I Had The AstraZeneca Vaccine: Now I’m Worried Sick

The news reportage is playing havoc with my hypochondria.

We all love to check our symptoms on the internet and go down the rabbit-hole of all the possible illnesses we might have. I’ve got a strange pimple- is it cancer? I coughed a couple times- is it coronavirus?

Google has been creating hypochondriacs since 1998.

I’m totally pro-vaccines, they save countless lives. We’ve eradicated smallpox on a global scale, to name but one killer disease. Many others are much less common thanks to vaccines.

But I’ve not been feeling so great about the AstraZeneca vaccine that my immune system is at war with right now. And the news feed on my phone isn’t helping at all.

With talk of “Covid Arm” and other minor side-effects being reported, I still wasn’t put off doing my bit and getting the vaccine as soon as I could.

Initially I encountered a bit of vaccine envy from people wondering why I had been offered mine before they’d had theirs. I had a hole in my heart repaired a few years ago, so I guess that was the reason, but really I just jumped at the offer and didn’t ask any questions. Except when I was asked if I was on any blood thinning medication. The reason I was told? They would need to apply pressure to the injection site to prevent bruising. Okay, stab away.

I was surprised by how relieved I was to have had my shot. I didn’t realize I was that anxious about Covid-19 infection until I had taken the first step towards immunity. It didn’t feel so good a few hours later. Like many people, I had chills, they were multiplying and my joints ached as well. My son did a good job of looking after me, fetching me water to drink and wrapping me up in a blanket.

Twenty-four hours in I started to feel better but still exhausted. If it hadn’t been the weekend at that point I would have had to take time off work.

Twelve days in and I had severe arm pain in my elbow, which I could hardly move. I had no idea what was going on and regrettably googled “arm pain 12 days after vaccine” only to discover that this was indeed the probable cause.

Women are facing more severe symptomatic side-effects than men. That’s no big surprise. According to scientists, it’s likely to be a “dosing issue”. In layman’s terms that means the dose caters for the default human which in most medical contexts is an average-sized man.

Women are receiving the same dose but their bodies are, on average, much smaller. Caroline Criado-Perez, author of Invisible Women must be rolling her eyes at yet another example of gender bias in science and medical research.

But talk of a rare clotting disorder has made me concerned that there is more to this prevalence of reactions than a dosing issue.

I’ve already had dealings with clots. I’m not a fan. I had a heart attack in 2014 which I wrote a little about here. I’ve had as many paradoxical embolisms as I want in a lifetime, thank you very much.

Do it for the good of humanity

We have to do this to tackle the global threat of Covid-19. It’s worth the anxiety for the outcome. As a single mum with one child still at home I do everything I can to make sure I stay fit and healthy. I want to stick around for whatever the future holds. I also understand how high-percentage compliance is vital for vaccination programs to succeed. So I would do it again despite the anxiety I am experiencing. And I’ll make sure my kids have theirs too.

The pros still outweigh the cons

When you are offered the Covid-19 vaccine, you should take it, feel relieved and take it easy for a couple of months while your body gets to work building up immunity to this killer disease.

Reportage these days is pretty alarmist. Headlines are attention-grabbing and nothing grabs your attention like fear.

“Rare clotting disorder” sounds alarming but it might just be that numbers are elevated because the people with this disorder wouldn’t be seeing a doctor under normal circumstance.

A review of the cases by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) could not say definitively whether the reported cases were linked to the AstraZeneca vaccine, and concluded that the benefits of the vaccine outweigh any risk.

Peace of mind in the long run

You are a lot less likely to develop severe Covid-19 illness once you have been vaccinated. Even the first dose provides a degree of immunity. I’m happy the threat of coronavirus is not looming so large for me personally and for those friends and family already immunized.

My anxiety about the potential side-effects is hopefully fleeting and the long-term results are that I will not get Covid-19 and that we will all be able to gradually get back to our normal pre-Covid lives.

If the news could just focus on some of the more positive aspects of this vaccination program rather than feeding our fears, we could all rest easy. Until then, I’ll be muting those regular pings of new alarming headlines, looking after my health, and looking forward to hugging my extended family.

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