Covid Jab poorly afterwards but worth it! - Headway

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Covid Jab poorly afterwards but worth it!

sospan profile image
29 Replies

My wife and I had our Covid jabs yesterday - the huge wave of emotions from relief, excitement, happiness. I got the Astra Zeneca one and really quick simple process, both of us in and out in 5 minutes a really polished process.

No immediate side effects yesterday. Went to bed got up a little pain in my shoulder where the injection was. Took the dog for a walk and started thinking this doesn't feel right. Got home and was a breathless.

Now I am sat here heating on, fleece on, hat, blanket, thick socks freezing cold and feeling dreadful. I was not expecting that. I had a flu jab this year and never really struggle with colds. And if we can go through our injuries and other troubles and come out the other side, this is nothing compared to that.

Given the choice, feel like this for a few days or get a bad dose of Covid - even with my limited brain function it is clear choice to go and get the vaccination when it is offered to you.

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sospan
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29 Replies
Marnie22 profile image
Marnie22

Hope you feel better soon. I had my first jab yesterday and it felt really momentous. All the best.

sospan profile image
sospan in reply toMarnie22

Thanks,

We felt the same leaving the centre - almost like you had won a prize. Strange feeling happy to get an injection.

I have a feeling it could be because we may have had Covid early last year at the start of the outbreak and this is fighting the natural resistance

Marnie22 profile image
Marnie22 in reply tosospan

Could be. Take care. 🙂🌸

Amber-11 profile image
Amber-11 in reply toMarnie22

I had a reaction to the vaccine, the first night and second day, I felt great morning of thrid day after resting, and then relpased after doing more on 3rd day -advice from 111 gp was that I should avoid exercise and it is usual to feel unwell for one to two weeks, she said I could have more fatigue because of having had suspected covid, having long covid ,or because of my underlying condition, she was v helpful. there is an option for side affects from vaccine. on 111, the advice is to ring if side affects go on for more than 48hours. I am improving again since the weekend, and in 2nd week from jab now. my gp said the same when I she rang me about my painful hip, she said rest after vaccine, and see how the fatigue goes in next few days. I am stiil v glad I have had the vaccine.

Marnie22 profile image
Marnie22 in reply toAmber-11

Thank you for that, very helpful. I have ongoing daily fatigue from a brain injury, so judging fatigue symptoms can be tricky. I hadn't read anything about how quickly or slowly side effects might come on, so that's useful to know.

sospan profile image
sospan in reply toMarnie22

Me too, I thought I may be a little sore and perhaps a bit "off" but this is something else. Just feel incredibly cold even wrapped up.

Marnie22 profile image
Marnie22 in reply tosospan

I know someone who had that and they called it the chills. He said it lasted about 24 hours.

Amber-11 profile image
Amber-11 in reply tosospan

I had chattering teeth quite dramtically, but only once on first night, I wrapped up under 3 duvets annd turned heater up and the teeth chattering did not come back. but I am usually hotter than normal since tbi . I think the fatigue is gradually improving but I seem to have a good day and then a less good day.

sospan profile image
sospan in reply toAmber-11

I am normally an outdoors person and used to the cold but this is bizarre my head is on fire but my fingers and toes are freezing.

The annoying thing, the dog is curled up fast asleep right next to the radiator snoring like a grandfather after a Christmas day lunch.

spideyman profile image
spideyman

I had my jab on March 5 and since then I’ve become fantastic at robotics and I have Bill Gates on speed dial

sospan profile image
sospan in reply tospideyman

Did not see that on the list of side effects

spideyman profile image
spideyman in reply tosospan

Some idiot tried telling me it’s full of tiny robots

Painting-girl profile image
Painting-girl

My temperature came on after about 18 hours and went about 48 hours after the Astrozeneca vaccination. Felt really fluey while it lasted. Fully back to normal after a week.

But, I did have a week of appointments and stuff I had to do, so I can't split out just bog standard normal fatigue from any possible post vaccination fatigue.

So very relieved to have had it though - now carefully counting off the three weeks to some sort of immunity!

sospan profile image
sospan in reply toPainting-girl

Same here I had my jab mid afternoon felt great when I went to bed. When I got up in the morning my arm ached a little. Then took the dog for a walk and then it hit me.

Yesterday, was like when I used to play rugby where everything hurt except for not being covered in mud or blood!

Last night going from boiling to freezing.

Still glad I had it though

Painting-girl profile image
Painting-girl in reply tosospan

Yes, was worse than I expected - very flu-like. But it did just go at least. We got the short straw -I think reactions are only about 3 in 10!

sospan profile image
sospan in reply toPainting-girl

It could be like the common theme that people with head injuries seem to have worse incidents of cold and flu. We don't catch them more often but when we do it hits us harder.

Or as you say the roulette wheel was not in our favour

spideyman profile image
spideyman in reply tosospan

Men get flu symptoms much worse than women.

