Living with the pandemic

[3d_yeti]

Exactly how it was when the Flu epidemic first raised its ugly head, but so many years later you shouldn't have to worry about it. If I hadn't experienced a bad set decades ago, I probably would've gotten it each year.

It's difficult for me to think of Covid as other epidemics in the past because previous epidemics were due to naturally occurring viruses. And about Covid, there is a good chance that it is an artificially created virus in a laboratory. That's why there are so many different points of view on it now.

 

[Hornet3d]

It's difficult for me to think of Covid as other epidemics in the past because previous epidemics were due to naturally occurring viruses. And about Covid, there is a good chance that it is an artificially created virus in a laboratory. That's why there are so many different points of view on it now.

I suspect we will never know for certain where it came from, not in my lifetime at least. That said people in the know had been saying for years that the world could expect one, sadly few people planned for it.

 

[eclark1894]

Exactly how it was when the Flu epidemic first raised its ugly head, but so many years later you shouldn't have to worry about it. If I hadn't experienced a bad set decades ago, I probably would've gotten it each year.

I just got my flu vaccination for this year. Usually there's no problem, but now, my arm is a bit swollen around the area they gave me the shot, and I had a bit of a cough and runny nose. Except for the bump and swollen arm, I seem to be okay for now.

 

[Miss B]

Usually there's no problem, but now, my arm is a bit swollen around the area they gave me the shot.

Oh, I know several folks who had similar reactions to their Covid vaccines. I had a sore muscle for about 22 hours with the first shot, but I had pain around the shot area with the second shot that lasted about 3 days.

 

[DanaTA]

I wonder why everyone thinks it's so odd to have pain after a shot...after all, they jab a needle deep into the muscle! How could that not cause some soreness?

Dana

 

[robert952]

I wonder why everyone thinks it's so odd to have pain after a shot...after all, they jab a needle deep into the muscle! How could that not cause some soreness?

Dana

Likewise, some bruising can occur (blood vessels being slightly ruptured). Not as prevalent with shots unless you are one of those who bruise easily. A couple of general items (based on what doctors and nurses have told me - I am not a medical expert):

When you get a shot, move the arm periodically thru the day. That helps reduce soreness. Drink plenty of fluids, too. (Not sure what this does but I have been told this several times. )

When you get blood withdrawn, don't bend the arm sharply for several minutes afterward. That used to be the 'standard' procedure...get the blood drawn, apply a piece of cotton or gauze, bend the arm to hold gauze in place to stop any bleeding.

Today, the method is to apply pressure to the puncture site for a few seconds then the nurse (phlebotomist) will apply a bandage - usually a folded square of gauze held in place with tape. This reduces the risk of bruising. According to my friendly vampire lady, bending the arm forces the wound open and it bleeds under the skin which is what a bruise is by definition.

Now with the above stated...my wife always (like 95% of the time) gets bruised when she has blood withdrawn. Even when the phlebotomist does a good job of hitting the vein and holds the needle firmly, wife will still likely bruise. Sometimes even a shot will bruise her.

So, as they say, your results may vary.

 

[RAMWolff]

My booster played a game with me. I got it, sore arm for a day and no other side effects. A week later, felt like I had the flu. achy, tired, felt weak and lethargic. I was supposed to have my carpets cleaned that day and cancelled as I had no strength to move furniture so not sure when I'll have them done now. I was fine the next day. Weird but my very first thought was "delayed side effects from the vax"

 

[Hornet3d]

My booster played a game with me. I got it, sore arm for a day and no other side effects. A week later, felt like I had the flu. achy, tired, felt weak and lethargic. I was supposed to have my carpets cleaned that day and cancelled as I had no strength to move furniture so not sure when I'll have them done now. I was fine the next day. Weird but my very first thought was "delayed side effects from the vax"

I had a very similar reaction to the latest booster although the sore arm for me was from the flu jab that I had at the same time.

 

[RAMWolff]

Nice to know I'm not the only one with the delayed reaction!

 

[Alisa]

Fact check -

Public Health officials did not lie to anyone about the Covid vaccines. No one guaranteed that you could not POSSIBLY get Covid if you were vaccinated. We were ALL told: "Get vaccinated, AND continue to wear masks, wash your hands, and take other precautions. "

We were NOT told: "if you're vaccinated, you are completely safe. Just go back to everything you did before the pandemic".

Also, some Covid vaccine types DO provide a higher percentage of protection than others.

It's the same with other vaccines - they don't GUARANTEE you won't get the disease. They make it less likely you'll get it, and if you do, they help prevent severe illness and death. Again, PREVENT, not GUARANTEE.

The point of ANY VACCINE is to help you get antibodies to fight the disease off if you are exposed to it.

The more people who are vaccinated for a specific disease, the less likely it is to spread and infect people. The reason some diseases are essentially eradicated is BECAUSE of mass vaccination.

