Tag: COVID19

Chronic Illness, For Diabetics, For Family & Friends, For Medical Professionals, Type 1 Diabetes

Vaccines Part 2: The Pfizer Booster Effects

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We got our boosters on Sunday, October 3 and by the middle of the night that night we had side effect symptoms. Nothing too crazy, but I had a headache, nausea, body aches, a low grade temperature, and some wild blood sugars. I was also tired, but I think that was in part blood sugar related. I get wild blood sugars any time I get a vaccine, take a new medication, think about eating a doughnut, look West into the sun just right… you get the picture. So I was not alarmed by this at all. The side effects lasted for me for about 48-72 hours. Justin felt better from his symptoms (milder than most of mine from his description) within 24-36 hours. I was happy I scheduled to be off work on Monday, October 4 “just in case” because I admittedly did not feel well. I was able to go back to work and get things done the remainder of that week, even though I still felt a little off. Again, I think this was mostly from the blood sugars.

Many experts are saying that these side effects are actually a good thing; that that is one way to tell if your body is building an immune response. Neither Justin nor I had many symptoms after getting the first or second shots, so we were actually both kind of nervous that perhaps that meant our immunity wouldn’t be as strong. After the booster, and the couple days of discomfort from our boosters, we are both feeling better (mentally and physically!).

The vaccine boosters have provided a sense of added security that I’m really enjoying. I even ate inside a restaurant recently! The sooner everyone can get vaccinated, the sooner we can start to really put all of this behind us. If you had the Pfizer shot, and you’re a Type 1 or Type 2 diabetic, or have a number of other chronic and critical illnesses, you qualify to get your booster. You too can have some added reassurance!

I’m getting the flu shot next weekend, so I will post part 3 with an update about that process after that.

Please note that the image associated with this post was from a Google Image Search “Vaccine Images Free”; original content site can be found here.

Chronic Illness, For Diabetics, For Family & Friends, For Medical Professionals, Type 1 Diabetes

Vaccines Part 1: Where We’re At…

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Notice to the other diabetics and chronically ill folks: GO GET YOUR FLU SHOT AND COVID-19 BOOSTER!

Listen, I get it. No one likes shots. They hurt (a little; sometimes), it’s always weird to have your arm chilling outside of your shirt, and there may be a line to get that. No one likes waiting in line to get stabbed. I understand.

That said, vaccinations are so important for those of us who are chronically and/or critically ill. It can literally be a matter of life and death.

I can’t speak for you, but I did NOT fight this long and hard to get taken out by the seasonal flu. Or COVID-19 for that matter. No way. The universe is going to need to come up with something more original and less preventable than that if it wants to get me.

This is the point in my post where I tell you that I have little to no patience for the anti-vax people. And by little to none, I think that group is at worst negligent and at best naïve. If you’re one of those people-move along. This blog is not going to be a warm and safe space for you.

Now, back to my original point: go get your vaccines. Seriously; it cannot be made easier. My dad just called me a few minutes ago to say hello and tell me he’s signed up for his third shot at the end of the month. He told me to try to “beat him” and get mine scheduled sooner.

So I went on the Wegmans Pharmacy website (COVID-19 Vaccines – Wegmans) and scheduled mine and Justin’s shots for this weekend. That simple. We will be getting our boosters on Sunday.

Now, to be clear, we got our Pfizer vaccines more than 6 months ago and both of us have qualifying medical conditions. We get that not everyone can say that. But, I still encourage you to be diligent and pay attention to the guidance coming from the CDC and other reputable sources (NOT Facebook; actual, reputable sources!) regarding other boosters as they become available. You or a loved one may very well be eligible and not realize it so stay informed on the situation where you live.

On to my flu shot guidance…

Chances are if you’re on this, you either know someone with a chronic illness, are someone with a chronic illness, or some combination of those things. You may also be someone online looking for a fight regarding vaccines. If you’re in that last group, I’m not interested. If you’re in those first couple groups-go get your flu shot! It’s also super easy and you can walk in to most pharmacies to get these without an appointment and often at little or no cost.

Benefits to flu shots generally outweigh the risks, especially for those with diabetes or other chronic illnesses.  We are generally more likely to experience serious illness from the seasonal flu with a large number of individuals requiring hospitalization, experiencing long term complications, or dying from the illness (not unlike COVID-19). According to the CDC, “In recent seasons, about 30% of adults hospitalized with flu reported to CDC had diabetes. Flu also can make chronic (long-term) health problems like diabetes worse because these conditions can make the immune system less able to fight off infections.” (Flu & People with Diabetes | CDC).