Womens feeble bodies can’t take it so they get a milder flu than us blokes. They think this is what we get.

In reality if women got the same dose as us then it’d kill them. lol

Painting-girl profile image
Painting-girl in reply tospideyman

Oh that's the explanation for 'Man Flu' is it Spideyman? Outrageous!! 🤣😂

Painting-girl profile image
Painting-girl

Ah, my neuropsychiatrist said that vaccination reactions, BI fatigue, and the way you feel with the 'flu have the same physiological basis /mechanism - wish I'd asked him for more detail - I was just so very taken that my early assertions that I felt like I had flu all the time, actually had a factual basis.

sospan profile image
sospan in reply toPainting-girl

It could all be down to the natural defence the body has - something is wrong so I will react in a way that slows people down to recover.

One of the scariest things, I ever saw was an animation of what happens when the brain gets injured. It showed the damaged cells being attacked by the natural defence mechanism but of course they can't repair the tissue and thinks it is spreading. So what happens is it creates a fire break by deliberately killing off more cells around the damaged area. The problem is the size of the fire break is interminate and varies between people. Although it was a simulation it was quite awful to watch as it could / or has happened to us.

Painting-girl profile image
Painting-girl in reply tosospan

Yes I've read about the 'cascade effect' after TBI - so that sounds right actually, and as you say, downright scary.

I ended up back in A&E a couple of weeks after my original accident with a blinding headache, and got a CT scan and a chat with a neurologist - and he said something like I was probably nearly over the worst - so I think the docs do expect an ongoing effect for a while after injury. Is it all to do with inflammation? I know my bloods were normal what, 8 months after injury, except for inflammation being higher - and neurologist number 2 saying that was what he'd expect.

sospan profile image
sospan in reply toPainting-girl

My wife had a similar episode after her last car crash stumbled out of the car, was immediately sick, hospital, discharged after a few hours. Then about a month later we thought she was having a stroke - blinding headache, one eye closing, felt week and tired.

CT scan revealed nothing ! Although about 7 months later she had an MRI scan which revealed a white spot on her brain. The GP received the results and said the radiologist said it was OK. Then she saw a Neurologist who said the radiologist was fine. When we asked about the spot the Neurologist said she didn't know and was relying on the radiologist !

Yesterday, my wife had a second opinion from another Neurologist whom said the radiologist's comments are bit misleading and he will need to look at the MRI in detail. Quite scary news and worrying about the level of knowledge !

Painting-girl profile image
Painting-girl in reply tosospan

Oh at least the neurologist is taking another look. If it's a grain of comfort I have a couple of white spots on my MRI but was told that just shows that I've had migraines in the past.

Also a clear CT and MRI here.....

sospan profile image
sospan in reply toPainting-girl

Interesting, thanks

New_beginning profile image
New_beginning

I desperately want my husband to have vaccine, actually had it booked, cancelled umming and arring, my reasoning, im scared i will misread or over act on side effects, just entered our first year milestone Tuesday, home visits postponed since January with lockdown no one monitoring or communicating, returning calls from BI Team. My head all over the shot, hes only managing to describe when left side of body goes. Just petrified at this stage with early recovery, I might be ok if BI Team returned call, did weekly check ups, but absolutely nothing. Dont get me started on GPs they panic with slightest call or query I make having to refer back to Southmead with checks and turn around 10days for response.

Again all down to no one monitoring, supporting, communicating vaccine postponed until services back on track. Yes ive had mine, 2nd jab next month.

Alibongo60 profile image
Alibongo60

Hi sospan, i had my second jab yesterday was warned side effects worse on second one. Had my usual bad head on first, but that was all, second one I’ve got up with worse headache in long time, usual pain killers not worked till second dose, then usual dull head for rest of day. Having said all that I am glad I’ve had it and now got some protection, they’re not likely to put the likes of me on life support, everyone stay safe out there love Alice xx

sospan profile image
sospan in reply toAlibongo60

Glad you were not too poorly and second jab means you are done for a while.

It did bring it home to me how rapidly the symptoms come on and how quickly they escalate and that was from the mini dose in the vaccine. I wish some of the doubters could have seen me to just to show it isn't fake news !

Alibongo60 profile image
Alibongo60

I don’t understand these people who think it’s fake news, you only have to watch the people struggling in icu, my daughters a deputy manager in elderly peoples home and they lost twenty residents in the first wave, thankfully they have been COVID free for quite sometime now, rant over take care love Alice xx

sospan profile image
sospan in reply toAlibongo60

Not a rant if it is true. The Welsh Prime minister said this week that the spread of Covid in Wales is mainly down to the minority that will not follow the rules no matter what.

Now there is the clamour for people to go on foreign holiday when France and Poland have gone back into lockdown and the rest of europe is experiencing the a third wave where cases are climbing. This current virus should be renamed from Covid 19 to Covid Lemming

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