Friday 6 August 2021

The Week of the Vacciination

 Well this moment was the scary part, finally time to see how it copes with me, I've been dreading this for the past week at least and also this was close to the only week to get it booked up, Since of all the other times I've mentioned being too busy for it to work out in the end. But this is a tale of how my worries about what this can cause and see if it makes me feel shit or not for the later on. There is a big trigger warning of how some of this sounds like Anti Vax talk if that offends. The vlog on how i feel is below:



The preparation and worries before. 

So, this is where we begin, actually back in Early July to be honest, which was when it was pouring with rain and my dad was starting to put pressure on me  to get it booked even when I did plan to get the jab on the first week of august which if i left it to booking was going to be the middle of nowhere near Exeter . Which after phone calls and the online booking form, it turned out i had to book it 2 weeks before this week and then had to cancel that like the day after booking since Plympton is too far, even if getting a lift in, especially with this rush on booking it. But as it got closer to the time, i was getting visions of backing out last minute and also worried I would wake up in hospital after passing out or some side effect such as fainting or major headaches. But that was what could have been, will be found out. 

When it comes to last week, there was alot of things missed out and even with a family meal on the Friday before. But long days also mean its has to be late meals, this was also pushing the delay for the online work and that means trying some food out.  Which this meal, was even by my standards actually too spicy to me. Well the hot curry powder coated curly fries was too much, even with mayo to cool it down. 

The very spicy meal 


 Then it was nearing the end of the week and there was £50 for paying towards a jacket for Dad's birthday. And also a visit to the Blacksmiths arms being the nice thing in the evening but it shows how it gets a bit anxious on deciding what to have with this as well. In then end, it was for breaded mackerel and also a orange tart after. 

The view from the car park



The apple mango j20 and the box of Dad's jacket 



The main course 



The orange tart 



That caused a bit of delay and time to can work for the Sunday, Which I could have spent with Family but since waking up to actually get the money in for the next week or two since of losing money for the vaccine as well. Plus a friend I was planning on meeting was actually asking for £50 and was meant to pay back in 3 days time so maybe to get paid back by Wednesday this week.  

But then it was the Monday, with the last day of being in the shop until Friday. Which first was actually going to be the chance to get some bills paid and also get one customer to see which I've not been able to see the week before since they were unable to walk either, but she was feeling much better. But after that visit , it was a 30 minutes, yes that quick, but then it was one phone call to deal with before I headed off to pay money in and try to go to the GP to see if that can be sorted out. 

So After paying in, I cycled to the Surgery and went in to ask, it turns out

  • They are no longer offering First jabs and even the second jabs are booked for august (Despite insisting on it when seeing them on the day vaccines were announced and later on) 
  • Closest they can offer is call 119 or Drop in via Home Park
So that meant for me it had to be going to the Pharmacy opposite the surgery which then they were even not being able to offer the vaccine until any point since of the training, so they even suggested Home Park or 119 to call. 

So then it was time to go to cycle to the other surgery and then it made a bit more sense to see if they could do anything, but again they could not, BUT they were much more helpful. By around 3:30pm after asking all 3 places, I cycled my way home and then it was time to get Rosie walked again. 

Then it was to spend the evening working and also worrying about the events to unfold which i was having dreams of waking up in derriford due to blacking out or even stressing out and walking out before having it. My sister made her mind up and was picking me up at 8:30.

Nerves before sleeping the night before



The Day of the Vaccine (Tuesday):

The Anxiety Attack before the Jab


So I got up at half 8, just before, my Nerves are in overdrive and really still feel uncomfortably about this and well my sister came in and I got changed into Jeans and a blue shirt before we drove off, 

The traffic was ok but still it's one of those things I really do not feel ready for, she told me how it works but it's that 15 minutes of waiting for it to recover, but we took the time and eventually it was nearing 9:10am and we got there, which for me the nerves were starting to really worry. 

