On 4/20/2022, that is, two days ago as of this writing, Nirmala and I received our second Pfizer booster, against SARS-CoV-2 which means that we have received four vaccinations each. Nirmala has been fine; I, however, had a nasty reaction. We received the shots around 5 P.M. That evening we ventured out to attend a concert at Shriver Hall--the first time since the pandemic began two years ago. (The performance by the Danish String Quartett, which consisted of a, Schumann quartet, a John Adams piece, followed, after intermission, by that brilliant hyperemotional show-stopper, Schubert's Death and the Maiden quartet. Yes, it 'brought down the house.' What joy it was to hear live music again!)
That night I slept well and had no complaints. The next morning. on a scale of one to ten, my sense of well-being went from 9 (few persons my age register a ten) to 5, and continued to head south. (I suppose those little autoimmune devils worked from 9 to 5, Pacific Time as it were, doing their best to make me sick during eight hours of sleep. They succeeded.
Nirmala went to work as usual. I wasn't too bad when she left.
I couldn't wake up! I can't remember ever feeling so lethargic in the morning. My eyes were bleary. I had muscle pains, especially in my back. I felt like a dog--a dog whose puppy years were well behind him.
Usually when Nirmala works, I am quite productive. (I usually stay home, since my vision loss makes driving difficult.) I read a lot, maybe write a poem, practice the piano a bit, and, before I know it, Nirmala's home.
On that morning, however, I couldn't do a thing; well-being and I had parted company. I didn't want to be alone; I counted the hours and minutes until Nirmala was due to return.
When she finally came home, I didn't have to tell her I was sick, my face silently did the talking for me.
I don't want to give the impression that I was deathly ill, just very annoyingly ill. My personality, however, demands that I keep busy. And for one day, I couldn't accomplish anything. I'm writing this on the second full day after receiving the shot. Things aren't back to normal yet--fatigue is now the chief symptom--but I am looking forward to resuming my normal schedule tomorrow. We'll see.
Was all this worth it?
As you can see from my vaccination card, I am well vaccinated against Covid. (Nirmala received her doses around the same time as I.) I received the first dose as a health worker, before the vaccines were offered to the general public. There has been a six-month interval between boosters.
Receiving the second booster, however, is controversial, at least at this time. The latest Omicron variant, BA 2 is now responsible for the majority of the cases in the United States. It is the most infectious mutation ever; however, it is far less deadly. Although new cases are rising daily, up 52% or a total of 43,000 new cases on 4/22, deaths continue to plummet and hospitalizations are not on the rise.
The general scientific advice has been, for healthy seniors, to possibly wait to get the fourth dose until cases rise dramatically. (I thought a 52% rise was drama enough.) This is based on the fact that immunity wanes continually after the shot is given.
As a pediatrician, I am well aware of the so-called amnestic response, that is, the rapid rise of a specific antibody after an antibody challenge. This has been proven to be the case in persons who have had the disease. In those that have only had vaccinations, antibody levels may well sink to undetectable levels. However, antibodies tend to rise when the body is challenged by the organism in question. At least that's true for most pediatric diseases. It is probably true for SARS-Cov-2 infections as well.
For instance, even though measles antibodies might become undetectable, one is still immune to that disease after vaccination. For those who have had the disease, however, antibodies usually remain detectable, possibly for life.
In any case I've had it--the shot and the reaction. Memory of my reaction will likely elicit an amnestic response, as it were, if further vaccinations are recommended. Unless, of course, a new deadlier mutation arises for which the Pfizer vaccine proves ineffective.
At the concert we attended on the day we were vaccinated, masks were required; in addition, one had to show proof of vaccination to enter the concert hall. Yes, I'll wear a mask when I have to, but otherwise I think I am only slightly more inclined to wear a mask than are those belligerent culture warriors on the right. (Between the Scylla of contracting Covid and the Charybdis of voting for Ron DeSantis, however, I think I would choose the former.)
If Covid wants to cancel me, so be it. I've had enough.
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