Mix And Mash

Last Updated on: 25th June 2021, 06:40 pm

I vote that we change mix and match to this when it comes to the practice of doling out the AstraZeneca Moderna/Pfizer combo for COVID vaccines, because holy hell was I ever flattened by mine. I very much wanted my buddy to be right, but the victory goes handily to the nurse, I’m afraid.

Before I go any further, I need to make note of something. When I wrote about my reaction to shot one, I neglected to mention that before I started feeling off, I wanted to and apparently tried to eat the world. I have no recollection of this, but both Carin and Brother Brad tell me it’s a thing, so I guess it must have happened. So while I still remember it, let the record show that I did it this time too. It was so bad that I ordered myself McDonald’s at 9:30 in the evening. So if you notice yourself feeling ridiculously hungry after your shot, take it as a sign that your immune system is gearing up for a fight and that shitty times may be on the horizon.

At first, Thursday started off a lot like the Thursday after my first dose did. I didn’t have the chills, but I was in no great hurry to move. Energy was in short supply, and I was pretty achy. I got up and took an Advil, which helped some. Once I was up and moving, things calmed down a little. I didn’t feel great whatsoever, but I was passable. If this is as bad as it’s going to get, I’ll be ok, I foolishly thought.

The next sign of trouble came after I grabbed Carin some breakfast. I sat down on the couch for a minute and promptly fell asleep for an hour and a half. When I woke up I felt a little worse than I had when I went out, but the worst was still to come.

I was happy that I wasn’t experiencing the hot and cold spells all day like last time, although I was constantly a little chilly and the aches were getting worse no matter what I did. By mid to late afternoon, I was a complete wreck. On a warm summer day, there I was wearing long pants and socks, huddled under a big fuzzy blanket, trying and failing to keep warm. It was all I could do to scoop out leftover soup for dinner. The cold was never ending and by the time 7:30-8 o’clock rolled around, the aches were so bad that I swear to you without the slightest hint of hyperbole that it felt like the only part of me that didn’t hurt was my nutsack. Honest to god I took more painkillers yesterday than I do for most of my migraines.

Eventually I was able to fall asleep again for a couple of hours. When I woke up, I was sweating. A lot. Enough that even though I hadn’t showered since the day before, I could smell the shampoo in my hair. Ever or at least sometimes the optimist, I thought that maybe this was a good sign. I hadn’t sweated all day, so maybe the fact that I am now means that I’m coming down the other side of this thing.

That appears to have been what happened. The rest of that night I wasn’t perfect, but I was up and around a little more and felt a tad more lively. I had a pretty solid night of sleep especially by my standards and woke up this morning feeling…not bad. I’m still a bit tired, which I think is to be expected. But oddly the most tired thing about me are my legs. They feel like I’ve been out climbing hills all day. I have not. I washed and dried some dishes and whatnot, but that’s it. Our apartment isn’t even on a slant.

Hopefully I’m not in for more surprises. That’s what happened to me the first time. I thought by the Saturday that I was cured, only to be felled anew by an irresistible urge to sleep come Sunday.

I sound like one hell of an advertisement for vaccines, don’t I?

If I haven’t made it clear enough in all of the things I’ve written, let me say it again: Go out and get your damn shots. It’s our best…er…shot at eventually returning to something resembling normal life. There may be some short-term pain for you, but there’s no way it compares to the long-term gain for everyone.