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Covid

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Original poster

Not having 2nd Vaccine (Pfizer) ?

25 replies

Theonlyoneiknow · 11/06/2021 11:38

Hi,

I know there are other threads about how people have felt post 1st vaccine which might have affected their decision to have the 2nd one -but these seem to mainly relate to the AZ / blood clots.

I was just wondering if anyone else had experienced side effects from Pfizer which had made them reconsider having their second vaccine, or if they were fine after the first one and worried about the second (as side effects seem to be more prevalent after the second Pfizer from what I can gather).

The immunity from one vaccine seems to vary quite considerably from which website you read it from. I have quite bad tinnitus (yellow card reported) which is making me very anxious about having my second vaccination (and on the flip side - if I don't not being able to travel/go anywhere!).

Thoughts appreciated :) thank you.

OP posts:

Motorina · 11/06/2021 14:15

I felt really rubbish after dose one Pfizer, abd very mildly limp for a couple of hours after dose two.

Mummyme87 · 11/06/2021 14:17

I had a sore heavy arm for 24hrs after first and a short dizzy spell shortly after 2nd. I was worried about symptoms both times having had covid only a few weeks prior to vaccination.

It didn’t however put me off getting the first or the second dose

Callybrid · 11/06/2021 14:31

I had first Pfizer two weeks ago and spent the night following it unable to sleep, racing heart and awful nausea which worsened whenever I moved position. Two days feeling weak and dizzy. I now seem to have a lot more pins and needles than usual, but no idea if this is related at all. Definitely on edge and jumpy at any strange ‘symptoms’ (long history of anxiety…)

I am really dreading the second dose and not sure yet if I will go through with it.

Did your tinnitus start or worsen after the vaccination? I have tinnitus, which started following a bad episode of norovirus (not sure if related); the first few months were awful and I understand you being put off by that! (Three years on I’m not too troubled by it btw).

I am also worried that by the time I want to travel my vaccinations won’t be recent enough if I do get them done this year and I’ll have to go through the whole process again. Or they’ll have brought out re-jigged ones to deal with new variants and we’ll need those instead.

So I’m inclined to wait and see a bit longer. But then we had to take one of the dcs for a test last week and all of a sudden I felt pleased I would probably have some protection if he had it (he didn’t).

NotBot · 11/06/2021 14:38

Nope. But I didn’t feel unwell, just a sore arm & tired.

I have tinnitus, it started after a severe bash of the head one evening. I was horribly concussed, I felt dazed & exhausted for a few days & when allowed that subsided, I noticed the tinnitus. It’s not nice. But it has now faded to the point I don’t notice it in the day time & at night, I listen to white noise which really helps drown it out!

Personally, I’d take all the protection I can. I don’t think a second jab would make the first side effects worse. And people have lost their hearing from covid, so the vaccine seems a no brainier to me! And there will be vaccine passports in some form, certainly for travel I think..

Confuzzlediddled · 11/06/2021 14:38

i felt AWFUL after the first, my head felt like it was going to explode from pressure, 2nd one, hardly knew i had it!

JS87 · 11/06/2021 14:55

I got tinnitus from my first Pfizer. My second didn’t make it any worse although I did develop ringing in the second ear 8 weeks post second dose I still have it. I feel glad to have the protection of two doses but completely understand the worry. Some people report tinnitus developing after second dose but a lot of those are in US having two doses three weeks apart. My tinnitus didn’t really start for a few weeks after first dose although the ringing in the other ear started within two days of booster. Given that covid also causes tinnitus and hearing loss I am assuming I may have developed it if I caught covid anyway but with these new variants I feel two doses are beneficial.

JS87 · 11/06/2021 14:57

@NotBot

Nope. But I didn’t feel unwell, just a sore arm & tired.

Some people have lost their hearing after their vaccine too so it’s a complicated decision.

Original poster

Theonlyoneiknow · 11/06/2021 15:07

My tinnitus started a few days after my first dose (6 weeks ago now). I am really torn about going for my second dose - and agree about the 'what if' versus the 'what if' complications if I were to catch COVID.

OP posts:

Original poster

Theonlyoneiknow · 12/06/2021 18:26

A friend just said that not having the second dose was like not finishing a course of antibiotics?!

OP posts:

Walkaround · 12/06/2021 23:07

@Theonlyoneiknow - I wouldn’t say it’s like not finishing a course of antibiotics so much as it is taking most of the risk of having the vaccine without much of the benefit, and retaining a hefty chunk of the risk from the real thing - ie maximum risk for minimum gain, particularly if talking about the delta variant.

Figgyboa · 13/06/2021 06:58

I felt pretty rubbish for a couple of days after my first vaccine but it didn't put me of having the second. I felt worse when I had covid, definitely dont want to go through that again

MildredPuppy · 13/06/2021 07:18

I had mild side effects from my first - sore arm,tired and sore joints which lingered (ive had a teactive rheumatism beford and it felt like that - very achey hands) I was nervous about my second pfizer as lots of people said if its mild first time its worse second. But i got zero side effects second time round.

