The COVID-19 coping thread

[klyrish]

Sorry if this has already been posted but for anyone not aware, Kaiser Permanente is allowing anyone--member or not--to sign up for a vaccine. I got notified last Wednesday that my time was finally here, signed up for a vaccine and just got back from getting my first one about 15 minutes ago. Second is scheduled for May 10. Couldn't have been simpler.

For anyone who is still waiting, check out the links about halfway down the page here:
https://healthy.kaiserpermanente.org.../covid-vaccine

And get on a list! They're very quick about getting people scheduled and when there, it was a very fast process.

[sweeterthan]

i follow someone on instagram who claims to have been injured by the vaccine. she said she got the 2nd pfizer shot and ten days later had a blood clot that caused a stroke. it kinda scared me and i went to down a google rabbit hole about the vaccine effort. It was pretty unhealthy for me as my second dose is thursday. i want to believe that the vaccine will help end this crisis that affects all of us. But i do worry about the unknowns. I saw a doctor i trust very much today and we talked about it. he made me feel better about getting it. it’s just weird because i am pro-vaccination so i didn’t expect the misinformation to hit me so hard. i’m telling myself my fears are normal and i’m not giving up my appointment.

[Magnetic]

What a lot of people fail to realize is that some will have health issues, regardless of whether or not they got the vaccine. Suddenly every illness post-vaccination becomes suspect. Strokes in younger people happen. My BIL had one at age 42 two years ago, and he also got the AZ jab in the UK. These are safe, but sometimes shit happens.

[Jinsai]

@sweeterthan

I'd think of it more like this... there is a chance of traumatic harm with almost everything you do. There's probably a slightly larger chance of harm that you'll be horribly injured in a car accident on the way to the CVS than you will be actually harmed by the vaccine, but both outcomes are completely plausible. They're also both incredibly unlikely, and so equivalent that I may have gotten the likelihood completely backwards...

But what I'm going to bank on is that you will be perfectly fine with the second shot, and hopefully I'll get my first soon.

[allegate]

the flip side is that there hasn't been so much scrutiny on personal health in years so it's possible to have a false positive on a preexisting condition. like when I thought I had pneumonia but it was actually a blood clot.

[sweeterthan]

@sweeterthan

I'd think of it more like this... there is a chance of traumatic harm with almost everything you do. There's probably a slightly larger chance of harm that you'll be horribly injured in a car accident on the way to the CVS than you will be actually harmed by the vaccine, but both outcomes are completely plausible. They're also both incredibly unlikely, and so equivalent that I may have gotten the likelihood completely backwards...

But what I'm going to bank on is that you will be perfectly fine with the second shot, and hopefully I'll get my first soon.

i’m definitely a worse case scenario person and that car accident example is never lost on me. the doctor i talked to today is because of my own horrible car accident when i was a kid. he was the emergency room plastic surgeon when the vehicle i was in was hit by an ambulance. if it wasn’t for him, i would’ve died. if i thought about it it too much i’d never drive anywhere. i’m really good at pushing those fears down so that’s what i’m doing for thursday. i actually feel much better after talking to my doctor. he’s a genius and i trust him. (he rebuilt my face from a school picture. he’s amazing. )


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[Jinsai]

well, I'm not gonna lie, now I feel a bit bad for seemingly belittling the seriousness of possibilities there, but I hope you know that it's not what I was suggesting. For a long time I avoided flying... I just hated feeling that out of control and I hated conceptualizing bad possibilities. It helped me to consider the statistical probabilities of outcomes before I realized, well, I'm never in control, not really.

My music teacher when I was a kid had a son who contracted polio (and eventually died) from the vaccine. I always considered that to be a really terrifying concept, and it wasn't until I realistically looked at the odds w/ polio and what the situation really was that I began to grasp why my piano teacher never resented vaccines or said anything about regretting the decision to get the vaccine, even if it was obviously the most painful thing that had ever happened to her. She knew she made the right choice, and sometimes a plane literally lands on your head.

