My Experience with the Moderna Covid-19 Vaccine

I am a nurse practitioner in Del Rio, Texas. My small town is about 3 hours from any major city, and 1 hour from the next town with a hospital. To say the least, we are very rural. Our access to care, specialty care in particular, is minimal. The hospital has less than 100 beds. For reference, one of the San Antonio hospitals ours transfers out to regularly has over 350. Our hospital has heart, and caring, hard-working staff, but not access to critical resources. This has definitely affected our communities response to covid-19.

While I know there are several posts swirling about the frustrations and exhaustion of bedside nurses/respiratory therapists/doctors/NP’s/PA’s in all corners of the world, I cannot say that. I have not stood bedside proning patients whose oxygen is dropping profoundly. I have not intubated several patients in one shift. I haven’t seen multiple deaths pronounced daily, or weekly. I can’t imagine the stress, exhaustion and frustration of those in inpatient care right now. What I have been experiencing is outpatient care and management, and testing of patients. But I will tell you, the emotional weight to bear is still heavy.

My role initially during the pandemic was on our newly minted “Covid Monitoring Team”. This team consisted of myself, and a few other providers; initally two physicians assistants and a nurse when we could pull one. The majority of our population is Hispanic and only one provider spoke Spanish proficiently enough to get the teleassessments done. Daily we spoke with those patients who had been swabbed. We let them know their test results. Obviously some felt relief and some immense fear and worry. We spoke with them about their symptoms and prescribed medications as needed to keep them out of the hospitals. Sometimes when we called we were made aware of patient’s passing. Sometimes they were perfectly asymptomatic. It was a hard rollercoaster to ride. I still think often of the families I’ve spoken to who have lost mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, daughters, sons. Like I said, that emotional weight is heavy.

I am now working in our “walk-in” clinic. We see urgent care type visits and since the beginning of the pandemic the clinic does lots, and lots, and LOTS of covid testing. I also see ear infections, UTIs, and strep throat, ya know the usual urgent care stuff, but majorly COVID. In the early weeks of the pandemic the walk in clinic would do 150 swabs a day, with only two providers. Talk about burn out. I joined this team when I could, and more permanently in late Fall of 2020.

So, why does it matter what position I was holding during all of this? Because I am now considered a front line worker my hospital system allowed me to be in the first phase of vaccination. If you’re a personal friend you’d have noticed I posted about the vaccine almost daily leading up. I was THRILLED to get my vaccine. I found out I was to receive the vaccine about an hour before I did. So, I finished up clinic and drove to the hospital. Tears welled as I walked into the room. It felt like the most wonderful Christmas present I could’ve, and didn’t expect, to recieve.

On December 23rd, 2020 at about 4:10pm I received the Moderna Covid-19 vaccination.

The room was full of hospital administration, nurses, other providers, along with our clinical educator and infection control nurse. Both of them had become close friends and colleagues over the summer as we all worked in tandem for Covid Monitoring and reporting.

I was asked to wait 15 minutes after my shot to watch for any reactions. I didn’t have one and was allowed to leave. I went home to my husband, sister and kids to celebrate this huge milestone of hope. Woo! The feeling leaving the room was joyful and excited.

The following day, Christmas Eve, I was working again at our walk in clinic. I woke up with a sore arm, probably mildly worse than a flu shot but not severe enough I didn’t want to move it. I went to work, swabbed a handful more people, and left at 3pm.

We had intended to attend our church’s Christmas Eve service, but I was starting to feel the effects of the vaccine. I was fatigued and achey. (Thank you immune system for doing what you should!) I told my husband I just didn’t feel up to it. So, we snuggled at home and I went to bed at 9pm after getting the house ready for Christmas Day. (I applauded myself for having all the wrapping already done a few days prior! Procrastination is much more my style… maybe my subconcious knew.) Over the next few days my arm was definitely still sore, more so than shots past. I don’t think I’ve ever paid so much attention to how I was feeing after a vaccination until this one! Christmas morning I woke up completely well. Mild arm discomfort at most, but the fatigue was gone, and the aches were as well. Hallelujah!

I know many have personal reasons for being hesistant about this vaccine. I’m not sure I can 100% say I understand all of them, I don’t. But I am comforted as each day passes to continue to see colleagues, friends, and other healthcare professionals being vaccinated. For me, this vaccine represents the best of science, the best of the medical community coming together to produce something quickly and efficiently to get us back to “normal”.

I am going to post some good resources for vaccine information below.

I’d love to hear how you’re feeing about getting the vaccine when its available to you.

The Centers for Disease Control

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/index.html

One of my favorite facebook pages to follow for up to date information on covid-19 infections, vaccines, etc.

https://www.facebook.com/Your-local-epidemiologist-101805971467321/