This is in no way trying to scare anyone to not get vaccinated because I believe everyone should do so. This is merely to help prepare you if you walk into thinking the 2nd one will be as much a breeze as the first one.
In a nutshell, just prepare to feel like you have the flu for 2 days but aren’t contagious. I woke up this morning feeling like I was hit by a semi. Achy joints, chills, headache.
The doctor says to treat it like a flu. Take Tylenol, drink lots of fluids and just rest at home.
I almost forgot the most important part. I received the Moderna vaccine.
So don’t plan any thing that requires a lot of steps or heavy lifting for up to 2 days after the second dose.
Maybe around 12-16 hours later. Yeah it’s just flu symptoms but exponentially multiplied by say 5. I just went grocery shopping and my knees feel like I’ve ran 5 miles.
My wife and I both got jab 2 in the afternoon. She felt a little bleh the next day, a worse on day 2, and mostly back to normal by day 3. It didn’t bother me much at all. Ours is a Pfizer anecdote, FWIW
Moderna here… and my wife was fine. 12 hour lag? and vert flu-like. Made me realize it’s been a long time since I got the flu - and how much it sucked.
It’s been highly variable. A friend of mine got the Moderna and the 1st shot was miserable, while the 2nd shot was nothing. My in-laws had basically nothing for both shots.
As someone who got his Covid immunity the hard way, I would gladly trade you. I had a 103 fever for two solid weeks, had a cough that wouldn’t go away for another four weeks and my overall stamina still hasn’t recovered.
Same situation with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. My symptoms started after 5 hours, and had the fever, aches and tiredness that first day, but was back to normal after 3 days. I heard similar stories from two other who got J&J too. Seems like the single shot causes a similar reaction to the second shot of the other types. But yes, the rough feeling was an excellent sign that the protection is building up in our bodies.
Pro tip everyone:
Don’t go for a run in the morning, get your second dose, then play basketball that same night.
dude, +20 hrs after 2nd moderna shot.
Symptoms: whole body is sore and obviously a bit more in my arm. Had been pre-dosing advil in hopes of not getting a headache like I did with first dose. So far it’s working!
I was in the Moderna clinical trial, I don’t recall anything but feeling sore where I got the shot the next day. I think you’d get that from a saline shot. I had guessed I got placebo, but found later I got the vax. Felt nothing.