Vaccine experiences please!

[Helptonight]

I've had my text, sitting on the fence and need some real experiences. I am early 40's, no health conditions. Not anti vax at all just struggling to decide whether or not to have it. Friends/relatives I have spoken to have experienced side effects (tiredness, fuzzy brain, no energy) since having it even a month or more down the line with 2nd dose being worse (AZ) Some report no reactions at all! I feel like if I am not sure then I shouldn't go ahead? I feel like I want to wait until further down the line before going ahead, is this silly?

@RatInADollhouse

This is exactly right. You said it better than me! There are few, if any, risk free things in life.

@judgej it's not the sane thing at all

Children don't make decisions themselves whether to get the vaccine. Education is a right. Holidays and beers are not. The two are not comparable

One person we know had to take a day off work in bed last week (never taken a day off sick in his life!!!) due to it but is fine now. I think both my siblings were ill for a few days. These are people who are not anti vaxx and are not malingers. So I do think some people genuinely have a had reaction but overall it is pretty safe. It is not for me and so far I have declined it but I now that is a risk balance - if I get bad covid I will be the first person to be reminding myself it was my choice of course.

On this site I have seen support expressed for the idea that a child whose parents refuse the usual childhood jabs should be excluded from some activities, even nursery or school, it's exactly the same situation.

And that would NEVER pass in law. So this shouldn't either. We can't have a 2 tiered society. You'll be suggesting sending all unvaccinated people to Spinalonga next.

I remember a long while back Whitty being very clear - vaccination works so well in the UK because it is voluntary. It has been the same with the flu jab every winter - old and sick and NHS workers offered it but entirely voluntary.

Another reason vaccination won't result in those things is because of the UK discrimination laws - if more BAME people refuse vaccines (they do) then as soon as you bring in those requirements you get discrimination litigation.

Even international travel is likely to involve either vaccination or a negative test. Even that is annoying for me - I have not had a test. i would not mind a saliva one if I don't have to pay but I am not keen to push something against my tonsils.

I’m 61 and had my 2nd AZ vaccine yesterday.

About 16 hours after the first vaccine I felt a bit rough - shivering, flu’y etc. and spent the remainder of the day on the sofa.

It’s now 23 hours after the second vaccine and I feel great- this time around I’ve not had any side effects at all (not even a sore arm).

I feel very privileged and grateful to have had the vaccine.

I’m still recovering from having my first dose of AZ at 6pm on Thursday. I was pretty rough yesterday evening with shivering and feeling very cold and hot and aching badly and tired.

Today I have slept most of the day and feeling a little nauseous, but I am relieved to have had the vaccine and would do it again in a heartbeat. I wouldn’t let fear of any symptoms put you off. The horror stories of catching covid are far worse than for having the vaccine and the risk of any medication can be bad.

I’m 37 (asthmatic), had both doses and was completely fine. Each time my arm felt a bit sore, just like the flu jab, but that’s it

@Schrutesbeets

I genuinely don’t mean to be nasty but it doesn’t feel fair that the rest of us who rely on facts and logic have to share the planet with willfully ignorant people who are unwilling or unable to apply the most basic critical thinking skills.

But you just said you've gathered your information from watching the news. Have you applied any critical thinking skills to anything you've watched?
The average age of death of covid is 82. The average age of death from anything else is 81.
99.7% won't die from covid.
What critical thinking skills have you applied?

In the politest possible way I invite you to re-read my post. I’m sure you will see no reference to where or how I gather information. I will ignore the free opportunity for a snarky comment. I mentioned “the news” broadly to convey that COVID has been covered extensively in just about every media outlet on earth. The OP can’t possible be unaware that Covid has killed millions of people. I was shocked that she cited only her friends’ experiences as a basis for deciding whether to be vaccinated and frankly alarmed that she sought her decision would be aided by soliciting personal accounts on an anonymous public online forum.

I appreciate your providing statistics about Covid but I don’t know what you think they convey. The biggest reason by far that people fear or question the vaccine is concern about its safety (notwithstanding a few nutters who think it is a government plot to control the populace with 5G signals). Everyone has to consider their own circumstances when assessing risk but there is no value for anyone in looking at the percentage of bad outcomes from COVID unless it is in comparison to the percentage of people who have had bad outcomes from the vaccine. There is no risk-free option.