Original poster

Theonlyoneiknow · 07/07/2021 11:14

Just wondering if anyone else is in a similar position and considering not having their 2nd Pfizer due to side effects from the first one? It's also the booster situation which is now adding to my uncertainty about having my 2nd dose, and that this decision about what to do will just keep going.

OP posts:

Lindy2 · 07/07/2021 11:22

I had vaccine side effects and I also had Covid prior to being vaccinated.

I'd rather have 100 vaccines with side effects than the actual virus again.

You aren't properly protected after just one dose and your protection may not last long enough. My advice would very strongly be to get yourself properly protected from getting properly ill and get your second vaccine.

WhiskeryWoman · 07/07/2021 12:08

I had my first Pfizer 3.5 weeks ago, slight sore arm which eased within 48 hours. Slight woozy, out of sorts feeling. None of it stopped me doing anything. I had my second yesterday morning. My arm was very sore last night, but has now eased. I feel a bit whoozy today, but it didn’t stop me knocking out a training session on my bike where I hit all my targets and nothing seemed amiss (heart rate where I’d expected, likewise power). I race my bike as a hobby, so train hard! I’m off for a recovery swim later and have another hours training scheduled on my bike - I’ve no reason to think I won’t manage either.

WhiskeryWoman · 07/07/2021 12:14

PS I should add I wasn’t concerned about either jab. I basically just accepted I may have side effects and they may cause me to take to my bed, but I’d get over it. If I was worried about this kind of stuff, I’d probably never ride my bike for fear of crashing (I’ve had some epic crashes and awful injuries!!), or let DS go to nursery for fear of what he’d pick up and bring home to me (hand, foot and mouth was the most delightful, not looking forward to the inevitable pukes and shits 🤣). I guess it’s about mindset, prepare for the worst, think of the benefits and take it from there.

Original poster

Theonlyoneiknow · 07/07/2021 13:37

Thanks both, I am concerned my tinnitus will get worse after the 2nd jab - it's already really affecting my day to day life and quality of sleep.

OP posts:

JS87 · 07/07/2021 13:44

How bad is your tinnitus? Is it one ear, both or in head? I don’t think mine got worse after second jab. It certainly didn’t get any louder. It was in my head but also on and off in both ears. I did also have hearing loss in one ear but luckily only found out just after I’d had booster otherwise I might not have had it. I didn’t loose any more hearing after booster though. I’d probably go for it but take ibuprofen and antihistamine for a few days either side.

Original poster

Theonlyoneiknow · 07/07/2021 19:33

It's in both ears. I am procrastinating about making this decision and cannot make my mind up from one hour to the next. I felt huge relief when I took the first vaccine (which tells me something) however, having had to live with this tinnitus for the past 10 weeks is making the decision very difficult.

OP posts:

UpTheLaganInABubble · 07/07/2021 21:51

I had my first Pfizer 10 days ago... had a mild allergic reaction (itching, hives, rash), headaches, fluey, swollen lymph nodes, poor sleep. Just starting to feel better now but none of it would put me off having the second.

However, I've had Tinnitus for a long time, made worse by medication a couple of years ago, and if the vaccine had made it even worse then I wouldn't be getting the second one. Tinnitus is awful to live with and the risk of a further possibly permanent change would be enough for me. But it's easier for me to say that as my health is generally very poor and I don't go out much, so I'm able to more or less shield as much as I want

Original poster

Theonlyoneiknow · 08/07/2021 09:33

It's really hard to explain how awful tinnitus is if you haven't experienced it. Mine has shown no signs of improvement in the past 11 weeks.

OP posts:

duffeldaisy · 08/07/2021 09:43

I have mild tinnitus which I find gets far worse in pollen season. It has been really, really bad in the last few weeks for hayfever sufferers, so the tinnitus might be unrelated. Try taking some antihistamine and see if it helps.

Pinkpowderpuff · 01/09/2021 07:56

@Theonlyoneiknow How soon after your vacc did the tinnitus start? Did you go for your second one?

Original poster

Theonlyoneiknow · 01/09/2021 08:02

Hi, I think about 3 days or thereabouts. As yet I haven't had it. I do have any appointment but still in 2 minds about what to do

OP posts:

AlrightThereSkippy · 01/09/2021 08:07

I got the Astra Zeneca vaccine, although I am under forty! Had my first one before there was much negative press and it all kicked off between doses, so I was a bit worried. I did have it as it looked as if I didn't have any choices other than remain partially unvaccinated or to just have it. On balance, covid would probably be worse for me, so I had it.

A friend had Pfizer. No side effects after the first dose and then was sick for one day after the second. Not tinnitus, she had nausea and a bit of vomiting. But it lasted one day and that was it.

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