The Covid19 thread

[Falcon Horus]

I would have hesitated if it had been J&J but I would have taken my chances.... BUT if I can avoid it, all the better.

I suspect it'll be a summer of 2021 thing... ...probably coinciding with my vacation or something. Lucky I'm not going abroad this year (not vaccinated, don't want a PCR test if I don't have to, and I have not been infected -- 3 criteria to be able to travel).

[Falcon Horus]

Remember that colleague of mine whose husband ended up in the hospital... Turns out that he suffered from the Happy Hippo Syndrome. He was running a fever of 40° but managed to drive to the ER on his own and walk in without looking like he was coming apart.

However, it might have looked like he wasn't doing too bad, after they had taken an image of his lungs they realized he was a lot further gone than initially thought. Apparently, he was so far gone that if he had waited a few hours more before showing up at the ER, they wouldn't have been able to help him at all.

He's a 40-something, super-healthy guy who is into a bio-food and bio-supplements.

And it'll be a while until he's back on his feet... simple stairs are an insurmountable problem.

My other colleague's son tested positive and turns out I was one of her very low-risk contacts who didn't need to be contacted because I was wearing a mask at the time and standing socially distant apart. Such things are best mentioned before dropping them after the fact.

[Falcon Horus]

Thursday 17/06, it's finally my turn to pick up my first shot of the vaccine. I'll be joining Team Pfizer.

I've had to wait for eons but finally... I'm so excited, you wouldn't believe.

[Who Knows]

I am happy for you "FH". I hope you do not suffer any side effects from it.
Let us know how you feel after the event. sWPLUF3.jpg

[Falcon Horus]

I'm not too worried about the side effects. I've heard a lot of others say that the first Pfizer shot is the easy one but that the second one has a bite to it. My dad's girlfriend was okay after the first shot, but felt woozy after the second. She said she hadn't slept so great in a while after her second shot.

[Who Knows]

They are rolling the Pfizer out over here now, but when I got mine it was Astra Zenica. I did not have any problems or ill effects with it, but everybody said the first one was the worst, headaches, woozieness, stiffening of the arm, pain at the site of the injection. And the second one (which I am due for in July) has no side effects. That we will find out later.
But I know different people have different reactions. OmuCQe7.gifIt's a worry

[jelgate]

Thursday 17/06, it's finally my turn to pick up my first shot of the vaccine. I'll be joining Team Pfizer.

I've had to wait for eons but finally... I'm so excited, you wouldn't believe.

That makes us team mates. My side effects were minimal. A small headache and pain at the injection site. Reminds me of a tentanus shot. The second one is worse but not by much

[SGalisa]

They are rolling the Pfizer out over here now, but when I got mine it was Astra Zenica. I did not have any problems or ill effects with it, but everybody said the first one was the worst, headaches, woozieness, stiffening of the arm, pain at the site of the injection. And the second one (which I am due for in July) has no side effects. That we will find out later.
But I know different people have different reactions. OmuCQe7.gifIt's a worry

May those be the ONLY side effect(s)... and those are short lived within the 14-day observation period. Unfortunately for me, be it due to age or some other factor, I may be having longer-termed side effects, due to a potential allergic reaction to something in the vaccine. I mentioned this before, and also when I got the vaccines. No one said anything for "allergic reactions" outside of eppy pen urgency.

So, here is an oddity --- LUMP in the armpit of the arm where the vaccine(s) were given. I have discovered this immediately after getting my first injection, but am having confirmation of it since making a medical appointment and finding out what is REALLY going on. As a result, I am hearing a lot of ladies are having this problem too, with some having swollen lymph glands for several months. The vaccines are still not yet 6 months old in the majority of many populations. The media is silent on this, or may have hinted back yonder, but "nothing to be alarmed about" is the mantra.

Yeah... right. I spent almost an entire weekend researching what swollen lymph node(s) might be, and came to lymphoma... which is a cancer that can lead to death. NICE... Actually, the main vein in that underarm area started swelling out shortly after I got my first injection... main vein that leads to the heart. Because of various blood clot reports coming into the news, being a possible "side effect" of the vaccine (was Moderna, but mine was Pfizer), I remained vigilant over drinking lots and lots of water (to prevent dehydration and fevers) and taking enough blood thinner vitamins to counteract any serious blood clots.

