Vaccinated! What it's like to get the COVID vaccine.

I am extremely fortunate to have received both doses of the Moderna COVID vaccine.  Since it's been a little over a week since my second shot, I wanted to share my experience for people curious about the process or side effects.  This is especially true for people concerned about getting the vaccine while being chronically ill.  For the record, I am in overall pretty poor health right now and have several chronic health conditions such as anaphylaxis/MCAS, Ehlers-Danlos, dysautonomia, adrenal insufficiency, and spinal cord injury.  

Basically, the whole process was simple and efficient once I got over the barriers of finding out if I qualified and how to sign up for an appointment.  (I recommend checking your local government's website to find if/when you qualify.)  Checking in for both appointments was quick and easy with excellent accessibility, COVID precautions and crowd control.  I don't think either time took more than an hour even with needing to wait extra time in the post-shot monitoring area because I have a history of anaphylaxis.  Every single person was really nice and helpful.  

I had zero side effects from the first shot.  Zero.  My arm wasn't even sore.  I did not need to take any medications, or increase my dose of medications. 

I did have some uncomfortable side effects from the second shot, but nothing horrific or dangerous.  As recommended, I did not premedicate with tylenol or anti-inflammatories in anticipation of having symptoms.  I did increase my basal rate of solu-cortef by 5% starting the morning of my second shot.  (My body doesn't make its own cortisol so I get it through a medication pump and have to constantly adjust my dose.)

Initially, I just had arm soreness which wasn't a big deal.  But almost exactly two hours after the shot, I quite suddenly developed a headache, got really congested, and felt flu-ish.  Over the next couple of hours I developed a low grade fever.  I had planned to garden, but didn't feel up to it so relaxed the rest of the day instead.  By that evening, my fever was going up and I was getting really uncomfortable, so I took tylenol with dinner and again later that night after the first dose wore off.  I upped my solu-cortef basal rates too.  With those adjustments, I kept my fever below 100.6.  Not too bad!

The next day, I still felt like I had the flu.  In terms of severity, I would put it at less than swine flu, slightly less than mono, and about the same as my reaction to the yellow fever live vaccine.  Even though I felt pretty bad, I was actually more functional than usual due to the increase in steroids reducing my chronic illness symptoms.  I puttered around the house and took it easy and was glad that I had already canceled everything I had to do that day.  There may have been some bitter complaining and feeling very sorry for myself too.  Maybe.  

   That night was the worst for me.  Even with tylenol, I felt terrible and the headache was really bad.  Like lay in bed and can't do anything level of feeling bad.  Luckily, I was so exhausted that I fell asleep early.

The next day, I was achy, tired, and had a manageable headache.  I didn't need any tylenol and I was able to lower my basal rate of solu-cortef a bit.  I still only felt up to lazing around the house.  That is until around 6:00 that night when I quite suddenly felt all better.  Just like that.  The symptoms left as quickly as they came on.  

I had a slightly sore/itchy arm and needed a slightly higher solu-cortef dose for a few days after, but otherwise was fine.

Overall, the few days of feeling fluish was a small price to pay for being vaccinated.  If I didn't know it before, being able to hug my (also vaccinated) grandpa on his 95th birthday really brought it home for me.

10/10 would recommend.  Please get vaccinated as soon as you qualify!  And please feel free to reach out with any questions!  

**None of this is medical advice.  Just my experience.**

Making Your Emergency Medical Alert Document

   

 If you have an illness or disability that could affect emergency medical care, it's extremely important that you have a document with emergency instructions with you at all times.  (This is in addition to a concise medical history, a clearly visible medical ID bracelet/necklace, and any medications or supplies you may need.) 

    What those emergency instructions look like will depend on your situation, but there are some things that are universally relevant:

    1. Make sure the emergency instructions are easily accessible.  If you are having an emergency, you want to be able to get to them quickly.  If you are incapacitated, you also want someone else, perhaps even a stranger, to know to look for them.  I keep my emergency instructions in my purse in this highly visible pouch (mine is bright red) with my medical history and emergency supplies.  I also have these keychains on my purse and a seat belt sleeve if I'm traveling by car.  I have a second kit for my caregiver to carry with them as a backup.  

    2. Include eye-catching font size and/or a relevant graphic that signifies the document is for emergencies. 

    3. Include your name and emergency contacts.

    4. Include your relevant conditions, what an medical emergency may look like, what precautions you may have, and care instructions.

    5. If your emergency care includes something like giving injections or placing you in the recovery position, you can include a QR code that leads to a video tutorial.  Additionally, print out instructions and keep them with your emergency medical supplies.  

    6. I always find it polite to add a little thank you to the person(s) who are saving your life.  :) 

Here is a template that you can use to create your own emergency medical document.  You can copy and paste this into whatever word processing program you use and then personalize it.  Here's a preview:

If you are wondering what conditions or situations may warrant carrying around a document like this, here is a (non-exhaustive) list with some ideas:

-Diabetes 

-Autism

-Adrenal Insufficiency (Addisons)

-Asthma

-PTSD

-Anxiety Disorders

-Allergies

-Epilepsy

-Narcolepsy

-Dysautonomia

-Dementia

-Hyper/hypo Periodic Paralysis

-Pregnancy (especially if high risk)

-Many Psychiatric Disorders 

-Any condition with range of motion precautions or restrictions

-Any condition that restricts breathing 

-Any condition with a medication pump

-Any condition that requires life sustaining medication

-Anyone with MRI precautions (aneurysm clip, implanted devices, etc.)

