I had my second AZ yesterday after delaying for various reasons. One of which was quite a bad reaction to the first one. Basically every standard side effect on the list quite badly, with worrying (to me as I’d never had it) tachycardia. (didn’t really notice a sore arm though) plus pain/pressure in my temples for a few weeks after. Plus I’ve had a blood clot in the past and usually have slightly raised inflammation markers anyway for some reason so I did have a concern about vaccine induced clots, however low the risk. (When I had my first one in February they were still denying the link with VITTs so I happily skipped in for the first one).
Everyone was telling me “you’ll be fine with the second one, you won’t know you’ve had it. I was fine with mine.”
That wasn’t my experience unfortunately. I had it at tea time yesterday and was fine when I went to bed at 11. Had just got in with my day doing housework etc. Maybe feeling a bit tired, but then it was late anyway.
Then I woke up in the early hours shivering and feeling unwell (and cheated by those who said I wouldn’t know I’d had it!! 
). I took 2 paracetamol and went back to sleep but woke up an hour later dripping with sweat and bed soaked through with my heart beating slightly fast (although nothing like last time.). I obviously couldn’t take any more paracetamol so just had to try and get through it.
When I woke up this morning I didn’t feel too bad at all luckily. Just like I was at the end of a virus or had a slight hangover. I’ve been tired all day and not really had an appetite and my temp’s been bordering on a slight fever all day.
So for me, basically I had the same kind of symptoms in the same kind of timeline as the first time, just to a much lesser degree and for a shorter amount of time. I think my second jab side effects are probably at the same level as most people’s first one, the ones who told me they didn’t know they’d had the second one anyway.
I thought I’d write about my experience because some people ARE experiencing side effects again with the second AZ jab and the timing of it might be important to consider if you have commitments like work. Ie if you have the 2nd jab first thing in the morning it MIGHT affect your ability to do your job by 4.30pm ish.
I work in a school so it was the right thing to do with uncertainty about cases once restrictions are gone.