Well... apparently, that was not enough. The vein swelled a tad, and then a lump showed up growing under the area. The lump is very noticeable, and now about 2 inches in (surface skin) length. It looks like something is pooling underneath the skin... don't know if it is lymph fluid bulging or blood pooling and getting ready to explode. If it is a blood clot, and does explode, obviously, I will have a heart-attack and possibly worse. I cannot stress this enough if there are other people going thru these same scenarios and wondering about their own future.

There are moments of extreme discomfort and pressure-like twinges running down to my wrist and also down to the thigh in my leg (along major artery lines, too). Heart area is also feeling clumps of grabbing pressure-like pain. Ladies can have heart-attacks and not be aware prior symptoms.

So, short story is 2 scenarios can result in death.
* Lymphoma... (got a few years maybe left, but don't want chemo/radiation, since all that does is prolong the end result and can't afford it for several reasons).
* Blood clot(s)... leading to exploding vein/artery, thus heart-attack and possible death as end result.

Lesser possibilities are:
* Blood clot(s)... leading to stroke(s), so living handicapped probably for the rest of one's life.
* Possible cyst growing (not unusual, but in a painful spot for extraction or being cut out).
* skin lesion, might be cancer related too, but also easier to control if caught in time. Unless the lymph system goes haywire, and then nothing helps to heal the situation.
* Swollen lymph node(s), but not serious enough to be lymphoma.

Anywho... more testing is being done to find out what is swollen. I am well past my 14-day observation period of both vaccines, and this lump is NOT shrinking. I told my entire family about having a major allergy to something in the vaccine, but Oh I won't know until I get the vaccine to find out how serious that could be. Not one of them, or myself, figured lymphoma or exploding veins as part of the side-effects package...!

There is more going on also that I haven't mentioned, because it may or may NOT be part of the side-effect... and even the lump itself could just be a very strange coincidence in timing for showing up.

And there are STILL people "out there" who are fully vaccinated and complaining about the UNvaccinated walking around in the population, and saying the UNvaccinated are causing (emotional / fear?) problems for the vaccinated ones to walk freely around. Most offended is my boss, who is upset that the UNvaccinated are still working in the same building (office area) that she is (and she has been fully vaccinated). I've seen that type of complaint on other forums too.

That is all I am going to say for now.

[Who Knows]

Please keep us updated on your condition as and when anything changes or develops.
I will be thinking of you, and I am sure a lot of others here will be too.
Just try to keep positive.

[Falcon Horus]

A small headache and pain at the injection site. Reminds me of a tentanus shot. The second one is worse but not by much

I had a tetanus shot in april and all I got as a side effect was stiff upper arm which I didn't notice until I wanted to take my sweater off. Just before I had said, "Oh, she said there would be some stiffness but I'm not feeling that..." and then I proceeded to lift my arm and "... I was wrong. I take it back!"

****

@ SGAlisa
Should you be worried, the CDC lists the most common side effects on their website, and reccommends calling your doctor if you think there's more to it.

It should also be noted that the blood clotting side effect most commonly with the AZ and J&J vaccine is not your typical blood clotting, like what can happen with the birth control pills. It's a rare form which also has a low platelet count, and blood thinners make the effects worse.

And here's your lymph node side effect explained by Yale Medicine.

“The COVID-19 vaccination is given in the arm and the closest lymph nodes are the ones under your arm, so that is where the reaction is occurring,” she says. “It’s completely normal. It’s your immune system reacting to the vaccine, as it should.”

The enlarged lymph nodes may feel like a lump and be a little tender, or you may not notice them at all, Dr. Roy adds. They generally appear within a few days of the vaccination and you can feel them for up to 10 days—and they may be visible on imaging tests for up to a month, she says. If you can still feel them more than two weeks after your shot, call your doctor, she advises.

[Womble]

Israel is about to cancel the last pandemic-related domestic restriction - the requirements to wear masks indoors in public spaces.

Meanwhile, more and more countries are added to the blacklist. Israeli citizens are currently banned by their own government from travelling to Seychelles, Ukraine, Russia, Turkey, Ethiopia, South Africa and most of South America. As many of these are countries of origin for over 20% of Israeli citizens or their families, this is a major problem and there is pressure and appeals to the Supreme Court to repeal the bans. My own travel agency filed one of the appeals.

There are major economic repercussions, too. Most people working in incoming and outgoing, as opposed to domestic, tourism are yet to be called back to work, while the rest of the economy is largely back to full speed. There are discussions of just how long the government can continue to pay unemployment for the tourism workers. I am incredibly lucky to only have spent one month on unemployment in this whole time.

