Long Hauler and second vaccine?

Posted by poppy1946 @poppy1946, Mar 29, 2021

I had COVID in Dec 2020 and it lasted 3 weeks. I recovered at home. I'm 73 years old. I had first vaccine on Jan 22. Feb 6 I developed dry mouth, swollen lips and painful mouth and tongue. I still have these things. I also have symptoms from COVID, fatigue, joint aches, foggy thinking, and occasionally chills or headache. I consider myself a long hauler. I have received mixed advice on gettting the second vaccine. My reaction to the first vaccine was covid arm, fatigue, and depression which lasted a month and I was not able to return to work. I'm afraid that I will experience the same or worse with the second vaccine. Also, I wonder if I need it since I had COVID and the first vaccine I should be protected from getting the virus, right?

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Sue, Volunteer Mentor | @sueinmn | Mar 29, 2021

While there is some evidence that you have good immunity after having Covid and one dose of vaccine, according to Dr Fauci and the CDC, the decision is "under review" and the recommendation has not yet changed. Specifically, whether there is a difference in how long the elevated antibodies last with one or two doses is not known, and is being studied. My daughters both had Covid last year, and elected to get both doses of the vaccine because they are health care providers and wanted the maximum possible protection. They both had reactions to both doses of the vaccine, it was worth the discomfort.

I looked at the time frame between your injection & the reaction of dry mouth, etc - 15 days - and I would not be certain they are related after that length of time - typically side effects appear in 12-72 hours. What makes you think there is a connection? The post-Covid symptoms you mentioned are experienced by about 30% of those who get the virus, and are not caused by the vaccine, which has no virus in it.

So you are correct, there is conflicting information. Only you can decide whether to get a second injection, and arguments can be made for both decisions.
I'm sorry there is no definitive way to advise "yes or no" - as with all things Covid - stay tuned for updates...

Sue

Merry, Alumni Mentor | @merpreb | Mar 30, 2021

@sueinmn; @poppy1946- Good morning. I researched a bit further because I have had swollen lips from a spider bite and it was painful. It does seem that on rare occasions this can happen as a result of the COVID vaccines. It has happened with Moderna mostly and with people who have had fillers. But it can happen with Pfizer too. This is the article that I found:
https://www.health.com/condition/infectious-diseases/coronavirus/lip-swelling-covid-vaccine
And as Sue said, stay tuned for updates. Did your doctor give you prednisone?

Sue, Volunteer Mentor | @sueinmn | Mar 30, 2021

In reply to @merpreb "@sueinmn; @poppy1946- Good morning. I researched a bit further because I have had swollen lips from..." + (show)

Thanks, Merry - my search didn't locate that article.
Sue

Merry, Alumni Mentor | @merpreb | Mar 30, 2021

In reply to @sueinmn "Thanks, Merry - my search didn't locate that article. Sue" + (show)

Sue- These articles just pop out of nowhere. lol. One minute they aren't there and the next time they are. And this wasn't brand new either.

grammad | @grammad | Apr 1, 2021

In reply to @sueinmn "While there is some evidence that you have good immunity after having Covid and one dose..." + (show)

I had covid in Dec, I just took an Immunity test and have immunity, so 8 don't see the point in getting a vaccine at this time. I have heart issues and my cardiologist says covid didn't affect it altho I do have shortness of breath. Please advise

Merry, Alumni Mentor | @merpreb | Apr 1, 2021

In reply to @grammad "I had covid in Dec, I just took an Immunity test and have immunity, so 8..." + (show)

@grammad- All COVID-19 experts that you have probably read or listened to on COnnect advocate that even if you test positive after having COVID-19 it's better to have the vaccines because there hasn't been enough testing to see how long your immunity will last. It's better to be better protected.

Why are you hesitating?