Booster Shot
Or how to make up for lost sleep
The other day I got a call to come in and get my booster shot for Covid. So I did. The appointment was for 2:25 and there was a stern warning to not come early. So I didn’t. I should have though. The line outside was long. really long. It turns out that it was for the flu shot as well. It was a mess. I missed my appointment time by a lot but it didn’t seem to matter. The lady ahead of me had an appointment 10 minutes after me and she was on time. Maybe if people heeded the stern warning there wouldn’t have been such a mess outside.
So I finally make it to the check-in. They are not overly friendly at the check-in. “Give me your card and your record. Here stand on the next green dot. ” There was but a grunt to my have a nice day. oh well, I am sure they were more upset at the people who showed up early. Once in the inside line, we were divided between Moderna shot, Pfizer shot, and flu shot. Still did not go any faster. Have I mentioned how much I HATE shots? I do. Really dislike them. Like I can’t watch them on TV without getting the heebie-jeebies. I was glad we didn’t have to watch people get the shot. One time I went to get a flu shot and we were all in a large room where I could see everyone getting their jab. Hated it.
My turn came. The nurses directing you to the torture chair were a lot nicer but didn’t take away the fact that I was getting a shot. I shuffle over to set B and sat down. The young gal administering shots was nice and efficient and I barely felt it. I got a bandaid. Not sure why, I wasn’t bleeding and seemed like a waste of a bandaid. Maybe because the needle they use is the size of a straw and they want to close up the crater in your arm before you see. it and panic. I don’t know. Either way, I got a bandaid and followed the arrows taped to the floor to the next room. Seriously way too many arrows on the floor. If you got lost then you are really, really in need of a helper at all times.
The next room was full of chairs and I was handed a timer and directed to sit in a chair for my 15minutes observation. Absolute boring part. Sitting there. The lady next to me asked me to quit tapping my feet. I said sorry but I think I continued. We were definitely not 6 feet apart and the only observations going on was by me. Most people had their faces buried in a phone and the medical staff was glued to their computer screens. I was wondering how long it would take them to notice someone passed out. Luckily I never found out.
After fifteen minutes I was free to go. Came straight home. I had done my research on side effects by asking people on Nextdoor if they had any from their booster. Due diligence people, due diligence. That wasn’t helpful. I got everything from no effect at all to almost dying. Wasn’t sure what to expect. I did read the CDC guidelines on the different kinds of shots and what the side effects were. This is weird cause I didn’t read about it the first two times. Shrug. Who the heck knows why I was worried this time.
MY side effects? A super sore arm, thirsty as all get out and extreme lethargy/sleepiness. I literally could not sit up for more than 5 minutes without needing a nap. So I slept. For two days. This morning I woke up feeling much better. I am still needing a nap but think I can hold off for a while. Still super thirsty though. My arm still feels like I got punched by a drunk. All in all not bad. I had the same side effect with a flu shot except with a fever. While I was waiting they had a side that said you could get a flu shot at the same time. Ugh, could you imagine?
I do have friends who are very anti-vaccine. Some are antivaccine of all kinds, some are anti covid shots. I am ok with them not getting that shot. I truly am. I however do not like getting the lecture from either side of the fence. You do you I do me and if I turn into a zombie, well then I am immortal.
CDC Guide to Covid Shots: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines.html
