Fully Covid-19 vaccinated- What to expect!

Four weeks after our first Moderna Covid-19 vaccination it was time for our second shot. The day before we read up to be fully prepared for what the possible side effects would be and were mentally prepared for them. However, neither of us slept great the night before but I slept worse than Sharon as I was only able to sleep about three and a half hours.

The day to drive to our vaccination appointment finally arrived. We made the short 30 minute drive over to Brownsville, Texas and parked. The last time we were here we stood in line for hours and hours before getting our shot. This time it was much simpler. The guard entering the parking lot and another at the door verified that we were there for our second vaccine and we were allowed us into the building.

Once inside we were greeted by a person who had us fill out a form and then she placed us in a queued line waiting to check in. Once inside the check in area we were asked a lot of questions and were signed in for our shot. We then waited to see one more check-in person but neither of us understood fully why this step was necessary or what it was that she did.

Once finished with check-in they placed us in another queue. In each of the lines we were placed 6 feet apart. As soon as we made our way to the front and a vacancy inside was available we walked into a room with several vaccine stations. As our turn came up we were seated, received our vaccine and the nurse placed a band-aid over the vaccination site.

Next we were ushered into a waiting room where chairs were socially distanced apart.  We were told to wait there for our prescribed time (some were told to wait 30 minutes but we were told 15 minutes). This was a precautionary step to ensure we didn’t have an allergic reaction to the vaccine. Allergic reactions are the most serious side effect to the vaccine but thankfully are very rare. If we were to have had an allergic reaction we were assured they had everything there to treat us to ensure we left healthy. Water bottles were provided for those who wanted one.

After our 15 minutes were up we left the waiting room to check out. The attendant at the check out table punched our names into the computer and filled out our vaccination cards. As we departed we felt triumphant in knowing that in a few short weeks we would be fully vaccinated as it takes two weeks after the second shot to achieve the full 95% efficacy against the virus.

Now the wait began to see if we would experience any of the well known side effects for the virus. The word is that you will start noticing side effects 6-12 hours after your second shot and they could last 24-48 hours. Upon our departure we decided to stay and do a walking tour of the UTRGV college campus. We also did a little birding at their Resaca knowing we were good for at least 6 hours.

Once back home we waited with hopes that neither of us would experience side effects. Nine hours later Sharon started getting a headache and very slight fever. Hoping I had been spared time marched on. Before going to bed that night I was beginning think I was lucky.

The next morning I noticed a slight headache and noticed my joints (especially my knees) hurt when walking. Otherwise I felt fine. Sharon on the other hand was down for the count. Not only did she have fever, chills and headaches, now she ached all over, had no appetite and felt very tired. As a result  she slept nearly the whole day. By mid day I too had a low grade fever of 100.5 F but otherwise felt fine.

I did go to bed early that night and when I awoke the next morning I felt completely fine. After Sharon got up she too felt fine but still felt tired however not tired enough to skip a long walk to the beach. We are now past 48 hours and both feel fine. We are so glad that this is now behind us and feel fortunate to have been vaccinated from this nasty disease.

NOTE:  Photos taken at the South Padre Birding Center. We are currently in South Padre Island in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas until March 1st…