fever is gone. My immune ststem is trained

Update:
Had my 2nd shot Sun. morning. After 1st shot, I had a 99.5 temp for a few hours. Wasn't sure if it was even a reaction. Well, this time I had a 99.8 temp and felt feverish/tired for about 4 hrs. Monday evening.

That's it. 2 more weeks until...yippee.

Mel

Update: about 4 days after the shot, I noticed some low level swelling and tenderness in my axillary lymph nodes on the side where I got the shot. What I've found is that this isn't an uncommon side effect, and can last up to 4 weeks. Shot 2 is April 10.

Thanks Jim. This virus is no hoax and while we are doing well with vaccinations, we are not out of the woods. I am in Manhattan most of the week and am happy to report maybe 99% of people are wearing masks in the street and public transport.
I get Moderna shot two on Tuesday.

Glen

Wife and i had #1 Moderna about three weeks ago. nothing really for me for SE other than day 2 pain in the arm. Not the actual injection point but IN the arm. Wife had covid rash, looks like 3 inch red ringed boil BELOW the injection site. Went away about five days later. We’ll get shot #2 next week.

Reading about some of the falls people have had, I have read that a side effect can be LOW blood pressure. So, sometimes getting up quickly or early in the AM or just moving about much can result in some light headedness and even blacking out and then of course falling. So, caution.

Also, I’ve read that it’s better to take Tylenol (acetaminaphine) vs. Ibuprofen for any pain or fever as the later will actually REDUCE some of the immune response inflammation that is occurring and wanted? They actually say to stop taking anything like this 24-48 hours prior and not for 48 hours after getting a shot if possible.

JNF said...
Jim, in our county allocations have been low so tough to get and usually the Pfizer. Our local CVS had a few early doses and used them for nursing homes, same with our local Walgreens. But nothing on their websites for a couple of months.

A few of our docs have suggested waiting for the J&J so that is what we will do. Most likely will happen within the next few weeks.

Jack, I guess I just checked CVS at a lucky time. Almost all cities had availability; must have just opened up for the day. Good luck. When you do get vaccinated you will feel a sense of liberation!

Jim