Turning in

Now this is where i noticed it, so I was starting to walk but i was feeling shaky in my legs and was going into slow steps, There was no queues at all, i mean more queues for Home Park Stadium tickets more than actually the vaccination itself, The stewards were greeting and asking if it was my jab and my sister said "hes a bit nervous", but then he directed me to the gate to get to this tent which was to get booked in, which then we made our way over and then it got to the tent, it was huge and alot of queuing space, which we were nearly  the only ones in there, which scared the shit out of me, but as we walked up to go to wait in a queue of 1 in front of us, It was my turn and I froze, for at least a few minutes, less shaking and my sister did say we can take time, but eventually I walked up and got booked in and they took details and gave me a sheet an then told me to stick to the right as I went in, which means it was for me to have the pfizer, which from the long time ago, I was wanting to stick with but after recent reports, it made me feel a bit less safer. 

As I walked slowly to the queue a security guard asked if I was okay and we took time to walk in then as we walked in, we were approached by a nurse who walked us to get to a desk with another nurse but since that other nurse was going to have coffee, the nurse from before ended up speaking to us, and my sister explained I was a bit nervous and she explained about it but I still felt a bit of questions on my mind such as: 

  • Would there be any ingredients that could cause a side effect 
  • The issues with some of the potential side effects
  • Do i have antibodies already 

So some things were being explained and she could tell this was not the best environment for me for this and did offer a private room and or being outside, they did re-mention that all in ICU in derriford are from unvaccinated which yes its true but doesn't make it any less comfortable and valid for the concerns  and then we ended up going out side for fresh air and to address some of the concerns and I was starting to feel out of control, Realising the above things and 

  • Will this cause issues with my body if i've been fine for the past 1.5 years
  • Been pressured to have Vaccine from my dad
  • When trying to book locally for this date to have it, it was just too much hassle to book to get it locally
  • Have I really thought most of this through since I haven't from the sounds of it 
  • Why are the Vitamin C tablets I taken most morning recently starting to make me not as 100% but other times they are fine 

Then an A&E doctor appeared and try to answer some which pretty much said: 

  • Most in hospital are unvaccinated
  • No, i do not have antibodies since I have never had covid
  • We cannot force you to have the vaccine 
I was still a bit uneasy and after the doctor went inside, I felt after thinking this through, I didn't and decided I needed to leave, so it was a walk to the car, Now the nurse showed me the best way to leave and also wanted to have my number so she could call me to re-arrange the appointment, but still not being comfortable she had my sisters, number instead and gave their own number to her as well so we can call or arrange for another one. Since of the stress and unable to book it locally, it felt like it was a now or never issue. 

So via the back gates, it was time to go to the back to the car to think, Now my sister was offering to get a coffee which I did not feel hungry or thirsty, even with the dry mouth and sore throat. But this was when i was really  shouting at myself and worrying about things but my sister did mention things like 
  • It doesn't matter if its local or here, your still nervous about what might happen after
  • Don't worry about dad, i'll talk to him
  • You've made it this far 
  • the nurse did offer we could do the medical over the phone 
But as we talked it made it seems like I would still panic over it and she then go "lets just go home" which I hesitated and then suggest to go out to get the medical sorted, so we went out of the car, went back to the gates and in the way out we did then waited for the same nurse after calling but went to voicemail and then we went to sit by a bed and she walked about where we lived and all that while that just felt uneasy, it was the only way forward, so after 2 laptops not working, it was time to go through the records and it seems liked it was fine for their side to see on the vaccine and then one more it about the side effects and then she got the vaccine out, after i said yes for it. 

But then she talked about TV shows as i felt a price to the side of the left arm, as well as she told me to relax it but its already on high anxiety as it is. But then it was done and the 15 minutes way, by this it was 11:05, so the stress and anxiety attack had taken me nearly 2 hours which did make my sister later for work but if on my own, I would have taken even longer or just had to come back later on, The 15 minute wait was okay but I  was noticing a bit of numbness and feeling very slightly weary too, but before she finished, she was suggesting to see if  could book the second jab but was shocked about booking , but even with Home park open until December this year for this, i said I'll see how it goes from the effects of this, in the 12 hour after window. 

