# POLL: How was your vaccine reaction? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [April 6, 2021, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-was-your-vaccine-reaction/939463 "2021-04-06T01:15:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2021, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-was-your-vaccine-reaction/939463/1 "2021-04-06T01:15:46Z")
I’m on day 3 of feeling like heck from my first Moderna shot. I thought I’d throw out a poll to see how everyone is doing, now that there’s a steady stream of vax happening. Enjoy. _Poll ([view on site](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-was-your-vaccine-reaction/939463/1))_ _Poll ([view on site](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-was-your-vaccine-reaction/939463/1))_ Note that if you’re on a two shot regimen and you’ve only done one shot, you can answer the first poll now and come back later to answer the second one. You can change any vote after you’ve voted. ---
**Author:** ![epbrown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e47774/32.png) [@epbrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2021, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-was-your-vaccine-reaction/939463/2 "2021-04-06T01:22:49Z")
My arm was sore that day, but that was it. I worked out later, including a 3-mile run, with nothing but that. I’m still weeks from the second shot, though. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2021, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-was-your-vaccine-reaction/939463/3 "2021-04-06T01:23:58Z")
Yeah, that’s why I did two polls: everyone seems to be saying the 2nd is much worse, and my first was worse than I expected! ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2021, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-was-your-vaccine-reaction/939463/4 "2021-04-06T01:30:26Z")
Got my first this past Friday, soreness developed at the vaccination point later that day and lasted until late Saturday night. Hurt so bad Saturday morning that I could barely raise the arm. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2021, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-was-your-vaccine-reaction/939463/5 "2021-04-06T01:36:30Z")
Neither was a big deal for me, but the first was the only one that I really felt anything – just a bit of soreness on the arm. The actual injection I didn’t feel at all. With the second, I didn’t feel anything, and I had absolutely no side effects. I wanted something to report back to the CDC, but every day it was just clicking through with “none.” (Which I guess is still valuable info; I really wonder if the people more likely to keep up with V-SAFE are the ones who have had side effects and how they account for this self-selection bias, if there indeed is one, as I hypothesize.) ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2021, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-was-your-vaccine-reaction/939463/6 "2021-04-06T01:41:01Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I really wonder if the people more likely to keep up with V-SAFE are the ones who have had side effects Well, I hadn’t heard of V-SAFE until this thread, and I just registered, and Moderna is kicking my butt, so: yes in my case. ---
**Author:** ![Civil\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d78d45/32.png) [@Civil\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Civil_Guy)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2021, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-was-your-vaccine-reaction/939463/7 "2021-04-06T01:44:32Z")
First shot of two. I’m a little tired now, but that’s because of an otherwise long day, not something I’d attribute to the vaccine. Well, maybe a teensy sore at the shoulder site. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2021, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-was-your-vaccine-reaction/939463/8 "2021-04-06T01:53:39Z")
I had my 2nd Moderna at about 11:30 a.m. I started feeling fatigued and a little ‘spaced’ that afternoon and evening, but I somehow shook it off until about 10:30 that night. That’s when the fever started, and the chills. I never took my temp but my wife said my head felt pretty hot, and I knew the chills were pretty intense so I assume my fever was probably over 100. I woke up in the middle of the night with some muscle cramps and a pretty intense headache. By the middle of the next day, the worst of it was over; I just felt tired most of the weekend. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2021, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-was-your-vaccine-reaction/939463/9 "2021-04-06T02:25:20Z")
Damn, I should have added “night sweats” to the poll, because I’ve been getting that bigly. My sleeping room is 62F by morning, regular covers, and I’ve been waking clammy at 2-4 AM for 2 nights so far. And in retrospect this should have been four polls: FIRST SHOT: Poll: symptoms, select any. Poll: for how many days? SECOND SHOT (if applicable, J&J need not apply): Poll: symptoms, select any. Poll: for how many days? ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2021, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-was-your-vaccine-reaction/939463/10 "2021-04-06T02:30:49Z")
I got the Johnson & Johnson shot on Thursday evening. Five hours later I had serious chills and shakes, a fever of 103 and my skin felt like I was sunburned all over. Had a bit of nausea which went away after vomiting. Went to sleep and by noon the next day my fever was gone and I felt completely normal. I never had any arm pain at all! ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2021, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-was-your-vaccine-reaction/939463/11 "2021-04-06T03:03:33Z")
I never had any flu-like symptoms after my first Pfizer shot, but 3 days later my arm felt like it was going to fall off (or rather, I would feel better if it did). Happened at night and I woke up feeling all better. Don’t get my second until April 14 and I am hoping it goes well because I am trying to take a little 3-day vacation on the 16th. My parents both got Pfizer and they felt fine after their second so I’m hoping I take after them. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2021, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-was-your-vaccine-reaction/939463/12 "2021-04-06T03:07:48Z")
