So I decided to write about my DH’s experiences with the COVID-19 vaccine.  Quick takeaway:  He has had a couple TIAs, a “roto-rooter” surgery on each carotid artery, heart attack, prostate cancer…

He had been waffling back and forth about even getting the vaccine.  Finally, a young woman from church signed him up, so he decided to follow through.  She is signing up all the eligible people she knows from our church.

He had the Pfizer vaccine on Saturday, February 27, 2021 at a different location than mine – I was actually surprised how much more efficient mine was than his.  I had assumed that they would be about the same. 

My CVS experience:

When I got to CVS, I found that everything was very well run.

I got a text from CVS asking me to click a link when I arrived at 3:30 and it gave me directions on where to go.

I was met by someone at door who checked my name – I showed him my phone screen – he showed me where to walk following arrows on floor.  Then I was met by so someone who checked my name and he asked if I had done the texting thing (yes!).

There were 4 people ahead of me that I could see.  It went very fast.  I was in the little room within less than 10 minutes.

The nurse asked if left arm was ok to use.

She told me to treat the little quarantine form like gold.  Take a picture on my phone, just in case.  Maybe laminate after second shot.  Keep it with passport.

She said that old folks (like me!) didn’t have as many issues after second shot.

The shot was very fast – I never felt it.

The nurse said if I get a headache, take Tylenol only.  I said that was all I could take anyway because I have only one kidney.

I sat in the waiting area for 15 minutes to be sure there were no problems  There were about 10 or so people sitting around the store that I could see at various stages of their 15 minutes.

We arrived for DH’s shot about 5 minutes early – There was no indication outside the store, or on any of the doors, that even said that this place offered injections.  When we got inside, nothing.  We guessed that it would be at the pharmacy, in the back.  Next to the pharmacy was a Quest, like Quest Diagnostics, I thought.  DH went in there and was told to check in at the pharmacy.  He waited behind people filling prescriptions and asking questions about them.  Finally, they took his check-in form and they gave him a ticket for the shot.  Then, back in the Quest room.

While he was waiting, I talked to a woman who had just gotten her vaccine. She had no idea how long to wait – unlike CVS where all the chairs had attached timers and someone checking on you and telling when you could leave.

When DH came out (he didn’t wait at all!), he didn’t have a second appointment.  The CVS version, I signed up for both before the first injection.  We were walking up the aisle and he’d lost his card already.  We went back to Quest and he found it.  It’s not in a special pocket of his wallet.

As a special treat, we ate out at an old favorite restaurant of ours, where we hadn’t been in nearly a year.  We used to eat there almost every Friday night – and they remembered us!

Later that night he was thinking about it – and got a little headache.  Meanwhile, our young friend secured his second appointment.

Like me, he was fine the next day but the third day (today) fatigue set in.