Coronavirus

[beckster51]

my son found out today that he is getting the Pfizer vaccination tomorrow. For those who have already been vaccinated, should he take tylenol or advil or anything prior to the shot or wait until after to see if he has any sort of reaction?

I have not received this vaccine, but I always take Tylenol after I get a vaccine. It certainly mediates a lot of side effects such as fever and aches that I always have after I get a vaccination. I don't think he should take anything before the shot. If he has a reaction, they will want to decide what to give him. Any other nurses want to weigh in on this issue?

 

[DKing]

I have not received this vaccine, but I always take Tylenol after I get a vaccine. It certainly mediates a lot of side effects such as fever and aches that I always have after I get a vaccination. I don't think he should take anything before the shot. If he has a reaction, they will want to decide what to give him. Any other nurses want to weigh in on this issue?

I did find a couple of websites that said it is best not to take anything prior to the shot as there are no studies as to whether it may reduce the benefit of the shot or not. So he is planning to wait now until a bit after he has his shot and take it something he develops any soreness or aches, etc. thank you!

 

[Catscankim]

It was a few hours before i felt like i needed to take some ibuprofen. And i took it regularly for a few days because the site hurts pretty bad, like a tetanus shot.

 

[Daisy]

I did find a couple of websites that said it is best not to take anything prior to the shot as there are no studies as to whether it may reduce the benefit of the shot or not. So he is planning to wait now until a bit after he has his shot and take it something he develops any soreness or aches, etc. thank you!

That's a great decision! Even though some recommend taking for soreness and aches afterwards,
I never take any. I still believe a vaccine should be left well alone for a few days.
Of course there are cases that are severe enough to warrant a non steroidal anti inflammatory drug.
Best wishes to your son

 

[DKing]

That's a great decision! Even though some recommend taking for soreness and aches afterwards,
I never take any. I still believe a vaccine should be left well alone for a few days.
Of course there are cases that are severe enough to warrant a non steroidal anti inflammatory drug.
Best wishes to your son

He is about 2 hours past receiving the vaccination right now and feeling no ill effects so doesn't plan to take anything currently. In general, he tends to hold off on taking any otc meds unless he is feeling really unwell and i imagine he won't be too quick to rush to take anything unless necessary. I feel a lot of relief that he is not having any problems so far. There is so much conflicting information out there that it can make you a little apprehensive about taking these vaccinations even though I know it is the way to go to get life back to normal as quickly as possible.

 

[Catscankim]

Well, a bunch of messages back I complained that even though my hospital had the vaccine before christmas, we didn't start getting it until start date of Jan 4th because the morons in our employee health dept were on holiday break. The CDC is paying attention. NOW they (employee health) are like get your shot NOW!!! Because the CDC is threatening to withdraw our supply because it hadn't rolled out as quick as it should have. There are a lot of curse words that I am omitting from this message.

They made me an appt for my second does for Feb 1st (Monday) after my first dose. I had no choice in this date (btw, they only give the shots until 1:30 pm because they leave for the day at 3pm).

Lots of ppl are sick and one of our techs is out "indefinitely" because she has lupus and should not have gotten the shot to begin with and now she is sick. They are currently not making appts for the second vaccine unless you have the next day off because so many ppl are calling out because they are sick.

I went to the employee health dept today..."can you make my appt for Friday please, I have off all weekend, we are already short staffed and now one of our techs is out because of getting sick from it. I cannot miss work."

NO. Keep your appointment or you do not get the second dose. You cannot change your appointment.

So when they realize that ppl are not coming to work after the second dose, they made a rule that you cannot get the shot if you have work the next day, then tell me that I am not allowed to make a different appointment because I don't want to miss work if I get sick, because we are short staffed and I can't afford to be out. I would rather be home feeling like crap then being at work or calling out for it.

Me not changing my appointment from Monday to Friday is an absolute decision. Employee health said no... my director went to HR to get my shot on a different day and they said no.

It makes no difference to ME if i get it Monday or Friday. I just know how short we already are. And so many people are calling out. Even the HR girl said she called out the next day. I am trying to avoid that if i feel that bad. And btw, why did HR get the vaccine before me?? They are not frontline. I had to talk to them through a speaker on the other side of the door LOL. They are so afraid of US...

