Moderna booster after J&J. I’m a little tired, but that could be clock change, as I always struggle with it even if we gained an hour. My arm is much more sore than after the flu shot I got a few weeks ago, but also a lot less sore than my first shot. I did it in my right arm because my left arm has an old injury and I don’t know how much that had to do with my arm soreness in April. The soreness I have isn’t constant either. Mostly if I touch it or move it quickly or wrong. Tylenol manages it fine. I figure if I’m 36 hours or so out from the shot, I’m probably close to the end.
I got my Moderna booster a week ago (following the April 1 J&J shot). My arm is still super sore. There’s like a palm-sized “egg” at the injection site that’s firm. It was at it’s worst immediately after the injection. It’s shrunk a little but still present. My arm is very sore and it hurts to sleep on that side.
I’m not complaining; just documenting. I’d feel stupid complaining because my arm is sore. Even very sore. Which this is. Sore, I mean. Not stupid.
I will complain because I’ve had a headache, thought, but that might have been a problem with my anti-depressants.
Still very grateful that I have access to the vaccines and boosters. I’m lucky. I’m so glad I got this done.
I got the Pfizer booster yesterday and so far, a slightly sore arm is the only reaction. I’m hopeful it’ll stay that way since I didn’t have too much reaction to the first two shots anyway.
Have you tried warm compresses? I find a hot wet washcloth often helps with local reactions. Also, if it doesn’t keep going down, you might want to check in with your doctor.
I’d forgotten about this. I had loose bowels and some mild cramping for a week after my booster (J&J, through a clinical study), too. I didn’t report it because it didn’t seem related, but now I wonder if it might be.
My reaction to the first two shots of Pfizer was modest, a sore arm the first time, and a sorer arm, plus I was tired and napped a lot the next day after the second. My reaction after my booster was much stronger – the only reaction at first was that the shot stings. But I went to bed with a mild headache, and woke up with a headache, with every muscle in my body aching, and with every joint aching. I had lunch with a friend, but then I went home and took a nap. Everything resolved except local pain where I’d been stabbed, and the joint aches – the last joint in my thumbs and big toes, and my knees, were a little sore for a week. And the bowel looseness.
I got my first Shingrix shot on Sunday. That was worse. I ran a low-grade fever and felt like shit all day. And my joints are a little sore again. Oh, and my arm is still sore. Really not looking forward to the second Shingrix… I’m sympathetic to people who had a nasty reaction to the covid vaccine who don’t want to repeat the experience.
Thanks for the advice! It’s getting better, though. The swelling is mostly gone. The swollen “egg” site has shrunk to just a small bump. It’s taking it’s sweet time but I think it’s mostly getting over it on its own.
Still grateful for it.
My mom got the Shingrex shot and hated every minute of it. Hope you feel better soon.
Thanks. I’ve mostly recovered. My doctor suggests i wait until near the end of that 2-6 month window if i want to minimize side effects.
I’m due for this, too, and not looking forward to it. I’m virtually out of any kind of time off, so I might have to plan to get it right before a holiday in order to have some recovery time. Still way better than getting shingles, though, so I will make it happen.
I thought the Shingrex was the worst reaction to any shot I’ve ever had, too.
Interesting to hear people having their strongest reactions to their booster shots. This is what happened to my sister. She was sick for 2 1/2 days and actually vomitted. She thought she was some extreme outlier, but apparently not.
Moderna
1st shot: Sore at injection site, small ping-pong ball shaped lump
2nd shot: Same as above with mild nausea, though that may have been due to the fact we had a heat wave going on and I’d had a bit too much ice cream.
I’m on my third day now after the Moderna booster…still cold, aching, and tired. I sure am glad that pharmacist told me to hold off on the Shingrix a while.
Maybe we need a sequel thread-poll for boosters?
I got a Pfizer-booster last Wednesday. Chills/achy on Thursday, severe fatigue Thursday-Sunday. Pretty normal now on the following Tuesday.
Third booster yesterday (Moderna). I feel like I’ve been thrown off a speeding truck onto a gravel road. 28 hours now, and still sick, sore, dizzy and feeling like I have the real flu. This is considerably worse than the second booster (the first had no reaction at all).
This morning every joint I have was hurting – my hands felt like someone had worked them over with a ball-peen hammer. Things have eased some, but I’m still eschewing pain relievers as I understood they could interfere with the total effect. I figure as long as I’m miserable, I should gain as much as possible from the experience.
Yikes!
I ached all over for a day, and had some mild joint pain for a week, but that was about it.
Shingrix knocked me down for a week, though.
Is everyone here getting boosters getting that half-dose?
A Moderna booster is a 1/2 dose of the regular Moderna shot. I can’t seem to find a cite, but my understanding is that a Pfizer booster is a full dose of the Pfizer vaccine, same as shots 1 & 2.
I had another miserable night, freezing for hours, then burning up and congested. I’m starting to wonder if I should see a doctor…not that I would actually go, but damn.
I had no issues with my Pfizer booster shot I got over this past Saturday.
Yes.
But also, the regular Moderna shot had 100mcg of active ingredient, and the original Pfizer 30mcg. So the half-dose Moderna is still “more” than the Pfizer booster.
Thanks for the confirmation, @puzzlegal! Darnit, I got the Pfizer booster, I should have held out for the Moderna but the closest pharmacy was doing Pfizer.
A microgram here, a microgram there, pretty soon we’re talking real medicine!