Having nightmares about the vaccine

[MadeForFun]

I'm 30, and got my letter for my 1st jab last week. As the days have gotten closer, I've been having nightmares about getting the vaccine. I've been waking up every 2 hours and feeling so stressed out - I'm worried my immune system will be shot to pieces and it will make any side effects I experience even worse. Reading the threads on here about all the people who have experienced long term fatigue, nausea, dizziness, menstrual problems... I'm worried this vaccine is going to do me more harm than good.

And I know the obvious reply will be "well its better than getting long covid", but what if I would have never got long covid but I've still compromised my body by having this vaccine?

I don't know what to do for the best. I can't speak to DP about it because he is against the vaccine and will convince me not to have it.

I want to have it but I'm feeling so nervous.

Statistically you are incredibly likely to either have no side effects at all, or simply a bit of a sore arm. Most people I know have had one or two vaccinations, no one has had any significant or long term side effects from the various different types of vaccines. There's nothing else to be said about it really.

Having disturbed sleep and being so worried is not a usual response - is anxiety something that normally affects you?

This is completely anecdotal but I’ve had both jabs and had no side effects apart from a sore arm for a couple of days after the first one. In fact, it made me worry that they hadn’t done it properly

Others who had no side effects (or extremely mild ones) - my brother, his wife, both my parents, both my in-laws, my grandmother (87), most of the people I work with.

I have absolutely no history with anxiety at all. I've never gotten like this with anything else before. That's why I'm so concerned and gone a bit woo, like "is my body trying to tell me something?" I have no fear of catching Covid at all, never had any hesitations over vaccines before - I get my flu jab every year, not my yellow fever before going on holiday. No hesitations whatsoever.

I also don't know anyone who has experienced anything more than 24hrs of flu like symptoms after their jab(s).

I just keep reading the threads on here and getting myself paranoid I suppose.

People only tend to talk about their side effects if they actually had them - and the worse the effects were, the more they tend to talk about them. So there is an element of confirmation bias.

I'm a similar age to you and had Pfizer. First jab I had a headache and was pretty tired - but it did come after a very busy week so it was unsurprising I was tired. Second jab I felt achey - like i was coming down with something - and I had an early night, but I was fine the next day. In both cases, a couple of ibuprofen dealt with it.

It’s quite scary, the whole thing... I had my first one yesterday. Felt very dystopian queueing with everyone snaking around in single file, at the large vaccination venue. I was nervous. I just stayed focused.
However, I read all of the material they gave me, while the queue moved. The people working there were so nice. The guy giving the injection asked if I had any questions, was I happy to go ahead?
I felt fine yesterday, after it. Couldn’t sleep on my sore arm last night, so asked DH to stay in with baby. I had a deep slumber, in the other room. Feeling a bit glum this morning, but no other ill-effects otherwise.

I think a few people feel very similar to you OP. It’s a personal choice and if you want to wait the first round out then you are entitled to do so. As long as you take as many sensible precautions as possible and continue social distancing you minimise your risk to yourself and others.

Plenty have had heirs and are completely fine but there are a few people who seem to have some effect from them highlighting there is a degree of risk, as there is with most things in life. Don’t let it get you down.

You’ll get Moderna or Pfizer and side effects from both of those are usually very mild. I don’t know a single person who struggled and a lot of my friends and family have had those jabs. Relax, you’ll be fine. Better than getting COVID for sure!

‘ I just keep reading the threads on here and getting myself paranoid I suppose.’

Then stop reading the threads

@Schulte

‘ I just keep reading the threads on here and getting myself paranoid I suppose.’

Then stop reading the threads

I resisted the "Pfizer fatigue" one for so long then stupidly opened it today

Ive had phizer, both times I've just had a sore arm.

It wouldn't be entirely unexpected for you to experience some or all of fatigue, nausea, dizziness, menstrual changes after a period of anxiety such as you are experiencing now. The anxiety itself must be doing you more harm than good.

I volunteer in a vaccine centre and I would say that well over 50% of people show some degree of fear/apprehension/tension when they come in, which surely must manifest in some kind of physical symptoms for some, specially if they've been feeling that way for some time before their appointment. When they come out of the cubicle having had the jab however, most are smiling and look far more relaxed. Some even express huge relief.

I had covid and even though it was a mild case, the vaccine was a walk in the park compared to getting the virus.

It's like anything else - people who post about side effects are in majority those who have had side effects. Those who didn't have any side effects will not post about it!

FWIW, my periods stopped for 3 months after I had Covid. Not sure if it's a known effect of the illness itself, but I suppose it's just because I was run down.

Thank you all, this is really helping. I was so excited when I got my letter last week, I don't know why it suddenly changed!

Among my friends the people who had the worst side effects all had the AZ vaccine. Those who had Pfizer or Moderna have mostly experienced mild side effects for the first 24 hours after their first and/or second jabs - tiredness, body aches, headaches, sore arm, chills... If you can have your vaccines on days you can have an early night or possibly the day off next day to have a duvet day, that should make it very manageable.

I think it's not unusual to feel apprehensive especially as there's been SO MUCH talk about the vaccines, side effects, effectiveness, different manufacturers... Things that we never really think twice about when taking any other medicine or vaccine! The most recent vaccine I had before the covid one was a tetanus shot and I had no idea who made it, what the possible side effects were or anything at all and never worried about it either.

@MadeForFun

Thank you all, this is really helping. I was so excited when I got my letter last week, I don't know why it suddenly changed!

Anxiety isn't logical.

That's why people struggle with it - most try to think their way out of it - i.e. "reading more about it will make me less anxious..." NOPE - doesn't work that way - your brain will filter out everything except any negatives.

I’ve had both AZ with no side effects. No one I know has had any side effects.

Just to let you all know, I've had my jab today very relieved. Hopefully I'll sleep like a baby tonight

@Schulte

You’ll get Moderna or Pfizer and side effects from both of those are usually very mild. I don’t know a single person who struggled and a lot of my friends and family have had those jabs. Relax, you’ll be fine. Better than getting COVID for sure!

Unfortunately I know quite a few

@Parker231

I’ve had both AZ with no side effects. No one I know has had any side effects.

My brother suffered a massive hemmorhage following AZ vaccine. Extremely ill. Hasn't put me off getting mine but it was a shock. Apparently the risk of this is 1 in 100,000.