Being fully vaccinated

So I am finally vaccinated; I was pretty nervous but so excited. Somewhat unusual for someone who has a great fear of needles to have been so happy to get the jab. I am not an anti-vaxxer by any means, but I am not one to choose a needle (ever). I was the type of person who got root canal therapy without having a needle, yep! It was painful, and yeah! I jumped every time they hit a nerve, but you get the drift. 

The first dose of the vaccine

I must have signed up four times before I got the long-awaited message to say I qualify. I must have taken all of ten seconds to respond, ensuring I could get in to get my vaccination as soon as possible.

My experience with the first jab was completely different to my experience with the second jab. The first one, I probably chose the wrong time and day; having to line up for my slot at 6 pm in the city meant everyone was getting their first dose on their way home from work.

The line was long, the wait was close to an hour, and I was very nervous as I got closer to the front of the line. However, I never once convinced myself that I wasn’t going through with it (which I usually do), but I was worried after all the horror stories. You know, the ones where people were saying that the needle hurt (a lot) – kind of like a tetanus needle – not fun at all!

But to be honest, the needle was quick, sure it stung but wasn’t as painful as those massive needles you receive from the dentist! So I was all good; waiting for thirty minutes afterwards would have been better had I have charged my phone beforehand, but in proper Paula form, my battery was dead, so I spent the thirty minutes watching everyone else enjoy the luxury of passing their time with mobile devices. 

I was lucky enough to have spent the next day without too much on; I purposely cleared my calendar to ensure that I could spend the day in bed if needed (most of my friends had reported). 

It does say not to exercise, so although I walked the thirty minutes home, which was at a relatively relaxing pace, I gave myself the following day off. Which I think may have done the trick because apart from a sore arm and a slight headache, I had no real side effects. 

The second dose of the vaccine

I was given a word of advice for my second one because this was the one that had more people down for the count. With headaches, high temperatures and lethargy as the main culprits. Hydration is key, which is why hydralytes were so important. In Singapore, you can buy it in the form of cooling water, but in Australia, hydralytes from the chemist or grocery store will do the same trick. 

So the day before my second appointment, I drank three cooling waters (found in all major supermarkets), one the morning of the appointment, one while waiting after the appointment and one that night. The following day I proceeded to drink three.

I chose a 10 am appointment at the same facility, and there were very few inline; in fact, there was no waiting time at all. Instead, walked straight in during every stage, which was an opposite experience of the appointment before. 

On the day of the vaccination 

That morning, I took one panadol as I had been told the second needle would be the deepest and more painful of the two (putting my sensors on high alert). To my surprise, not only was it fast, but I did not feel a thing, not anything, nada, zero! So I walked out feeling optimistic. 

I again spent the day relaxing, and although everyone had mentioned that you have to watch out for day two or three because that’s when it hits you. I was absolutely fine; apart from being a little tired on day three (yep, succumbed to a half-hour nanna nap) and a sore arm that lasted for two days, I was fine.

Two weeks on from the vaccination 

So now that this has been two weeks since my last jab, I am fully vaccinated. Do not be mistaken by thinking that this means that you will be able to travel anytime soon (not to and from Australia anyway).

Other things you need to know

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