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Original poster

Anyone else regretting their choice to get vaccinated?

538 replies

onthetracks · 03/04/2021 09:27

I had my first vaccine 4 weeks ago (AZ)
I was really put off my having it and didn’t feel 100% happy, but since I’m clinically vulnerable to Covid and I also look after my elderly grandmother who is Clinically extremely l vulnerable, i thought it was the right thing to do.

Since having the vaccine I read no end of negative reports, side effects, blood clots and now deaths.

I’m terrified that I’m going to develop a blood clot and die.

I know this may sound irrational, which is surprising for me as I’m usually able to rationalise things.
But I can’t help feeling that it’s all been a bit rushed.
We’re all so desperate for normal life that we’ve jumped at the chance to be injected with something that we don’t actually know is safe.

Only now that millions of people are having the vaccine are we being alerted to adverse effects.

I’m really starting to regret that I’ve had the vaccine and I honestly don’t think I will go for my 2nd jab. 😣

OP posts:
Rainbowsandstorms · 03/04/2021 16:36

@YouCanStopNowThanks

Re doctors preferring Pfizer:
  1. This is as much or more likely to be due to Pfizer's better efficacy than due to safety concerns, and is likely a measure of how much doctors want to be protected against covid.
  1. It therefore doesn't tell us anything at all about what those exact same doctors would do faced with a choice between AZ and no vaccine, rather than a choice between AZ and Pfizer.

I understand and share the current day to day anxiety of some people who've recently had the jab who are waiting to get to 20 days, while simultaneously understanding the numbers and that the risk is tiny. It's possible and I would say quite natural to find oneself experiencing that anxiety and that knowledge at once.

It's like being one of millions of people walking through a vast forest in which we now know there are a few dozen wolves, randomly located. I know it's safer to walk through the forest to get to the other side, than to stay on this (the unvaccinated) side. I know the chances of me being one of the people to run into a wolf are tiny. But walking through the forest is now more stressful, and I just want to be safely out the other side. The rustling I can hear is almost certainly just birds (like that twinge of pain in my head is almost certainly not anything related to a clot), but it's still making me feel jumpy.

Humans are wired to be alert to danger and it's not something we can just switch off (otherwise we wouldn't jump when watching a scary film even though we know intellectually it's just actors). The AZ news, because it's a changing situation involving a danger, has triggered that wiring for a lot of people, making the post AZ vaccine experience understandably more stressful than it was a few weeks ago. Knowing intellectually that the vaccine was still the best choice doesn't just switch those feelings off.

What would be more reassuring than people just saying "it's safe, there are no wolves, there are hardly any, don't be selfish" would be the government saying "it's ok, in the enormously unlikely event that you run into a wolf, we're ready to help you fight it, oh and we're looking really hard into which people the wolves like eating most, and if we see a pattern we'll start sending those people through a different forest".

I can't at the moment see any reason not to have my second AZ vaccine, but I'm not expecting to particularly enjoy the three weeks afterwards. Hopefully the AZ news will at least have stopped changing as much by then though, and it will be a stable minute risk to accept, rather than one that seems to be changing day to day as it is at the moment.

@YouCanStopNowThanks that sums it up perfectly for me. I’m 7 days post first dose. I know it’s rare and I can see the positives but it’s an uncomfortable and anxious wait, especially with more information coming out all the time. I’m naturally anxious about health related things and my brain can never quite get to the point of convincing myself I won’t be one of the unlucky ones as I know someone will be. Roll on two weeks time. I’m really hoping we’ll get more of a sense of what’s going on soon and an idea of who is most at risk. People just telling me it’s safe doesn’t help reduce my anxiety. There have been some wonderfully informative posts on here too from @MRex and another poster among others that have helped no end though.
Sunshinegirl82 · 03/04/2021 16:38

A GP at my surgery told me to give my exclusively breastfed 7 week old baby orange juice to help with some mild constipation (I didn't). Doctors aren't always completely right about everything.

bookworm1632 · 03/04/2021 16:46

So the OP created a new account to post this piece of anti-vaccine propaganda poorly disguised as a personal anecdote.

And I thought Facebook was poor at monitoring misinformation.

Smileyoriley · 03/04/2021 16:54

Exactly my thoughts Bookworm- hopefully wasted as most people have more sense!

loulouljh · 03/04/2021 16:57

I have genuine concerns (about the risks to health and the fact there is very little recourse if something goes wrong) and am glad I have not had the jab. I hope though your fears are unfounded.

Carycy · 03/04/2021 16:59

Re: Drs preffering Pfizer.

I spoke to two separate consultants who each wanted to wait for the AstraZeneca vaccine whilst we were being the offered the pfizer. I had the Pfizer as it was the first offered but they waited, reasoning that the AstraZeneca is much more tried and tested technology long term. The type of vaccine Pfizer use has never been done on a large scale.
So no it is all Drs preffering the Pfizer vaccine. If I am truly honest if I had had my time again I would have waited a couple of weeks for the AstraZeneca. My DH had that and I felt much happier that one of us hasn’t had the Pfizer.

pinkearedcow · 03/04/2021 17:02

Yes @bookworm1632 and OP isn't the only one at it.

