This Girl Is On Pfizer! | My First Dose Of The Covid Vaccine - Experience & Side Effects
I got my first dose of the Pfizer Vaccine on Thursday morning! For those of you who haven’t gotten yours yet and are still waiting for your appointment, I wanted to do a quick post telling you about my experience and what to expect.
Why I decided to get vaccinated
I know I have a few anti-vax people on my timeline who may be reading this, so I wanted to quickly touch on why I got the vaccine.
Simply put, I believe in science and fact. I’ve never had a negative reaction from any vaccine. I’m afraid of getting Covid and dying from it, or passing it along to someone who could die from it. I researched all of the covid vaccines to make an educated decision on what one I wanted. I researched the ingredients to understand what I would be putting in my body.
Also, to me, getting the vaccine felt like being part of this huge historical moment that we’ve all been waiting for. I want to be able to travel and experience normal life again.
My experience
As soon as the government announced that my age group could get vaccinated, I went online to book my appointment. They gave me the choice between Pfizer and Moderna. I chose Pfizer because that’s what all of my friends and family went with, but they’re both essentially the same.
I live in Fredericton, NB and went to the vaccine clinic at the Brookside mall. A few friends who were vaccinated before me told me they had to wait in a long line, so I made sure to get there 15 minutes before my appointment time to get a good spot in line. There were 5 people ahead of me, and about 30 behind me by the time I went in. It’s so great to see so many people getting vaccinated!
When you get the email for your vaccine appt, they tell you to print off a form to fill out. I forgot my form at home, so I had to fill it out standing in line. Once inside, they asked a series of Covid screening questions before sending me in to get the vaccine.
In the actual vaccine room, they asked for my information and sent me to another line to wait for an available nurse.
When it was my turn, I was called over and asked a series of questions relating to previous experiences with vaccinations, if I’ve had any reactions, any allergies etc.
My nurse was really great. She asked if I’d ever fainted before, and told me they had several people faint the day before due to the heat. I appreciated her honesty, and it didn’t make me second guess getting the vaccine at all. Some people faint when they get shots, and the added heat in that stuffy room would have enhanced that.
When she gave me the vaccine, I didn’t feel it at all. I’ve had vaccines in the past that hurt going in, but this one literally felt like nothing. Once you get it, they move you over to a seating area to wait 15 minutes.
Side EfFects
I felt fine immediately after the vaccine. A few minutes into my waiting period, I did feel a bit dizzy, but I attribute that to the fact that I hadn’t had anything to eat or drink yet that morning. The dizziness wore off in a few minutes and I was fine to leave at the end of my 15 minute wait.
I felt totally fine all day after getting it. In the evening, I did feel some soreness at the injection site. It kind of felt like being punched in the arm, but it wasn’t bad at all.
Yesterday (the day after getting it) my arm was sore when I woke up, and I started getting a headache in the early afternoon. The headache came back way worse in the evening, and I was extremely tired. It basically just felt like normal flu-like fatigue. I took some Advil and rested for a bit, and felt a lot better. Today, my arm is still a bit sore, and I’m tired, but feeling pretty good overall.
These type of side effects are totally normal, and let me know the vaccine is working! I’ve heard that the second dose has worse side effects, so I’ll update this post when I get it.