Day 5: Vaccine Report
Hey everyone! Just a little update on how everything is going since vaccine day.
Day 2 (Sunday)
On Sunday, I started feeling slightly congested. I was sneezing a lot and had a runny nose. It was not anything too bad, but I took some decongestant before going to bed to help me breathe while I slept.
Day 3 (Monday)
On Monday, I woke up feeling completely stuffed. My face had a lot of congestion pain and I was unable to breathe through my nose. I was surprised, as the most common side effects to the vaccine were chills, fever, and body aches. I once again took some decongestant, used some Flonase, and packed some tissues for work.
Throughout the day at work, I had a lot of fogginess and general fatigue. I also had a slight sore throat caused likely by post-nasal drip from my nasal passages and was sneezing a lot more than normal.
Overall, the day was rough. I went to bed really early after eating a large bowl of noodle soup and having some hot tea.
Day 4 (Tuesday)
Thankfully Tuesday morning, I woke up feeling substantially less congested. I mainly had a runny nose and very slight congestion. I stuck to the same Flonase/decongestant routine and packed some tea packets for work. While I still felt a big foggy, I felt so much better.
However, in my worry/panic (as one does these days), I got a COVID rapid test before work. My worry was that maybe in the time before and after having the vaccine, and after having my last COVID test a little over a week ago, that I somehow caught COVID and was showing symptoms. And given that congestion isn’t a common vaccine side effect, I was nervous. Knowing how unlikely this was based on my behaviors, but wanting peace of mind, I got the test. As one would have predicted, it was negative.
It turns out that I respond to the vaccine in a weird way!
Day 5 (Wednesday)
Today I feel so much better! There is some residual phlegm in my nose and I’m still sneezing, but minimal congestion, and no fatigue or fogginess at all. I feel a bit weak from having this all week and running around, but overall feeling good.
Given that this is a vaccine side effect, this timeline also makes sense (which is reassuring). Typically side effects last 24-48 hours and no more than a few days, and typically have an onset of 0-2 days after the vaccine. In my case, I had 48 hours of pretty significant congestion, and now I’m through it.
Overall, definitely still worth it to get the shot. While I felt ill, it was nothing that prevented me from going into work. All my symptoms were comparable to a cold.
But I am an anomaly for sure: most people don’t react very much after the first dose other than having arm pain. However, every one’s body is different and responds differently to these things. You may react after the first dose even if your friend doesn’t. Thankfully, if you do have side effects, they wear off quickly and are manageable.
So if the vaccine becomes available to you, get it! Anticipate taking rest and laying low, especially after the second dose which tends to elicit more side effects, but definitely definitely get the vaccine.