Am I the only one NERVOUS about the vaccine? And I’m very PRO-VAX

[JediBonas]

... but these shots are just so new, and new technology really whichever one you choose.

I was all set to get the J&J, but then the clotting issue with the Astra Zeneca really came out and they are the same type of vaccine (viral vector, J&J uses human, AZ uses chimp adenovirus)

Then there are the bleeding/clotting issues from the Pfizer vaccine - one doctor dead, several others with the same symptoms (thankfully okay now) with no telling what long-term results will be going forward.

And I keep trying to think, “well, millions of vaccines, there are bound to be issues” but with the AZ it actually comes down to 1 in 250,000 and that’s before you calculate that it’s mainly women having the issue which means the rate could be closer to 1 in 100,000.

At what point do risks outweigh returns? I’m THRILLED that my parents are vaccinated, but SO anxious about my own and absolutely not getting my young kids vaccinated for a GOOD long time.

Please don’t bother posting conspiracy crap that’s only going to rile people up. I’m trying to work through my anxiety, by hearing experiences from others, not ramp it up.

I'm going to be honest - I had/have the same fears. I did a lot of research and also decided against the J&J because of the AZ one. My SIL is a scientist who works for a pharmaceutical company that does testing of different things (they're not involved with the vaccines but are with various covid treatments), she was not at all concerned with it and went with Pfizer. I got my first shot yesterday - am I still concerned about possible reactions, yes. The bleeding one you mentioned (where the Dr died in FL) look out for any unusual bleeding or bruising. They have not actually linked those bleeding disorders to the vaccine.

I know people who have died of COVID, I know people who are still, months later, dealing with after-effects of COVID. I am worried about the vaccine but I still got my first dose and I know the chances of something happening with it are low.

 

[Alicefan]

I am hoping to avoid the vaccine. I won’t be taking it unless it’s mandatory for my job or eventually travel. The reason I do not want to get it is because we only know what we know right now. We don’t know what we’re going to learn 10 years down the line and it could come to be that the vaccine does cause long term unforeseen medical issues for people. We used to visit a historic village from the 1830s and they had a dr office and they would tell stories of the way diseases and illnesses were treated back then, by college educated doctors. I always think what will future generations think when they look back at us. I don’t want there to be pictures in history books in the 2070s of all the poor people in the 2030s who succumbed to illnesses brought on by their 2021 vaccine. I HOPE that is not the case!! I’m sure the vaccine probably is very safe. I’m just not willing to take that risk given that I have know many many people who have had Covid and not a single one who had a severe case so I’d much rather take my chances with the virus. Just to clarify I am not anti vaccine or a conspiracy theorist in any way. The level of crazy I’ve head some people say about the vaccine is mind boggling that anyone could really believe the govt is trying to kill us or microchip us I’ve been fully vaccinated for everything else as have my children. But a brand new vaccine to prevent an illness that (from what I’ve seen) is mild for the vast vast majority is not something I am eager to jump in line for. And as for getting back to normal life, that’s not an issue here. We’ve been “normal” since last May. Socializing, everything open, travel, hanging out with friends and family.

I agree 100% with this. So many people putting so much faith into "following the science" when all our lives medications that were developed in these same labs (ones that had a whole lot more time being developed that this vaccine) turned around and killed or debilitated those taking it. Many being pulled off of the market never to return and yet everyone is so trusting of THIS one? Science fails constantly but this time they got it right...really quickly and all? At this point the only rational people IMO are the ones who are at least a little scared or a little skeptical. How can you not be?

 

[Dis Mtn Man]

Yes, I am very nervous. I am afraid of an allergic reaction because I have a history of strange reactions to medicines and vaccines. I am afraid if I do one of the 2 shot series I will have a reaction and not be able to get the second, therefore not having good protection. I was settled on the J&J since it is. one shot, but then this morning the news of clinics shutting down due to adverse reactions to J&J made me very nervous.

T That happened in Colorado, the reactions turned out to be all normal reactions to the vaccine. They only shut down the clinic in over abundance of caution (which is good) to make sure nothing was out of the ordinary.

 

[sam_gordon]

I've expressed concerns about the vaccine from the start and have basically been told (here on the Dis) "Your concerns don't matter, get the vaccine. If you don't, you're selfish, ignore science, and want grandma to die."

 

[hulagirl87]

I have Ehlers Danlos syndrome, as well as some other conditions, and my body is very sensitive to medicines, as in I get pretty much every side effect ever from taking any prescriptions. Even Advil and Tylenol make me feel horrible. So putting a vaccine into my body makes me very very nervous. I just don't know how my body would react to it. I feel cruddy every day as it is. I don't want to add an unknown shot into the mix.