User5485421134 · 03/04/2021 17:07

If your 'DH' is a GP rather than a specialist in an area such as immunology, he's unlikely to have any great expertise in the subject.

Yes that's true, his speciality is elsewhere and he's far from an expert on immunology and virology. However it's patronising to expect people to only follow the opinions of an absolute specialist in one field. Immunologists might be experts in the statistics and research but most people make decisions as a human being, taking emotions, personal experience and social factors into consideration.

My point is that most doctors lean away from AZ because of a number factors including higher incidence of side-effects, overall lower efficacy (60-70% vs 95%), and the blood clot controversy is just an added issue on top. There are various Whatsapp groups for doctors so even ones in different fields can also follow latest updates or opinions from colleagued with more experience. For instance one GP mentioned at his practice they have a 30-30-30 incidence of side effects with AZ. 30% severe, 30% mild and 30% with none. This is significantly higher than what with Pfizer (including the second shot) so given the choice, it's obvious that anyone would go with the one that's less likely to cause problems.

The bigger problem most doctors face is convincing their own staff to get vaccinated which is a different story altogether...

bookworm1632 · 03/04/2021 17:16

@User5485421134

If your 'DH' is a GP rather than a specialist in an area such as immunology, he's unlikely to have any great expertise in the subject.

Yes that's true, his speciality is elsewhere and he's far from an expert on immunology and virology. However it's patronising to expect people to only follow the opinions of an absolute specialist in one field. Immunologists might be experts in the statistics and research but most people make decisions as a human being, taking emotions, personal experience and social factors into consideration.

My point is that most doctors lean away from AZ because of a number factors including higher incidence of side-effects, overall lower efficacy (60-70% vs 95%), and the blood clot controversy is just an added issue on top. There are various Whatsapp groups for doctors so even ones in different fields can also follow latest updates or opinions from colleagued with more experience. For instance one GP mentioned at his practice they have a 30-30-30 incidence of side effects with AZ. 30% severe, 30% mild and 30% with none. This is significantly higher than what with Pfizer (including the second shot) so given the choice, it's obvious that anyone would go with the one that's less likely to cause problems.

The bigger problem most doctors face is convincing their own staff to get vaccinated which is a different story altogether...

For instance one GP mentioned at his practice they have a 30-30-30 incidence of side effects with AZ. 30% severe

Sorry but that's total garbage. Severe means hospitalised. Barely anyone has been hospitalised with a suspected side effect to any of the covid vaccines.

Dongdingdong · 03/04/2021 17:17

which is surprising for me as I’m usually able to rationalise things.

Why am I struggling to believe this Hmm

Boringlynormal · 03/04/2021 17:17

It's like being one of millions of people walking through a vast forest in which we now know there are a few dozen wolves, randomly located. I know it's safer to walk through the forest to get to the other side, than to stay on this (the unvaccinated) side. I know the chances of me being one of the people to run into a wolf are tiny. But walking through the forest is now more stressful, and I just want to be safely out the other side. The rustling I can hear is almost certainly just birds (like that twinge of pain in my head is almost certainly not anything related to a clot), but it's still making me feel jumpy.

Humans are wired to be alert to danger and it's not something we can just switch off (otherwise we wouldn't jump when watching a scary film even though we know intellectually it's just actors). The AZ news, because it's a changing situation involving a danger, has triggered that wiring for a lot of people, making the post AZ vaccine experience understandably more stressful than it was a few weeks ago. Knowing intellectually that the vaccine was still the best choice doesn't just switch those feelings off.

What would be more reassuring than people just saying "it's safe, there are no wolves, there are hardly any, don't be selfish" would be the government saying "it's ok, in the enormously unlikely event that you run into a wolf, we're ready to help you fight it, oh and we're looking really hard into which people the wolves like eating most, and if we see a pattern we'll start sending those people through a different forest".

@YouCanStopNowThanks This is perfect.

Zilla1 · 03/04/2021 17:18

@User5485421134

again, I could not disagree more. IME, most doctors do not 'lean away' from AZ, rather towards and those stats you quote bear no relation to what we've seen in our practice's staff, nor what we're seeing in our PCN, nor in the friends and family in the profession nor what I see across the GP forums in which I participate. FWIW, I've had AZ and had that clear preference for adult family members. There is only one circumstance in which I wouldn't want a family member to have had the AZ vaccine based on the chimp adenovirus vector used but no family member have that combination of circumstances.

Boringlynormal · 03/04/2021 17:20

So the OP created a new account to post this piece of anti-vaccine propaganda poorly disguised as a personal anecdote.

And I thought Facebook was poor at monitoring misinformation.

@bookworm1632 This is just lazy. Is it really so hard for you to comprehend that recently receiving a vaccine that’s subsequently been suspended for a person’s exact demographic in several other countries is likely to make people anxious?!