-Any condition that required intubation precautions (Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Down Syndrome, Hx cervical spinal fusion)

Need help creating a medical history document to go with your emergency instructions?  Check out this post!

        

Tibet (Day 3 Part 2)

We arrived at the summit of the pass and stopped to get a nice view of the lake from above.   It was cool to think that this was the highest elevation I had ever been to in my life.  (Excluding in an airplane.)

Me being mesmerized by snow.  I hadn't seen any in over five years!

There were also people there who let us take pictures with their animals for a few dollars.  I couldn't resist.  :0) 

Yack!

Then we drove down to the lake and had a half an hour go go exploring.  It was a bit of a hike to get down to the water, but I managed by taking it slow.  I stopped halfway down to make a pile of rocks in memory of some people I miss.  

I finally got down to the lake and dipped my hands into the freezing water.  Having my hands outside the gloves unfortunately made them swell up and get hives, but it was worth it.  :0)  I spent the rest of my time enjoying the beautiful scenery and then slowly, slowly, hiking my way up to the bus.  

Yack poo and snow.  :0P   Don't worry, I didn't eat it.  haha

I got some additional nice pictures as we were driving away from the lake as well.

Just in case you don't know, the flags are prayer flags and they are found all over in Tibet.  They represent different aspects of spirituality corresponding to the different colors.  

Now about the road.  I was thinking it was going to be a scary drive, but the roads were actually really good, as was the bus driver.  It was a bit narrow and the drop-offs were sheer, but I felt safe the whole time.

Tibet (Day 3 Part 1)

   I really can't get over how beautiful Tibet was!  I'm looking back through the pictures and it seems to perfect to be real.  But it is real and I was there!

  Our last full day in Tibet was probably my favorite of the trip.  I was feeling much better so I wasn't as reliant on the chair.  It was a good thing because we drove two and a half hours up to even higher altitude!  The goal was to see,  Yamdrok Yumtso, one of the sacred lakes.  Just the scenery on the way there was breathtaking.  

That is excluding the bathrooms of course.  We got to know each other real well after using those toilets!

I took some pictures out the bus window as we went up up and away.  You can see the village we drove through getting smaller and smaller.

 

Lhasa Fun in Tibet! (Day 2 Part 2)

AFter a little rest when I got to skype my parents, we were back adventuring.

We drove the few blocks to the Palace where the Dali Lama used to live.  It was another place I have seen in so many pictures and movies and now I was there!  Our guide put it as, "You have seen this in the movies and in the pictures, but those were just dreams.  Today, dreams come true."  :0)

I unfortunately wasn't able to go up in the palace because there were 500 steps between me and the top.  I was barely able to sit so hiking up steps wasn't an option. 

Stylin'!

 I got some pictures from the courtyard before heading back to the bus to lay down and wait for the group to get back.  I had my kindle with me to keep me company.  

I also had some time to watch the pilgrims as they circled the Palace.  It is tradition to walk around the sacred space at least once before entering.  Our guide said that most people in Lhasa do it twice every day!  There were many people from all over Tibet as well.  Sometimes it would take them over two years to get here because they prayed the whole way.  The praying was accompanied by spinning the prayer wheels, clapping blocks together, and bowing toward the sacred object.  I can't imagine doing that for hundreds of miles!  The devotion the pilgrims showed was very humbling.  I can't think of anything I would be so committed to in my life.  

Lunch was much the same as the other meals had been.  Good but not great.

  I snapped a picture of this phrase painted on the window because I think it is so true.  

On the way to the bathroom, I saw this sign and took a pic of that too.  I was so fed up with rules at that point that I looked around, saw no one was looking and toughed the door.  Boo-yaa!  Fight the power!

AFter lunch we stopped at a temple for a tour.  

I wish I could have taken photos inside because it was amazing!  I have never seen any room so beautifully decorated!  There were quite a few golden Buddha statues including what many consider the most important one.  There are three main categories of Buddhas that all other kinds fit into; the past, present, and future.  I believe we saw the present compassionate Buddha.  I couldn't bring my wheelchair inside, so I crawled on the ground around the temple.  I really hope that it wasn't disrespectful.  I got many strange looks, but no one said anything.  I couldn't hear what the guide was saying from my spot on the ground, so my mind wandered and it was very peaceful.  I had plenty of time to absorb myself with taking in the many details and the spiritual feeling of the place.  One thing I did stand up for was a grapefruit sized hole in a rock that was jutting out from the wall.  Supposedly there was un underground lake and if you put your ear to the hole, you could hear the ducks flapping their wings.  I don't know about ducks, but there was something down there.  EVeryone in the group who put their head next to the hole to listen got an instant intense headache.  Maybe a gas leak?  

Outside the temple was a bazaar which is a type of market.  We had about an hour to shop before we had to meet back with the group.  I think I would have needed ten hours to see everything!  I only got to the second row before I had to rush back!  The people selling things were SO nice!  Pushy, as is common in markets, but really nice.  Two women appreciated me paying close to the original quoted price for a few items and gave me extra charms or bracelets as gifts.  :0)  I really enjoyed talking with them in addition to looking at the beautiful handicrafts.  I found something really cool for my brother at the second to last booth which I unfortunately won't describe at this time because I don't want to ruin the surprise.  

Then it was just dinner and resting for the rest of the day.  I discovered a humidifier in my room which also helped the breathing issue at least while I was in the room.  :0)