Lupus and life after the Pfizer Vaccine August 19, 2021

Life for me after my second Pfizer vaccine taken back in April 2021.  I felt some aches and a small headache but it all went away after taking Tylenol.  I had no other side effects.  

After that was done,  I then got out there as things started opening up.  I have gone to outdoor baseball games, the county fair, and shopping at Costco and grocery stores.  It took awhile to take my mask off at the gym but I did.  I flew to visit my children and grandkids in Washington DC and Georgia. Everyone wore mask at the airports and areas as required with no issues. Flying was the hardest thing for me  to do.  I got claustrophobic and started hyperventilating in the airplane.  I can’t wear a mask too long as I can’t breathe as easy my lungs don’t work 100%.   I ended up taking a 24 hour Dramamine that helped me semi relax but it was very stressful with lots of anxiety. 

Well that was then and this is now. As cases are increasing I have cancelled my next vacation plans to Texas to visit my Mom and family.  It’s too risky for me to take that chance. I have stopped going to the gym.  I avoid indoor activities if crowded if not crowded I go in with my mask on. I never stopped using my hand sanitizer.  

I’m started to worry as my grandkids just started school and if I want to interact with them or not right away.  I am really concerned about it.  I am just getting over having bronchitis. I took a Covid test which was negative. But I’m still coughing and the new antibiotics Ceflin given to me doesn’t really  seem to work. All of a sudden my doctor said he can’t prescribe me the Z-Pak anymore. They say it causes heart palpitations in Lupus patients taking Plaquinel.  I am taking Mucinex DM for my cough for now seems to help some. 

For now I am still on the Keto diet and my husband has joined in. It’s easier as I only have to plan to cook one meal. I also stopped drinking any alcohol, not that I drank much, but I feel better and it wasn’t worth getting those bad headaches after a glass of wine or a beer.  My husband followed suit too so that was a plus.  I have lost weight and I feel healthy about it. We don’t eat out, no fast food anymore. We love to cook and grill and bake our own food. We eat the clean Keto so salmon, grass fed meat, pasture free eggs, almonds, almond milk, coconut oils, and I bake almond bread, we use spinach tortillas and have lots of salads with spinach, kale and all the  fresh veggies.  Eating out is no fun anymore as the food doesn’t taste as fresh and it’s expensive. The service is also so-so.  Just not worth it. I can say I feel a lot better now. I’m healthier, I sleep better, my energy is up and I’m more active. I don’t have any joint pains, inflammation or any flares.  

Last thing to share is I negotiated with my Boss to stay working from home remotely from now on. I’ve been working for over 25 years driving to and from work. My drive was so stressful one hour drive back and forth and lots of road rage and stress with other cars cutting me off or not letting me merge in.  Overall this was the greatest blessing for my continued health and well-being.

I plan on getting the 3rd booster vaccine and have no doubt in my mind on getting it. I already got my pneumonia vaccine last month and plan to get my flu shot next month. I discuss everything with my primary doctor.  I know my body. I don’t agree with everything and I hear all sides and I make my own decision based on science and facts. 

Until next blog…..

Lupus Diabetes Type 1 and Covid Pfizer vaccine

Well in reading my last post from last year in March 2020 I had gotten pretty sick.  I was down over six weeks really sick in bed, even though I had no fever, I had really bad chills,  I had no appetite so looking back I also didn’t have a sense of smell or taste and then I had the really bad dry cough and had a hard time breathing. This took over 6 months to recover completely especially the dry cough and being able to breathe without keeping  my mouth open. I couldn’t walk much either without coughing. 

The first antibiotics, Doxycycline, never helped me I finally got the Z-PAK at the emergency room that started to work for me and I had to use my husband’s Amoxicillin he had left over from a prior illness he had that finally helped me eventually recover. Doctors wouldn’t give me more antibiotics they said it was in my system and I needed to give it time to work.  I started getting that chest pain from coughing I was afraid to go back to square one so that’s why I took my husband’s antibiotics. That worked! Along with no exercising or overdoing anything. 

