A Little Pain For A Lot Of Gain

Good day my dear readers! Today is a special day for me because I got vaccinated! Yey! But did you know that I am so against the vaccine before? Okay, so let me tell you why.

The first Covid19 vaccine was developed only a year after the Covid19 outbreak. I am not a scientist or a doctor but how did they able to develop a vaccine in just a short period? And then there is much news circulating on social media about people who died after they got vaccinated. So the whole family was so against it. We swore that we will never have or never will get vaccinated.

But it all changed when I got infected with the virus. It was October 14, 2021, when I was diagnosed with Covid19. It hits its toll on me because, at that time, I was under medication for a different disease. So my body was so weak. I can't even eat and drink properly and I had to have oxygen for me to be able to breathe properly. My family also suffered and not just me. I saw how they were so affected by my condition.

So when I was cured, I told my husband that I want to be vaccinated. I don't want to suffer again, to go through what I've been through again. My husband was okay about it but as long as it is not Sinovac because that is the vaccine that has been full of controversy.

So my daughter got vaccinated first. Her school required every student to be fully vaccinated in preparation for the face-to-face classes next year. Then when there's a vaccination here in our brgy, I convinced my husband to get vaccinated. And today is his 2nd dose.

My friend sent me a message last night, asking if I already had clearance from my doctor for the vaccine and I told her yes. She said if I wanted to be vaccinated, she will put my name on the list and the vaccine is Janssen. But this morning, I hesitated because some said that the Janssen vaccine has strong side effects because it is a 1 dose vaccine only. But then my friend told me that there are other vaccines available and not just the Janssen vaccine. So after we had lunch, I took a bath and went with my husband because it was his 2nd dose today.

The Brgy. Hall is just a 5 minutes walk from our house so I just wore sleeveless and shorts, hehe. We arrived at the venue and only a few people were there. The first step was pre-registration, then next was the blood pressure monitoring. My blood pressure was normal, thank God. I thought I had high blood pressure because I was so nervous at that time.

The next step was the screening. The doctor asked me about any allergies and maintenance. I told her that I have a disease called Myasthenia gravis and may maintenance is "Mestinon". I also informed her that I was once a Covid patient 2 months ago. Then I asked her if it is okay for me to have the Janssen vaccine because I have heard that it has strong side effects and my body might not bear it. Then she explained to me that each person has a different reaction to the vaccine. so I shouldn't be afraid and just make sure that I eat healthy food so that my body can bear the side effects.

And the next step was the vaccine itself. I was so nervous. My husband was in the other aisle but already done with his 2nd dose so I told him to sit beside me. Then he took my phone and told me that he will take a picture of me while being vaccinated so that I can use it in my article, hehe. Very supportive eh.

When it was my turn, my heart beat was so fast and I was so nervous. The lady told me to relax and said "parang kagat lang ng langgam". But believe me it was not just a "kagat ng langgam".

After that she told me to take a rest first and someone took my blood pressure again. Then a few minutes later, we went home.

I am glad that my family and I are now fully vaccinated. But being vaccinated doesn't mean that we are already immune to the Covid19 virus. It will only lessen the symptoms if ever we will get infected with it. So we should still follow the health protocols and be mindful every time we go outside.

Date Published: December 23, 2021

All photos are mine unless stated otherwise