By JESSIKA FULTON
Page Editor
COVID-19 has been nothing but a burden, causing us to miss events such as concerts, school trips and spending time with loved ones. And to make matters worse, we have been stuck taking 95% of our classes online.
Now there is a solution that can make our problems less troublesome, the COVID-19 vaccine.
As soon as I was able to pass the vaccine criteria I jumped on the bandwagon and received my vaccine at the Walgreens pop-up clinic in the Carter Fitness Center.
Now I will admit I am NOT good with needles. This is ironic because I have a tattoo covering my whole right forearm and another on my opposite wrist. But that’s beside the point.
I received the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine during the first round of the Walgreens clinic at Amarillo College.
Walking into the vaccine clinic can be pretty intimidating at first. There are rows upon rows of chairs and a clipboard filled with somewhat lengthy paperwork. Then you have a needle that seems like it’s never-ending as it penetrates your muscle.
I will say the staff made it 10 times easier by walking you through the process of what you’re receiving as well as what to expect next.
What came after I received my vaccines, however, was something no one could prepare me for.
On my first vaccine, I experienced minor dizziness, body aches, low-grade fevers and headaches. Pretty easygoing, nothing worth worrying over.
But my second vaccine is what threw me and my body for a loop. The first day was fine, my arm hurt a little bit, but I was perfectly fine.
Then 24 hours later, I had developed a rock-hard kiwi-sized welt that was a reddish-purple and became painfully itchy. It also came with severe body pains, headaches, low-grade fevers and I became very faint. Sounds exciting right?
I was on multiple doses of Benadryl and ibuprofen for five days before the swelling and itching started to subside. And now that it’s been eight days since my second injection, I still have a slight welt, but the body aches and abnormal burning sensations have vanished.
One thing I highly recommend for anyone thinking about or is planning on getting their COVID-19 vaccine is to be prepared for any symptoms that might come with the vaccine.
If you can, plan to take off a day or two when you get the vaccine. Drink plenty of water and take a Tylenol a few hours after the vaccine. This will help tremendously with any body aches or fevers.
Each vaccine has different side effects on each individual. Try doing some research on every individual vaccine before scheduling a time to get yours. It may give you more insight into the healing time or outcomes.
Now there’s no way of completely avoiding side effects, just like there are zero chances of always avoiding red lights. These are just some tips on how to make your COVID-19 vaccine a little more tolerable.
But the best part about this whole situation is how much relief I felt after. To me, the suffering was nothing because, in the end, it was all worth it.
I didn’t receive the injections for myself but for the protection of my family. As someone who has lost a close family member to the horrendous virus, I wanted to do my part in helping stop the spread of the virus.
By getting your COVID-19 vaccine, you could help too
For more information on what the vaccine is or where to get it, visit www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines.
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