My Moderna Moment
Hey folks!
I know! I know! It's been a while since I posted last. It's been a long, long while. I admit that and I'm sorry.
My life has been so crazy with this whole pandemic and I reached a breaking point where I put my focus on fiction writing instead of nonfiction. I mainly did it because I really needed an escape, as I'm sure many of you did since binge watching is up.
We are slowly coming out of this pandemic. People are still getting sick, but the vaccine seems to be helping to slow the spread.
Today was my first official day of being immune. I celebrated by going to the supermarket because we ran out of milk. I wore my mask and mostly because I have a 13 yr old to protect until she gets her shot (we are planning this as soon as she is off from school).
But my real reason for donning a mask? It has also become a habit to wear one! I feel kinda weird not having one on--almost naked in a sense since I've been wearing one for over a year now.
My other thing is that my life hasn't really changed all that much either. I've always been a homebody. We don't even vacation really. We have averaged maybe one day-trip every five years for the past 20 years of marriage so yeah--we don't get out all that much!
The only thing that has really changed was how long it took me to get over the side effects of the shot. There is ZERO information out there for fibromites. Frankly, I didn't think they'd do a lot of research on the side effects for people with fibromyalgia because there were so many other pressing issues to deal with first when it came to this awful disease.
As you know, I am very truthful and I try to give all of y'all the best and most accurate information there is out there. But with this? I can only give you my experiences.
Having said that, I believe it is important for you to know what happened to me because it might put your mind at ease and go out and get the shot. I know a lot of people have doubts and that is the reason why I want to post my experience.
When I went and got the first shot I didn't feel any side effects the first day with the exception of an itchy arm from where the bandage was. But by day two my arm hurt to the point where I couldn't lift it, I was extremely tired, achy, and was in a bit of a fog. As some of you know, I'm not all that into taking meds. I don't even like Advil and will avoid it if I can. Especially since OTC pain meds wouldn't help with the type of pain I was experiencing. Soreness is not something that Tylenol or Advil can help me with. If I am experiencing a sprain the Advil will work to reduce swelling, but that's really all those things do for me. So I opted to not use an OTC. The soreness and fatigue lasted for almost a solid five days for me and then the side effects went away. This whole time I could still function--but I was a bit slower than normal. It was basically like having a flare for me so it wasn't an "out of the ordinary" experience for me at all.
Once I scheduled the second shot, I started to prepare myself for another five days of being mostly in bed. I had a LOT of deadlines for my fiction writing so I tried to get as much as I could done before that second prick. My husband, one who was considered high risk so he got his WAY BACK in March, had slept for 18 hours after he had the second dose. Given what he experienced, I figured I'd fair far worse because I had an unusual experience with my first time around. But? The second was a breeze compared to the first!
I still had side effects. I slept most of the second day away and my arm was sore but by day three I was feeling MUCH better! Little to no soreness than what I normally get with my fibro.
During these two weeks after my second shot, I have reached out to other fibromites I've become friends with due to this blog. I was curious about their experiences with getting the shot. They all said they had trouble with either the first or the second one where they felt the effects lasting a bit longer than their non-fibro partners. This could be the fibro because we all know that fibro hits all of us in a different way. However, it can also be for another interesting reason and for the information on the study, you can find it here (https://www.miamiherald.com/news/coronavirus/article250667914.html).
I did not have Covid as far as I know. If I did, I was asymptomatic and would not have had a clue to get tested--hence--I'm glad we've all been masking up if I did! But here's the thing--I believe that I got hit "worse" the first time because I have fibromyalgia. I was still able to function with the first shot I just felt like I had a flare. It was really the second one where I experienced what everyone else has that I've talked to.
AGAIN--I can't say this will be your experience. And I can't say if that's a normal reaction for fibro sufferers. All I can offer you is my experience and gentle hugs once you get your shot in the arm.
Stay fabulous y'all!
Amanda Kimberley