These people are idiots. My whole department is getting our second dose next week.

BTW: I am not trying to deter people from getting the vaccine. A doctor that i work with said that if you get sick then that is good...healthy immune system and you are making antibodies. I am complaining about our system....

 

[beckster51]

Well, a bunch of messages back I complained that even though my hospital had the vaccine before christmas, we didn't start getting it until start date of Jan 4th because the morons in our employee health dept were on holiday break. The CDC is paying attention. NOW they (employee health) are like get your shot NOW!!! Because the CDC is threatening to withdraw our supply because it hadn't rolled out as quick as it should have. There are a lot of curse words that I am omitting from this message.

They made me an appt for my second does for Feb 1st (Monday) after my first dose. I had no choice in this date (btw, they only give the shots until 1:30 pm because they leave for the day at 3pm).

Lots of ppl are sick and one of our techs is out "indefinitely" because she has lupus and should not have gotten the shot to begin with and now she is sick. They are currently not making appts for the second vaccine unless you have the next day off because so many ppl are calling out because they are sick.

I went to the employee health dept today..."can you make my appt for Friday please, I have off all weekend, we are already short staffed and now one of our techs is out because of getting sick from it. I cannot miss work."

NO. Keep your appointment or you do not get the second dose. You cannot change your appointment.

So when they realize that ppl are not coming to work after the second dose, they made a rule that you cannot get the shot if you have work the next day, then tell me that I am not allowed to make a different appointment because I don't want to miss work if I get sick, because we are short staffed and I can't afford to be out. I would rather be home feeling like crap then being at work or calling out for it.

Me not changing my appointment from Monday to Friday is an absolute decision. Employee health said no... my director went to HR to get my shot on a different day and they said no.

It makes no difference to ME if i get it Monday or Friday. I just know how short we already are. And so many people are calling out. Even the HR girl said she called out the next day. I am trying to avoid that if i feel that bad. And btw, why did HR get the vaccine before me?? They are not frontline. I had to talk to them through a speaker on the other side of the door LOL. They are so afraid of US...

These people are idiots. My whole department is getting our second dose next week.

BTW: I am not trying to deter people from getting the vaccine. A doctor that i work with said that if you get sick then that is good...healthy immune system and you are making antibodies. I am complaining about our system....

Kim, you have done what you could to avoid delays in service. Try to let it go. You can't cure stupid.

 

[DKing]

@Catscankim Do you know if it is only with the second dose that you are likely to get a reaction? My son had the Pfizer one, but only first dose so far, and had absolutely no reaction from it other than a mildly sore arm for a couple of days. I also heard that if you get a reaction that it shows that your body is reacting and forming antibodies to the virus. Now I am wondering if maybe his dose lost its effectiveness somehow. With how cold it needs to be stored, I have to wonder if there had been a time during its making and then delivery and storage until it was ready to be used, if maybe someone dropped the ball. Have you heard of any of your colleagues getting really sick after the second dose? I have read some concerning reports that seem to be mostly connected to the Pfizer vaccine, that have me a bit anxious as I know my son will be having his second dose in about 2-3 weeks.

 

[beckster51]

@DKing Most people have a more severe reaction to the second shot, if they are going to have one at all. The first shot "introduces" the virus to your immune system. By the time you get the second shot, your immune system can fully recognize it, and it reacts much more than it does to the first shot. The first shot does provide some immunity, but it is the second shot that provides much higher immunity. Does this make sense? I may not be explaining it well. There is no proof that I know of that you must have a lot of side effects for the vaccine to be effective. Everybody's body is different, and some people notice side effects and some don't.

 

[BattleGnome]

@DKing I had the Pfizer shot through work and of the 6 people (including myself) that I’ve been able to talk to only one person had anything more than a sore arm. The one person who had a fever was maybe a degree over his normal temp (taken 4x daily). The fever responded to Tylenol and he was back to his usual self in a half hour or so.

 

[Catscankim]

My partner/buddy at work tested positive for covid today. He is a little older...been at my hospital for 30 years. He is not sick, but his wife is. I am so sad, he is so lost. She is REALLY sick, and he is blaming himself for bringing it home.

