Before I start, I want to say I FULLY endorse getting vaccinated. My experience was difficult but I know several people who died from Covid as well as friends that had it and are now dealing with lingering problems. GET VACCINATED!

So I got the first dose of the vaccine around the beginning of March and I remember my 2nd dose being 4/1 …on April fools day of all days. I had a sore arm overnight with the first dose and no other impact. I was sure that I wasn’t going to have any of those issues people with Moderna were having. At least that is how I remember it, boy was I going to learn how wrong I was. I was really excited at the time. I planned a road trip with my sister for 10 days who had just gotten the vaccine and we would be clear in the beginning of April.

Fast forward to April Fools Day…the first thing was the injection felt like it was *on* my collar bone. The nurse stated she was doing that for a reason and I can’t remember for the life of me why and I went home. Within a few hours I started feeling sick and wound up laying down and that was all she wrote…wow. Later in the evening I felt like a train hit me.

I was running 101 fever which lasted for 3 days and beyond that, I experienced what I will call, a super flare up. I had experienced significant morning stiffness and this was the ultimate ultimate stiffness. The pain had me in tears in the mornings and wondering what would happen. I was constipated, swelling everywhere, I started going to doctors, I went and went and went. I probably had 7 appointments. Rhuematologist, Primary care, orthopedic, gastro, and finally, Pain management. It took about 7 weeks to get help, the help came from pain management.

The Pain management doctor gave me a Steroid Taper pack which is a 5 day steroid course that starts with 6 pills,5 pills…until you are done in 5 or 6 days. The affect was fast, within 24 hours I began feeling AMAZING, the next day was amazing. The impact of a course of steroids during a flare up is hard to explain. You need to experience it. Anyway, I got about 6 weeks of relief and I am better than when the ultimate ultimate stiffness started. Most importantly, I know for a fact that I am protected. I was exposed to an entire 6 person extended family who had covid at the party and discovered it with 36 hours of my contact with them. Two asymptomatic (mother daughter) the others were down for a couple weeks with a serious case of it. Beyond that I am really living my life, unmasked whenever possible because of that vaccine.

So the net net is ( I like saying words twice) I know I am protected, I am very glad and grateful to be vaccinated and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat…just ASK FOR A STEROID PACK if you have a reaction!