Close to cancelling my vaccination. Please reassure me.

[justanothername2]

Name change for this. I know I’m being overly anxious but I need a hand hold.

My friend is insistent on always sending me doomy messages about the Covid vaccine.

They’re always screen shots of something she’s seen on Facebook. Someone has died, someone has been taken to hospital, someone has had liver failure.
The latest one today is that a 34 year old woman has dropped dead after her vaccine.

Mine is booked for tomorrow and I’m really, really worried.

I already suffer from severe anxiety. I know rationally I shouldn’t pay attention to some random Facebook posts.
I know millions of people have had theirs and have been absolutely fine.

Right now, I’m not rational. I’m panicking and I can’t think clearly.

I’m so close to cancelling my appointment 😭😭

I’ve lived in fear for months now and I’m so looking forward to being vaccinated, but this is just another fear to add to the list 😖

It might be a good thing for our CMO to focus on these issues rather than solely focusing only on covid

Indeed.

CDC study finds about 78% of people hospitalized for Covid were overweight or obese.
www.cnbc.com/2021/03/08/covid-cdc-study-finds-roughly-78percent-of-people-hospitalized-were-overweight-or-obese.html

abcnews.go.com/US/wrecked-lives-families-young-adults-died-covid-19/story?id=74148061

For balance.

I agree your friend is not helping with your anxiety generally, let alone your anxiety over the vaccine.

It's not fair to put her anxiety on you and she's trampling on your boundaries if she's ignoring your request not to send you this stuff.

No government would welcome vaccinations that caused more adverse affects than the illness they were designed to protect against. There have been extensive trials of this vaccine, plus millions of people have had it in this country. Once you've had the vaccine, think of the relief you will have from not having to worry about getting the actual virus.

It is your thoughts and feelings that are causing this sense of dread. But thoughts and feelings are not facts and evidence OP. Good luck.

Stop reading the scary stuff your friend sends you.
Can you organise someone to come with you on the day ? I went into the cubicle with the person I took. We were in and out of the carpark and building in less than 30 minutes. It was very well organised and very efficient and all the staff and volunteers were lovely.
Don't cancel and don't put pressure on yourself to make a decision, just go, if you decide when you are there you don't want it, you can leave, just try to get to the point where you are with the person giving the vaccine, they ask you a few health related questions and can answer any questions you have. If you decide not to have it at that point you can get up and go home. Nobody will be cross or angry.

Well there is such a thing as listening to your gut. The govt and even scientists don’t really know what the long term effects of this vaccine will be. They don’t even know if it prevents transmission or whether someone will get Covid again. I know of someone who has had the vaccine but for Covid and is now in hospital with pneumonia.
I would rather wait and see. With all the new variants it is highly unlikely the vaccine will be effective against them all. Those with health issues and the elderly are more at risk. Those who have good health less so. The vast majority of people who get Covid survive and don’t have long term effects. We only hear about those who die or are severely effected. They are in the MINORITY.
Many people having the vaccine will already have had Covid, unknowingly or knowingly anyway. So they have already beaten it, and most likely have antibodies.

Got Covid again I meant.

This is current.

doctors4covidethics.medium.com/urgent-open-letter-from-doctors-and-scientists-to-the-european-medicines-agency-regarding-covid-19-f6e17c311595

OP I’m glad you are having the vaccine and blocking your ‘friend’, apart from protecting your physical health and your life, it will probably do your mental health to be able to rationalise your fears and go through with it.

I hope going forward that you will limited communications with your friend, it’s impossible to tell if she is being deliberately nasty or that she wants company in her own anxiety, but people like her and posters like Devlesko will drag you down - you don’t need people like this in your life.

Good luck with your CBT I found it really helpful.

@GoLightlyontheEarth

Well there is such a thing as listening to your gut. The govt and even scientists don’t really know what the long term effects of this vaccine will be. They don’t even know if it prevents transmission or whether someone will get Covid again. I know of someone who has had the vaccine but for Covid and is now in hospital with pneumonia. I would rather wait and see. With all the new variants it is highly unlikely the vaccine will be effective against them all. Those with health issues and the elderly are more at risk. Those who have good health less so. The vast majority of people who get Covid survive and don’t have long term effects. We only hear about those who die or are severely effected. They are in the MINORITY. Many people having the vaccine will already have had Covid, unknowingly or knowingly anyway. So they have already beaten it, and most likely have antibodies.

Actually, we do now know that the vaccines prevent transmission - AZ by 67%, Pfizer by about 72%.

I had my 1st one a few weeks back. I had no side effects at all except the muscle in the back of my arm was a bit sore.
I strongly believe in bodily autonomy. If you don't want to have it don't have it. But mine was totally fine if that helps.

JustAnotherName2 Are you me?! I have this exact same thing happening to me ! My friend in US ,keeps sending me stuff like this and my vaccine is booked for next week.Felt fine and conquered my fears but now feel shaky!As DH said.what about when we were at School for our BCG ,and the whole class went and had vaccines and straight back to lessons ? No drama ! Thinking of you tomorrow and mine is next wed.Maybe we can come back here and compare notes!My rational self is saying all fine .

The friend isn't a friend since spreading her fear and increasing your anxieties with crap misleading information.