I went over to their room in the ER to see him. He looks gray. Just so tired. He said he hadn't eaten or slept in 48 hours. I brought him a piece of chocolate cake that I bought from the cafeteria (i know, yumm LOL but it's all I had). I know they way to his heart...he likes his sweets. I always leave him cookies or something at change of shift.

I talked to the doc a little, and she said that his wife is super sick. O2 sats keep going down, and she has a total change in mental status. She isn't intubated yet, but its probably coming. I am so sad. She is the love of his life. Seriously loves her with a passion.

I gowned up and sat with him for a while while he ate his cake. He is so tired, he is not even making sense.

HR told him that he is cleared to come back to work on Monday because he has no symptoms. I told him that I would cover any shifts that he needs. We all are, not just me. I hope she is ok.

 

[KiwiMoose]

HR told him that he is cleared to come back to work on Monday because he has no symptoms. I told him that I would cover any shifts that he needs. We all are, not just me. I hope she is ok.

I am so shocked to hear this! In NZ - if you are tested you have to self-isolate until the results are through as negative. If the results are positive - you must continue to self isolate until you test negative - symptoms or no symptoms.

 

[Catscankim]

Yep. Can come back if you are positive, and they won't test us. In the beginning of covid, we could come back after TWO negative tests. I was outside smoking with an OB nurse one day and I asked where she had been. She said she was coming back from COVID. Her wife was sick, and she (nurse) only had loss of taste and smell. Wife was still sick, but she was still told to come back to work because she wasn't SICK sick, even with a second positive test.

Honestly, I told my work partner to tell them that he was sick or had symptoms. A....we work in small quarters. B....he cannot work with his wife so sick. I don't understand this country.

Or maybe he should take FMLA (leave of absence covered for yourself, or a sick loved one). I know we are going to get killed with staffing but right is right. Take your time off. He hasn't called out a day in his life in 30 years...

 

[Catscankim]

rules keep changing. I thought I had it...prob flu or something (or not willing to shove my own swab far enough up my nose LOL). They kept me out even with a negative covid test. Now you can come back with a positive test and no symptoms...

 

[soapmaker]

Yep. Can come back if you are positive, and they won't test us. In the beginning of covid, we could come back after TWO negative tests. I was outside smoking with an OB nurse one day and I asked where she had been. She said she was coming back from COVID. Her wife was sick, and she (nurse) only had loss of taste and smell. Wife was still sick, but she was still told to come back to work because she wasn't SICK sick, even with a second positive test.

Honestly, I told my work partner to tell them that he was sick or had symptoms. A....we work in small quarters. B....he cannot work with his wife so sick. I don't understand this country.

Or maybe he should take FMLA (leave of absence covered for yourself, or a sick loved one). I know we are going to get killed with staffing but right is right. Take your time off. He hasn't called out a day in his life in 30 years...

So sad. I'm so sorry for all the suffering.

 

[linne1gi]

My partner/buddy at work tested positive for covid today. He is a little older...been at my hospital for 30 years. He is not sick, but his wife is. I am so sad, he is so lost. She is REALLY sick, and he is blaming himself for bringing it home.

I went over to their room in the ER to see him. He looks gray. Just so tired. He said he hadn't eaten or slept in 48 hours. I brought him a piece of chocolate cake that I bought from the cafeteria (i know, yumm LOL but it's all I had). I know they way to his heart...he likes his sweets. I always leave him cookies or something at change of shift.

I talked to the doc a little, and she said that his wife is super sick. O2 sats keep going down, and she has a total change in mental status. She isn't intubated yet, but its probably coming. I am so sad. She is the love of his life. Seriously loves her with a passion.

I gowned up and sat with him for a while while he ate his cake. He is so tired, he is not even making sense.

HR told him that he is cleared to come back to work on Monday because he has no symptoms. I told him that I would cover any shifts that he needs. We all are, not just me. I hope she is ok.

That is so sad. It’s heartening that you are so kind. I certainly don’t understand how he could come to work with a positive test, symptoms or not. Isn’t that how this is being spread? And that’s why we still wear a mask even though we are vaccinated. SMH. I’m sending positive thoughts your way.

