I'm working on a post about Iraq and will get back to that and make it an Iraq entry for tomorrow. It's hard to pull it together right now so, looking at e-mails, I thought I'd do a talking post.
A number of e-mails are asking about the Covid shots (see "Iraq snapshot" and "Meanwhile in Iraq . . ."). Looking at the card ("COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card"), it was the Moderna shot. I got the first one the first week of May and the other one at the start of this weekend.
The first one did not go well and, as I was getting the second shot, I was advised that the effects would probably be worse than the first time. And they were. I am wiped out. I keep stopping to lay down.
This morning, I woke up at three o'clock unable to go back to sleep -- I'd only been asleep for about two hours. What was the problem?
A shooting pain, like an electric volt. It was on the front of my left leg. Starting where the ankle begins (but on the front of the foot) and ending where the calf starts (but on the front of the leg). Every tend seconds. And it hurt like hell.
I have diabetic neuropathy. It was thought to be basically all over my body -- but it wasn't. One doctor said it was the body screaming for the sugar it no longer got. After a year, I went back for another one (EMG) and we discovered the neuropathy was only in the fett at this point. So I am used to pain and I do have medication for it -- four different sets of pills, the last being codeine which I take sparingly -- probably three times a year.
So anyway, I can't sleep and start moving around hoping that will help stop the pain. I work out on the stair master for 30 minutes and then hit the treadmill for 45 minutes. But that doesn't help any. I do a hot bath and it doesn't help either. I've taken three of the pain meds for the neuropathy and now grab a codeine (it's probably seven o'clock or later by this point). When it finally kicks in, the bolt/jolt is still there but milder. I then slept until four o'clock in the afternoon. Woke up with a very dry mouth (diabetes) and the worst headache in the world. Back of the head down by the neck.
If you have really bad migraines, you probably know how you feel wiped out when it finally goes away. The left side of my body was sore all day Saturday and again today, that's where I got the shor, on the left arm. I've been throwing up and I'm still wiped out and tired.
So that's been my experience with the COVID shots and am now done with the two shots that have been recommended.
Why did I get the shots? Because I thought it would protect me and protect others.
I'm not here to tell anyone how to live their life. I'm happy to discuss this in terms of me and my decision.
So if you haven't gotten the shot and are thinking about getting it, that's what my experience has been. My side effects were temporary and extreme but they were livable. I would advise you, if you're worried about any adverse effects, to look at your schedule and plan that when getting a shot. If you're not working in the middle of the week, for example, get the shot on the last day you work before having two days off.
Do I think there should be vaccine passports? No, I don't. Do I think employers should be able to dictate whether the workers have the shot or not? No, I don't.
But those are legal issues. If you're thinking about getting the vaccine, you should talk about it if you have any concerns. Again, my experience -- and it is not universal -- is documented above. Nothing very bad. I had far worse reactions to insulin synthetics than to the COVID-19 shots. (I can't do insulin synthetics, for whatever reason, I get dizzy, I grip the wall to walk, I throw up, etc and fall out and/or have seizures.) These side effects from the vaccine? I can endure them.
I wanted to get the shot when it came out in December. I honestly wanted to get the Johnson & Johnson because it was one shot. By the time my doctors were all in agreement that I could go forward with the shot, the Johnson & Johnson had been pulled from the market.
On that, if you are considering the shot but wondering about safety, note that one shot resulted in questions and concerns and that one got pulled from the market -- hopefully indicating that there is some level of oversight taking place.
For me, the decision was discussed many times with my pcp (family doctor), my oncologist, my endocrinologist (diabetes), my rheumatologist and my ophthalmologists (plural -- there's my retina expert and two others -- one's a primary and one's a backup). We had to coordinate surgeries as well as medication changes and alterations. I've been hospitalized three times in the last months because of the diabetes. There was a lot to deal with and a lot of issues. But they agreed the vaccine was necessary and the only issue was agreeing on when.
If you're thinking about getting the vaccine, hopefully something in the above helps you figure out whether it's right or wrong for you.
Thank you to those who e-mailed the public account with their questions and comments. I hope I covered your concerns in the above.
The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.