[sweeterthan]

well, I'm not gonna lie, now I feel a bit bad for seemingly belittling the seriousness of possibilities there, but I hope you know that it's not what I was suggesting. For a long time I avoided flying... I just hated feeling that out of control and I hated conceptualizing bad possibilities. It helped me to consider the statistical probabilities of outcomes before I realized, well, I'm never in control, not really.

My music teacher when I was a kid had a son who contracted polio (and eventually died) from the vaccine. I always considered that to be a really terrifying concept, and it wasn't until I realistically looked at the odds w/ polio and what the situation really was that I began to grasp why my piano teacher never resented vaccines or said anything about regretting the decision to get the vaccine, even if it was obviously the most painful thing that had ever happened to her. She knew she made the right choice, and sometimes a plane literally lands on your head.

do not feel bad. people use that analogy a lot because it’s true. some of us know better than others.

[cdm]

While you're getting those push notifications about the J&J this morning keep in mind we're talking about 6 out of 6.8 million. That's .0000008824.

[sweeterthan]

While you're getting those push notifications about the J&J this morning keep in mind we're talking about 6 out of 6.8 million. That's .0000008824.

ugh. my best friend got the j and j yesterday. i’ve already sent a “you’re probably fine” text.

[otnavuskire]

While you're getting those push notifications about the J&J this morning keep in mind we're talking about 6 out of 6.8 million. That's .0000008824.

Which is actually lower than the number of blood clots you'd expect to see in that many people in a typical situation. It's a bunch of hype about nothing.

[cdm]

Which is actually lower than the number of blood clots you'd expect to see in that many people in a typical situation. It's a bunch of hype about nothing.

I don't want to give the impression that I'm questioning medical professionals here. Blood clots are serious business and we're all better off when we understand the risks when taking new vaccines. My issue is with how it was presented and how that will lead to further skepticism of the vaccines in general. Pausing to identify alternative therapies to combat the blood clots is a logical and responsible thing to do. The rationale and expectation that J&J will resume in a matter of days should have been more clear.

[allegro]

My music teacher when I was a kid had a son who contracted polio (and eventually died) from the vaccine.

That was the VERY first round of polio vaccines, where they had a production and quality control issue. See “Cutter Incident.”

After that, it was totally safe and saved the lives of millions of children.

But I'm always reminded of this story.


My 2nd Moderna shot is tomorrow, and I haven’t thought about it at all. I keep forgetting. Until I go to make an appointment, then my Husband is like, “NO, THAT’S THE DAY AFTER THE VACCINE, YOU COULD BE REALLY SICK!”

Yeah, right.

I’ve broken both arms, gotten numerous stitches, had surgery twice, had migraines for nearly 40 years, DID A COLONOSCOPY PREP (ugh), and had a fucking CERVIX AND UTERINE BIOPSY WITH NO ANESTHESIA.

This shit can’t be THAT bad.

@sweeterthan , you pushed out BABIES!!!!!* You got this!!



* About 30 out of every 100,000 women experience a stroke during pregnancy.

sorry, I sound like "Win won for the Gipper!" But over 563,000 people are dead from Covid in the United States. That's a lot of dead people. And that's not counting the 31,500,000 in the U.S. who had Covid, who can get the really bad longterm side effects.

[Archive_Reports]

Colonoscopy prep is no fucking joke. I went from "I don't think this stuff is working" to thanking whatever higher power there may be that my bathroom sink was directly in front of my toilet so I could put my head down.

[Swykk]

You’ll be living there for about 4 hours.

[allegate]

struth. first time (yes, sadly) was a real oh what fresh hell did I get myself into. there were only GBA's and AA batteries and poorly lit bathrooms at the time so it was a terrible experience.

You know, other than the unholy cascade.

[Archive_Reports]

Oh, I'm not dealing with it now, this was a few years ago. To be clear.