I have 3 friends that have gotten the vaccine. One got very sick from both shots, the others didn't get sick other than a sore arm and headaches. My mom just had her first dose and did really well, which I am very thankful for!

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I have Ehlers Danlos syndrome, as well as some other conditions, and my body is very sensitive to medicines, as in I get pretty much every side effect ever from taking any prescriptions. Even Advil and Tylenol make me feel horrible. So putting a vaccine into my body makes me very very nervous. I just don't know how my body would react to it.

Every vaccine interest form and when I actually got the vaccine does ask questions regarding past reactions, Guillain-Barré syndrome, have you had a vaccine within the last 2 weeks, etc so I would assume you need to speak up if you end up getting the vaccine regarding your situation. But probably the number one advice I would have would be discussing with your doctor if they advise you to get the vaccine right now and potentially if you are able to if there is one that might be better for you.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I’m just not willing to take that risk given that I have know many many people who have had Covid and not a single one who had a severe case so I’d much rather take my chances with the virus.

You usually get a lot of heat for your viewpoint so I'm not going to pile on all the stuff packed in there. But I do wish you would temper presenting it like the reason is you don't know anyone who has died or had a severe case. I don't know someone who has died personally or someone who has had a severe case. In fact I don't know too many people who have had it (at least publicly saying it) but I was very eager to get the vaccine though patiently waiting my turn.

I do know that personal experiences affect one's opinion so to you it may very well alter your perception but for some reason every time you repeat it it comes off to me like others who haven't experienced someone dying or having known people with severe cases also would feel this way. Don't get me wrong I know some people who are staunchly not wanting the vaccine, even a person I saw on Easter who used the whole "but they rushed it" and thankfully his sister, who originally wasn't going to get the vaccine because of her mom, stepped in to set the record straight. But the whole "people around me have all had a mild case so meh it's NBD I don't need the vaccine" is not an excuse anyone who I know IRL who is hesitant about getting it. It certainly isn't mine when I was wanting the vaccine months ago. My husband has known one person who had it severely enough to be hospitalized which was his boss (whom he hadn't actually seen in a long while) but that happened long after my husband said "sign me up for the vaccine".

 

[mjkacmom]

You usually get a lot of heat for your viewpoint so I'm not going to pile on all the stuff packed in there. But I do wish you would temper presenting it like the reason is you don't know anyone who has died or had a severe case. I don't know someone who has died personally or someone who has had a severe case. In fact I don't know too many people who have had it (at least publicly saying it) but I was very eager to get the vaccine though patiently waiting my turn.

I do know that personal experiences affect one's opinion so to you it may very well alter your perception but for some reason every time you repeat it it comes off to me like others who haven't experienced someone dying or having known people with severe cases also would feel this way. Don't get me wrong I know some people who are staunchly not wanting the vaccine, even a person I saw on Easter who used the whole "but they rushed it" and thankfully his sister, who originally wasn't going to get the vaccine because of her mom, stepped in to set the record straight. But the whole "people around me have all had a mild case so meh it's NBD I don't need the vaccine" is not an excuse anyone who I know IRL who is hesitant about getting it. It certainly isn't mine when I was wanting the vaccine months ago. My husband has known one person who had it severely enough to be hospitalized which was his boss (whom he hadn't actually seen in a long while) but that happened long after my husband said "sign me up for the vaccine".

Our cases here are at high vs. very high a year ago. Almost my entire immediate family has had it, and we live in different locations. I don’t think I know anyone here who hasn’t had it or been vaccinated. It’s not going to just go away, it’s going to move on. Most of us here know folks who’d died from it, or have become very ill. It seems that there are other areas of the country that haven’t been hit hard yet.

 

[leahgoogle]

I agree 100% with this. So many people putting so much faith into "following the science" when all our lives medications that were developed in these same labs (ones that had a whole lot more time being developed that this vaccine) turned around and killed or debilitated those taking it. Many being pulled off of the market never to return and yet everyone is so trusting of THIS one? Science fails constantly but this time they got it right...really quickly and all? At this point the only rational people IMO are the ones who are at least a little scared or a little skeptical. How can you not be?

