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Dr. Joy Henningsen is a diagnostic radiologist at Birmingham Veterans Affairs Medical Center and an assistant clinical professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
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She received the first dose of the Pfizer / BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine on December 17 and the second dose on January 7 at Birmingham VA Medical Center.
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Although she with experience no side effects after the first injection, about six hours after the second dose Henningsen says he started to feel muscle pain and at the injection site.
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She woke up at night at the 12 o’clock mark with a fever and chills that subsided in the morning, but she felt prolonged effects the next day.
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Henningsen says that while these temporary side effects are uncomfortable, they will not happen to everyone and should not be an impediment to receiving the vaccine.
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Video: what it is like to have the COVID-19 vaccine
I was extremely lucky to receive the initial dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine on December 17, the first week that it was offered in the United States outside of a clinical trial. My hospital received the doses in the first national shipment and all health professionals in my hospital who expressed interest through research received the vaccine, including me.
I barely felt the first shot, in addition to a very subtle pain in my arm a day or more later.
I also signed up to record my symptoms on CDC’s V-Safe online symptom tracker tool. My account was totally monotonous; fortunately, as expected, I had no symptoms that impacted my life or activities in any way.
I wondered if I would be so lucky after the second dose, when more people reported unpleasant side effects.
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Before I knew how my body would react to the second dose, I prepared myself for the possibility of feeling bad for a day or two later.
Henningsen prepared face towels, a thermometer and over-the-counter pain relievers for after the injection. Joy Henningsen
If it were an option, I would have scheduled the day off from work after the second vaccination to be safe. This was not possible for me, so I scheduled a supermarket delivery before the injection and bought the same items I would buy if I had a cold or the flu (water, soup, cookies etc.). I also made sure that my pets were supplied with plenty of food and water.
In addition to comforting food and moisturizing fluids, I added a “vaccine bag” with other supplies to keep on hand.
This included a thermometer under the tongue to monitor my temperature and fever reducers sold without a prescription. For the lash back and forth between fever and chills that some people have reported, I set up cloths to be used as cold compresses. I also placed a heavy blanket and a down comforter near my bed.
I received my vaccine in the afternoon of January 7th.
The second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine that Henningsen received. Joy Henningsen
I felt good until the six o’clock mark, when I started feeling a sense of unease (the medical word for that vague feeling when you know something is not right at the beginning of feeling bad).
Soon there were mild muscle pains, as well as pain at the injection site similar to the feeling of a tetanus vaccine, that is, slightly worse than a flu vaccine. I fell asleep, but not in peace; I woke up at 12 o’clock with a fever of 102 degrees and chills that subsided in the morning. Even so, when I woke up, the muscle pains persisted and I had an uncomfortable headache similar to what I would feel if I skipped my daily coffee. 24 hours later, the headache, exhaustion, chills and the feeling of “blah” are still here.
Still, all of my symptoms are mild and a very low price to pay for protection against COVID-19. I believe that temporary discomfort should not be a deterrent to receiving the vaccine and I know that these symptoms are a sign of a robust immune system and that my body is preparing to fight COVID-19 – exactly what it should be doing.
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It is important to be prepared for the possibility of these side effects.
The Pfizer vaccine was examined by the Food and Drug Administration, which determined that it was safe for people over 16 to be given it. Millions of Americans need to be prepared for the potential side effects of authorized COVID-19 vaccines, such as fatigue, headache, muscle aches, fever and chills that are more common with the second dose. For most recipients, these potential effects can be an uncomfortable, but not threatening, part of this vaccine.
According to Dr. Anthony Fauci’s latest projections, we need approximately 90% of Americans to be immunized to obtain collective immunity in order to resume normal life. I believe it is our civic responsibility to be vaccinated according to the recommended dosage regimen to end the pandemic. We all benefit.
It is a good idea to prepare for the possibility that the second dose of authorized COVID-19 vaccines may be a little more challenging. Even so, after seeing the destruction that SARS-CoV-2 can cause on the body, I can say that I prefer to spend a night feeling bad on the couch watching Netflix any day about COVID-19 seriously.
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