My Journey to Covid-19 (Coronavirus) Vaccine

 Working as a nurse in a clinical setting is so challenging and at times struggling. One of the struggles that I met along the way is the fight of the pandemic coronavirus. Not only that it is physically exhausting but also emotionally and psychologically. 

I'd say that it is physically exhausting because over time of taking care of patients, I have to be more cautious in practicing infection control. And I've reached to a point of considering everyone in front or near to me is infected to keep myself protected and stay away of the infection. And so far, I have been so right in being like that. The wearing of layes of face masks, N95, KN95, face shield, level III PPE and so on. 

Emotionally exhausted because it has been 2 long years that I wasn't able to go home to my home country, Philippines. As a healthcare worker, we are restricted to travel. This alone makes us work like it's forever and only hope for the best each day. Up to this date, there have been a lot of projectons that it may tke 3 years or eve 5 years to beat the culprit coronavirus. 

Psychologically, I am affected somehow only after I got the coronavirus vaccine. And why is that so? Here's my story.

As I am eager to go home and hoping that those who have received the vaccine will be able to fly soon. There were times that people from different nations have been wishing that scientists or pharmaceutical companies will be able to provide the vaccine. Then by mid-2020, inoculation  of emergency covid-19 vaccination has started. Developed countries lead the process. 

And one of these developed countries is where I am working as a nurse. It took me months to think of participating the clinical trial phase of the vaccine. Until I decided to participate and got myself the first dose last November 24, 2020. On day 1 of my vaccine, I had the pain on injection site like I got a fresh surgical site post operative pain. It felt like pain that a strong narcotic has wear off. And then, I had a metal taste in my mouth even up to now. I also had a colicky abdominal pain for few weeks. 

Then here comes my second dose on December 15, 2020. After a day of the dose, I started to have body malaise and then after a week I had back pain for 1 week. and on the third week I developed right elbow pain associated with inflammation. That's it, I got an inflamed joint at the right elbow. It went on even up to this date. I guess, this is what an arthralgia is. A painful and inflamed joint. 

Arthralgia is one of the unexpected adverse effects of the vaccine. I am wishing that it will not develop into arthritis because it is a crippling disease that has no treatment but only a supportive management. For now, I am taking Celebrex 400mg and sometimes I use Diclofenac sodium 50mg. And all of these medications are NSAID's (Non Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory drugs). Which is by the way unsafe for long term use. 

Finally I got the Emergency Vaccine badge: E Covid vaccinated-December 2020.

I just hope that my arthralgia will wear off someday.