Mix And Mash

Last Updated on: 25th June 2021, 06:40 pm

I vote that we change mix and match to this when it comes to the practice of doling out the AstraZeneca Moderna/Pfizer combo for COVID vaccines, because holy hell was I ever flattened by mine. I very much wanted my buddy to be right, but the victory goes handily to the nurse, I’m afraid.

Before I go any further, I need to make note of something. When I wrote about my reaction to shot one, I neglected to mention that before I started feeling off, I wanted to and apparently tried to eat the world. I have no recollection of this, but both Carin and Brother Brad tell me it’s a thing, so I guess it must have happened. So while I still remember it, let the record show that I did it this time too. It was so bad that I ordered myself McDonald’s at 9:30 in the evening. So if you notice yourself feeling ridiculously hungry after your shot, take it as a sign that your immune system is gearing up for a fight and that shitty times may be on the horizon.

At first, Thursday started off a lot like the Thursday after my first dose did. I didn’t have the chills, but I was in no great hurry to move. Energy was in short supply, and I was pretty achy. I got up and took an Advil, which helped some. Once I was up and moving, things calmed down a little. I didn’t feel great whatsoever, but I was passable. If this is as bad as it’s going to get, I’ll be ok, I foolishly thought.

The next sign of trouble came after I grabbed Carin some breakfast. I sat down on the couch for a minute and promptly fell asleep for an hour and a half. When I woke up I felt a little worse than I had when I went out, but the worst was still to come.

I was happy that I wasn’t experiencing the hot and cold spells all day like last time, although I was constantly a little chilly and the aches were getting worse no matter what I did. By mid to late afternoon, I was a complete wreck. On a warm summer day, there I was wearing long pants and socks, huddled under a big fuzzy blanket, trying and failing to keep warm. It was all I could do to scoop out leftover soup for dinner. The cold was never ending and by the time 7:30-8 o’clock rolled around, the aches were so bad that I swear to you without the slightest hint of hyperbole that it felt like the only part of me that didn’t hurt was my nutsack. Honest to god I took more painkillers yesterday than I do for most of my migraines.

Eventually I was able to fall asleep again for a couple of hours. When I woke up, I was sweating. A lot. Enough that even though I hadn’t showered since the day before, I could smell the shampoo in my hair. Ever or at least sometimes the optimist, I thought that maybe this was a good sign. I hadn’t sweated all day, so maybe the fact that I am now means that I’m coming down the other side of this thing.

That appears to have been what happened. The rest of that night I wasn’t perfect, but I was up and around a little more and felt a tad more lively. I had a pretty solid night of sleep especially by my standards and woke up this morning feeling…not bad. I’m still a bit tired, which I think is to be expected. But oddly the most tired thing about me are my legs. They feel like I’ve been out climbing hills all day. I have not. I washed and dried some dishes and whatnot, but that’s it. Our apartment isn’t even on a slant.

Hopefully I’m not in for more surprises. That’s what happened to me the first time. I thought by the Saturday that I was cured, only to be felled anew by an irresistible urge to sleep come Sunday.

I sound like one hell of an advertisement for vaccines, don’t I?

If I haven’t made it clear enough in all of the things I’ve written, let me say it again: Go out and get your damn shots. It’s our best…er…shot at eventually returning to something resembling normal life. There may be some short-term pain for you, but there’s no way it compares to the long-term gain for everyone.

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1 Comment

  1. Speaking of advertisements for vaccines, whenever that government of Canada one would come on that says “safety concerns are very rare”, you would go from silence to muttering something like “Shut up, vaccine guy!” Or “I have some words for you!”

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