My experience with the COVID vaccine

Jensen Jennings
Posted 3/31/21

The pandemic has been here for over a year now and things finally feel like they are returning to a sense of normalcy.

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My experience with the COVID vaccine

Posted

The pandemic has been here for over a year now and things finally feel like they are returning to a sense of normalcy. That return to normal seems even closer after Goshen County allowed people 18 and older to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

On Monday, March 22, Heather Saul from Goshen County Public Health called to tell me she would be getting one of the first Johnson & Johnson single dose vaccines on Tuesday and wanted to know if I would come take pictures for the Telegram.

I told her I would be there to take pictures and Alicia Louters, our newest reporter, would be there with me to write up a story. Then, I did something I didn’t expect to do. I asked Heather if I could make an appointment to receive the J&J vaccine that day too. She said yes, and I had an appointment scheduled for later Tuesday afternoon.

When news of the vaccines first came out, I was very hesitant as to whether I would get it or not. I’m someone who never gets the flu shot, because every time I’ve gotten one in the past, I’d end up getting sick as a dog.

So, when Heather asked me if I wanted to get the vaccine too, I surprised myself by saying yes, especially due to my hatred of needles. I’ve almost passed out from getting blood drawn in the past and I despise getting shots. 

I think the main reason I ended up deciding to get the vaccine was to help protect other people. I’m not worried about catching the virus, but I would be concerned with catching it and then passing it on to someone who’s immune system isn’t strong enough to fight against it.

Another reason I decided to get the vaccine is because of my time spent in the Air Force. I’ve already had all five anthrax vaccines, the smallpox vaccine and multiple others that I can’t even remember. I’ve had so many needles stuck into my arm; what harm could come from another one?

I’m not writing this to tell people they need to get the vaccine. I’m writing this to tell people how my experience went with getting the vaccine and what symptoms I had after receiving the J&J vaccine.

The shot itself was not nearly as painful as I was expecting it to be. After seeing the reactions of people ahead of me, I was a bit nervous, but it just felt like a slight pinch. My arm did tense up a bit right before the needle was taken out, but overall, it was a pretty easy going shot.

After receiving the vaccine, the staff makes you wait for 15 minutes to ensure you don’t have a negative reaction to the vaccine and that you are capable of driving after receiving the shot. Once my 15 minutes of waiting were up, I was free to go.

Over the next several hours things were fine. I felt a little pain in my arm where I received the vaccine, but other than that I was good to go. Before going to sleep I made sure to take a NyQuil to hopefully keep symptoms from developing. 

Falling asleep that night was a bit challenging as I’m normally a side sleeper. I did everything I could not to sleep on my left arm to ensure I would not wake up even more sore than I already was.

When I woke up Wednesday morning, I did not want to get out of bed at all. My arm was sore, I had chills, even though I was wrapped in my sheets with multiple blankets, and I had some slight body aching as well.

I finally rolled out of bed, drank a cup of coffee and took a hot shower. That definitely made me feel better, but the body aches were still there. I made sure I took a Dayquil before heading off to work and brought a few with me just in case my symptoms got worse. 

Biggest advice I can give to someone is to be sure and drink plenty of water the day of and the day after you receive the vaccine. I made it through Wednesday pretty easily and only took one more Dayquil. My arm was still sore, but thankfully the chills and body aches were starting to go away.

When I woke up Thursday morning, I still had some body aches and my arm was still sore, but this time there were no chills. By the end of the day on Thursday, I was back to feeling about 90%, but still had a slightly sore arm. Thankfully, I could lay on my side that night without it being too uncomfortable.

Waking up Friday morning, I felt 100%. The symptoms only lasted a little bit more than 24 hours and the arm soreness lasted about three days. 

I know the vaccine is not for everyone, but I encourage those on the fence about it to just suck it up and get it. Make sure you’re hydrated and have some Dayquil/NyQuil to help with any of the symptoms you might experience. As for the arm soreness, I couldn’t find anything to help with that, but just know the slight discomfort is only temporary.