My First Dose of AstraZeneca Vaccine and Its Effects

I received my first dose of AstraZeneca vaccine on 4 September 2021. What happened afterwards was something I didn't expect; or perhaps, I did.

I never wanted to be vaccinated because my intuition was telling me that I should not. Knowing how my immune system behaves, my fear was that my immune system might react unnecessarily to the vaccine.

My Medical History

I was diagnosed with rheumatic heart disease when I was 14. After 8 years of medication, I recovered.

In my 20s, itchy skin rashes started to pest my skin either because of something I had eaten, stress or dirt on anything I wear (contact dermatitis). I had been through many dermatologists but none of them was able to cure my so called dermatitis. IV steroids worked; unfortunately, the dosage was limited to 6 times. 

Then I met Dr Yolanda Lim. Her treatment worked. She would inject the drug directly into the perimeter of the affected area, just under the skin. Treatment was expensive; so after some time, I had to stop and simply manage my condition that lasted for almost 4 decades. How I recovered from it was simple: dry hot compress. At early sign, I would half fill a mug with hot water; then press the hot surface of the mug to the affected skin. What is important here is to relieve the itch to avoid scratching it, which makes the condition worse.

In 2010, I was diagnosed with acute asthma and bronchitis. After 3 years of medication, I recovered but my immune system had become vulnerable. I could easily catch flu and colds. For a time, I avoided crowded areas. But eventually, I recovered.

The Vaccine Priority List

Priority was given to first, the health workers, then the other frontliners, followed by senior citizens, then people with comorbidity, and lastly, all other people at work. I didn't fit in any of the categories, not even under persons with comorbidity for the reason that I had recovered.

In the family, everyone had been vaccinated except me. Pressured, I had decided to receive the vaccine even though I was not in the priority list.

Symptoms After Symptoms

When I experienced the first symptoms, I decided to see a doctor. I was diagnosed with hypertension and started taking losartan. After a week, I started to feel discomfort in my guts that I had decided to see a gastroenterologist. When the results of the lab tests came in, my cholesterol and sugar lever was just a little bit above the borderline. For that reason, the doctor prescribed rosuvastatin.

With my gastro problems, I was medicated with masopride, Surelax (a laxative) and Avarin. Though symptoms had subsided by 95%, I had never felt my guts like normal again.

In the morning, around every 2:00 or 3:00, I would wake up with a sensation running through my limbs. Every morning, I would experience palpitations, nervousness, dizziness, lightheadedness and the feeling of my hands shaking. 

For months, my everyday symptoms had stressed me, even to a point of depression. I was usually relaxed and calm but that has changed to anxiety attacks.