MAC and getting the COVID vaccine

My good friend died from covid in August. Just a few more months and he may have been helped by the vaccine. I have heard of several people reacting in different ways to the different vaccines; headache, nausea, aches, fever, exhaustions, but they always live to tell. How lucky are we to live in such an age that gallant women and men are willing to work around the clock for a year and more to find a vaccine for this very mysterious disease? The tired and beaten up health workers that continue to throw themselves into the ring everyday to care for the sick... people they don't even know. I am amazed and humbled from their enormity of character. I am so sad that I lost my good friend, Martin C. Warner, and for him, I dedicate my vaccine shots I receive starting next week. If I get sick, I will know that they are working and I will feel better in a few days. How lucky for me.... Miss you Marty.

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My good friend died from covid in August. Just a few more months and he may have been helped by the vaccine. I have heard of several people reacting in different ways to the different vaccines; headache, nausea, aches, fever, exhaustions, but they always live to tell. How lucky are we to live in such an age that gallant women and men are willing to work around the clock for a year and more to find a vaccine for this very mysterious disease? The tired and beaten up health workers that continue to throw themselves into the ring everyday to care for the sick... people they don't even know. I am amazed and humbled from their enormity of character. I am so sad that I lost my good friend, Martin C. Warner, and for him, I dedicate my vaccine shots I receive starting next week. If I get sick, I will know that they are working and I will feel better in a few days. How lucky for me.... Miss you Marty.

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@rits & @irene5 Here is the response I received from my go-to RN on the vaccine - she works in the ER and on the TeleMed & Covid lines for a major health care provider, and consults directly with the Covid specialists there. This is how they respond to vaccine questions:

"Some people don't have strong immune response to 1st or 2nd dose or both. Some people have strong response to 1st and not 2nd. Some people have strong response to 2nd and not first. Some people have strong reaction to both. The level of immune reaction that you can feel/see/measure has no impact on the vaccine's ability to protect you. Your body has received the info and build the antibodies.

Being tested for antibodies is not recommended. The test is expensive, and no medical decisions will be made from having it done no matter what the result is so most insurance companies will not pay for it."

That said, the vaccine manufacturers are also monitoring the early recipients to see when the immune response and/or antibodies begin to fade. That will be the key to determining if or when Covid vaccine boosters will be recommended, and whether they will need to "tweak" their formula to cover virus variants.

Based on all of the above, we need to realize that the world is not a perfect place, there is no perfect vaccine, nor any permanent preventative measure against all illness, disease and risk. I wear my seat belt because it reduces my risk of severe injury or death in a car accident, I clean, store & cook my food properly to reduce the risk of food-borne illness, I exercise to keep my body as strong as possible, I take prescribed meds to reduce the risk of my diseases progressing, I get preventative health screenings to reduce my risk of dying from cancer, and I get vaccines to reduce my risk of severe illness or death from infections. Is my life 100% risk free? No, but I still plan to live well & enjoy it.

Sue

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Or he's bad to go like me. Joking! Thanks.

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Hi Sue, I had my first Pfizer shot on the 17th of April. Day 2, felt fine. Day 3, In AM felt fatigued which got worse. Also had pain across upper back. Day 4 Felt fine. Day 5 - After getting up experienced some mild confusion, slight dizziness, and some fatigue. After lunch more fatigue, dizziness, queasiness, fog brain, odd feeling in my middle chest. (I have A-fib) Just sat in the recliner for about 2 hours. Day 7 – Felt OK in the morning but after lunch, felt pretty tired the rest of the afternoon. Also felt chilled (took Tylenol) and was unsteady walking. Day 8 - My lichen planus--an autoimmune condition--(which had been doing better) flared and gums bled and a rash appeared across my upper back. That is also a symptom of lichen planus. Yesterday and today I feel OK, but having to put topical ointment on my lichen planus places.
Because of these side effects I began to read about the effectiveness after the first shot. For the last couple of days I've read about that subject on healthline, scitechdaily and businessinsider. They provide the efficacy numbers after 15-21 days of receiving the first shot. It was really impressive. What is not known is ,"does the efficacy fade away quickly if we don't get the 2nd shot?" Those studies have not been done--that I could find.
I guess my concern is, if the second shot is more "potent" what reaction can I expect. As I have A-fib, MAC, bronchiectasis and lichen planus, is the side effects potential harmful. Gosh. Who knows anyway. The reactions or non reactions are all over the place. Just hoping you have a source that may shed some light on this question. I've been batting this around for 3-4 days. Will need to decide by April 7th. Thanks so much Sue.

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You're so kind for saying. Thank you Toni.

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Hi Sue & everyone. 2 things: I agree, this is not heaven, but we are still blessed in innumerable ways. I have PMR, am on 10mg Prednisone, will start long term 1/2 pill in 3 days. Tip: I use store brand liquid acetaminophen (Tylenol) in the morning, when PMR is worst, and at bedtime. I turn age 80 this year, have had asthma since age 2, have never smoked or used alcohol. I can’t get the Covid vaccine due to 2 episodes of anaphylaxis, reactions to doxycycline (Lyme disease) and blood thinners (but the ambulance trips were fun!). I had one flu shot about 20 years ago, have not had another, and never get the flu anyway. Perhaps my inhaled asthma meds (albuterol) 4 times per day are the reason? I’ve been vegetarian since 2010, eat no fish/seafood/chicken/beef but do eat eggs & dairy. Except for morning PMR pain until the pred kicks in, I have enough energy for 3 people. Maybe it’s because of my daily dose of dark chocolate? Don’t know if my experiences will be helpful to you fellow PMR pals, just sharing. 😊

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@cmi... I am looking forward to the vaccine. I am not afraid of the scientific breakthrough that led to these new types of vaccines. The old technique using eggs was problematic to many people and takes a long time to prepare. Ask yourself, "what am I afraid of?" If you've had extreme allergic reactions, then do not take it yet. The danger of COVID is far more severe than the side effects for those of us with lung problems.

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