I HATE needles. Always have, always will. I was the child kicking and screaming in the pediatrician’s office when it was time for a finger prick and the one begging for the flu mist instead of the flu shot when flu season rolled around. I think the only reason I now can put on a brave face when it’s time for a shot is because I had to get shots at school (and crying in front of your classmates isn’t something you could do in middle school). So when I found out I had to get ANOTHER COVID-19 shot, I shuddered at the thought of getting a shot and then marched to my local CVS.
I of all people understand how scary getting a shot can be, and with all the misinformation being spread about COVID-19 vaccinations it only makes the task more daunting. My experience getting my booster shot was actually a positive experience and I hope that by sharing my experience, it can make you a little more prepared and ease some anxieties.
Let me start off by saying, this is my personal experience getting the shot and people’s immune systems react differently. Be sure to check your eligibility for the booster shot and make all medical decisions under the advisory of your primary healthcare provider.
I would not recommend this, but I got my flu shot AND booster at the same time. This is allowed but again, I do NOT recommend it (I’ll tell you later how it kicked me in the butt) To prepare for my shot, I went and took a tylenol about 30 minutes before my appointment to get on top of the pain.
TIP FROM MY CVS NURSE: Skip the ibuprofen and go for a Tylenol (or another Acetaminophen) to deal with post-vaccine pain. Ibuprofen is an anti-inflammatory and inflammation (while painful) is the body fighting against harmful irritants like a spike protein or a piece of a virus. Nothing bad will happen if you do take an ibuprofen, but if you wanna allow your body to fully work its magic, go for a Tylenol.
After I checked in at the CVS Pharmacy counter, I anxiously waited for the nurse to meet me. Again, I HATE needles so I sat and listened to music to calm myself down which actually worked. The nurse was an actual angel and helped ease my anxiety and made sure my arms were relaxed before administering the shot. The anticipation was worse than the actual shot. After she bandaged up my arm I walked out of the pharmacy with my head held high, knowing I was SUPER brave and didn’t shed a single tear.
I got my shot in the afternoon and didn’t really feel any side effects the rest of the day. My Moderna booster was a half dose and my flu shot was a full dose so my arm that received the flu dosage actually hurt more! I honestly didn’t feel pain in the arm that received my Covid shot until the morning after!
The night after my shot I didn’t get the best sleep because as someone who tosses and turns, I kept lying on an arm, waking up, readjusting myself, and then going back to sleep for the process to repeat. I never had a fever but I had the feverish “I can’t decide if I’m hot or cold” thing. I would be lying if I said it didn’t get worse from there.
The morning after my shot, I woke up with pains in my arms and a massive wave of nausea hit me. Getting up out of bed was super difficult with the stomach pain and all I could do was grab my handy dandy heating pad and go back to sleep. I can’t say I was surprised by the nausea because that was how my body reacted when I actually had COVID-19 earlier this year. After sleeping for a couple more hours, the nausea was much better but I still could only stomach bland foods.
The rest of the day was only a little better. I struggled with nausea and ate nothing but white rice for lunch and dinner, I felt absolutely exhausted. Was the day after my shot a great day? No. BUT I know it was my body learning to fight off Covid-19. The next day, I woke up and felt like an entirely different person. Nausea? Gone. Fatigue? Gone. Arm pain? Mostly gone.
My advice to anyone getting the booster- take the day off, stock up on your Tylenol, but remember that you won’t be down for long. DON’T HESITATE, LET’S VACCINATE Y’ALL!!!!!