As a daycare worker for my mom’s business, I was fortunate enough to get my Covid-19 vaccine in mid-February. This experience, while scary at first, has been one that I am going to be forever grateful for. I wanted to share my experience so that others who haven’t had the chance to get their shot yet could potentially know what to expect.
FIRST SHOT:
The first shot came as a shock to me to be honest. I signed up for a bunch of waitlists and information about the vaccine and honestly didn’t expect to hear anything back. On February 19th, I got an email saying that my appointment was scheduled for 8:30 a.m the next morning at Addison Trail High School. I booked it back to my apartment and packed a bag to head home.
Being home for less than 24 hours was not something that I was planning to do that weekend, but to get the vaccine, it was definitely worth it.
I woke up at 7:15 on the 20th and made my way over to Addison Trail. Once there, I gave the workers my information like my drivers license, insurance card and consent form. They checked everything over and ushered me into the auditorium to finally get the shot.
The nurse took maybe 2 minutes to actually give me the shot. It didn’t hurt at all and she told me it was over before I even could think about it happening.
Once I spent my 15 minutes in observation, I was able to leave and I headed back to my apartment in Normal. The overall time I spent in the high school was about 30-35 minutes.
That night, I didn’t sleep very well. I had the chills and a small fever of 100°. The next day, I felt better but my arm hurt like no other and I could barely raise it above my head. Hot showers and heating pads were definitely my savior for a few days after the initial shot.
SECOND SHOT:
I got the second shot on March 14th. I knew this beforehand, though, so this time I was better prepared and was actually able to spend a few days at home.
On the morning of the 14th, I got up and got to Addison Trail earlier than my scheduled time. I was able to go in and give the workers all my information again. This time, the lines were a lot shorter and I basically flew all the way to the auditorium.
I had the same nurse as the first time, so I knew I was in good hands. She did warn me that the second shot would probably hurt a little more than the first and boy was she right. It wasn’t terrible pain but I definitely could feel it this time. The total time that I was in the high school for this shot was probably 20 minutes.
I felt totally fine the entire day up until 11:30ish p.m. I started getting the chills again and, even though I felt fine, my friends (later) told me that I was pale as a ghost and looked like I was going to pass out.
I ended up taking an ibuprofen p.m and literally passed out until the next morning. The next day I did have a higher fever, the chills and no appetite. After that second day though, I was totally fine and have been since.
Overall, I would absolutely recommend getting the vaccine when you can. Keeping others and yourself safe is such a great feeling to have. Go get vaccinated and have a hot girl summer :).