The Second Dose

This morning, I woke up and realized I am Officially. Fully. Vaccinated. It has been two weeks since my second dose. And it's just in time for my students to come back to school Mondays through Fridays, starting next week.

 

You might remember my first shot was easy peasy. This time around, not so much.

 

It was to be expected. Prior to my second shot, I took an informal poll. Most of my forty-something friends were having reactions that lasted a few days.

My twenty and thirty-something friends said, "Oh, you’ll be fine after a day!"

 

(Do they realize I’m in my forties? And that I don't bounce back quite as quickly as I used to?)

Actually, as part of my extensive scientific research, which mostly consisted of reading website lists of the strangest allergic reactions imaginable, I did discover that younger adults tended to experience more severe side effects than the elderly, probably due to the younger population's more "vigorous" immune systems.

 

After my second shot, I concluded that—spoiler alert—a) I have a vigorous immune system and b) I must be considered part of the "younger" crowd.

 

It's a bizarre thing to be able to plan your sickness. Judging from what my middle-aged friends had told me, I had a pretty good guess as to how long I would be incapacitated. 

 

The day before my vaccination appointment, I found out that my brother and nephews were going to be in Boise that weekend and wanted to eat lunch with us at our neighborhood park. I told my husband, Dan, that if I couldn't make it, he had to go in my place. 

"But I might have to take care of you," Dan said.

"I think I can take care of myself for an hour or so." 

 

I reminded him that I did take care of myself in college when I got a bad strain of the flu. I was down for seven days with a 103-degree temperature, and I was living in a dorm room all by myself. I think I slept for the entire week, and the only person who checked on me was the doctor who had treated me at the student health clinic. I probably could have died.

"It doesn't sound like you were very good at taking care of yourself," Dan said.

 

The Night Before

 

My biggest concern was that I would not enjoy my food for a few days.

 

That night for my "last meal," I ate pizza and drank Huckleberry Cider. The next morning, Dan asked if I wanted waffles, and I ate lunch as soon as I came home from the appointment while food still sounded good.

 

The Day Of

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I received my shot Saturday morning and started feeling effects within two hours. I had a terrible ache at the injection site, and I could barely lift my arm. The fatigue set in right away as well. However, I felt well enough to chop vegetables for the following week's meals, and I was able to finish my chores before the weekend was over.

That night, the chills and fever hit. 

 

I have never been so relieved to have a fever since it meant my immune system was working, and I rambled on about it to Dan all night. I had a hard time sleeping (and, consequently, so did Dan), but I was certainly enthusiastic and joyful in my feverish state.

A lot of my friends checked in on me the next couple of days. I must have more friends now than I did in college when I had the flu. Of course, smartphones and texting didn't exist. It was much more difficult to contact people back then.

 

Day One

 

Sunday, I stayed in bed all day with a pretty substantial fever.

 

I didn't hang out with my nephews and brother, a clear indication as to how sick I felt. I never say no to hanging out with my nephews. I scrawled a (possibly coherent) note and made Dan give it to them when he met them at the park. 

 

The morning after my first dose, I ran four miles. This time around, I could barely lift myself out of bed to go to bathroom.

 

I had read that the trick was to drink lots of water and Gatorade. I was soooo thirsty, so I did just that. I still felt crappy. No amount of water and Gatorade could counteract my young and vigorous immune system.

 

 

Day Two

Over night, I felt mildly nauseous.

I took the day off of work. I graduated from the bed to the couch, but I was still running a fever and didn't get up much. 

 

I could lift my arm enough to take a quick shower and wash off some of the sweat. (After these night sweats, I'm not looking forward to menopause, people!) 

 

"You look much more person-y today," Dan observed. 

That evening, I flipped through my food magazines and gazed longingly at the pictures, dreaming of the time when I could enjoy my food again.

 

Day Three

 

On Tuesday, I didn't feel perfect. The fever had broken, but it left behind a bad headache and enough arm pain that I didn't want to carry my guitar to school.

 

I felt good enough to go back at work though.

 

One of my teacher friends asked how I was feeling after my second shot to which I responded, "Well, I didn't do my hair!"

 

Another weird thing: Even though I wasn't running a fever anymore, I still sweated off and on throughout the day. Again, I am not looking forward to menopause . . .

Day Four

I was driving to work Wednesday morning, and it was like something in my body switched off. All of a sudden, I felt perfect.

 

One of my teacher friends had a similar experience. 

 

"I'm not even questioning the witchcraft behind how all that works," he said.

 

That weekend, exactly a week after my COVID shot, I washed all of the clothes I had sweated in. I finally went jogging again. Everything was back to normal . . . well . . . as normal as I ever was.

 

 

I am not sorry I got vaccinated. I am grateful. A few wonky side effects from a vaccine is totally #WorthIt.

 

Check out Part One of my COVID vaccine experience: The First Dose 

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