To vaccinate or not to vaccinate? That is the question.

I am ready to schedule my COVID-19 vaccine. I am worried which one would be best for my health issues. I am 61 with Type II diabetes on 3 meds, Hypothyroid, High blood pressure, Obese, and on I.V. treatments for Rheumatoid (Biologics), and end stage liver disease. (Immunosupressed). If I can't get guidance I will not vaccinate. ANYONE?????

@blueizcryn3 Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect, a place to give and get support.

The COVID-19 vaccine is new and it's important that you make an informed decision.
You'll notice that I moved your question to an existing discussion. I did this so you could connect with members already discussing this topic.

Below I have linked the CDC guidelines and a John Hopkins website related to COVID-19 and the vaccine. I believe that some of your ailments put you at the highest end of COVID-19 vulnerability according to research, specifically obesity. I think you might want to look into that research.
- https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/index.html
- https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus/is-the-covid19-vaccine-safe

You may wish to scroll through the above information and the discussion I have now linked you with. I encourage you to also connect with members here on Connect that have had the vaccine. May I ask what kind of guidance your provider(s) have given you?

@blueizcryn3 You mention having end stage liver disease and being immunosuppressed. Have you already had a transplant then, and if so do you still have end stage liver disease?

It seems to me that all transplant teams are encouraging their patients to get the vaccine, both those pre and post-transplant. Mine actually set it up for us to go there and get it prior to when I could have gotten it otherwise.

I also have Type 2 diabetes, and hypothyroidism, and sometimes high BP but those were not considered to be barriers to getting vaccinated. If you are pre-transplant and your team feels it's OK for you I would go ahead and get it because when post-transplant the immunosuppressants tend to offset the benefits. The JH study has not yet come out with results after the second shot but there are high hopes that we will at least have some benefit and they are still encouraging us to get it.

Here is a link to an article about some of the myths surrounding the vaccine for those who have "vaccine hesitancy" for whatever reasons. I think it really explains the inaccuracy of these myths that have been propagated by a small group of people for whatever reason.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/five-myths/five-myths-about-coronavirus-vaccines/2021/03/19/0f186f8e-881f-11eb-82bc-e58213caa38e_story.html
JK

@blueizcryn3- Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. Although there is plenty of excitement about new vaccinations and how they evolved so brilliantly and quickly there are still a lot of questions without answers. There just hasn't been enough time to see which medicines are the best for individuals. In my state, I can sign up at different locations. I chose one near me. I thought that I was getting one vaccination but was given another. I could have refused it. And that was fine for me. As doctors, Poland and Fauci say, "The best vaccination is the one that you can get now!"

I am a 23-year lung cancer survivor with other illnesses. I do not have the same ones as you do. But I empathize with how difficult it can be to make the decision to be vaccinated. So many questions are still not answered and it might be some time until they are. One thought that helped me make my final decision to be vaccinated was the protection of others. Being vaccinated isn't just a selfish reason it is a global one.

I'm wondering if you have discussed this with your physician and what he might have advised you? Also, what brought you to your conclusion?

A Saudi doctor announced today that those who are taking a baby aspirin should not take the Pfizer vaccine. Knowing that I took the first vaccine a week ago, and I am taking the baby aspirin since I did my liver transplant in 2018. What do you think? Have you heard of something like that?

@almula,
I am also a transplant recipient (liver/kidney 2009) and I take a daily baby aspirin per advice of my transplant doctors and my primary care physician. I have had 2 doses of the Pfizer Covid19 vaccine.

I cannot find any reports that the baby aspirin should be discontinued, and I have not been advised to make any medication changes prior to my vaccinations.. However, I do respect that some people might be directed to do otherwise based on their own unique conditions. Of the articles that I have read in the past, it seems that many people are taking baby aspirin without consulting their doctor first. I wonder if this is what the Saudi doctor has in mind?
What do I think? I think that Mayo would have advised me about medications when I asked my nurse coordinator about getting the vaccine when it became available locally for me.

@almula

It’s generally recommended to not take any aspirin, acetaminophen, or ibuprofen products right before the covid vaccine because it could effect the response from the vaccine by muting the body’s natural inflammatory response. Maybe that’s what the doctor had in mind? Being a transplant patient, we’re already on immunosuppressants so adding the aspirin to the mix probably won’t make much difference and it’s important for you to stay on your prescribed meds.

Here’s an excerpt from the CDC guidelines about avoiding these meds beforehand:

“Considerations for taking medication before getting vaccinated
For most people, it is not recommended to avoid, discontinue, or delay medications for underlying medical conditions around the time of COVID-19 vaccination. However, your healthcare provider should talk to you about what is currently known and not known about the effectiveness of getting a COVID-19 vaccine when taking medications that suppress the immune system.

It is not recommended you take over-the-counter medicine, such as ibuprofen, aspirin, or acetaminophen, before vaccination for the purpose of trying to prevent vaccine-related side effects. It is not known how these medications may affect how well the vaccine works. However, if you take these medications regularly for other reasons, you should keep taking them before you get vaccinated. It is also not recommended to take antihistamines before getting a COVID-19 vaccine to try to prevent allergic reactions.”
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/expect.html

thanks a lot

@almula Before my doses of vaccine, I took myself off over-the-counter pain relief medications, after reading and seeing reports that it was advisable to do so. All other medications [both OTC and Rx] were kept in place. This worked fine for me!
Ginger

Please let me know should I get vaccinated after recovering from COVID-19 and if yes when? Any specific vaccine and haw many doses recommended? Thank you very much ABOUT ME : FEMAILE 75 YEARS OLD