[Falcon Horus]

Meanwhile, more and more countries are added to the blacklist. Israeli citizens are currently banned by their own government from travelling to Seychelles, Ukraine, Russia, Turkey, Ethiopia, South Africa and most of South America. As many of these are countries of origin for over 20% of Israeli citizens or their families, this is a major problem and there is pressure and appeals to the Supreme Court to repeal the bans. My own travel agency filed one of the appeals.

Would quarantine work... I mean, I understand the need to visit family but even fully vaccinated, you can still carry the virus around to infect those who are not (yet) vaccinated, and most of those are still very much in the grip of the virus.

A lot of countries within the borders of the European Union still have quarantine regulations in place for tourists and visitors who stay for longer than 24h.

There are currently 3 criteria, of which at least one has to be fulfilled, when travelling:
1) fully vaccinated
which you are 2 weeks after your 2nd Pfizer/Moderna shot, 3 weeks after AZ or 4 weeks after J&J

2) negative PCR test no later than 48h before arrival in the country of vacationing or return to country of origin

3) proof of a recent infection which gives you a certain level of immunity

Different countries have separately from the EU regulations put rules in place, like 10 to 14 days of quarantaine after arrival, or extra testing, or only fully vaccinated people can come.

[Womble]

Would quarantine work... I mean, I understand the need to visit family but even fully vaccinated, you can still carry the virus around to infect those who are not (yet) vaccinated, and most of those are still very much in the grip of the virus.

The major problem is that our rules are utterly illogical and it feels like they were improvised in a hurry.

Example 1: any Israeli returning from abroad needs to present a negative PCR test done less than 72 hours before arrival. Upon arrival, they need to take - again at their expense - ANOTHER test, as if the one you've arrived with is irrelevant. Icing on the cake? Even if you are vaccinated and BOTH tests are negative, you STILL go into quarantine if you arrived from a blacklisted country like, say, Russia or Turkey.

Example 2: One travels from Israel to Georgia (the one in the Caucasus). Israel does not require PCR test upon departure if you're vaccinated; Georgia does not require PCR test on arrival. The passenger can STILL be removed from the flight due to not having a negative PCR test at the discretion of the check-in crew.

Also, nobody understands the logic by which countries get blacklisted. Ukraine and Russia are on the blacklist, but Belarus, where the situation is at least as bad, isn't. Mexico is on the blacklist but the Philippines isn't etc. I can borderline understand the Covid-deniers because the amount of confusion the government is putting out is insane.

[Falcon Horus]

The major problem is that our rules are utterly illogical and it feels like they were improvised in a hurry.

Belgium: "Hold my beer!"

Those 2 examples -- same here. I'm glad to know it's not just Belgium which has rules that half the time make no sense, or counteract one another.

[mad_gater]

I had a tetanus shot in april and all I got as a side effect was stiff upper arm which I didn't notice until I wanted to take my sweater off. Just before I had said, "Oh, she said there would be some stiffness but I'm not feeling that..." and then I proceeded to lift my arm and "... I was wrong. I take it back!"

****

@ SGAlisa
Should you be worried, the CDC lists the most common side effects on their website, and reccommends calling your doctor if you think there's more to it.

It should also be noted that the blood clotting side effect most commonly with the AZ and J&J vaccine is not your typical blood clotting, like what can happen with the birth control pills. It's a rare form which also has a low platelet count, and blood thinners make the effects worse.

And here's your lymph node side effect explained by Yale Medicine.

“The COVID-19 vaccination is given in the arm and the closest lymph nodes are the ones under your arm, so that is where the reaction is occurring,” she says. “It’s completely normal. It’s your immune system reacting to the vaccine, as it should.”

The enlarged lymph nodes may feel like a lump and be a little tender, or you may not notice them at all, Dr. Roy adds. They generally appear within a few days of the vaccination and you can feel them for up to 10 days—and they may be visible on imaging tests for up to a month, she says. If you can still feel them more than two weeks after your shot, call your doctor, she advises.

Only worry I have, though a limited one as I never had this problem with other vaccines is symptoms of dormant infections that your immune system normally keeps in check popping up while your immune system is distracted processing the vaccine...like herpes for example and I do have a couple of variants rolling around......had chicken pox as a kid so that's herpes zoster rolling around in there and I've also had at least one cold sore in my life so that's herpes simplex running around in there too....really hope I don't wind up with chicken pox's more painful and debilitating cousin on account of the second shot (got the first shot a few days before my 40th birthday and only got a sore arm and second shot is scheduled for this coming tuesday)