The after effects home 


Then we both walked out and got to the car, i was feeling numb and starting to get a bit sleepy in the car drive home, like actually even closing my eyes for some of it, But by about 12pm, we got home and it was me taking it easy for a bit, my sister text mum to say she's was going to be home by 1pm and then see how I feel. I did go for a toilet as well as she did when we both got home and Rosie wanted to play ball outside. 

Playing ball as we got home with Rosie 


But then it was time for her to leave to go to work and then time for me to walk Rosie to sort her while I was still changed, which my nerves were easing but  also was time that I was swaying around since of feeling a mix of drowsy and not so drowsy and the nerves not kicking in since of no immediate reaction, but it was a hard way to keep my eyes open but not as much yawning either. 

But then mum and dad were home and we talked, she took an hour off work to see how I'm feeling, which also i was drinking water and also was deciding to have lunch and something liquid and light to see if it could help me, So for that was some tomato soup, with added medium curry powder, chicken stock and then some salad and bits to let it dip in. 

The light lunch for that day 

Then it was me typing this up for the rest of the day, It was nice to catch up on some kids shows and then actually starting the Olympic Coverage of the Road Race which was actually day 1 of the Olympics funnily enough. But this was just to help me ease it in. 

The recovery and relaxing evening 


Later on, it was also getting to relax and  also another walking with Rosie in the evening with mum, when we both went to the river to give her a cooldown and a walk, whi h we talked but was a bit nervous I was getting flemmy in the nose which made me feel oh fuck here comes the cold but then it was a bath to help ease my relaxation and well unlike the bath on Monday which made me feel like I was and actually i was crying and could not sleep due to worrying. But the Caribbean rice for tea from lidl was lush too. 

The salad fried chicken Caribbean rice for tea 



A selfie in the bath for after 



But then it was finishing the road race partly watching and then crashing out to sleep at midnight since I didn't want to push my body too much for the next day which I was dreading. Since its 12 hours it can take its toll and well if it means crashing out due to a cold, well its a clear sign on choosing the second jab or not. But thats where we get the 1st day of results. 

The First full day: 

Well actually waking up was with the arm bruised or that heave deadweight feeling of bruise, sure I was actually surprised my body handled it but a little tired is none the less, but it was then waking up with a call from a customer so it means it had to be a booking for that day I go back to working. But after keeping up with the BPD additions and waking up just after 10 am. It was time to get a nice cold fruit smoothie to keep my vitamins up, since the vitamin C tablet on its own in the morning makes me fee a bit ill in that way but only recently that's happened, but aa smoothie condenses that feeling and adds a sour kick in the smoothie too. 

Waking up with a selfie 



Making the mango, apple, vitamin tablet smoothie 

But it was then to get ready to wake up in terms of get E-mails checked then off to go to lidl with mum, since she had a sort of busy day planned and actually it was more relaxing for me to help her and to be fair, my body only was feeling the dead arm and some minor sharps of pain but my body does that sometimes. 

But lidl was not as busy as others the traffic was getting slightly busy, so we walked in and got masks on, the shelves were getting low but we got various bits from the beef street food, the beef in black and even some things like the deserts which are lush too.  But then it was time to leave and we spent about £55 and got the things packed up to 2 bags. 

Then we got home and unloaded and it was then time to prepare to go to the granparents. Which we got there and the arm was still a bit sore and then it was to fix a doro which was dropped in a glass of water but it means having to get that sent back, but then it was to help mum cook and prepare lunch since grandad likes his fry ups on days mum goes and visits them. Which I did mess one egg up but also frying sliced ham works really well too. 


The fry up I helped cook which included fried bread and even mushrooms too

Then it was more chatter about the past and also when my nan is showing alot of signs of dementia But then it was a nice vinetta for desert as well as chocolate slices. But then it was more chatter and more vibes and helping of some choices such as a driveway and tidying up. 

Eventually it was 2:30 and we were on our way home, which the next plan was to get rosie for a walk which we both went to drive her to the leat which was around the 3:20pm mark , which always is nice for her to get a bit of proud trotting in the leat, I kid you not, even when its shallow, she trots like  horse when the ball is in her mouth. Which we then walked for about 30 minutes in the heat and then we got our way home around the near 4pm mark since mum had some other appointments for her glasses later on. 

