My Experience with Pfizer COVID Vaccine Hx Post Lyme

I felt an almost obligation to post something about my vaccine experience. Many people, especially if they have certain health issues, are worried about getting the vaccine. I was. The community in particular has lost a lot of trust in the CDC, IDSA, and the medical establishment in general. I have been fairly lucky. I have had some caring doctors/ARNPs/PAs that really did listen but once my heart and my thyroid tested normal, there was nothing else they could do. After I was treated by a LLMD/PA, most of the doctors I have seen seem to accept a general chronic fatigue type status and move on to the other normal blood work monitoring, testing, and advice. The only time a doctor was dismissive of Lyme Disease, in front of me, was when I was at a marketing lunch with a pain management doctor and asked if he ever treated patients with Lyme Disease. Of course, no one in Florida has Lyme.

This post is not to talk you into anything. It is to provide a little information and a viewpoint. Some of the Lyme community posts about the flu vaccine make people think suffering and death is the most likely outcome. I still have internal debates about the flu vaccine for multiple reasons, most are not Lyme Disease related. I don’t have the loudest voice. I am not trying to sell you anything. I am just trying to balance a little of what is on social media. Not everyone with a Lyme struggle thinks the same way.

I decided to get the vaccine for several reasons

• I am not in any acute stage of illness
• I work with COVID-19 positive patients
• I do NOT want any of the possible long term consequences of having COVID
• I do not want to get sick or carry the virus to give to others (still mask after, research is ongoing about being a carrier)
• I have had 2 flu shots (last 2 years), since being treated 7 years ago for Lyme, with no side effects
• To get things back to relative normal and to decrease the number of mutations, the more people that can be and are vaccinated, the better
• I do not have any known medication or vaccine allergies.
• The vaccine’s efficacy rate is phenomenal

How it went:

The location I was able to get an appointment at was set up for healthcare workers that do not work in hospitals. I selected an appointment time and showed up. They had a massive amount of volunteers and paid staff there to help move people through the process. The only waiting I did was the 15 minute recommended observation time to make sure you do not have an allergic reaction. This was not a drive through site so I had to park and get out. They did have wheelchairs and people on stand by to help anyone who might need assistance.

The day after both the first and the second vaccine, my arm was sore. I did some gentle ROM of my arm to loosen things up and get the juices flowing and that helped a great deal. I did not have any of the other listed side effects. The young nursing student that gave me one of the shots said that she had every side effect on the list. She said that with a smile and was happy to have gotten it. I was a little tired for a couple days after the second vaccine. I had a busy week and the received the vaccine on a Friday. I was not able to distinguish between my normal run out of spoons fatigue and any sort of vaccine reaction. I rested over the weekend and was back to baseline.

Please be careful of what sources you use to make your decisions. Please do not share posts that may have disinformation.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/russian-disinformation-campaign-aims-to-undermine-confidence-in-pfizer-other-covid-19-vaccines-u-s-officials-say-11615129200

If you have any thoughts or questions please leave a comment!!!

I’m all about that space, bout that space

This song is so stuck in my head.

Sorry if it gets stuck in yours.  Especially if you follow me across other platforms.

Social Distance I’m All About That Space No COVID T-Shirt

by Active_Art

 

I’m All About That Space T-Shirt

by Active_Art

 

@ktyjdawn

#neverfitin #coronavirus

♬ All About That Bass – Im The One

Falling Through the Cracks: To Florida Leaders

In parking lots across Florida, there are those who are waiting.  They are waiting for the promised check, the direct deposit, the life line that was promised amidst this horrible pandemic.  They understand that this is a new thing.  That it might take a little time.  They are waiting.  As they wait, they begin to notice that there are more people joining this open space waiting room.  Weeks have passed and still they wait.

It began with one car.  Days went by and I noticed that the car was there every night.  When a second car showed up, I decided to approach and ask if everything was okay.  The people in both cars were kind enough to talk to me.  I was a stranger.  On first meeting, my understanding was that one was just waiting for the stimulus and one had recently lost their job.  They were both okay and hopeful.  One declined any offer of help and had everything under control, they just needed that stimulus deposit and everything would be back to normal.  One did ask for some cold water if possible. It is Florida, it has been getting into the 90’s and a car, even in the shade, can be very unpleasant after a short time.  I took the ask.

A couple of weeks later and they are getting tired of hoping and waiting.  Flashes of frustration, anger, sadness and disbelief enter the conversations.  The stimulus check has still not appeared in the bank account.  A bank account the federal government has used for direct deposits for years.  The unemployment application is still “pending”.  They both have plans waiting to execute.  All they need are the checks that they have been told are coming.  As the weeks have passed, more cars, trucks, and trailers have joined the back lot impromptu camping ground.  They are teaching each other tricks.  Park in this area. Get a cup of ice from this store so you can have cold water through the day.

I gave up my keychain pepper spray.  You need to at least crack your window for some air movement when you sleep.

They still hope.

This is all new.  I do not expect massive new programs or program expansions to be flawless overnight.  Neither do they.  What they need is the money or a way to expedite the process.  Direction on what to do next.  They are spending their days looking for answers on the news, on social media, during press conferences.  At least one has reached out to their representatives. But the the only answer has been to wait.  How long can they wait?  The crack they have fallen into only seems to get deeper with every day.

(To be clear, this is not about party.  I have not talked politics in the waiting room.  If I had to guess from their comments, I would say one is Republican, and I have no idea about the other)