Vaccine Update

Hello everyone!

As promised; I’m here to update everyone on my third Covid-19 vaccine!

You’ll be happy to hear that the worst part of it all was the weather that day. I feel completely fine, I’ve suffered no side effects save a bit of a sore arm.

Booking this booster was far easier and faster than it had been in the past. Within three minutes of making the call I was off the phone with a confirmation email waiting in my inbox. I also had time within that call to make sure that I was getting Pfizer.

All of my shots have been the same, and that has been a deliberate choice intended to make travel easier when the time comes. Although in Canada we only regularly hear about five vaccines (Pfizer, Moderna, J&J, AstraZeneca, and Sputnik), there are, as far as I can tell, thirteen other vaccines; most of which North American doesn’t use. I’m not sure how other governments around the world will react to one vaccine or the other but it’s my guess that many of them won’t react well to vaccine mixing, and I can’t imagine they’ll favour the unvaccinated, either.

I’ve ensured all of my shots have been Pfizer, just in case.

As for the shot itself, I did test out the theory that if you swing your arm in circles it helps lessen the tenderness.

It works, though I recommend waiting until your appointment is over until you start.

I was doing it as I sat for the requisite fifteen minutes after the shot and, though I kept my arm rather tucked in so as not to completely knock out some unsuspecting passerby, I fear it might have alarmed the staff. A nurse came over to ask me if I was alright! I explained that I was perfectly fine; that I’d heard a rumour of this helping. He confirmed that it would and that gently massaging the injection site helps a bit, too. I gave both a try, not anything beyond that first fifteen minutes, and I’m happy to report my arm is much less sore after this booster than it was after the first and second shot when I didn’t do the, shall we call them, ‘arm circles’. They’re exactly as you did when you were a child in gym class. The big kind, but only one arm!

For those of us who have periods, we may have a bit of a different experience. I was told that the vaccines, irregardless of which dose or brand you were receiving, made your next period pains worse. I did experience this, but only after one of the vaccines.

Usually I’m a bit uncomfortable during my periods. I pop a pill and relax for the first day, which is always the worst, and by that evening or the next day I’m near back to normal. I didn’t notice any changes after the first vaccine, or this booster.

It was the period after my second shot that hit the hardest. My mother commented on how pale I was, and the cramps were sometimes so sudden and sharp that I could do nothing but stay still, doubled over in pain, unable to walk or move for about ten seconds while I rode it out. I’ve experienced cramps like that before, but the space between periods as bad as that is one of years. I wish that kind of pain on no one.

Should irregular periods have been included as part of the possible side effects?

Absolutely.

Am I shocked that it wasn’t?

No. Medicine has a bad habit of treating male bodies like the default. Don’t believe me? Maybe you’ll believe Time magazine. Or this professor. Or this study. Or maybe this study.

Do I think that a painful period is enough cause to rethink a life saving vaccine?

I should have thought the answer obvious. I went back for thirds, didn’t I?

Luckily this booster has barely affected me. In fact, I even did a spontaneous cleaning of my bedroom when I returned home from the shot. It wasn’t a quick tidy either, it was dusting, vacuuming, the works! The little ache in my arm didn’t hinder me at all, and the only truly disappointing thing about getting my booster was that I didn’t get a sticker afterwards!

I think they were saving them for the kids, which is fine.

I guess.

It’s not like I was looking forward to it or anything.

If you’re hesitant to get this vaccine, I highly encourage you to speak to your doctor about it. A conversation won’t do any harm, and it might help put your mind at ease about the whole situation.

I’ll be back to my regular posts on December 17th, until then wear a mask, was your hands, talk to your doctors, and stay safe gentle reader.

Again, if you’re reading this as someone who is vaccine hesitant, I highly encourage you to speak to your doctor about the vaccine.

I’ll be back to my regular posts on December 21st!

Wear a mask, wash your hands, and stay safe gentle reader.