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Second Jab: Worse Effects, Quicker Recovery… I Hope…
Friday I had the second dose of the vaccine, so I’ll catch up on the rest at some later point and this post will just be about that day, which started at 9 AM, when the alarm woke me up. I was drizzling as I was getting ready, but I left at 10:45 AM, also taking the paper to drop off in a recycling bin, and at that point it was sunny. The forecast was listing possible storms later, which was worrying and made me take the jacket in my backpack, but even though there were some clouds and the wind picked up at a point when I was on my way from Kaufland to Carrefour, that was it, and by the time I left Carrefour to finally be on my way back here it was even sunny again.
Returning to the vaccine, I should mention that it was Wednesday when I was first woken my the SMS from the system, reminding me of the date and time of the second dose as I had selected it, so Friday at 5 PM, then by the call that followed it soon after I had managed to get back to sleep, which I didn’t answer and was in turn followed by another SMS stating that the call had been from the vaccination center and asking me to call them, which I couldn’t do even if I’d have wanted to. Also had an e-mail from the system to go along with that first SMS, but then there was nothing else until 10:53 AM on Friday, when I apparently received another SMS from the vaccination center, again asking me to call them. That was followed by another identical SMS at 10:59 AM and two more at 11:01 AM, with a call in between, at 11:00 AM, so right at the time when they had told me to come, regardless of what was in the system. But there was traffic and, while I had taken my headphones with me, I kept them in the backpack on the way there, so I didn’t even notice until I got to the clinic and checked the time, seeing 11:05 AM.
That made me also mention that I had just been called after telling the guard that I was scheduled for vaccination, and he invited me into the first room and handed me the paper to fill and a pen, leaving me to it until someone else came as I was almost finished and helped me with the few things I was uncertain about. Then I was told to go back to the hallway and take a seat until I’ll be called, but I was called immediately… Only to then be told that I should go back and wait after all, since the vaccine had to be out of the refrigerator for 15 minutes before being used and it had apparently only been taken out when I got there. Also, the woman who would give me the vaccine was asked to go to someone else, in another part of the clinic, while I waited, which she briefly did even though she initially said she had vaccinations to do. And it was also while I was waiting when I saw the only other potential vaccine recipient that came while I was there, and she wasn’t scheduled, just asking whether she could get it and being turned away by the guard without actually being refused directly this time around, since he just told her that they only had the Moderna vaccine there, which made her pause for a moment and then ask about the Pfizer one, walking away when she was told that the center in the nearby mall had that one.
Either way, I was back in at 11:15 AM and got the shot. Felt the needle as it went in this time around, and it also seemed to take a while and I saw a bit more blood when I took away that cotton ball I had to press there for a moment, but at least I was done with that part… And they seemed relieved as well, saying they had gotten rid of the one scheduled for 5 PM. I’m not sure what else was going on there at that time, however, since while I was waiting for those required 15 minutes there was a woman, possibly the one who had asked the one who gave me the shot to come over earlier, who walked back and forth for a while, talking to someone on the phone and saying she’s in conflict with the clinic. But the staff member apparently tasked with watching over those who had received the shot, who hadn’t been there the first time around, just seemed rather bored, and the guard even more so, even saying at one point that time passes too slowly, which is quite understandable, seeing as they quite obviously have very little to do, considering the massive reduction in the interest for the vaccine and the fact that most of those who do still want it likely go to the centers opened in malls or markets or other such places, or the drive-in ones. I guess I could have helped a little by asking about the side effects during those 15 minutes, but it was only after they passed and I got up to leave that I asked whether I should expect worse this time around, very briefly mentioning what I experienced after the first dose when asked. Was just told that it’s not a rule and I may not even experience anything after the second one though.
It was 11:35 AM when I left, and while the next point on my route was Auchan, when I went past the Mall I decided to also go in and have a look, checking a bookstore and looking for a location of the store we gathered in before this summer’s Dream Trek, since I won discount vouchers only valid until the end of the month and I seemed to remember that they had a location there as well. Well, they don’t, but I could only be sure of that after getting back and checking, because there don’t seem to be any maps or store lists in that place! Either way, I then also checked a Turkish bakery I had discovered after getting the first dose, meaning to get something but eventually deciding against it, also quickly checked a Mega Image, and out of curiosity looked through the menu of a pizza place.
Once I was finally in Auchan, I got what I meant to get and a couple of other things… Which included more of something I had purchased a few days earlier from Kaufland at a higher price and haven’t yet used, so that was annoying, but at least it’s something that won’t spoil and I could take advantage of the discount to some extent. And, on that note, Kaufland was the next point on my route, and I got what I meant to get from there as well. That included 30 pieces of Liza’s food, and since customers can only enter the number for products that don’t have a bar code at the self-checkout, I asked an employee and she logged on and entered 30 pieces, so I didn’t have to scan them one by one. The cabinet again required a few tries to open, but it eventually worked and I could continue on my way.
