Please can some calm me down?

[FinallyVaxxed]

Sorry for the really pathetic post but I'm struggling to figure out whether my issue is anxiety or if I should really be concerned.

This morning I had my first dose of the Pfizer vaccine. I was very anxious about having it, and it took me a long time to build myself up to it (actually OH booked my appt and made me go in the end) which is why I've only just been jabbed.
My anxiety has been terrible through this whole pandemic and I had to completely cut out any news/conversations about Covid in order to cope. Avoidance has basically been my coping strategy.

Anyway, thats the background. Since having the jab this morning my chest has been feeling tight all day and a slight shortness of breath, is this just my anxiety causing this? Did anyone else have similar feelings?

I'm really tired but I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight 😭

Firstly, well done for having the job OP!!

If your tight chest and breathlessness started very shortly after vaccination then I don’t think they’re likely to be side effects. They also don’t sound like the common ones.

So it seems more likely they’re caused by anxiety. I imagine you know loads of people who’ve been vaccinated and been fine, even if they had a few side effects initially?

I’ve had both doses, booster now booked, and was OK, only had slight side effects from first dose. COVID last month was definitely worse for me.

Try and distract yourself and be proud of what you’ve done today. I hope you get some sleep and feel normal very soon. 💐

I feel for you.
The whole things a nightmare.
What does it say on the leaflet they gave you??
I guess you could call111??

I'm a vaccinator and I've not come across this as a common immediate side effect of any of the Covid vaccines.
I think it's your anxiety.
Well done for getting your jab. It's a bit late now, but a hot bath and a good night sleep should help x

You have had high anxiety for ages... it wont suddenly stop just because you have conquered what was causing it, especially if you were worried about side effects etc.
You probably already know that a tight chest, shortness of breath is a sign of anxiety, and then getting worried about that just makes it worse. Do you have any coping methods for dealing with such anxiety symptoms? Things like square breathing etc there are videos on YouTube on how to do them.

And well done on getting the jab. If you have just had the 1st dose, then it must have been incredibly hard for you.

@JanglyBeads

Firstly, well done for having the job OP!!

If your tight chest and breathlessness started very shortly after vaccination then I don’t think they’re likely to be side effects. They also don’t sound like the common ones.

So it seems more likely they’re caused by anxiety. I imagine you know loads of people who’ve been vaccinated and been fine, even if they had a few side effects initially?

I’ve had both doses, booster now booked, and was OK, only had slight side effects from first dose. COVID last month was definitely worse for me.

Try and distract yourself and be proud of what you’ve done today. I hope you get some sleep and feel normal very soon. 💐

Thank you, the tightness did start not long after the jab! I'm trying to remind myself that millions before me have had the jab and side effects are rare.

I don't speak to many people, especially not about anything Covid related 🙈 but my OH has had both jabs and was fine apart from a sore arm so that is also reassuring!

That is good advice, hopefully some distractions will help me relax.

@pombal

I feel for you. The whole things a nightmare. What does it say on the leaflet they gave you?? I guess you could call111??

I wasn't given a leaflet or any information. She jabbed me and sent me on my way!

Thank you all for your kind words and encouragement! My main coping strategies so far has been avoidance so I will have to search for relaxation techniques and square breathing. Thank you for the tip!

It is your anxiety. I was health anxious also once. Look up the vicious circle on health anxiety and you will see your reassurance seeking is a safety behaviour that drives your anxious thoughts. Do not seek reassurance and learn to live with the ambiguity.

@FinallyVaxxed

Thank you all for your kind words and encouragement! My main coping strategies so far has been avoidance so I will have to search for relaxation techniques and square breathing. Thank you for the tip!

Your coping strategy should not be needed nor distraction. Let the thoughts come without going along with them or seeking reassurance around them.

I be should imagine you are hyper alert to any sensation in your body due to your anxiety about the jab.

I suffer from anxiety and convinced myself I had a brain tumour once as I was constantly feeling lightheaded but I was actually hyperventilating without realising it.

Try to lie down, let your body relax (let your body go limp, starting with legs etc) then breathe deeply and slowly in to the count of 5 and out to the count if 5 for a few minutes. If you can, your chest isn’t painful and you feel better, it’s probably just anxiety.

Just keep repeating as much as you need to. If it persists or gets worse after a few days, get some medical advice.

Are you feeling better today?
After mu jab they told me to stay well hydrated and take a couple of paracetamol.
I also had a day on the sofa, dozing so I slept through any side effects.
They should have given you a leaflet, it tells you common side effects- I found it useful as I felt nauseous and could see that it was a normal side effect.
Hang in there OP.

Colin56 has some excellent words of wisdom there. I have been suffering from severe anxiety this past year and had some sessions with a wonderful therapist who made me realise the same things. ‘Reassurance’ will ultimately never make you feel better because you will just want more and more reassurance, and by seeking it you are subconsciously telling yourself that your fears are valid.

One technique that really helped me is something called ‘noting’ where you learn to watch the thoughts pass by like clouds in the sky, without given them undue attention.

I get health anxiety a lot too but I usually find that I have a gut feeling deep down where I know I’m ok really. I’ve just had to learn to listen to that feeling and ignore the anxiety coursing through me. About once a month I convince myself I’m having a heart attack but if I ask myself ‘Do I really think I am? Really?’ then usually I can admit to myself that I know I’m fine really.

You’ve got this OP! And well done for getting your jab!

OP.

Well done on getting jabbed.

Having suffered with anxiety myself in my 20s I get how you are feeling, and realise that the anxiety can be a viscous spiral. You have heightened awareness and pick up on any feeling of not being quite right, you then focus on that feeling which increases the anxiety and makes the body's response, which is fuelled by the anxiety, even worse, and so on and on it goes.

The advice on here is good for overcoming anxiety is good and works for me, and I'd advise you to get some help.

Unless you are CEV, the irony is that the Covid anxiety that has plagued you for the past 20 months is likely far more debilitating than Covid itself would have been.