My COVID-19 Vaccine Experience

  About two weeks ago, I completed my COVID-19 dose, granting me immunity (in theory). Of course, vaccination is just one step to safety during this pandemic, but it improves the ability to plan.

However, many people do not even have access to the vaccine across the world. Some people cannot safely receive a vaccine. Because of this inequity, I believe everyone should get the COVID-19 vaccine if they can safely do so. To encourage others to do so, I offer my own experiences receiving the vaccine.  

This story unfolded over the past few weeks as follows:

January 16^th  – shot 1
February 20^th  – shot 2 (actual date)
February 21^st  – recover from shot 2 symptoms

In early 2021, I learned that my parents and I were eligible for a vaccine because of my muscle condition. (Oregon Health Authority directly emailed me.) Thanks to my dad’s efficient planning skills, we scheduled our dose 1 of the Moderna vaccine for Jan 16^th at a drive-through clinic. (There was no Pfizer vaccine available at the vaccination site.) We checked in with the volunteers early, waited in line for 20 minutes, and quickly and painlessly received our shots. They had us wait 15 minutes to make sure no symptoms came up. Nothing out of the ordinary happened, other than a sore arm the next day.

Dose 2 was by far more dreaded for me because of what I had heard. Oregon’s own bizarre wintry storm, coating the area in a blend of snow and ice, delayed this dose as I feared. Fortunately for us, we were automatically rescheduled to February 20^th. This still fit into the 4-6 week window between doses. Unsurprisingly, the process of getting Dose 2 was similar to Dose 1. We waited for 15 minutes as per usual.

Something was strange. At the time, I noticed a dull but fiery sensation in my shoulder close to my neon green band-aid. My shoulder felt perhaps twice the intensity of discomfort I would expect from a flu shot. The rest of the day I waited uncertainly at home for the onset of symptoms. All was uneasy…until I woke up on Sunday sometime before sunrise feeling sharper muscle pains in my shoulders/arms and a throbbing headache. I fell back asleep.

Properly awake around 9 am, I went for my daily walk. But I battled dizziness for ten minutes before returning home and resolving to rest. My mom faced similar symptoms but more challenging, while my dad felt few effects. Occasionally, I moved around – such as when I grabbed water for my mom – but felt the eruption of sharp twinges of pain each time. For most of the day, a difficult headache sapped my focus, preventing me from doing anything other than perhaps mindlessly listening to a video or some music. This caused me great frustration because…I had a 20-minute keynote speech to give (over Zoom) at my Toastmasters meeting the next day. (The meeting had, like the dose 2, been pushed off because of the snow.) For those wondering, I did stave off my headache and practice once with hopes of one more session before bed. Instead, I had to call it a night around 10 pm after the sudden emergence of variable but occasionally intense chest pain forced me to call it a night.

On Day 2, my mom and I had largely improved. My chest pains worryingly stuck around, along with a moderate-intensity headache, but I was committed to giving my speech. I practiced multiple times during the day, moving past the disruptive discomfort, and delivered my speech at Toastmasters that evening. As I had promised. I clocked in at a heavy 22 minutes, bringing my vaccine saga to a close.

Many people I know cannot yet get the vaccine – whether they are in North America or other parts of the world.  I wanted to share my experiences so people can be encouraged to receive the vaccine. The vaccine is not a perfect resolution for the pandemic, but it is critical for our individual and collective health.

The vaccine helps bring this devastating pandemic to an end. Please get it when you can!