As I already mentioned, on my way to the last point on my route, the Carrefour from the park, I was worried that the storm was going to come, and things were already rather hard to carry, in good part because of the bag of cat litter I just learned I shouldn’t have purchased, since it’ll be just over 25% cheaper starting on Wednesday and we won’t need it by then. And the fact that I was carrying so much was probably also what made the people I passed by just before reaching Carrefour change their mind about really approaching me and handing me a can of something my mother occasionally asks for, as they were doing for pretty much everyone else, and I obviously didn’t stop to actually ask for one.
Another concern was that I was almost out of bread and hadn’t found any of the kinds I might get in either Auchan or Kaufland… And once I got to Carrefour I saw that the one I might normally get from there was again only available sliced. However, I managed to find two or three of another kind I could consider and grabbed one, to get me through the next few days, even if it has a fair bit of white flour and it’s too expensive for its ingredients. Then I got the other things I wanted and could leave, though it’s a good thing I noticed that the cashier only moved one of the bunches of bananas, leaving the other on the belt.
Took quite some time to arrange everything in the bags and backpack before exiting that mall, and then again once outside, but I did have sturdy bags and the backpack, and there was no trace of that potential storm anymore, so I could carry everything and got back here at 5:05 PM, the total weight, including everything, having been 22 kg. On the other hand, dad annoyed me again in the evening when he said he threw away a bread I had bought for him on Tuesday, also taking the time to slice it since it was unsliced and he had bought some that was pretty much the same, only sliced, for significantly more before. I had told him at the time that if I’ll leave it out of the freezer he needed to eat it soon, but instead he left it there, even got himself another for the next day, then took it with him when he went to my mother on Thursday, but they decided to leave it for the next day even then, and when they finally meant to eat it they obviously found it moldy and threw it away.
As for the symptoms experienced after the vaccine, there was a strange feeling in that spot and a slight burning sensation spreading in my arm right after getting the shot, but that burning sensation went away quickly. The pain in that spot did increase over the evening, but only to a moderate level, and then it actually seemed to be going away at night, just that strange feeling, like something was just wrong in that spot, being left. The way I was feeling in general was quickly getting worse, however, in the evening already feeling like I had felt the day after the first dose, and when I took my temperature when I went to the kitchen at night I saw 39.2°C! I was really crushed, barely even sitting, weak, exhausted, rather dizzy, pains and aches jabbing me, those around my ears being the worst, skin feeling like it was burning, even having some chills… There even seemed to be a bit of crap in my nose and chest and coughed a few times. And what made me unable to just sleep once I did finally get to bed was that I decided to make myself another tea at night and drank it not long before going to bed, so I kept needing to get up to pee.
Took my temperature again after getting up and saw 37.6°C, so it was still higher than that 37.4°C that was the most I saw the first time around, but I was actually already feeling much better overall, and the pain in my arm wasn’t constant, but only appearing when I moved it in certain ways, and being significantly less intense than the first time around even then. And it all improved over the course of that day, the general symptoms mostly going away before night came and the range of motion and strength of the arm also improving, fewer moves causing pain and said pain not being bad even then. The sluggishness and brain fog were going away much more gradually, my neck remained quite stiff and I still had a mild headache, but overall it could be said that the symptoms were rather compressed, what I felt on Saturday the first time around taking place, at a higher intensity, between Friday evening and Saturday morning, and Saturday being more like Sunday was back then, and likely even better by the time I went to bed this morning.
What worries me right now, however, is that my feet are really swollen, and my right hand seems to be as well. It is hotter now, and I ran a half marathon distance this week and then walked and carried a lot multiple times, and the socks I wore since Friday night might be a bit tight at the top, and there has been some swelling in similar conditions before, but I really doubt it ever got to this level, probably not even close, though it’d be wrong to say I’m completely certain of that, seeing as I only really noticed it this evening this time around, but now that I think of it my feet didn’t look right when I showered Friday evening, or more exactly Friday night, either, and when I left that morning I actually asked out loud why my shoes felt so tight. So it probably isn’t something caused by the vaccine, but it is also possible that it’s making it worse, and either way it’s a sign of something being wrong. There’s no pain, redness or bruising, my right hand seems a bit warmer than my left but otherwise the swollen areas are clearly colder than other body parts, as extremities generally are, and I just took my temperature again and I no longer have a fever, so those symptoms of something serious aren’t present, but it may well be a sign of kidney problems, or at least that’s the first thing I think of, though it’s clearly not the only possibility. I still mean to run tomorrow, however, and then have a long walk planned for Tuesday, but let’s see how things develop and what I can do about it.