 

[beckster51]

I hate to hear this, Kim. He is living my worst fear. My husband is very high risk, and although I am very careful and rarely leave the house, I always felt like I should take a shower in alcohol when I got back home. I would rather be sick than him. I know your friend must be terrified and so sad. I think he should take sick time since it sounds like his wife will end up in ICU. I took time off when my husband was in ICU. Who can work when their loved one may be dying?! I read an article this week that stated that it was a violation of "first do no harm" for any HCW to work with a positive test. Also, he should take time off just to take care of himself. Sending very positive thoughts his way, and like linne1gi, SMH. You are very kind to provide emotional support when he is so lost. My husband and I got our second shot of Pfizer this week, and I have been pretty sick, but still very glad to have received it.

 

[Jersey Girl]

I sat at my computer early this morning and was shocked that I was able to score an appt for the J&J vaccine at a CVS. It’s next to impossible to get an appt here in NJ but I kept at it refreshing and refreshing and I guess having fast fingers. I’m very nervous about getting it but I’ve decided I’m more anxious about getting the illness. I really wanted a two shot vaccines but you take what you can get here. But I’m concerned with the less efficacy of this vaccine that I can still get a mild case and pass it to my 83 yr old mother who refuses to get vaccinated. Ugh!

 

[rdc1978]

My partner/buddy at work tested positive for covid today. He is a little older...been at my hospital for 30 years. He is not sick, but his wife is. I am so sad, he is so lost. She is REALLY sick, and he is blaming himself for bringing it home.

I went over to their room in the ER to see him. He looks gray. Just so tired. He said he hadn't eaten or slept in 48 hours. I brought him a piece of chocolate cake that I bought from the cafeteria (i know, yumm LOL but it's all I had). I know they way to his heart...he likes his sweets. I always leave him cookies or something at change of shift.

I talked to the doc a little, and she said that his wife is super sick. O2 sats keep going down, and she has a total change in mental status. She isn't intubated yet, but its probably coming. I am so sad. She is the love of his life. Seriously loves her with a passion.

I gowned up and sat with him for a while while he ate his cake. He is so tired, he is not even making sense.

HR told him that he is cleared to come back to work on Monday because he has no symptoms. I told him that I would cover any shifts that he needs. We all are, not just me. I hope she is ok.

What an awful thing. Its one thing to hear the facts and figures, its another when you realize its an individual human being, and even when cases and hospitalizations drop, each number STILL represents a human being in pain. And now two.

I thought there was a drug that helped to counter the symptoms once a person got sick? Is she not a candidate? That poor man must be a basket case.

What a wonderful thing you and your team are doing in covering his shifts, I really hope she improves

 

[beckster51]

I sat at my computer early this morning and was shocked that I was able to score an appt for the J&J vaccine at a CVS. It’s next to impossible to get an appt here in NJ but I kept at it refreshing and refreshing and I guess having fast fingers. I’m very nervous about getting it but I’ve decided I’m more anxious about getting the illness. I really wanted a two shot vaccines but you take what you can get here. But I’m concerned with the less efficacy of this vaccine that I can still get a mild case and pass it to my 83 yr old mother who refuses to get vaccinated. Ugh!

Jersey girl, the best vaccine is the one you can get! And since you are concerned about passing this to your mother, and rightfully so, here is an article that may ease your mind.

https://www.verywellhealth.com/john...19-vaccine-slashes-transmission-rates-5114945
As an aside, I feel better this morning. I got my second shot of Pfizer vaccine on Monday morning, felt fine all day Monday, but began feeling bad on Tuesday evening, which was a surprise. I had flu-like symptoms of aches and pains all over, being very low energy, and lots of GI symptoms, which have all improved, but the GI symptoms seem to be hanging on. I still feel lucky to have received the vaccine, and the side effects that I have had are much better than getting Covid. So there's that. I wish you could talk your mother into getting the shot. She is someone who would certainly benefit from having it, and the side effects in people her age seem to be greatly reduced since the elderly have a less robust immune system reaction. I am 70 (so elderly!), so I was a bit surprised at my side effects. I thought they would be less than they were. My 74 y.o. husband only had a sore arm. Good luck! I hope you don't have any side effects and a great experience.