Here are some links to reliable information about vaccines in general and how and why they work

Understanding How Vaccines Work
Why do we need vaccines? | News | Wellcome
Why Some Vaccines Last A Lifetime and Others Don't | Cedars-Sinai

This page speaks about the different types of Covid vaccines specifically:

Understanding How COVID-19 Vaccines Work

I am so thankful for scientists & other researchers who study these diseases and do all they can to develop protection for us all.

Please continue to keep this forum free from politics and conspiracy theories.

Thank you.

 

[Hornet3d]

I am not medically trained but I have always seen any reaction to a vaccine as a positive sign as I think it shows your body is reacting to it.

 

[Alisa]

Yes, that's what my understanding is, too. My understanding is that the reverse isn't true - ie, if you don't have a reaction, it doesn't mean it's a negative sign or that it's not working. I've had vaccines with little to no reaction, and some with very strong ones.

 

[Miss B]

I am not medically trained but I have always seen any reaction to a vaccine as a positive sign as I think it shows your body is reacting to it.

I find that a reaction to a vaccine can be a positive sign, but not when it's so bad it puts you in bed for several days. That's what happened to me after my very first Flu shot, and I've not had one for decades because of how sick in made me.

Now, however, with Covid in the mix, I won't take a chance, and will definitely be getting a Flu shot.

 

[Miss B]

Fact check -

Public Health officials did not lie to anyone about the Covid vaccines. No one guaranteed that you could not POSSIBLY get Covid if you were vaccinated. We were ALL told: "Get vaccinated, AND continue to wear masks, wash your hands, and take other precautions. "

We were NOT told: "if you're vaccinated, you are completely safe. Just go back to everything you did before the pandemic".

Also, some Covid vaccine types DO provide a higher percentage of protection than others.

It's the same with other vaccines - they don't GUARANTEE you won't get the disease. They make it less likely you'll get it, and if you do, they help prevent severe illness and death. Again, PREVENT, not GUARANTEE.

The point of ANY VACCINE is to help you get antibodies to fight the disease off if you are exposed to it.

The more people who are vaccinated for a specific disease, the less likely it is to spread and infect people. The reason some diseases are essentially eradicated is BECAUSE of mass vaccination.

I have a good friend who I've known for over 40 years, and who ABSOLUTELY refuses to get the Covid vaccine simply because there were no guarantees of you NOT getting Covid if you've been vaccinated. A good many people in her extended family (aunts/uncles, cousins, etc.) have had it. I know she does wear a mask, and takes other precautions, but absolutely refuses to get the vaccine.

I've not had a Flu shot in many, many years, but this year I'm going to start getting it again, simply because I don't want to even think about what it would be like if I get it while Covid is still out there. In fact, I'm considering another booster shot in January, 6 months after I got the second one.

Of course this is all a personal choice issue, but facts, added to facts, added to more facts should somehow make you sit up and take notice it's not just one health issue we're talking about, it's the reaction of more than one with the other. That's a much larger issue.

 

[eclark1894]

So basically, what I'm hearing is that if you take the measles vaccine and you still get measles, the vaccine is working?
Well, I know they used to have measles parties for the kids back in the day. They would invite the kids over to a sick kid's house and all the kids would contract measles. Once they had them they couldn't catch measles again. I did have measles when I was a kid, but they made me take the vaccine anyway in school.

 

[DanaTA]

I had an uncle who got the measles really bad. It gave him brain damage. He never matured mentally. So yeah, it's bad. This was before they had the vaccines for it, I think. Those childhood diseases were much worse in the generation before mine. We got all those shots in public school. Those of us who did catch one of them got sick, but not deathly sick. Mostly. There are always outliers, nothing is perfect.

Dana

 

[Miss B]

True. I got all my childhood diseases each summer at sleep away camp. Only once my folks had to come and get me to take me home, the summer I had German Measles. The other summers I caught something I was able to stay in the camp infirmary until I was passed it.

 

[Hornet3d]

I think the other fact to remember is that the flu vaccination is different each year as it is created to protect against the most likely strains of flu for that year. So just because you had a reaction one year does not guarantee you will react the same in next year. It also explains why you can still get flu as the strain caught could be different than the ones you are vaccinated against.

 

[Hornet3d]

Yes, that's what my understanding is, too. My understanding is that the reverse isn't true - ie, if you don't have a reaction, it doesn't mean it's a negative sign or that it's not working. I've had vaccines with little to no reaction, and some with very strong ones.

An important point that I missed; no reactions is not a concern.

 

[Miss B]

An important point that I missed; no reactions is not a concern.

Correct!! When I had it in the beginning of 2020, I had absolutely no reaction other than a very mild headache I usually get when my sinuses are in overtime, usually when I've eaten too much of something I shouldn't have had.

At least 6 months later, during a visit to my Internist for my usual semi-annual testing, she told me I didnt have it, BUT had the antibodies, so I had the virus and didn't even know it. The timing also was a factor, as that was at the beginning of it appearing here on the east coast, so the number of cases reported was fairly low.