We’ve reached a point where this time last year we had no idea this is where we would be, in any shape or form. COVID-19 has changed us all in one way or another and it has changed our thinking and understanding in many different ways. I think the most discussed topic now is whether to vaccinate or not and then what vaccination to get. This made me decide to write about what I know and my experience so far.
For any of you that know me or have read some of my posts previously, will know that for the past 21 years I have been a type 1 diabetic. It is a part of me and a part of everything that I do, from blood sugar battles, counting carbohydrates, having a pharmacy of drugs and needles at all times, to explaining to others that this was not my fault but my body that decided to attack itself. Then when Covid hit last year, it brought about a new level of complications and controls for me as a diabetic. It meant being more careful being in contact with others and constantly thinking about the consequences that could and would likely happen if I became sick. Now to some, I may have sounded dramatic when I would say I am in the at-risk group and the chances of me dying or becoming seriously ill is really high, but this is the truth.
Now I am grateful that my work is manageable with little contact and I am able to keep my contact with others minimal, but when the vaccine came around and after talking to a few people that had taken it and my doctors, I decided this was the best thing for me to do. Living in the UAE, I was able to get the Pfizer vaccine, even though it was not easy to get an appointment and it took up a lot of my time, stress, and effort to get an appointment, but I thankfully did.
I received my second dose two days ago, and what I have gone through in the last three weeks is this. After my first dose, my arm was really sore for two days, I was extremely tired for two days, but this may not have been at all to do with the vaccine. My blood sugar levels shot up, I spent three days taking 25% more insulin than normal, which took a lot of effort to figure out because if I take too much, I run the risk of other complications and no two people are the same with diabetes so you cannot follow the exact same instructions. My immune system was lower and in week two I got a cold from being run down. I believe this is an important point for people to take note of as there are so many cases of people getting Covid after getting their first vaccination, something to be mindful of in the weeks between doses. I am also not a doctor so this is an observation of mine, not fact. I became even more anxious about being around people. Supply for the Pfizer vaccine is in short supply at the moment and if I got Covid or had to quarantine because of contact, I would not have been able to get my second dose. This anxiety is also draining. After my second dose which I felt relieved that the three weeks wait was over to start with. I was apprehensive that I had heard the side effects were greater after the first one. My arm was as sore as it was the first time but that was okay, my blood sugars dropped that evening but then went up and I battled with them again to regulate them, trying to remind myself to continue to drink water also. I slept much better that night than I did after my first dose so I wasn’t as tired the day after but still feeling a little tired, and my muscles were and still point a little stiff, but I am sure tomorrow they will be okay again, I am grateful so far I have not had any side effects, I know some people do and it is difficult for them.
There are a lot of mixed reviews about each and every vaccine that is being made available to people. There is a lot of confusion about what is safe and what is not safe. Technology is great as it gives us a world of information and opinions from everyone, me included, but it is important to do your research through sources such as your doctor and organisations like the World Health Organisation WHO and understand what you are committing to. I heard a news presentation earlier and it is very fitting for this. It went along the lines of how technology and science are amazing at how they have made such progress with vaccinations, each one being different but each one helping to curb the effects of this pandemic on individuals, families, healthcare workers, businesses, and so on. That being said, it is my own personal choice to take the vaccine and so it is for others, whether you have a valid reason or not. That is your choice and we should not bully people into doing it.
For me, initially, back in the summer I had thought yes if a vaccine comes I will take it, then I heard so many people saying they would wait and see how it goes as they did not feel confident in taking something new which made me doubt my choice. I forgot about it then for a while and spoke to people I trusted, one of my colleagues whose husband had received it and was doing well, my mum who is a nurse, and my doctor. No one told me I had to take it but I weighed up the risk of taking the vaccine to the risk of complications if and when I did potentially get Covid, and I decided it was the best decision for me to make by taking it.
My opinion is, I do believe it is the only way we will start having a somewhat of a normal existence again. It is important for people to also realise that vaccinating does not make us immune to this virus and that no matter what you decide to do it is still important to stay safe, we thought by now this would be a memory but unfortunately, it is not and with the lockdowns happening all over the world in places for the third time, and it may be been over a year since some have seen their family or loved ones, it is more important than ever to think about your own safety and the safety of others and what each of us can do to support each other, and vaccinating may be the one thing we can do if not for us but the ones we care about. As I said this is my opinion and I know people who have opted not to get the vaccine for their own personal reasons which is their choice to make.
Stay Safe!