'Listen to your gut' - I didn't realise that your gut speaks to you, I think you mean listen to the other generally thick as 2 planks of wood on social media spreading their misinformation rather than listen to scientists who have spent their entire careers studying and researching vaccine development and disease prevention. Of course if you gut tells you what Dope from FB and Dopey from YouTube tell you then your gut seems to be losing the plot.

I had mine a couple of weeks ago. No side effects other than a slightly sore arm. I know loads of people who have been vaccinated. All had either no side effects or effects that last no more than a couple of days.

Look at the many positive stories, not just the negative ones.

Also consider the risks of not being vaccinated.

What time is your appointment? Good luck. I had mine 3 weeks ago.

Just look at Yellow Card and VAERS websites they have thousands reporting adverse reactions. A lot of you need to stop pretending that this vaccine is completely harmless it's ridiculous

The adverse reactions reported are exactly as expected. All vaccines have some adverse reactions. A mild headache is an adverse reaction. A sore arm. A mild temp, nausea etc. Thousands upon thousands of these are reported: AS EXPECTED.

I see the anti vaxxers are out with their Facebook “research”

@saraclara

Nearly 20million vaccines and no (credible) consequent deaths.

Yep. 20million people in the UK have had the vaccine. Not a single death has been caused by it. If it had, we'd know about it (and not via a friend's Facebook page).

I had my vaccine three weeks ago, OP. I didn't realise how worried I'd been about Covid until I left the vaccination centre feeling like I was walking on air. Yes, I knew that it was going to be three weeks before it was doing its job, but the relief at actually having that protective stuff in my arm, took me by surprise. I was so relieved to be on the way to being protected. And you'll feel the same, I'm sure.

Plenty of deaths have been reported to Yellow Card and VAERS. Just because you "think" the vaccine hasn't caused these deaths doesn't make that a "fact". You can not prove it wasn't the vaccine, you can't prove it wasn't because they got hit by car, or bees or Covid or anything else because autopsies have been cancelled unless you request one privately and even then they try deny you the results. Stop picking and choosing what information you listen to.

I have never said anywhere not to get the vaccine. If somebody wants the vaccine the go get it. Your choice, your body. My choice, my body. But stop acting like it's a miracle cure because there is absolutely no evidence to suggest this is the case.

For anyone worrying, a thorough look at the data around vaccines should be reassuring from Prof Tim Spector and medics: www.facebook.com/465000924275405/posts/921523968623096/?d=n

@justanothername2 I found this reassuring: the UK vaccine results discussed by Tim Spector, Professor of Genetic Epidemiology at Kings, Ellie Barnes, Professor of Medicine at Oxford Uni and member of the UK Coronoavirus Immunology Consortium, and Dr Anna Goodman, Consultant in Infectious Diseases at Guys and St Thomas Hospital and Principal Investigator on the AZ vaccine trials.

Direct link to the video here:

www.reuters.com/article/uk-factcheck-post-mortems-idUSKBN2A42ZR

You can not prove it wasn't the vaccine, you can't prove it wasn't because they got hit by car, or bees or Covid or anything else because autopsies have been cancelled unless you request one privately and even then they try deny you the results. Stop picking and choosing what information you listen to

Oh the irony. Reuters, who I'd rather believe than some person on FB or MN, say it is untrue about autopsies and is misinformation spread by FB. Please show a credible link which reports that autopsies have been cancelled. Or is it just what you 'think' which doesn't make it 'fact'.

doctors4covidethics.medium.com/urgent-open-letter-from-doctors-and-scientists-to-the-european-medicines-agency-regarding-covid-19-f6e17c311595

doctors4covidethics.medium.com/urgent-open-letter-from-doctors-and-scientists-to-the-european-medicines-agency-regarding-covid-19-f6e17c311595

Oh please, a couple of retired drs and a few psychiatrists/psychologists? WTF do they know about current vaccines?

Your choice. I am currently choosing not to have it (not quite decided but probably won't). One reason the Uk has such a general high uptake of all vaccinations is because they are voluntary.

if don't want it don't have it. If you do want it have it.

[quote LoWax]doctors4covidethics.medium.com/urgent-open-letter-from-doctors-and-scientists-to-the-european-medicines-agency-regarding-covid-19-f6e17c311595[/quote]
"Post-mortem examinations will no longer be required for those who die of the coronavirus as the nation prepares for the storm already stretching our NHS to reach full force.

The Crown Office taken action under the emergency powers in the Coronoavirus Act 2020 to ease the burden faced by the NHS as the UK moves towards predicted peak levels of infection and death.

Normally, patients who die in hospital have a post-mortem to establish beyond doubt the cause of death."

You can find it in the gov report , in the coronavirus act and by millions of other reports so I guess reuters is calling the government lairs... interesting.

@Xenia

Your choice. I am currently choosing not to have it (not quite decided but probably won't). One reason the Uk has such a general high uptake of all vaccinations is because they are voluntary.

if don't want it don't have it. If you do want it have it.

You never cease to amaze me. We come from such opposites, I doubt very much in common, yet we agree on so many things. May sound a weird post, but I have noticed this, so much.

I still have the letter here in the office and am keeping an open mind but given my specific circumstances I do not think the vaccine is right for me.

I think most people in the UK have a range of views and if we try to put them into boxes eg you vote Labour so you must be XYZ or you are a tory so you must have voted Brexit or favour lockdown or whatever, we get it wrong. we are more like a series of overlapping circles in terms of views on a range of issues than two separate circles only which never overlap.