[sweeterthan]

i’m 26ish hours post second pfizer vaccine dose and i think i’m doing good. i feel a little tired but i did an hour of yoga with a sore arm and my arm is way less sore now. i definitely think movement helps the shot arm. i didn’t sleep well and that’s probably why i’m tired.

[allegro]

IImmediately after my 2nd Moderna dose on Wednesday, I felt dizzy. I wrote it off as a coincidence, until it started getting worse.

My Mom was sitting there engrossed in her iPad Find-a-Word game while holding her “Allergy” tag, which means she had to wait 30 minutes vs. the standard 15. I leaned over and asked G if dizziness was on the list of side effects. We both started Googling. I got up and walked to a table in front of me that had a bunch of I Got Shot or whatever stickers on it, with a staff member sitting there; I asked her if dizzy was normal. She shrugged.

Walking back to my seat was like being drunk on a fishing boat on 6-foot waves.

I was thinking about what to do next (like “will I be able to walk ALLLLL the way to that exit when we leave??”) when an RN suddenly appeared before me: Karen. She asked how I was doing, I figured now’s not the time to bullshit. She told me she wanted to take me to an area to lie down for a bit. Ugh, okay. She got a WHEELCHAIR and insisted I ride in that. By the time I climbed out of it and onto a REALLY HIGH stretcher, I realized Karen knew what she was doing. I was REALLY dizzy, holy shit.

I lied there for a while as Karen checked my oxygen levels and BP and pulse, all good. I asked her if people pass out from the shot.

“Oh, yeah.”

I texted G, then he suddenly appeared from between the divider curtain. He said my Mom hadn’t even noticed I was gone (eye roll). Just then, we heard some commotion and a loud THUD and Karen went running ... someone had passed out cold, G said “face planted,” just after getting into the MASH area. Later, after I was leaving, we saw her on a stretcher; she was young, like early-20s?

After drinking some water and lying there for less than I think 30 minutes, I was cleared for takeoff. I went home and slept for HOURS.

Yesterday, G had a headache ALL DAY. I only felt tired and a tad feverish, but still managed to get some stuff done around the house while G slept all day.

This morning, I had a telehealth appointment with my neurologist. I said I had read reports of migraines after the 2nd shot, but I didn’t get one. He said yeah, ESPECIALLY with Moderna: migraines, but also headaches in general. Dr. said that dizziness after some shots is a fairly normal reaction, in general.

My arm still hurts like last time but no big deal.

[eversonpoe]

Immediately after my 2nd Moderna dose on Wednesday, I felt dizzy. I wrote it off as a coincidence, until it started getting worse.

My Mom was sitting there engrossed in her iPad Find-a-Word game while holding her “Allergy” tag, which means she had to wait 30 minutes vs. the standard 15. I leaned over and asked G if dizziness was on the list of side effects. We both started Googling. I got up and walked to a table in front of me that had a bunch of I Got Shot or whatever stickers on it, with a staff member sitting there; I asked her if dizzy was normal. She shrugged.

Walking back to my seat was like being drunk on a fishing boat on 6-foot waves.

I was thinking about what to do next (like “will I be able to walk ALLLLL the way to that exit when we leave??”) when an RN suddenly appeared before me: Karen. She asked how I was doing, I figured now’s not the time to bullshit. She told me she wanted to take me to an area to lie down for a bit. Ugh, okay. She got a WHEELCHAIR and insisted I ride in that. By the time I climbed out of it and onto a REALLY HIGH stretcher, I realized Karen knew what she was doing. I was REALLY dizzy, holy shit.

I lied there for a while as Karen checked my oxygen levels and BP and pulse, all good. I asked her if people pass out from the shot.

“Oh, yeah.”

I texted G, then he suddenly appeared from between the divider curtain. He said my Mom hadn’t even noticed I was gone (eye roll). Just then, we heard some commotion and a loud THUD and Karen went running ... someone had passed out cold, G said “face planted,” just after getting into the MASH area. Later, after I was leaving, we saw her on a stretcher; she was young, like early-20s?

