My Experience With The Covid and Flu Vaccine

The "BER" months signifies colder temperatures, and signal that flu and cold season will be in full bloom. I have a love/hate relationship with this time of the year because of my weakened immune system. Before my lupus diagnosis, I would embrace this time of year with open arms. I loved the cooler weather, pulling out my boots and hoodies, drinking lattes and shopping for the holiday season without a care in the world.

But, now that I have lupus, Sjogrens and non-Hodgkins lymphoma, I am super guarded about this time of the year. When you add Covid into the mix, I’m extra guarded.

Vaccinations and precautions

Lots of people think that the pandemic is over and have stopped masking. But, Covid is still very real along with the flu and cold. Even before the pandemic, I was masking because I wanted to protect myself from all the germs, bacteria and viruses out there.

Because of our chronic illnesses, we have to be more preventative than the average person out there. When we get sick, it takes us much longer to recover and worst case scenarios could mean we flare up or end up in the hospital.

So, every year I always get vaccinated. I know this is a controversial topic and a personal choice that should be discussed with your medical care team. I’ve discussed the pros and cons with my doctors and with everything going on in my life, getting vaccinated is the best choice for me. I get both the Covid and flu vaccine.

Deciding when to get each vaccine

2022 was the first time that the updated Covid vaccine and flu vaccine were out at the same time. I decided to get my Covid vaccine first and then waited a few weeks to get the flu vaccine. I did this, so I could wait it out and see how my body would react to it.

For 2023, I decided to do both at the same time. My rheumatologist said there is no hard rule that you have to do at different times or at the same time. It was safe to do both as well. So, ultimately, it would be my choice.

I decided to do both at the same time just to save some time and energy on my part. The pharmacies near me were so busy that they didn’t take walk ins and you had to schedule an appointment just to get vaccinated. My rheumatologist told me to just monitor any symptoms and if needed I could stop my Imuran for a week or so until the symptoms subsided.

At the pharmacy

Once I got to the pharmacy, it was packed and surprisingly the staff were not masked. This of course made me a bit worried. But, I had no choice. This was going to be my new normal. I had to fill out several consents and informed them about my chronic illnesses. Even with an appointment, I still waited almost 30 minutes. I was getting a bit antsy but was relieved when it was finally my turn.

The pharmacist explained the procedure and then asked which vaccine I wanted first. I decided to get both vaccines on the left arm. I got the Covid vaccine first and then the flu vaccine. I then had to wait 15 minutes to see if there were any reactions.

Feeling protected

Thankfully there was no reactions. Once I was home I started to feel my arm get sore. Since, I had done both shots on my left arm, my right arm was fine and I was able to get some work done around the house. Surprisingly the sore arm was the only symptom I felt even after 24 hours and 48 hours.

I now feel protected for the next few months. I know getting these vaccines does not mean that I may never get the flu or Covid. But if I do, I know that my symptoms won’t be so bad and that is the main reason why I get vaccinated. I want to mitigate my symptoms because I know my body will not be able to handle it without it.

Have you gotten your flu or Covid vaccine? Did you have any symptoms?