Both DP and I (early - mid 40s) have had our first shots of AZ. DP is CV, I’m not. Both of us felt tired and headache within 3-4 hours for the following two days. We took paracetamol regularly and didn’t exert ourselves. Both of our arms were tender for a few days after, but not as sore as when we had our flu jabs.

I’ve a friend suffering with long covid and I wouldn’t wish that on anyone so a couple of days of feeling rough is fine by me.

DH and I both had AZ 1st dose in March. DH was completely fine. I had a sore arm for a week (nice yellow bruise, not helped by an exuberant colleague grabbing me by the upper arms to thank me for something). I felt a bit rough the next day, but I was still well enough to go and teach a full day. Neither of us took any paracetamol, I may have had a glass of wine.

Our 2nd jabs are booked for early June. Our DDs are in their early 20s and can't wait until it's their turn. They both said how pleased they were for us. Elderly father had 2 doses of Pfizer. Never felt a thing, completely fine after both.

Thank you all so much for your posts, to those who said I was being goady or selfish I really don't believe I was/am. I struggle with decision making at the best of times, I am not great at critical thinking and it genuinely does help me to discuss and hear different experiences and points of view to help me come to decision x

@Helptonight don't apologise, you are allowed to consider what is injected into your body!

AZ for DH (had second jab last week), DS2 (additional needs - had 2)and self( first only so far. Sore armx2, exacerbation of recently sprained ankle X1. That's it, all glad to have had it. DS1 ( clinically vulnerable) had both - Pfizer as he lives in different health authority - no side effects whatever.
OP, get it done.

I have not voted it is your own decision.

As a family pre vaccine through no fault of our own a medical person who unknowingly had it caused so many of us to have it. Worst illness ever. 2 ended up in hospital. Half have long covid. Causing extreme tiredness weak chests and one lady lost most of her hair.2 family members died slow painful deaths.
A few felt rough after 1st vaccine others fine after both. I will have my 2nd AZ this week and hope I am ok.
Given our experience of covid a few days out of sorts is nothing if it prevents us from that awful thing.
I get abuse from the antivaccers locally as their seems to be a pocket. Not sure how one feels as they got hit with covid recently.
Op do what is best for you, but you really do not want covid. Ever.

AZ a couple of weeks ago

High temp the next morning but paracetamol really helped. A bit out of it for the day but that’s it.

Glad to have had it

@Cryalot2 thank you for sharing, I am so sorry to hear of your experience. I can't even imagine how incredibly difficult the last year has been for you x

I've had my first AZ DH has had both, DD has had Pfizer and Ds AZ, all, apart from DH have only had a slightly sore arm. DH had flu like symptoms for a day with his first but nothing with his second. The more of us that have it the better for us all. Remember you may not get it very bad if you got Covid but you could pass it on to an elderly or venerable contact who could pass away, just because you didn't want to get a headache. So please get vaccinated, it's not just about you.

I also am suffering long term effects of m first AZ vaccine.
The usual rotation of all the symptoms to start with - fever chills headache cough night sweats.
Then the 7 weeks since then have been not great. Aching joints, persistent cough, intermittent headaches, wheezy chesty breathlessness when walking, more night sweats.
When will it end I’d be glad to know. I’m not sure about taking the second dose. After over a year of never feeling better health wise this has really laid me low.

I should add I’ve been taking nurofen every morning. And blood test shows really low Vit D. This level has sunk since having the vaccine. Pre vaccine levels were normal having had a routine health check blood test

AstraZeneca. Slightly itchy 5 minutes after. That evening I felt hot and tired. Fine the next day, until the evening when I felt hot and tired again. Both times this only lasted a couple of hours. My arm was sore but only in a “can’t lean on it” way, not the cold ache of doom that I have had with the flu jab. Anyway basically a non event!

Have you reported to the Yellow Card system or seen your GP bluehaze?. The advice on side effects gives the impression that they should not be as long lasting as yours.

Yes thanks MrsFezziwig. I finally went last week. Hence the second blood test. The GP was unfazed and said he’d seen lots of similar stories - I have Vit D supplement to take for now. I thought I should let OP know that it’s not plain sailing for everyone but even so is probably much less awful than actual covid.

Not done the Yellow Card but have put everything into the C-19 app. They sent me a covid test after the second week.

I had Pfizer both doses. Had a sore arm each time and felt a bit tired but that was it!