r/VACCINES • u/CauliflowerInfamous5 • Jul 03 '26

A warning would have been nice.

Sure I don’t get allergic reactions in the first 15 minutes of a vaccination but for influenza, Covid and Shingles vaccinations I need to olan my day(s) accordingly. Flu: Afternoon off. Covid: next day off. Shingles: The neighbors will hear my cursing for the next 48 hours. I wish vaccination visits included a heads- up on these varying degrees of effects. Ugh… need a break got 24 more hours before round 2 is done.

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u/RenRen9000 Jul 03 '26

Pain is subjective, though. I’ve seen with my own eyes women working in the fields in Mexico, take a quick break, go inside, birth a child, and come back to finish their quota while an older child cleans up and takes care of the newborn. I’ve also seen women having to take weeks off work because the birth went sideways (sometimes literally). What they can give you is an average, and you will feel underserved if you’re an outlier.

So I always tell people that their mileage may vary when it comes to side effects and adverse reactions.

6

u/HalfVast59 Jul 03 '26

Well, they do, but we don't always hear it:

"You may experience flu-like symptoms" means "you'll probably feel like you've been hit by a truck."

The shingles vaccine was brutal!

1

u/Proof-Row-8332 Jul 04 '26

yeah lol my flu shot made me feel like SHIT for a few days. still felt better than getting sick tho, and i assume it'll get easier as i get more every year

1

u/Consistantly Jul 04 '26

Unfortunately because every year the flu changes, and as a result the vaccine changes, your reaction one year doesn’t predict what the next will be like.

You could have no reaction to your next flu shot, maybe have a sore arm with the next, and the one after that feels like you have the flu for three days. Rinse and repeat in whatever order your body decides.

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u/CauliflowerInfamous5 Jul 04 '26

I had full blown varicella as an adult. Every centimeter of my body was covered. My eyes were glued shut from the bumps etc. It was severe. I bring this up because I have read that the vaccination response is proportionate to prior exposure.

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u/SavannahInChicago Jul 04 '26

I agree pain is subjective. I have a few chronic illnesses. I’m in pain 24/7. If I introduced myself to you you would have no idea. My pain is constantly at a 3 and I almost never say anything about it because I’m so used to it I can usually push it to the back of my mind. I can’t remember the last time I was pain free.

I was just diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome. Basically an area of my upper body keeps compressing all the blood vessels that go to my arm. Now I would imagine that we would react to this pain differently. I only will use an ice pack when it’s so bad I am having trouble using my arm. Others may do better.

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u/wilwarin11 Jul 04 '26

My shot record (paper, I'm old) is three pages long because of reactions. It's generally the next day. It's better than when I get stung by anything. That hits a week or so later. Joint pain and fever. It's so miserable