I had a Covid test done back in March when all this started and it came back negative but I never got a second test  done or the antibodies test so I feel it could have been a false negative test result as all this was new last year. 

So far as of today, I only get random body rashes all over my body doctor says it’s eczema but I’ve never had it before and I have no stress that he said brings it on. 

Now to current day, March 17, 2021, my 32 year old daughter and I got our COVID-19 vaccine yesterday!  First Phizer vaccine due to relatives work had extra vaccines if we got there in time to get one. At first, both my daughter who has juvenile Diabetes Type 1 and I with Lupus SLE have been afraid to get the vaccine. There seems to not be a lot of clinical studies on vaccines given to patients like us.  I read a few articles online of some frontline healthcare workers who took the vaccine and did not have any major side effects except slight fevers, headaches, and high blood sugars.  For now both my daughter and I have had sore arms and she has had high blood sugar readings but now under control and normal. 

I will admit I was scared and leery about getting the vaccine and even more concerned for my daughter and her reaction to it. I didn’t sleep all night worrying about her.  Just praying was all I could do.  I feel we must trust science as they are the ones who have already helped create the diabetic and lupus medications we currently take to help us with our current conditions.  I also had taken the flu shot and the pneumonia vaccine for the first time back in December 2019 prior to getting sick so that might have saved my life in March 2020 when I got sick. 

For now I personally feel I wanted to do my part so hopefully other Lupus patients will know some more information about someone vaccinated with the Phizer vaccine for COVID-19.   A little more information on me I am 53 years old and have had Lupus since 2009. I also have hypothyroidism. Sad to say out loud that I am also 50 lbs overweight. 

Even though I’m getting vaccinated I will still continue to be safe. I can say, this past winter season, by wearing a mask I have not gotten bronchitis or pre-pneumonia like I usually get every year in December or January. 

I have not been as scared about living with the risk of getting the virus (again). I started to bike ride, now play golf and meet up with individual family and friends but only wearing masks, only outside, and no hugging. No large groups some outdoor dining if really spread out and not crowded and definitely no indoor dining. No nail salon or gym. No one in our home for long periods of time and windows doors all open wide.  I disinfect with Lysol once anyone leaves. I don’t disinfect my groceries anymore but I do wash all my fruits and vegetables in soap.   I go shopping for clothes or Walgreens pharmacy with my mask on and stay away from other people by going around them and keep my distance and always carry and use my hand sanitizer all the time and take a shower when I get home and change my clothes. If store is crowded I don’t go in. I also go to our HOA spa if no one else is there and jumped in the pool once.  I have barely started going to the grocery store with my husband but only if empty during a weekday.  We don’t go to Costco only order home delivery and of course Amazon delivery like everyone else.  

If science states, people with low immune systems and higher risk can travel I hope to fly to see my son who is stationed out of state in the military and meet our newest grandson soon! He has twin boys now two years old I missed both their birthdays which is saddening to me.  But I am thankful for FaceTime and I think they recognize my voice when I call. 

I’ve also been very blessed to have been able to work from home on my work computer.  When I got sick last year in March I never made it back to the office and everything went on lockdown. 

For now I only see a friend on rare occasion which had been like a couple times each so far this past year.  I was able to keep seeing my daughter and two granddaughters as we only have been around each other since this all started so we have both been careful around each other and not socialize outside with others to protect each other.  

It has been a sad time of course. We hope getting our vaccines will help us reach a sense of normalcy sooner than later. 

So far no Lupus flares and I’m on the Keto diet and lost 9 pounds so far in the past  5 weeks. My daughter is not overweight only has a few extra pounds but she is also doing the Keto diet and looks great! Her A1C’s also reduced. Her doctor was amazed. He does not know much about how diabetes type 1 and Keto diets nor does he approve it. But my daughter has been diabetic over 18 years and she knows all her numbers on her insulin pump.

Oh and my kids and I are all still happily married! (For those who have read my prior blogs)

I’ll keep you posted on the outcome of out next vaccine #2 on April 6th!