After drinking some water and lying there for less than I think 30 minutes, I was cleared for takeoff. I went home and slept for HOURS.

Yesterday, G had a headache ALL DAY. I only felt tired and a tad feverish, but still managed to get some stuff done around the house while G slept all day.

This morning, I had a telehealth appointment with my neurologist. I said I had read reports of migraines after the 2nd shot, but I didn’t get one. He said yeah, ESPECIALLY with Moderna: migraines, but also headaches in general. Dr. said that dizziness after some shots is a fairly normal reaction, in general.

My arm still hurts like last time but no big deal.

hope you feel better soon <3 i've definitely heard from everyone that the moderna shots are tougher on people's systems.

[sweeterthan]

Immediately after my 2nd Moderna dose on Wednesday, I felt dizzy. I wrote it off as a coincidence, until it started getting worse.

My Mom was sitting there engrossed in her iPad Find-a-Word game while holding her “Allergy” tag, which means she had to wait 30 minutes vs. the standard 15. I leaned over and asked G if dizziness was on the list of side effects. We both started Googling. I got up and walked to a table in front of me that had a bunch of I Got Shot or whatever stickers on it, with a staff member sitting there; I asked her if dizzy was normal. She shrugged.

Walking back to my seat was like being drunk on a fishing boat on 6-foot waves.

I was thinking about what to do next (like “will I be able to walk ALLLLL the way to that exit when we leave??”) when an RN suddenly appeared before me: Karen. She asked how I was doing, I figured now’s not the time to bullshit. She told me she wanted to take me to an area to lie down for a bit. Ugh, okay. She got a WHEELCHAIR and insisted I ride in that. By the time I climbed out of it and onto a REALLY HIGH stretcher, I realized Karen knew what she was doing. I was REALLY dizzy, holy shit.

I lied there for a while as Karen checked my oxygen levels and BP and pulse, all good. I asked her if people pass out from the shot.

“Oh, yeah.”

I texted G, then he suddenly appeared from between the divider curtain. He said my Mom hadn’t even noticed I was gone (eye roll). Just then, we heard some commotion and a loud THUD and Karen went running ... someone had passed out cold, G said “face planted,” just after getting into the MASH area. Later, after I was leaving, we saw her on a stretcher; she was young, like early-20s?

After drinking some water and lying there for less than I think 30 minutes, I was cleared for takeoff. I went home and slept for HOURS.

Yesterday, G had a headache ALL DAY. I only felt tired and a tad feverish, but still managed to get some stuff done around the house while G slept all day.

This morning, I had a telehealth appointment with my neurologist. I said I had read reports of migraines after the 2nd shot, but I didn’t get one. He said yeah, ESPECIALLY with Moderna: migraines, but also headaches in general. Dr. said that dizziness after some shots is a fairly normal reaction, in general.

My arm still hurts like last time but no big deal.

i’m sorry that happened but it sounds like you had proper assistance. hope you’re feeling better.


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[Magnetic]

@allegro Yikes! Good to know.
I'm going to opt for the 30 min wait because my lower lip swelled up 9 hours after I got it. Better safe than sorry?
What do you do if you get mega dizzy, but you're at a drive-up site?

[allegro]

@allegro Yikes! Good to know.
I'm going to opt for the 30 min wait because my lower lip swelled up 9 hours after I got it. Better safe than sorry?
What do you do if you get mega dizzy, but you're at a drive-up site?

I've wondered about the drive-up for ANYBODY. Because where we went, they make EVERYBODY wait around under observance for 15 minutes, and the "allergy" or whatever people wait 30 minutes (my Mom per her doctor's instructions). And I don't know how that happens at a drive-through.

