CLEVELAND – Aubrey Lewis has been a nurse in university hospitals for four years and, for almost the last year of that time, her work has been dedicated to combating COVID-19.
“I work with COVID-19 patients daily,” she said.
She received her first dose of Moderna vaccine around 20 January.
“When I first got my vaccine, I had no side effects,” she said.
But after a few days, she noticed a swelling in one of her lymph nodes.
“I felt my armpit to see if there was anything there and I felt a lump. It was kind of difficult, but still mobile, it moved, ”she said.
As a nurse, it made her nervous.
“I was like, ‘It’s a weird place to have a sensitive lymph node’, but as soon as I put two and two together – who had just received the COVID vaccine on that side – I realized it was related to that,” she said.
But she did.
“I did a little bit of research and it looked like a lot of women thought that the swollen lymph node in their axillary region, which is like the armpit region, they thought it was breast cancer or breast malignancy,” she said.
Dr. Holly Marshall of the Department of Radiology and Breast Imaging at University Hospitals said that as more and more people are being vaccinated, they are receiving more calls from concerned women that their swollen lymph nodes are a sign of breast cancer. breast.
“We are asking everyone who is having a screening mammogram if they received the COVID vaccine and, if so, on which side and when was the date,” said Marshall.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) note that about 11% of people who receive the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine will have swollen lymph nodes after the first dose and this rises to 16% after the second dose.
“This means that you are making antibodies to fight infections, so later on, if your body detects a COVID-19 virus, you will be able to fight the infection,” said Marshall.
Swollen lymph nodes can appear two to four days after the injection.
“Wait a few weeks and, if there is no change, come in and do an assessment,” said Marshall.
Lewis said that no matter the side effects, she is looking forward to receiving her second dose.
“Going to the health area, I knew there would be times like this, to set the pace for everyone else, so I don’t hesitate to take the second dose,” she said.
Marshall said it is important to note that doctors do not suggest that women delay their annual mammogram tests and that these tests should start when they are 40 years old.
This story was originally published by Jessie Schultz in WEWS.