Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional or giving reliable medical advice. I am solely sharing my experience getting the Covid-19 vaccine which may vary from someone else’s experience.
To give some context, I am a healthy 23-year-old female. I chose to not take any Tylenol or pain medicine after receiving both doses, partly for the sake of making this a real and raw review but also because I really wanted to know the exact effects the vaccine had on my body. Here is my full experience getting the Covid-19 vaccine (Pfizer):
March 27, 2021
10:00am (getting the 1st dose):
I just got the 1st dose of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine. The experience was great! Before getting the shot, I was given a quick briefing of possible symptoms and side effects of the vaccine (they said I may experience symptoms for up to 2 days after the vaccine) and was asked if I am comfortable getting it. Now listen, I am NOT a needle person. I don’t like shots, I don’t like getting my blood drawn, I don’t like the idea of a needle going into my skin, but getting this vaccine was painless. PAINLESS. In fact, I was smiling (under my mask) the entire time while I was getting it. I felt like I was helping the world get one small step closer to normalcy and herd immunity. It was great!
10:05am (right after the 2nd dose):
After getting the vaccine, the site workers led me to a sitting room where I am currently staying for 15 minutes, just so they can monitor any potential immediate reactions. My arm is starting to feel a tiny bit sore, but it isn’t too bad and there is no pain. After the 15 minutes, a site worker came up to me, asked how I felt (I said I felt good), then gave me my vaccine card and said I could go.
11:00am (1 hour after the 1st dose):
I feel completely normal. My arm still feels a little sore and a bit heavy, but I still have full mobility in it. There’s not much to report right now, I feel good.
3:00pm (5 hours after the 1st dose):
Okay it’s 3:00pm and I am TIRED. I slept well last night and normally when I get good sleep I’m not tired the next day, so I know that this is from the vaccine. My mind isn’t too tired, but my body very much so is and my eyes really want to close. My arm is still feeling a bit sore, mainly when I lift it up. I think the most notable feeling right now is exhaustion, but that’s normal with getting the vaccine and it gives me a good excuse to rest… so imma go do that 🙂
24 hours after the 1st dose:
Right now I’m feeling good, but last night I had it a little rough. My arm was very sore, especially whenever I moved it. Worse than that though, I felt pretty sick as soon as I got into bed to fall asleep. I felt like there was a knot in my stomach and that I could’ve thrown up. I ended up being fine, but the sick feeling kept me awake until 3:00am. Last night was a bit uncomfortable, but I woke up this morning feeling better. My stomach still felt a little sensitive, but overall it was okay. It’s 10:00am now, exactly 24 hours after getting my first dose, and I’m feeling good. Not bad, not great, but good.
48 hours after the 1st dose:
I’m feeling much better than I felt yesterday and the day before! Last night, I did feel a little sick again, but it wasn’t too bad and I was able to fall asleep at a reasonable time. This morning I woke up and felt normal and that’s still how I feel right now. It’s been a full 2 days since I got my 1st dose of the vaccine, so I don’t see myself experiencing many more side effects from it. I’ll check in again in a few weeks to record my 2nd dose experience!
April 17, 2021
9:30am (getting the 2nd dose):
I just got the 2nd dose! I’m done baby!! Getting the shot didn’t feel any different than getting the 1st. It was just a little pinch. Same as when I got the 1st dose, I was given a little briefing before getting the shot. These workers giving the vaccines are amazing! If and when you get your vaccine, let the people who give you your vaccine know how much you appreciate them!
9:35am (right after the 2nd dose):
It’s been 5 minutes since getting the 2nd dose. My upper arm (where I got the shot) does feel a little sore already, but the same thing happened when I got my 1st dose, so there’s no new developments here. Besides my arm, I feel completely fine! Just sitting in the waiting room.
10:30am (1 hour after the 2nd dose):
I feel totally fine and normal right now. The slight soreness I felt in my arm earlier has completely gone away. There’s not much to report, I feel good!
2:30pm (5 hours after the 2nd dose):
Okay so my arm is getting a little more sore now, but not too bad. I also got really tired a few hours ago, so I took a long nap. I’m just trying to take it real easy and drink a lot of water. I honestly feel better than I felt after the 1st dose, but we’ll see if it stays that way the next few days.
24 hours after the 2nd dose:
Where do I start. I was feeling fine last night – all I had was a sore arm. This morning I woke up at 1:00am, and my goodness I was not okay. My entire body ached so badly, I had an awful headache, I was shivering with chills, and I felt really nauseous. I was in so much pain, but after about an hour, I was able to fall back asleep for a few hours. When I woke up again around 6:00am, I still had those symptoms, but they were much less intense. Now it’s been a full 24 hours since getting the vaccine. My body (mainly my back, arms, and hands) is very sore and I still have a bit of a headache. I definitely am going to take it really easy today, rest, and drink a lot of water. I honestly didn’t think I’d be hit this hard with the vaccine side effects, but dang, I don’t feel great. If I start to feel worse, I may consider taking Tylenol, but as of now, I’m gonna tough it out.
48 hours after the 2nd dose:
Wow I feel SO much better than yesterday. I feel like a switch went off over night. I woke up with no body pain and no headache. The only vaccine-related symptom I feel now is injection site pain. My arm is still a little sore, but I’m sure it’ll get better throughout the day. Yesterday was a little tough and I didn’t feel too great, but I rested the entire day and it clearly helped, because I feel completely normal now. Now just gotta wait 2 weeks for the vaccine to be fully effective and I’m good! This is so exciting!
Concluding Thoughts
I just want to say – I feel very lucky being able to have gotten the vaccine. I really did smile when I got both doses, because even though it sounds so silly, I feel like I’m helping out in a very small, but significant, way. Looking back, the one sick-feeling day after my 2nd dose was completely worth it knowing that I am pretty much protected from the virus and helping the world get closer to herd immunity. We’re all in this together and we’ll all get out of this with the help of one another. Covid-19 isn’t over, it’s still very much a problem and we gotta keep doing our part. Wear your mask, wash your hands, take care of others, and take care of yourself!
If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment down below or send me a message on the contact page. For more health related topics, check out this page!