  The CDC also goes on to say, “Injectable influenza vaccines (flu shots) are recommended for use in people with diabetes and certain other health conditions. Flu shots have a long, established safety record in people with diabetes.” (Flu & People with Diabetes | CDC).

You may experience some mild side effects, including a low-grade fever, a sore arm, tiredness, etc. but still…WORTH IT to avoid the hospital stay and potential long-term complications.

I plan to report back after each of my shots, so this is part one of three in this saga. More fun research and side effect reporting to come!

Please note that the image attached to this post was found here: https://memes.com/blog/at-long-last-the-covid-vaccine-memes-are-here

For Diabetics, For Family & Friends, For Medical Professionals, Type 1 Diabetes, Uncategorized

Please Read.

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Trigger Warning: Language & Discussions of Death

I have struggled for a while on what I wanted to say. I spend some time each day on social media because for the past couple months, it has felt like a lifeline of connection.

My husband and I went into social isolation on March 17, 2020.

We went into isolation “early” because I am a part of a vulnerable population. I’ve had Type 1 Diabetes for 28 (nearly 29) years this year and I’ve had asthma for around 4 years. Many of the stats I’ve read and research I’ve done from major medical organizations and trusted groups have shared that I’m at least 3 times more likely to die if I contract COVID-19. If I were one of the lucky to survive, the chances that I would make it out without at least some serious complications are slim.

I am not writing that out because I want your pity. I am writing it out because it’s important to me that you can put a face, my face, with statements that I’m hearing/seeing being shared.

When you say it is your right not to wear a mask, you are right. You have the right to put yourself in danger. That said, your mask is more of a protection for the people around you, so you’re actually putting other people in danger by not wearing one. You don’t have the right to put other people in danger. That’s why we don’t allow people to drive when they’ve been drinking.

I used the analogy this week that your right not to wear a mask is a lot like your right to own a gun. It is your right to own a gun, but it is not your right to wave it around loaded at other people. It is your right to not wear a mask, but it is not your right to put other people in harms’ way.

I’ve always believed in the goodness of humans. I love people, and I believe you only need to meet me once to understand that I believe people are inherently good. This pandemic is slowly chipping away at that.

People I’ve known for many years and have always thought were good and intelligent posted things earlier this month about Plandemic. They also posted something wondering aloud if this could be a conspiracy. They’ve questioned if all of this is worth the income they’re losing. They’ve griped about the government infringing on them and they’ve said they don’t understand what the big deal is. They’ve posted pictures where they haven’t socially isolated from people they care about, because, why would they do that? They feel fine.  

But anytime someone questions the validity or shares misinformation, even just wondering in a public forum if it’s true, I find myself overwhelmed with one of the stages of grief. I never get to acceptance. I continue to hold out hope that my belief in the goodness of all people will win. That hope is more strained all the time.

So this is my challenge to those of you who want to reopen immediately and “get back to normal” without additional precautions in place. This is my statement to the people saying “We’ll lose a few people but ONLY the sick and the elderly.” Or “The strong will survive”.     

I want you to see my face, hear my voice, and listen to this challenge.

Call me and tell me why I don’t deserve to live.

If the economy is the most important piece; if it is truly just a numbers game, if the “strong will survive”, call my cell phone and tell me why I don’t deserve to live. You can use Messenger or call my line directly: 518-387-9626.

If I’m not available, call my husband. We’ve been married for 6 months. Explain why he’ll be a widow at 35.

Call my mom. She’s spent 30 years caring for me, is the person delivering my prescriptions, and has had the misfortune of resuscitating her daughter. Tell her what’s more important than her daughter’s life.

Call my Dad when you’re done with her. Explain to him that it’s more important to you that your credit score remains intact and that losing his daughter is the price you’re willing to pay.

Then call my brother and explain that you’re sorry that I’ll have to go, but you really want to go out to the bars again. It’s really hard being alone and you know you could have just waited, but why when only the sick and the elderly are dying?

Finally, call my little sister. She’s getting married. Tell her why she’ll have to hold a picture of me in a photograph instead of having me there. Tell her the truth. Tell her I didn’t deserve to live. Tell her why.

I recognize some of this is incendiary. I recognize that I’m making the choice to stay inside and we’re socially isolating and we’ll probably be okay because of that. But every time you or someone you know chooses not to wear the mask, or chooses not to self-isolate, or chooses convenience, vanity, and entertainment over being incredibly careful, you make the choice to bring that virus closer to my door. You make a decision that those of us with weak immune systems and bodies that are already fighting every day don’t deserve to live.

If you are not able to stomach the conversations I’ve listed above-if you can’t imagine telling someone why they don’t deserve to live or telling that to their family-put your fucking mask on and stay home.