COVID-19 Vaccine Experience as an Ostomate

So much has happened with me being ill, hospital admissions and general recovery after coming home that I totally forgot that I was going to write a post about my experience about having my first dose of the Covid vaccine back on the 6th of March.

It’s perfectly fine to be nervous about having the vaccine but for me, it was like being given back some sense of freedom after spending a year shielding and avoiding hospital like some dodgy back alley.

I had mine at St Thomas’s hospital after many arguments with my GP. For those of us who have underlying autoimmune issues and at the younger age bracket, I have found that we tend to be penalised for being young even though catching Covid may lead to us having a rougher time trying to fight it off.

I can confirm that I still can’t get 5G or even 4G on my mobile after the fact, Bill Gates has not summoned me and I haven’t grown any extra appendages so all is well.

As you can guess I am a yes person for vaccinations as I want to get back to normal, be able to see my family, my friends and actually try and get married in the near future after everything turned upside down last year.

My vaccination

Heading into Central London is never fun when your driving but it’s cheaper and quicker than catching the train.

Heading into the vaccine centre I had my phone poised and ready to be scanned, all appointments are sent via text message and you need this to get your appointment.

The appointment was pretty quick, painless and efficient, I had the Astra – Zeneca vaccine due to my allergy issues.

Sat for 15 minutes in the waiting area after my jab and made my way home.

I was feeling tired but I put that down to driving. Once I got home I decided to have a nap and fully regretted that decision when I woke up later.

Reaction

Please bear in mind that all vaccinations are only a protein spike of the virus. It is not a live vaccine, the vaccine is basically a memory code for your body so that if you were to catch Covid then your body will be better at fighting off the illness. Not everyone will have a reaction to the vaccine but it floored me for 4 days. I had every common side effect listed.

– Headache
– Fatigue
– Fever
– Chills
– Muscle and joint pain
– Nausea

By Monday I was feeling 75%, by Tuesday I was feeling more human and me-like, then I landed up in hospital due to an intra-abdominal abscess that wasn’t vaccine-related.

I may have reacted more due to my age and current autoimmune diseases, I am of the frame of mind that those side effects are preferable to catching covid.

I am due my second dose mid May.

Yellow card

For those of you who may have the same reactions as me, please use the yellow card app or online website to report the side effects, this will ask you for your vaccine serial number, date and time of the injection and your reactions, when you felt better etc, this site is to report side effects so that they can continue to ensure safe and effective use of the vaccines.

I reported mine and received an email should I have had any further reactions then I would have to log a new report.

As always

Many thanks for reading

Louise Xx

For more information on the Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine, please click here.

This blog post is intended to give advice to ostomates. The information given is based on Louise’s personal experience and should not be taken as clinical advice. Each ostomates needs are unique to them and their stoma care routine. Please consult with your Stoma Care Nurse before undertaking any changes to your stoma care routine or if you are experiencing any health issues.