This is how I feel too. I am more afraid of the vaccine than covid. It's too new (yes, yes the technology has been there, but never rolled out to this scale. Research the RSV vaccine that was pulled because babies died when exposed to the wild virus). We had covid and didn't even realize it until after the fact and we tested positive for antibodies. So, we have natural immunity now that the science is finding out lasts longer than the 3 months first thought ("science" can be found pretty much for any viewpoint you want). I really should be a choice and nobody should be persecuted for not getting it.

 

[TwoMisfits]

I've expressed concerns about the vaccine from the start and have basically been told (here on the Dis) "Your concerns don't matter, get the vaccine. If you don't, your selfish, ignore science, and want grandma to die."

Your concerns always matter b/c they are yours. I'd only ask you consider whether there is some way for you to overcome your concerns through seeing more data, talking to your doc, or just hearing about more experiences here.

I can tell you everyone I know, both the skittish/leery and the gung-ho, have all felt a sense of relief and a "lifting" after getting their shots (now, some have felt way more and way better than just "relief", but some folks do just feel that - for them, it was a "get it done" task, not a "my life can come back to me now" task. And that relief is probably that the decision was finally done and they did everything they could do, and they just can move on - no more "should I or shouldn't I" worry...

 

[leahgoogle]

You usually get a lot of heat for your viewpoint so I'm not going to pile on all the stuff packed in there. But I do wish you would temper presenting it like the reason is you don't know anyone who has died or had a severe case. I don't know someone who has died personally or someone who has had a severe case. In fact I don't know too many people who have had it (at least publicly saying it) but I was very eager to get the vaccine though patiently waiting my turn.

I do know that personal experiences affect one's opinion so to you it may very well alter your perception but for some reason every time you repeat it it comes off to me like others who haven't experienced someone dying or having known people with severe cases also would feel this way. Don't get me wrong I know some people who are staunchly not wanting the vaccine, even a person I saw on Easter who used the whole "but they rushed it" and thankfully his sister, who originally wasn't going to get the vaccine because of her mom, stepped in to set the record straight. But the whole "people around me have all had a mild case so meh it's NBD I don't need the vaccine" is not an excuse anyone who I know IRL who is hesitant about getting it. It certainly isn't mine when I was wanting the vaccine months ago. My husband has known one person who had it severely enough to be hospitalized which was his boss (whom he hadn't actually seen in a long while) but that happened long after my husband said "sign me up for the vaccine".

I think that viewpoint for some people comes from past experience too. I know someone who was severely damaged from a vaccine. I also have had covid and it wasn't severe for me. For me, the risk of vaccine injury isn't worth it based on my experience with covid. I get the whole "get it for the greater good theory", but self preservation comes into play too. I'm not going to knowingly get a new vaccine with a higher risk of vaccine injury to prevent a virus that I know my body can handle. If others choose feel the vaccine is in their best interest, then that is their choice and good for them.

 

[leahgoogle]

Your concerns always matter b/c they are yours. I'd only ask you consider whether there is some way for you to overcome your concerns through seeing more data, talking to your doc, or just hearing about more experiences here.

I can tell you everyone I know, both the skittish/leery and the gung-ho, have all felt a sense of relief and a "lifting" after getting their shots (now, some have felt way more and way better than just "relief", but some folks do just feel that - for them, it was a "get it done" task, not a "my life can come back to me now" task. And that relief is probably that the decision was finally done and they did everything they could do, and they just can move on - no more "should I or shouldn't I" worry...

I can tell you I have seen data from both sides and it doesn't make me any less concerned about this vaccine. If you only listen to main stream media, you are not getting the whole story. Even some doctor's are not supportive of this vaccine. My sense of relief is knowing I had it and now I have antibodies for it and my immune system (t-cells) will always remember it in some form (even against the variants).

 

[TwoMisfits]

I can tell you I have seen data from both sides and it doesn't make me any less concerned about this vaccine. If you only listen to main stream media, you are not getting the whole story. Even some doctor's are not supportive of this vaccine. My sense of relief is knowing I had it and now I have antibodies for it and my immune system (t-cells) will always remember it in some form (even against the variants).

I'd encourage you, since you have had Covid, to follow the Pfizer studies on vaccines for previously infected...right now, they are studying a one shot booster vs a 2 shot series as an option for folks in your category. Right now, the early data is that you will get almost perfect personal antibody protection on the one shot path, although I'm not sure how severely one had to have Covid (or how many baseline antibodies they needed to have) to benefit more from a one shot series vs a two in their preliminary data...

