DAY 150: "Reaction Report, part 7"

     Brandon got his 2nd Moderna shot on Friday. The entire VIP Area of the football stadium downtown has been converted into a busy vaccination center (where he had received his 1st shot).

     The place was highly organized, nearly all the personal details had been worked out online ahead of time. Appointments from Enter to Exit took no more than 30 to 45 minutes tops.

     Sometimes the 40-minute ride on the E-Line bus to downtown Seattle is quite full, other times not at all. Along the way, Brandon sees more & more people about without their masks.

     6 hours after the deed was done, his arm & neck became sore. By the middle of the night he started having migraines, night chills, and cold sweats. He couldn't sleep and had little appetite.

     These side effects were more aggressive than the casual flu. The malady lasted well into the next day and subsided on Sunday, when we spoke about new viral mutations and the need for further inoculations in the future.

DAY 148: "Reaction Report, part 6"

Reprinted with kind permission from anonymous:

"I got vaxxed at North Seattle Community College."

"Signing up for it at first appeared impossible, as they wouldn't accept my electronic signature. It turned out I could do it easily from my computer at work however. Newer model."

"I complained about this. I got two replies: one form-letter from a robot,basically telling me where to go, and one from a human, thanking me for bringing the problem to their attention and promising to fix it."

"Finding the place was something of a challenge; it was hidden behind the college. But if you wander around long enough, you'll stumble across it."

"Once I got there, everything was cool. They went ahead and vaxxed me, even though I was an hour early both days. Friendly, well-run establishment."

DAY 135: "Reaction Report, part 5"

     Joel gets his 2nd Moderna shot. The next day he complains of flu-like symptoms, including chills. "And Everything hurt." 

     The symptoms were worse than his usual migraine & nausea. They last for twelve hours, through which he mostly sleeps. A couple of us take turns letting Anja out to get some sun and relieve herself.

     Afterward, a backyard conversation turns to various ailments, medicines, and colorful descriptions of dry-heaving, as in who had the worst, etc..

     A warning goes out to Brandon. He's due for his 2nd Moderna in about 10 days. Be prepared!

DAY 120: "Out Of Order"

      Thursday at the end of April: Time to reorder my monthly prescription medications. I open the URL for Bartell's Rx page. It looks different, but the general specifics are still there. I type and enter the number of my first med. 

     Error: "Please check the RX number and try again." 

     I try again. Error. I try a modified number. Error. I try a different number, typing carefully. Error: "If you are still having difficulty, please contact the pharmacy."

     Not to worry, I know I can always reorder by phone.

     I call the automated hotline, but this presents another unforeseen problem. As I enter the Rx number, my phone shows me all the digits I have dialed. For example, 104114. The automatic voice, however, reads back the number as 1041144 (an extra digit). "If this is correct, press 1; If this is not correct, press 3." 

     So I press 3 and try again, but again I get a similar response. It's not my shaky fingers, my phone reports the correct numbers as I have dialed them. The automated service is somehow in Error. 

     Not to worry: After further attempts fail, I'm given the option to contact the pharmacy directly, as I have done in the past. The line is answered, "Bartell's Pharmacy…?"

     I briefly explain the extra digits. "Can I just tell you who I am and order the meds through you?"

     CLICK… Silence. Momentary disbelief. The call hangs in an empty void. Am I on hold? Am I disconnected? "I guess that means No, then," I finally say to the nothingness.

     Curiously, one of my daily meds is 40 mg of Ziprasidone. Technically, that means I don't get angry anymore. I'm stuck on mellow. But I shouldn't be.

     I wait till later and start again. This time I'm successful. But I feel I've been punished because someone else's technology had so far failed. In fact, this is an old pet peeve of mine. Yours, too, probably. That's one of the reasons why our local Covid inoculation program seems so impressive (it actually works).

     Like you, my medications are important to me. And normally, Bartell's treats me very well; especially considering the years of horrendous service I experienced at Harborview's Outpatient Pharmacy.

     Should I complain? Spreading some awareness of the company's intermittently faulty tech should help clarify why calls like mine are received by those appointed to answer them. Just such an understanding became clear to me decades ago in my own work experience. It's like a big "Out Of Order" sign written in multiple languages, you can't miss it.

     Now where's my Ziprasidone, before I get cranky…?

DAY 114: "More Shots"

     It's looking like further vaccinations will be required for all of us. Too many anti-vaxxers, too many Red State re-opening policies, and too many coronavirus mutations are all conspiring to make the goal of herd immunity less & less likely.

     It wasn't so long ago that the previous mal-administration had justified allowing rampant infections in a misguided and deadly attempt to reach what Trump referred-to as "herd mentality." But now that we have it in our grasp, the same GOP mouthpieces have openly opposed widespread immunity, preferring instead to saddle Joe Biden's presidency with a wider share of the fatalities.

     Scientists & CEOs of Moderna, Pfizer, and BioNTech have each stated publicly that a 3rd dose of vaccine or even seasonal booster shots will be likely in the years ahead.

DAY 113: "Reaction Report, part 4"

     Feeling fine, one day after my 2nd vaccination…not exactly energetic, but clear-minded and perhaps a bit ambitious. I've had to contend with constant sinus problems all day, but my arm feels less sore than it did after the 1st Pfizer shot. I can't imagine that I dodged the nastier side effects by simply drinking electrolytes and taking vitamins.

     Steven, on the other hand, had his 2nd Moderna shot Wednesday: He reports that it all started with a headache; he slept for a while; then felt as if he'd been hit by a bus.

     The next day he was "praying for death." His headache was blinding, his arm was paralyzed, and his body aches made it hard to move. But no diarrhea, thankfully.

     Today, when the symptoms subsided, he had tinnitus and felt fatigued, but his appetite returned.

     Things are okay now.

DAY 112: "Vaccination Day, part 2"

     Earth Day, 11:20 AM. My appointment is in ten minutes. The line's grown extremely long since my first visit. Somehow, they manage to keep us moving at a brisk pace.

     My number is called. Nikki asks about my minor symptoms following the first shot 17 days ago (headache and sore arm). She says about twice as many people report bad reactions to their second Pfizer. Symptoms, if any, come on 12-18 hours later, and these last 12-24 for most folk. For aches & pains, I'm to start with my Acetaminophen. If it persists, take the Naproxen, an anti-inflammatory. But remember, inflammation is a proper immune response to the vaccine.

     I present my right arm again. "The more relaxed you are, the less you feel it."

     I'm also advised to photocopy my flimsy little "vaccination card," and to keep it safe in the meantime. I get no clear confirmation about the media's recommendations to drink Gatorade, et.al.. "It's always good to hydrate, isn't it?" But if the arm is sore, I'm to move it around a bit.

     We finish rather quickly, and Patrick with an accent instructs me to take a seat at chair #3. Maximum Occupancy is 99 (presumably at pre-Pandemic levels). 15 minutes later I am cleared for the exit. As before, the entire experience takes no more than half an hour from start to finish. All in all, it's an impressive feat.