I recently received both doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine! Many folks have been asking about my stance on it and what my experiences with it have been. First of all, I want to be clear – in line with the guidance shared by the International Organization for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, I am without any doubt a supporter of vaccination against COVID especially as a student of public health who has learned about the immense significance of vaccines in curbing pandemics.
I believe this pandemic has taken far too many lives (~500K just in the U.S.) and I think that the potential for overarching complications of contracting Coronavirus in patients with weakened immune systems is far greater than the risks the vaccines can pose. Our best hope is achieving herd immunity if we would like to move forward with our lives and get back to a much greater state of normalcy. This is just my two cents though since many of you have asked!
THE FIRST VACCINE DOSE
I visited the Armory at NYP Columbia Presbyterian in late February for the first jab and then 3 weeks later, for the second one. It was very well-organized and extremely professional and they adhered to all masking and social distancing protocols. Because I have had anaphylaxis to a couple meds and allergic reactions to a couple others on top of living with chronic asthma and severe seasonal allergies, I took two letters the first time around – one letter from my IBD specialist stating that I have a weakened immune system, am on biologics and qualify under Phase 1C for this vaccine and another letter from my PCP stating that I’m cleared to receive this vaccine.
But it wasn’t enough. The doctor on staff at the Armory wanted clearance from my allergist/immunologist and there was back and forth about me bringing a letter and receiving the vaccine another day. After psyching myself up for that appt, I was going to my best to try to get that vaccine hehe. So I called my allergist and pushed hard to speak with her. I finally got through to have her give clearance and reassure the Armory staff that I do not have any allergy to PEG (polyethylene glycol), the preservative used in the mRNA vaccines (it is actually found in Miralax and other bowel preps/laxatives for those of you have done colonoscopies and/or live with constipation dominant IBS).
Upon receiving the vaccine, I was assigned to the high risk waiting area to be supervised for 30 minutes to ensure no reactions to the vaccine. Surely enough, I had no reaction to the vaccine. I waited expecting something, anything, to happen and nothing did. After 2 hours, I did develop a sore arm, which became extremely sore within 5 hours of me receiving the vaccine. I slept all afternoon as I felt quite fatigued. Now, more than 24 hours out, the arm soreness is dissipating and is mild at best. I did not take Tylenol but know that it is best to check with your doctor(s) in case you do need it. **It’s important for me to highlight here that getting a sore arm, fatigue, flu-like symptoms and other reactions for the first couple days is normal and expected as our immune systems are mounting a response against the virus.**
My allergist/immunologist was kind enough to call me 4 hours after the vaccination to ensure that I was feeling okay. The Armory staff asked me to bring a letter of clearance from my allergist/immunologist for my second vaccine to ensure there are no hiccups in me receiving my second dose.
THE SECOND VACCINE DOSE
Before I went in for my second dose appointment, I asked my allergist/immunologist for a letter of clearance stating that I had no allergy to PEG or anything contained in the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA vaccines. I also joined a clinical research study at my hospital looking at vaccine efficacy in patients with weakened immune systems. Via that study, I had blood drawn and saliva taken to understand if I was producing antibodies to COVID-19 while I am on biologics. And I was advised to go ahead with the second dose of the vaccine.
The appointment for my second dose went very smoothly. The original letter from my gastroenterologist and the new letter from my allergist/immunologist were reviewed by the doctor on staff and I was given the green light to receive my second dose. I again waited for 30 minutes to ensure no allergic reaction and sure enough, before I knew it, I was on my merry way home again.
Just like the first dose, I did well with the second one. I developed arm soreness 5 hours later but this time it was a duller pain. A few days later, I don’t feel it unless I lean up against a wall with that arm. I had no other reactions: no cold or flu-like symptoms, no nausea or vomiting, no headaches and no fevers.
I am eager now to keep continuing to contribute to that research study but initial findings do suggest that patients on biologics are showing a robust response to the two doses of the two mRNA vaccines, Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna: https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.03.17.21253848v1.
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
To anyone with chronic conditions receiving this vaccine, please make sure you carry letters of clearance to receive this vaccine just in case. And if you have severe allergies or a history of anaphylaxis, please do also make sure you carry an Epipen, something my allergist/immunologist has me carry all the time given my history.
As a woman of color who knows how significant the healthcare disparities are in receiving COVID care and vaccinations – I want patients and ostomates of color who may be hesitant to opt for this vaccine to know that I had two very positive experiences now receiving both doses of the COVID vaccine in spite of being on biologics and having several severe autoimmune conditions, asthma and allergies. If your care team is recommending the vaccine, I urge you to consider it for your own protection and as an important measure to improve the public health and well-being of everyone around you.
So, own your Crohn’s, own your chronic illness, and be informed as to what’s best for your health and for the health of the public at large. Be well and best wishes always.
~~LOVE, LIGHT & PEACE ALWAYS~~
Should you have more questions about how the mRNA vaccines work, please do refer to my article interviewing renowned gastroenterologist & epidemiologist & fellow IBD patient, Dr. Meena Bewtra, to demystify how the vaccines work: https://ownyourcrohns.com/mrna-covid-vaccine-ibd/
7 Comments
Karima
Curious if you had to coordinate the date of the vaccine with the dates you receive your biologics. For example, I get infusions every 6 weeks. Did you time your vaccine dose at the mid-point between infusions? Or skip a dose?
Tina Aswani Omprakash
No, no, please don’t skip a dose. Staying healthy is first and foremost. Gastroenterologists in the US are recommending patients just leave a day or so between the vaccine and the biologic infusion. Please discuss with your doctor what he/she may be recommending in your particular case. And thank you for your readership!
Jerry
I’ve had Crohns for over 40 years and 2 resection surgeries. I’m on 6mp for past 15 years. I conferred with 4 doctors before taking the Moderna shot. They all said better to take shot than get Covid. The 1st shot only gave me soreness. However, I think I worried myself into having a mini flare and my GI put me on a fast dose of prednisone which I concluded a day before the 2nd shot. I was very nervous to take it but it was okay. I did have chills and was very tired for 2 days but that was the only affect. I’m fine now
Tina Aswani Omprakash
Happy to hear you generally did well, Jerry. I agree- it’s best to keep our IBD well-controlled and not risk COVID. Be well and best wishes!
Jason Bartlett
Do you know if you developed antibodies? I’m on Infliximab every 8 weeks, and I live in Canada where they are spacing out the vaccine doses by FOUR MONTHS. I’m very worried that if I don’t develop any antibodies after the first injection I won’t develop antibodies after the second injection either because of the four month wait between injections.
Tina Aswani Omprakash
Yes, I have developed antibodies. I’ve been reading about why Canada and the UK are spacing the vaccines differently from the US and I can understand your concerns. I would definitely discuss this protocol with your GI consultant.
Karima
I’m also in Canada and have my infusions every 6 weeks. My gastroenterologist advised me to get the vaccine at midpoint between infusions. So timing the doses and infusions with the 4 month interval is going to get really tricky for me.