 

[DLgal]

How did the Spanish Flu reach herd immunity again? There was no vaccine back then. Yet the global population was at barely 2 billion and we're at almost 8 billion today so hence the creation of the vaccine to decrease hospitalizations overall. Not opposed to the creation of the vaccine or even those who decide to get the vaccine. You can't deny that herd immunity is also being hindered by trying to suppress the virus with a vaccine. We are in extreme deep need of more studies and testing of those who have Covid antibodies. Instead we took the shotgun approach and we're hoping it works itself out.

How many people died again during that pandemic? I bet they wish they had had a vaccine.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Our cases here are at high vs. very high a year ago. Almost my entire immediate family has had it, and we live in different locations. I don’t think I know anyone here who hasn’t had it or been vaccinated. It’s not going to just go away, it’s going to move on. Most of us here know folks who’d died from it, or have become very ill. It seems that there are other areas of the country that haven’t been hit hard yet.

I don't want it to seem like I live in an area that hasn't seen the effects of it. I just feel like it paints a different picture. Just because I don't know a ton of people with it or that someone close to me has died does not mean I treat the virus as nonchalant or that I am not interested in the vaccine and I saw the PP's thoughts enough time that I decided to mention my viewpoint.

I do know more and more people getting vaccinated though so that's good.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I think that viewpoint for some people comes from past experience too. I know someone who was severely damaged from a vaccine. I also have had covid and it wasn't severe for me. For me, the risk of vaccine injury isn't worth it based on my experience with covid. I get the whole "get it for the greater good theory", but self preservation comes into play too. I'm not going to knowingly get a new vaccine with a higher risk of vaccine injury to prevent a virus that I know my body can handle. If others choose feel the vaccine is in their best interest, then that is their choice and good for them.

I understand what you are referring to but I was honestly just speaking to the portion of the quote I pasted in. That not knowing someone who has died but knowing many who have had it but they've all been mild cases aspect.

Complications from a vaccine, while completely valid in the discussion as a whole, wasn't my point I was trying to make though please understand I do understand where you are coming from

 

[tink2424]

This is how I feel too. I am more afraid of the vaccine than covid. It's too new (yes, yes the technology has been there, but never rolled out to this scale. Research the RSV vaccine that was pulled because babies died when exposed to the wild virus). We had covid and didn't even realize it until after the fact and we tested positive for antibodies. So, we have natural immunity now that the science is finding out lasts longer than the 3 months first thought ("science" can be found pretty much for any viewpoint you want). I really should be a choice and nobody should be persecuted for not getting it.

Yes!!! And if you look at at least 1 of the trials they didn't really study it well for safety. Only recording adverse events from the first 5000 participants with respect to the vaccine is unfathomable. I work in clinical research and it is absolutely bonkers that they did that. Further to that you just can't speed up time. We really just don't know if there are unintended consequences for this technology.

I'm all for those who feel comfortable but the shaming and name calling on this board for anyone who doesn't just agree is wrong.

 

[neverlandsky]

How many people died again during that pandemic? I bet they wish they had had a vaccine.

There also wasn't any ventilators or respiratory treatments - nebulizers, inhalers, steroids, etc. Thank goodness we have these treatments today and advance medical care.

 

[DLgal]

I do not in any way fear that 10 years down the line everyone who got the vaccine will be gone. I fear it could cause unforeseen health issues later for some. I would much rather take my chances on a virus that I know only has severe effects on a very very small percentage. I have known at least 30 people (several elderly and several with underlying conditions) and not one has had a severe case or needed hospitalization. I understand that there are differences place to place and that for many the idea of loving normally seems completely unrealistic right now. In my area in the suburban Midwest life has been very normal. We’ve never had a mask mandate, some stores require them. We’ve been free to dine in doors with full capacity, gather with friend and family and socialize normally. My kids have been full time in person school (masks are required, but not quarantining for exposure). After living “normally” with the virus for the past year I feel completely comfortable and have no fear of it.

No wonder you know 30 people who had Covid.

You know how many I know, personally? Zero.

Good luck to those 30 people you know. Post viral syndromes can surface years later and NO ONE knows what that looks like for Covid yet either (although we have lots of data about how other viruses can cause long term damage) But now those 30 people are definitely susceptible, whereas people who avoided Covid through taking reasonable precautions and then got the vaccine will almost certainly be better off long term.

You are taking a gamble by exposing yourself to Covid and you are taking a gamble with the vaccines. One has much better odds than the other.

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

There also wasn't any ventilators or respiratory treatments - nebulizers, inhalers, steroids, etc. Thank goodness we have these treatments today and advance medical care.

We have all of that and look at how many STILL died. I seriously can’t believe anybody is advocating for natural herd immunity.