Moderna last Monday - MMM ……and M, I hadn’t had booster since last December,
Side effects, injection site so burning hot, applied ice to cool the arm, 101.5 lasted for the next day, even with extra strength Tylenol every six hours once symptoms started at 12 hour post jab.
Once the fever lifted at 8pm, felt fine, all those “fever miseries” gone,
I too had MMM and M again two weeks ago. Unlike you, no side effects worth noting.
Glad you feel better.
Oops, this is where I should have posted. If it wasn’t for the extra drive time, I would pick option #2 without question. So I guess that’s where I’ll go. Our son doesn’t trust drug stores (I do normally) so he will be happy I’m going to a medical facility set up. I’m not concerned with reactions in the first few hours although I do like to get an ice pack on ASAP.
I have two appointments for the bivalent vaccine on Monday (made just in case one or the other place cancelled on me) and am thinking about which one to cancel and which to keep.
One is at the CVS five minutes away - but that’s where I got my Shingrex vaccine that caused me so much pain and trouble. I’ve had previous vaccines there from the same pharmacist with only my usual arm pain but still…I am wary. But I would use almost no gas getting there.
The other is through UCSD Health (my health system) and is drive through in a parking lot, likely given by a nurse. It’s maybe 20-25 minutes away. I feel I would be better able to discuss my reactions to vaccines and if the Shingrex reaction was just because of the kind of vaccine, or if placement in the arm could have been a factor. Also, I would be able to drop by the nearby World Market afterwards and pick up my favorite puff snacks. And anything else interesting!
I felt the same way. CVS less than 5 minutes away, versus Kaiser 30 minutes away. I chose option #2 just because I felt more comfortable getting a shot from a medical professional than someone working in a CVS. Although I would have to admit that the worse reaction I ever had was to a Shingrix shot as well, which I also received at Kaiser, but I heard anecdotally that the Shingrix shot packs a wallop.
Ouch! Last time I checked, those working behind the pharmacy counter are medical professionals. And, in our CVS, the pharmacist gives the shots. When I got my bivalent at Walgreens – the week it opened up – it was a contract LVN. Giving shots takes all of five minutes of ‘training’. Sure, there are sweet spots to aim for in the arm, but even if missed, nbd as the vaccine still works its magic.
I’ve gotten most of my 5 Covid shots at medical centers but admit I did get a booster at a CVS because it was convenient. I had only mild discomfort at injection site after each shot, as did mom. H felt a bit under the weather for 1st 4 shots but we all were fine after this 5th one.
Got my flu shot yesterday at cvs and got my $5 off $25 coupon there. As usual, no reaction.
Yes, sorry, should have clarified hands on patient contact medical professional. My CVS always seems to use the same pharmacist for shots.
My issue was if the Shingrex shot hit a spot that not only was not sweet, but caused inflammation that basically put me in severe pain and nearly unable to move my arm for several days. I also had a fever, but that was not the issue. Other vaccines (flu and COVID) have always left me with a fairly sore arm, but nothing compared to the Shingrex. So I wanted to discuss if shot placement might have had an influence on that reaction.
Protip: get the shot in your dominant arm.
As someone who watches experienced nurse give allergy shots all day, 5 days a week, I can tell you that every now and then, a patient will have a more painful reaction. Did the patient move, or tense up during the injection, did the nurse go in at a slight angle; any of these could cause a different reaction. That said, it could happen with a nurse that have been giving shots for decades, as well as a pharmacist.
My husband and I get our injections at our local Publix; the same 2 pharmacist have been there since we moved to this area 5 years ago. We have never had an unusual reaction, although my husband’s first Shingrix left him with a sore arm longer than mine. He didn’t even realize it was that painful until he went to roll over in bed and couldn’t sleep on that side for a couple of days. I took my mother there for her flu shot 2 years ago, and she swears it was the most painful injection she every had. The same pharmacist gave me my flu shot and I joked with him that he didn’t use a real needle as I felt nothing!
Just FYI: Shingrix is known for side effects - it’s quite likely that your pain and trouble wasn’t due to the pharmacist, it’s just that that vaccine can really be a doozy (but it is much better than having shingles!).
Shingrix tends to have strong reactions in many people.
Having a vaccine given at your primary care medical group helps in terms of ensuring that it gets into your medical record (and with more detail like the lot number etc.), but I have not noticed any real difference in injection skill across various pharmacies and medical groups, or a mass vaccination site.
Agree that I’ve been fine with all my injections, as has my 93 year old mom. H has had aches and tiredness and low grade fever after nearly all injections. YMMV, of course. My injections have been at various pharmacies and also medical centers, as have H and mom’s.
I am trying to decide on timing, My daughter is flying across the country for a wedding on 10/22-24. I was originally going to help her move to a new apartment on 10/15, and have my shot on 11/7, which would be 5 months from my previous one.
But now she is moving 10/29, soon after returning from her trip. I am nervous about her getting COVID and also myself (mainly because she will feel terrible if she gives it to me because I helped her move).
She is going to test each day after coming back from the wedding.
I am thinking I might change my booster date to the 15th, so I have two weeks before helping her. But I wanted to wait as long as possible and still be able to have holidays.
Another twist is that I am in a Johns Hopkins study due to lupus and my anitbodies after last booster were >25,000 after one month and 23,000 after three months, still much higher than the 6,000 or so a month after third booster. I am now at 4 months and antibodies might be lower but still enough for awhile. But not Omicron-specific.
Last night I told H that getting the flu shot and Moderna booster yesterday was a piece of cake. I spoke too soon. I hope my arm (and the rest of me) feels better soon as we’re scheduled to babysit in two days. After I woke up early today due to arm pain I’m wondering if sleeping in the old recliner might be a good idea. Still glad I finally got them both.
After chatting with the Publix pharmacist for a few minutes, she encouraged getting both shots and not delaying. She cautioned about the severity of possible side effects, but that was more about the flu shot for 65+.
Back from my booster - the giant tent and the post vaccine parking area took me back to the earliest vaccines. The nurse agreed that the angle of the shot could have contributed to my Shingrex very painful reaction. This shot is about an inch further down than that one. So I have hopes that my arm will react as usual - moderately painful starting tonight for the next couple of days, then lightly painful for a few more days. And I’m curious if I will get any of the same skin reaction that hit me with the second main COVID vaccine (it mimicked cellulitis). It returned in a very minor way on the boosters.
All Moderna, btw. Now I’m icing and and Advil.
I got my booster when I did for the sole purpose of providing protection while I attend a large indoor function-my D’s wedding.
The thickest section of deltoid muscle is the sweet spot for single vaccines.
Have not had any very sore arms for any vaccines ( used to all the time) after following my pharmacists advice to get home from vax and immediately going to my my closet and taking every shirt and sweater and blazer out and trying them on. She said that it’s very difficult to really exercise your arms as many times as you do through this method ( people get bored, forget etc…). Just did it for my booster last week. And as a bonus I get a good closet purge done! Has been a game changer for me. No side effects from booster!
That is a tough decision, I agree with your thought process. Very interesting about your antibody levels. That would make me lean more toward getting it later, but it has been five months, who knows. I have cancelled the new booster twice to try to get closer to the holidays but it I am only two months out from the last booster.
How is availability looking in various areas?
Seems like most places around here need a week or two lead time for appointments, and usually have only the Pfizer vaccine for bivalent boosters.