The Second COVID Vaccine Wiped Me Out

I was completely useless yesterday.

We both got our 2nd COVID vaccines two days ago (which, looking back, may not have been the smartest thing to do, as we probably should have staggered them a little more instead of both getting them on the same day), which we’ve been looking forward to, as everyone has, for a year. We’re taking our first family vacation ever in a few weeks and we wanted to be fully vaccinated before going.

So we got the vaccines at 11a and felt fine the whole day. I was a little more tired than usual that night, but that’s about it. However, the next morning was a completely different story.

I woke up and felt like I had an enormous hangover. I was tired, dizzy, had a massive headache, and felt achy all over my body. Everything hurt. Everything. PJ and I already suffer from back issues, but the achiness amplified every single one of them, making it difficult to get comfortable even when lying down on the couch.

I had a fever of 100.4 and had chills all day. I couldn’t get warm. But when I finally did get warm, I was burning up. The social distancing really paid off last year as none of us were sick past March, and I gotta say, I didn’t miss being sick one bit.

I had no patience the entire day (because does anybody really have patience when you feel like crap?). I may have yelled a little louder than usual when the kids were running around the house as I was trying to rest on the couch. Usually only one of them is taking naps right now, but I put all three down so I could get some sleep and try to relax, but there was a fly buzzing around the entire living room (this being a farm and all, there are lots of flies) whose only mission in life seemed to be to keep me from falling asleep. Mission accomplished. However, I was able to fall asleep for a few minutes a one point or another during the day.

And can I just say: feeling under the weather when you have kids is in no way shape or form ideal. It’s the opposite of ideal. It’s…awful. There’s no other way to put it. I felt so much shame and guilt because PJ and I both have responsibilities when we’re out here: PJ installing fences and clearing brush and renovating Holiday House, and I cook and clean and take care of the dogs and do showers and blow snotty noses (which there are currently three of in this house and they all belong to people under the age of 6). When one of us isn’t 100%, it’s noticeable and felt throughout the whole house. It means the other person is going to have to pick up the slack, and I always hate it when that person is PJ. So, friends, remind me never to get sick with kids again.

The kids and I took a few walks in an attempt to let the fresh air do its thing and make me feel better. Spoiler: it didn’t work. Our evening walk was a lot better than our afternoon one, though (where I actually felt like a zombie walking through the hot sun, stumbling through the field as I tried to keep my eyes open), because the sun was going down and the air was cooler and honestly just looking at the mountain calms me and instantly made me feel more relaxed. Forever grateful to be out here. AND! Our oldest kiddo picked me some flowers so that I would feel better. How sweet is that?

One of the biggest mistakes I made was not showering all day. I always feel better, no matter what, when I shower, but I just couldn’t muster up the energy to do it until after the kids went to bed last night. And when I finally did, I felt worlds better. My fever had broken at that point and I was mainly just weak and tired. I felt at least 70% better by 10p, so I put on a big comfy shirt, sat on the couch with PJ and Meryl and Jolie, popped some popcorn, and resumed watching Jupiter’s Legacy with Josh Duhamel on Netflix. Have you seen it? Highly recommend!

So even though it was hell for a day, it was obviously worth it (that goes without saying) and I’m grateful we both finally have these vaccinations. It gives us so much peace of mind to leave for vacation knowing we’re that much more protected, and it brings us one step closer to a return to some normalcy (whatever that means).

Today I feel better, but still a little blah. I’m still feeling super cold one minute and super hot the next, and I’ll break into sweats here and there, but my fever is gone, thankfully.

Have you gotten both of your vaccines yet? How did you feel afterwards? Sending virtual hugs your way regardless!!! xoxo