Third vaccine to boost antibodies against COVID infection?

@cehunt Both my husband and I had sore arms the first day, I also had reaction the second day after the 3rd vaccine. Headache, nausea in early afternoon, slight fever. Still held to my chemo schedule, and feeling fine today.
Ginger

Ginger, SInce it was your first chemo day could your reaction be from the pill and not the vaccine?

@gingerw I have read and enjoyed your posts for a long time now. We have some issues in common but your chemo is new. Do you mind me asking what you are getting chemo for? I keep Mayo Clinic Connect folks in my thoughts and prayers. Glad you are over the reaction to your 3rd dose of vaccine. I’m much better too.

@cehunt57 Well, thank you very kindly. We do have issues in common, yeppers. My chemo is for multiple myeloma. I was diagnosed in 2019 with SMM [smoldering multiple myeloma] and was on a wait-and-watch regimen, until it morphed into an active status this year. We are going with a verrry gentle dose right now because my kidneys are at 18%, and we don't want to tank them.

Be gentle on yourself, and Monday you will be feeling so much better. It's a blessing to have Connect folks that we think about!
Ginger

My husband and I got our third doses today. He offered to show the pharmacist his transplant scar as proof of his solid organ surgery. They took my word as an active cancer patient. We did have to sign an attestation to the fact we were eligible, and they looked each of us up in the state database. This was at our not-so-local Walmart, Pfizer brand.
Ginger

I am 16 years post pancreas transplant. I take Tacrolimus. I got 1st & 2nd dose of Moderna in March and April. The only reaction I had was a sore arm. Thursday I got a 3rd dose at my local primary clinic. At the reception desk they asked me a bunch of questions about my Medicare status and gave me a form to fill out about my eligibility. The injection went fine and I developed a sore arm (as expected) later in the day. BUT the next day that vaccine kicked my butt! I had a splitting headache, aches & pains all over my neck, back and extremities. I had bouts of nausea with dry heaves and I was so tired but couldn’t sleep because I hurt so bad. I spent the day moving from bed to recliner to couch and sipping on my go to for nausea & staying hydrated (20 oz glass filled with ice chips, cranberry juice and some clear soda). At bedtime I took acetaminophen. Today I’m feeling much better, but will lay low the rest of the weekend.

@gingerw I never heard of SMM before. How did they diagnose it? Is there something in your blood work that indicated a potential problem?

@hello1234 Multiple myeloma can be another one of those "sneaky quiet" disorders, like kidney issues often are. My old nephrologist had seen some blood results that were not adding up, so she sent me to a hematologist oncologist. This person also looked and ordered specialized tests, including a bone marrow biopsy and PET scan. Apparently, this issue had been brewing for a while, but the HMO nephrologist didn't want to/failed to put things together correctly; it took me changing to out-of-network nephrologist to start the ball rolling. The first part is MGUS [monclonal gammopathy of unspecified significance] that most often goes no further. Next stage is smoldering multiple myeloma which is a precursor to active myeloma. 10% of patients morph from smoldering to active in first year. There are three Int'l Staging System levels; I am at Stage III now. MM can affect the kidneys, but at this point it does not for me, they figure.
Ginger

@cehunt57 I know they were saying that a strong reaction like you had generally indicates that the vaccine is really doing its job, so hopefully that's some compensation for what you went through. I had a sore arm and some fatigue and a very mild headache the next day but that was all.

I had my vaccine at the local Walgreens and just had to fill out a form that only listed a number of reasons for needing a third shot, and you had to indicate that you did have one of them. You didn't even have to say which one you had. There was insurance info also.
JK