One down, one to go

As I mentioned last week I was due to get my first dose of AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine from my local GP¹. It was at about lunchtime and all went very smoothly. I didn’t have to wait long and, while waiting, had to read a blurb about what the risks were and what I should and shouldn’t do, and what I should look out for in the event I have some sort of reaction to the injection. This particularly relates to the blood clotting problem. This included the onset of strong pain in the abdomen and head, which may indicate the presence of blood clots, and which the GP said were the most likely places the clots could kill you. The clotting problem is most likely to occur between 5 and 21 days after the injection, the time interval which commences tomorrow.

After the injection, I waited in the surgery for the requisite 15 minutes, presumably to make sure I didn’t suffer any immediate adverse reaction. I then did some grocery shopping and drove home. I had no immediate ill-effects from the injection, apart from a slightly sore arm. However, later in the evening I started to feel ill, with aching joints, a slight headache and a feeling of great tiredness. Sleep that night was difficult as the aching kept waking me up, such that I suspect I only had about three or four hours of sleep. The next day was much the same, with aching joints, the continuous, if slight, headache and tiredness. However, this started to ease by about 8 pm, and by the time I hit the sack, I felt almost up to par, although still tired (probably from lack of sleep the night before). As a consequence, that night I slept for about eight and a half hours, which is about two hours more than usual, and I woke up feeling fine. Just over 11 weeks to go before the second dose.

Source

1. https://blotreport.com/2021/06/30/first-shot/