Pfizer. Arm was a bit sore if I thought about. But super tired for 2ish days. 2nd shot coming up in 10 days. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2021, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-was-your-vaccine-reaction/939463/13 "2021-04-06T03:13:10Z")
Got my first dose of the Pfizer vaccine this past Friday. My arm was a little sore at the injection site, starting about 6 hours after the shot, and continuing through the day on Saturday. No other reactions. ---
**Author:** ![Locrian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/locrian/32/14146_2.png) [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2021, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-was-your-vaccine-reaction/939463/14 "2021-04-06T03:27:54Z")
Y’all are making me paranoid of getting my second shot of Moderna on the 20th in the other thread. 😁 Will update after that shot. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2021, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-was-your-vaccine-reaction/939463/15 "2021-04-06T03:36:43Z")
I signed up for V-safe before I knew if I’d have a reaction. ---
**Author:** ![eschrodinger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschrodinger/32/122_2.png) [@eschrodinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschrodinger)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2021, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-was-your-vaccine-reaction/939463/16 "2021-04-06T03:43:42Z")
I got my first Pfizer shot yesterday at about 1:00. By 4:00 or so, my arm was sore, and I felt tired. I took a nap around 5 for about an hour. When I woke up from the nap, my arm was moderately sore, with like a big knot in the muscle. This was several inches lower that the injection site. And my shoulder hurt as well, again, not close to the injection site. A few hours later, I had some soreness and cramping in one leg. I can’t say for sure it was caused by the vaccine, but it came and went with the other side effects. This morning my arm was barely sore, still had a knot in the muscle though. Leg soreness gone. Still a tiny bit fatigued. I assume it’s done now for shot one. It was a level of symptoms that reassured me it was working, but didn’t feel like I was really suffering at all. I hope I get similarly lucky on the second shot. ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2021, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-was-your-vaccine-reaction/939463/17 "2021-04-06T04:21:43Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I really wonder if the people more likely to keep up with V-SAFE are the ones who have had side effects and how they account for this self-selection bias, if there indeed is one, as I hypothesize.) I’ve answered all my V-SAFE polls, and I had absolutely no reaction to my first Moderna. I mean, my arm felt like I’d been poked with a very thin needle, but by the next morning even that was gone. I wouldn’t even call it sore, because it only hurt when putting pressure directly on the injection site. My dad had the same lack of reaction, and we both kind of wish we had something, because then we’d know the vaccine was working. I did get mild flu like symptoms to my shingles vaccine a few months ago, but I think that’s the only vaccine reaction I’ve ever had. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2021, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-was-your-vaccine-reaction/939463/18 "2021-04-06T05:04:17Z")
My brother needs some other type of treatment, though, > [@](#): > > _Dear … Friends:_ > > > > _I got my first Covid shot today at the … Civic Center._ > > > > _Frankly I was terrified! The help helicopter was idling in the parking lot of the IGA across the street waiting to medivac casualties._ > > > > _When I walked in, I was unceremoniously hustled to a table where two burly men held me firmly down as a big nurse with the largest syringe I’ve ever seen was chuckling evilly as she filled her syringe. The needle looked like a drinking straw._ > > > > _Gazing across the floor of the civic center briefly because I could not bear to watch, I saw paramedics treating a woman who was having convulsions. Another man was getting a epinephrine shot, his arm swollen to triple its normal size. Another patient lay twitching feebly on the floor with someone standing over him yelling for a paramedic._ > > > > _The place reeked of piss and shit from terrified people. As I returned my gaze to the to the nurse she asked which shoulder – I said left, and she plunged the huge needle in._ > > > > _OH MY GOD! It was like liquid fire in my veins. Beads of sweat stood out on my forehead as I clamped my teeth shut and tried not to scream. I’m not ashamed to say I pissed myself. A red fog descended over my vision, and then everything went black._ > > > > _It must have been just moments. The nurse was holding smelling salts under my nose and slapping my face to bring me out of it. “Can you walk?”. > “I think so.”_ > > > > _With help I staggered over to a chair to wait the required 15 minutes. I was one of the lucky ones. As I left I saw men zipping someone into a body bag, and heard the roar of the help helicopter hauling the lady who had gone into convulsions to (the big city) for further treatment, as another touched down to await the next casualty._ > > > > _The scene was unimaginable. A veritable hellscape. I dread to think that I will have to go back for yet another shot. Could the disease possibly be any worse than the cure?_ There has to be some kind of weird pathology going on in his little head. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2021, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-was-your-vaccine-reaction/939463/19 "2021-04-06T05:17:00Z")
This sounds like satire to me. I got mine about 12 hours ago; my arm is a little sore at the injection site but that’s all. ---
**Author:** ![ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chockfullofheadygoodness/32/511_2.png) [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2021, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-was-your-vaccine-reaction/939463/20 "2021-04-06T05:27:32Z")
Got my first Pfizer 6:45 Thursday night. Didn’t feel the injection at all. By bedtime, the injection site was sore, but as I told my wife and son, not as bad as a tetanus shot. Friday I was sore, less so Saturday. By Sunday it was only sore if I pressed on it. Today, nothing at all. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-how-was-your-vaccine-reaction/939463.md?page=2)