by BRINLEE VUOLA
Staff Writer
As of May 9th, I can now say that I am fully vaccinated! It was definitely an interesting journey to partake. The anxiety leading up to the moment I got my shot was nothing compared to the anxiety I felt for my first shot. The process seemed to go by quicker; when I arrived, I gave the wonderful nurses my vaccine card to confirm my appointment for my second shot. When I pulled up to the giant tent, they asked me the general questions and proceeded to give me my shot. It felt the same as last time: barely a pinch, and it was over in a single second. After staying for 15 minutes, I was on my way home.
One thing I heard constantly before getting my second shot was that the second shot knocks people down a lot harder than the first. I wasn’t nervous for that though, as I was mostly just proud to be fully vaccinated. The soreness began to kick in about 4 or 5 hours after my shot, a little longer than my first. With that in mind, I believed that my second shot would be more similar to the first in terms of pain. I ended the entire night feeling fine aside from my sore arm, avoiding sleeping on that side. I fell asleep at 12:30am, about 11 hours after my shot, feeling pretty much completely fine. But that wouldn’t last.
I woke up that night at 5am randomly and felt gravity hit me like a truck. I felt like I couldn’t get out of my bed. I felt freezing without any blankets over me but my skin was hot to the touch. My head was throbbing and all my bones (especially my tailbone, for some reason) were aching uncomfortably. It was hard for me to get comfortable in my bed without my head straining or my bones aching even more than before. I was able to go back to sleep until 8:30am, and when I woke up for the day, I can say that it was not as bad as when I woke up at 5am, but I still didn’t feel like my best self. I was able to attend school, but for the entire day, I just felt sick and unable to get myself in a comfortable place and position to heal.
Around 7:00pm that night, after I ate dinner, my condition started to go back to normal aside from my tender and sore arm. I felt a lot better and was able to walk without slouching. The night ended well and I could surprisingly find a comfortable position to sleep in, staying asleep for about 9 hours. As of now, it’s been a little over 48 hours since I got my second shot and I can say confidently that I feel completely fine. Of course, everyone’s experiences with the shots will be different, but people were not kidding when they said that it’s very likely that the second shot will be tougher to overcome than the first. My goal of this article was not to make you nervous about the shot if you have not received it yet; I wanted to raise awareness and share my experience so that you can see the way that your peers are dealing with the vaccine. So if you have not gotten your shots yet, think about it! It can be beneficial for you and the people around you.