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  2021-01-16

  My Experience with the COVID-19 Vaccine

  Through my job, I was privileged enough to be able to receive both doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. My first dose went fine, and I had no ill effects besides a pretty sore arm for about a day. I had heard the second dose was a little more brutal and consequently I was slightly nervous when the day came. As a pharmacy intern and pharmacy major, I am a proponent of the vaccine (and all vaccines) and was excited to receive it. Also, as a college student I am ready for life to go back to as normal as possible. Virtual education is undeniably more difficult, and I saw the vaccine as a step in the “normal” direction. My boyfriend drove me up for the second dose and as I had heard helped, I took two ibuprofen tablets before going in. The first thing I noticed that was different was the shot itself. Quite honestly, the second shot HURT. The first one was just a pinch and analogous to a normal vaccine. The second shot was immediately more painful, and my arm was bleeding. The pain quickly passed as I sat for the 15 minutes of observation afterwards. I felt okay, went home, and proceeded throughout my day normally. I was relieved that it had gone well…until that night. As I tried to go to bed that night, I noticed my stomach was not feeling well but I figured I would feel better in the morning. Shortly after, I began to shake violently. I had such bad chills and could not go to sleep because I was shaking so badly. My muscles began to ache as time went on, but I could not control them. In the morning I noticed I had bruises. The arm I got vaccinated in throbbed and I began to feel very nauseous. These symptoms went on for hours and I did not fall into a restless sleep until 3am. The next few days I gradually felt better, but I barely left my bed. Luckily, the semester had yet to start so I could afford to have some lazy days. I felt so fatigued and just off. The arm in which I had been vaccinated remained bruised and painful for just over a week and my lymph nodes became quite inflamed. All of these symptoms are normal after receiving the vaccine, according to a pamphlet about the Pfizer vaccine given to me during my first dose. After two weeks I felt completely normal, but I wish I would have known what to expect after the second dose. I do not want my story to make people afraid of the vaccine because if I could go back, I would still receive both doses. The symptoms I experienced were no joke though, and I was not expecting to be hit as hard as I was. No vaccine has ever impacted me like that, and it was a rude awakening for my immune system. I have since come to find out that I am not alone in my symptoms and that about 70% of people have similar symptoms after receiving the vaccine. I am slightly concerned about the long-term effects of the vaccine because obviously these effects have not been studied. However, I am thankful I had the opportunity to receive the vaccine, and I am also thankful I had this opportunity to share my experience with it to hopefully help others feel more prepared should they choose to receive it.