But then it was time to relax to finish typing this up and also have that black bean with rice, and garlic pizza bread (No cheese) and then it was to listen to music and then more typing this up while watching the ladies road race for a bit before a bath, that was no to mention having a haircut beforehand which mum said she might get me some extra hair dye for another time due to the best time to dye it is after a hair cut 



The cat and dog near each other when having the hair cut



The black bean sauce with the potato lattices


Day 2 after the vaccine: 

From the sounds of it, it seems like I should be all ok and feel mostly back to normal, especially when typing this up while watching kids shows, ever since the anxiety the past few days, even from last week, Kids shows have been helping a far bit, maybe its me regressing to watch stuff I never got chance to watch when i was younger but maybe not sure. Heck I still have MLP to binge on netflix in September as well...

But waking up with no numb arm was a first improvement, but it was then the plan to get the vlog up, But waking up after a nice chat was good, then to start the day with another smoothie after walking Rosie. But then it gets annoying as I couldn't import the footage to the laptop from the Phone, no idea why until it was a missing plugins that caused it. It was a bit of a annoying delay in itself, then dad was a bit annoyed since he left his van window open and it was peeing with Rain. 

But later on it was 12pm and time to get some chores done after a tortilla chorizo which was nice but later felt a bit odd as it were.  But it was watching the Olympics at the same time, it was diving if i recall.

The Tortilla with the crisps 

Then it was editing for most of the rest of the day, with a walk around the 3pm mark was with another walk with the Dog, The rain was starting to come down a bit  more and then it was more editing until the end of the day, there was a nice meal with some nasi goring rice as well as also seeing my dad's dad which was nice now he's moved into his old place after his fiancĂ© died (which sort is how I got the E-bike) .

The nasi Goring with burger sauce and crisps too 


But then it was finishing the vlog editing by about midnight, sure my hormones were kicking in but it got done and then it was uploading it while sleeping. But it was then to be the first day back at work this week. 

The 3rd day after vaccination :


So then it was the next day, it was better then I thought, I woke up and got to work about the 9:30 mark and then When it was things to prepare for and opening up, which then it was slower day Than I thought, sure there were a few customers in and also more chats but the phone was quiet, in the end the system I use for the phone did not turn itself off from the booking off I've put on that so I could not get stressed, but loads called in the end and I'll have to get back to them tomorrow or if they call again. A customer did give me a flapjack lemon drizzle. 

The flapjack, 

It was filling and after more helping with a customer, it was time to go to a visit someone booked up with me from Wednesday, which I ran to his, now the hmm of this is as I was running to theirs, I noticed it was some pains on my chest or like it was actually harder to breath a little bit, which I got there and left after 15 minutes since he fixed the issue before I got there. But then it was more running to Tesco and there was some bits but it was busy. But then it was a fair bit of last bits in Lidl I got from the Fajita Kits to Garlic Pizza Bread and even chilli burgers are really good too, with the discounts on the frozen fruit, it total came to £11.80. 

The mix of shopping for £11.08

Then it was a run home in the dry and then to have a nice Chicken curry for tea but there were some extra from the Cajun rice to the even onions from a chicken pasta salad. But it was nice and when checking voicemails, one had to left that just made me feel like.......ugh. 

The chicken curry with the cajun rice and other bits 

But then it was time to walk Rosie and it was still a little bit of a dry spell. But I felt a wheezy and tight as I was walking, also the bpm was 141 which is slightly higher than other walks before the jab but has been that high before. But it was nice since there was a deer on the other side of the field and he galloped as normal. Then it was time to get home to get this post finished off while watching films there is a still shortness in breath but water should  help me get through it. 

The Conclusion: 

So its looking like seems might be feeling like a quick blip and maybe there are consequences of the choices I've had but it means for now, its time to head to normal life and see how things go, but it then heads to the other choices to make for the time being. Will my body handle it is the question. but that will be for time to tell. 

Will I survive or will it go worse, 

we'll find out

omracer