I Reacted to the Covid Vaccine

If you read my blog article on Wednesday, you know that I’m officially vaccinated. If not, you already probably guessed by the title that I am fully vaccinated. I had a lot of reservations about getting it due to my extensive history of allergic reactions. Ultimately, I knew that getting the vaccine was the best decision for me.

I feel extremely lucky that I didn’t have anaphylaxis. That was by far my biggest fear. I made it through the fifteen minute screening processes. I left the facility feeling a bit invincible. Slowly, that feeling started to turn into panic. After about thirty minutes, my entire body started itching. I didn’t premedicate with extra allergy medication. In hindsight, that would’ve been a smart choice.

I take a pretty intense regiment of allergy medications that work to keep my mast cells at bay. Every once and a while, if the trigger is strong enough, my body can still react. Itching is usually the first sign that my body is going to start breaking out in a rash or develop angioedema. That’s why Crush is trained to alert to that behavior and all day, that’s what he did. He alerted me consistently and incessantly. He was looking out for me.

I was able to react quickly and take extra medication. The end result was feeling generally uncomfortable with minor swelling. I figured that was the end. A couple of days later, I started reacting again. This could be because of the vaccine itself or my body being too overloaded. That ended up being a much more significant reaction. I had tongue swelling and a familiar feeling of impending doom started to come over me.

Once again, I did what I needed to do. I took extra medication and had to use my epinephrine inhaler. That kept the swelling from progressing. Truthfully, my body has been having a harder time post vaccine. I think it’s well worth the reward but it’s still challenging to deal with those consequences. Surgery already took a huge toll on my body.

I would never discourage someone from getting the vaccine. That being said, I think if I still had my tonsils, I likely would’ve ended up in the hospital. That’s pure speculation based on my lived experience. It’s a choice I knew I was making and it’s a choice I would make again. Life is filled with pros and cons. Ultimately, I feel grateful for life and the chance to live it a bit more with the Covid vaccine.

I hope you’re having a great day. I hope that your day is filled with joy, positivity, and laughter. I hope that you find peace, love, and happiness.