Getting your second covid vaccine can be a rather daunting affair. The possible side-effects such as a fever, getting tired, or feeling sore, are symptoms no one wants to deal with. Add on top of that people’s fear of shots and you have yourself a recipe for disaster. As a teenager, the side effects can be even more concerning. Personally, I have not heard a lot of people other than adults talk about their experience with the second vaccine shot. I recently got mine last week, and wanted to share my experience, along with advice on how to deal with this.

Before we talk about the vaccine and my reaction to it, I should add a disclaimer. The vaccine isn’t going to have the same effect on everyone. Factors like your immune system, age, other medications, and which vaccine you recieve come into play when discussing the side effects. Most people don’t know how their bodies will react to the shot, and the only way to tell is by getting the vaccine.

For a little background, I got the Pfizer shot at a CVS on May 18th of this year. The night before my vaccine appointment, I wanted to put myself in the best position to feel healthy for the next day. For me, this meant getting 8+ hours of sleep. I usually have a pretty unhealthy sleep schedule, but I figured if I wanted to do my best in combating these side effects, I should treat my body as well as possible. The night and morning before the shot, I drank lots of water. Putting yourself in position to feel healthy throughout the day is the best thing to do in order to avoid these side-effects.

While waiting to get the shot, I was nervous because I am someone who hates needles. The anticipation of waiting when you know you are going to have to get poked in the arm is the worst part for me (even though you know it won’t hurt that much). However, something both me and my mother agreed with is that the second shot hurt a lot less than the first. 

Throughout the rest of the day and the next, I felt little to no side effects of the vaccine. My arm was sore but other than that, it felt like nothing changed. I would like to think my lack of a reaction is because of the amount of sleep I got, but it is most likely attributed to other factors. While treating your body healthy will probably make you feel better in general, it may not significantly decrease the severity of these side effects. With that being said, allowing yourself to be able to eat healthy and get sleep before the vaccine is the best advice I can give. If you are unhealthy before your appointment, you will only feel worse the day of.

These are not ways to make yourself immune to the side effects, but rather ways to put your body in the best possible position to combat them. At the end of the day, your immune system isn’t going to get stronger overnight. The benefits to you and the rest of the world from getting this vaccine greatly outweigh the negative side effects. So to ensure the safety from Covid-19, go get vaccinated!