Boringlynormal · 03/04/2021 17:22

And why do people assume that no posting history means a new poster?! That’s not how the forum works. I name change all the time, for various reasons including that I don’t want people who disagree with me to go snooping through my old posts, as you’ve clearly tried to do here, to try to catch me out or discredit me.

pinkearedcow · 03/04/2021 17:32

@Boringlynormal

And why do people assume that no posting history means a new poster?! That’s not how the forum works. I name change all the time, for various reasons including that I don’t want people who disagree with me to go snooping through my old posts, as you’ve clearly tried to do here, to try to catch me out or discredit me.
Hang on @Boringlynormal @bookworm1632 was referring to the OP @onthetracks not you, why are you having a go?
Quit4me · 03/04/2021 17:33

I’m sorry but taking paracetamol is not the same as having this jab and please don’t try to draw a comparison.

  1. Having the jab does cause a long lasting reaction inside your body. If it didn’t, what would be the point!?
  2. No one knows (not even you arm chair MN experts) what the long term effects are. No one.
  3. This is experimental. Try to convince yourself it’s not if that makes you feel better, but it is experimental and it’s still in trial stages.
Nowhere am I suggesting that giving it to the population is a bad thing because the reward outweighs the risk for a high number of people. However, everyone should be able to make their own choice and not be bullied into it or not be able to participate in society if they don’t want it or are afraid to have it. Not being vaccinated poses NO risk to the vaccinated population and in fact it would actually be a GOOD thing for the vaccinated to come into contact with covid positive persons. That what so many people don’t seem to understand. It’s actually unvaccinated people who are at risk from the vaccinated!!
Boringlynormal · 03/04/2021 17:35

Hang on @Boringlynormal* @bookworm1632 was referring to the OP @onthetracks not you, why are you having a go?*

Because I’m in the same position as the OP and find it rude, lazy and unhelpful to insinuate that the only thing that could possibly be behind these concerns are an anti vaxer who’s never been on mumsnet before.

pinkearedcow · 03/04/2021 17:42

@Boringlynormal

Hang on @Boringlynormal* *@bookworm1632* was referring to the OP *@onthetracks not you, why are you having a go?

Because I’m in the same position as the OP and find it rude, lazy and unhelpful to insinuate that the only thing that could possibly be behind these concerns are an anti vaxer who’s never been on mumsnet before.

But you accused @bookworm1632 of snooping through your posts to discredit you?
pinkearedcow · 03/04/2021 17:46

If i was of a cynical nature I might suspect a name change fail...I really hope that's not the case.

Original poster
onthetracks · 03/04/2021 17:46

@bookworm1632

So the OP created a new account to post this piece of anti-vaccine propaganda poorly disguised as a personal anecdote.

And I thought Facebook was poor at monitoring misinformation.

@bookworm1632

Why are you taking absolute rubbish?

It baffles me how I can be accused of being an anti vaxxer when I have had my Covid vaccine.

Not only have I had my Covid vaccine, but many other vaccines before that too.
My children are vaccinated appropriately.
I am far from an anti vaxxer.

Read @YouCanStopNowThanks reply on this thread.

The reply from this poster is perfectly worded to reflect how so many of us feel about the AZ vaccine right now.

That doesn’t make us anti vaxxers, trolls of doom mongers!!

OP posts:
Boringlynormal · 03/04/2021 17:47

@pinkearedcow No, I’ve said that no posting history doesn’t mean new poster and that I sometimes change my name to stop people snooping through my posts, as this poster had clearly tried to do (to the OP, not me).

If you REALLY think I’m the OP, starting dozens of threads in my one woman battle against vaccines and then name changing and replying to myself on them and you’ve caught me out, just check with Mumsnet and they’ll be able to clear that up for you. Confused

bobbiester · 03/04/2021 17:48

@Quit4me - Not being vaccinated poses NO risk to the vaccinated population and in fact it would actually be a GOOD thing for the vaccinated to come into contact with covid positive persons.

This is complete nonsense - and extremely dangerous nonsense. Quite why completely unqualified people feel it's OK to make up complete nonsense like this and disseminate public health advice is baffling. People are going to read this drivel and some are going to believe it! And act on it.

The reality is that the ideal way to create a vaccine resistant variant is to have the virus circulating widely in a large unvaccinated population - who interact with a vaccinated population. It's a recipe for major trouble.

That's putting aside the immediate risk that a percentage of the vaccinated population remain vulnerable to existing variants because the vaccines do not offer 100% protection.

stuckinarutatwork · 03/04/2021 17:48

Hi have to say that I'm glad to not be eligible for the vaccine just yet. I'm not totally against it and probably will have it but it didn't sit right with me to feel rushed into having it.

Boringlynormal · 03/04/2021 17:49

@pinkearedcow I know that’s what you’re implying, same as your ‘why have you started two threads on this’ comment on my thread was designed to make it look like I was up to no good. Open your mind.

Susan333 · 03/04/2021 17:49

There's no point people getting worked up online about it, even if you get through the first 2 jabs without issues , the booster jabs await in October and according to hancock could be every 6 months. If you don't take the vaccines, you won't be able to live your life with all kinds of things inaccessible - it's disgusting but it is what it is