Although, my neurologist DID indicate that my dizziness reaction was NOT a symptom of the vaccine, but a reaction to the shot, in general, which he said is common. I’ve had a dizziness reaction from a shot in the DENTIST CHAIR!!! And it’s in my neurologist’s records. My dippy dentist CALLED 911!!! I had a meeting with my neurologist after THAT incident and he said that’s an anxiety reaction to the shot. My dentist thought I was, like, doing a “Joan Rivers” in her office and freaked out. (I found another dentist after that.)

This is pretty weird, because I’m NOT squeamish. When I’ve given blood or had blood drawn, I watched them do it. I didn’t react to the FIRST Moderna shot.

@sweeterthan , @eversonpoe , @Magnetic , thanks! It was no big deal, in the end, but I was really grateful that they take such good care of people. I was just embarrassed until we saw that young woman go down like a tree, then I was really glad for the help and that I had asked for it.

My almost-83-yr-old Mom had zero post-shot symptoms other than the sore arm, for either Moderna shot.

My friend's son got the Pfizer shot and he was sick with flu symptoms for 2 whole days with the 2nd shot.

Word is that a "reaction" is a sign of a really strong immune system; it's why elderly don't react all that much, because their immune systems are pretty weak.

Today, I feel GREAT!!!

Well, other than one of my cats was really sick yesterday and that's been a rough ride dealing with the vet and anxiety about that and stuff, but the cat is doing better, now, too!

[eversonpoe]

cross-posted in the "cheer you up" thread but i figured we've all been talking more in here so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

1) got my second shot on friday! SOMEONE COME SNUGGLE ME. (i got kinda tired on saturday and that's about it)

2) i don't have to move! but i DO have to find a roommate (which i've never had before; i've only lived with significant others).

3) i made a super sexy mix/playlist for someone over the weekend and they fucking loved it.

4) i'm contributing a song to a compilation that's going to be raising money for a charity that deals with mental health. i wrote, recorded, and mixed it in 3 days last week, and i freakin' love it.

5) i've been buying some really cute clothes (especially dresses), i got myself an eyeshadow palette, and i've been feeling fun and femme every day.

6) I GOT A JOB! gonna be working at starbucks again! a different one this time (halfway between my apartment and my parents') that's apparently the busiest in the district, but i guess that'll make work pass quickly? i did a test ride on my bike on friday and it was about 25 minutes, which is great. (sarah's going to be taking the car because it's more important that she have it, so i'm trying to make sure i can be reliant on my bike)

7) i reached out to a friend recently who i hadn't spoken to or seen since late 2017, and she responded so positively. we're hanging out on sunday and i'm so excited.

[Jinsai]

I feel like I missed this window of opportunity here, where I just was dealing with too much other bullshit, and now I'm fucked again. Now I have to fight for a place in line with "anyone 16+" and... I'm feeling stunned and fucked. I have so little energy left for this shit, so I'm gonna watch some more Creepshow.

[poinoup]

Alberta is dropping the minimum age from 55 to 40 tomorrow morning. I somehow got ahead of the insanity and am in for Wednesday!

[allegro]

I feel like I missed this window of opportunity here, where I just was dealing with too much other bullshit, and now I'm fucked again. Now I have to fight for a place in line with "anyone 16+" and... I'm feeling stunned and fucked. I have so little energy left for this shit, so I'm gonna watch some more Creepshow.

Have you tried this route? Choose non-member.
https://healthy.kaiserpermanente.org...e-appointments

Also try this:
https://carbonhealth.com/covid-19-vaccines/los-angeles

Also:
https://www.findmyvaxla.com/

[Jinsai]

I'll try again in the morning. Thanks @allegro . I need some rest before I give this a "shot" again.

[allegro]

I'll try again in the morning. Thanks @allegro . I need some rest before I give this a "shot" again.

Good. If you have a healthcare provider, like through a network, check with them, too. They’re getting vaccine supplies, now, too.

[Magnetic]

@Jinsai My colleague used findashot.org as well.