All vaccined UP!

 As a family we are now full vaccinated.

👌

Okaasan got her 2nd shot this week in the hospital that is currently "home", and Dear Son and I got our shots last Sunday.

NEXT week Okaasan will transfer back to the hospital unit of her former care home...for how long we don't know...and then? Don't know.

I can't go next week as I've got work scheduled the same morning, but Dear Son will go to check her in and out of the two facilities and follow the ambulance/transfer special taxi between places.

Our vaccine week was eventful. The day itself went smoothly - although my process thru the vaccination line was slow as both the check in staff and the checking doctor wanted to do the instructions in English with me (kind of sweet, I told them Japanese ok, but can't begrudge people wanting to use their language skills).

Our stresses started Day 2. Dear Son was completely knocked out for 24 hours. I mean: he didn't even drink alcohol!

He was in bed, emerging to use the toilet and eat a bit. Then back to bed.

Day 2 night I started feeling it. The Moderna Arm, the fever.

Day 3 and 4 was crashing exhaustion, arm and then pains in lymph glands where I didn't even know I HAD glands. Specially arm pit and side...swollen, throbbing, pains. At one point my left boob looked like I'd been trampled in a stampede of overweight cats and I read online that women with a similar reaction have been inundating cancer check clinics this year - because THAT's what it looked like.

The exhaustion came and went. I did a class downtown ok. Started feeling tired, came home and cancelled the rest of the day - laid out in bed for hours.

Yesterday was Day 6 and I managed a 20 minute creep round my local park, using the handrails for the steps and taking a rest on a bench.

Hoping today will be better.

Wow. Hadn't expected all of that post-vaccination reaction. We'd bought fever reducing meds, but didn't use them. The exhaustion and headaches were far worse. And my lymph glands.

On the latter, I read online that some scientists believe the lymph reaction is more common among people who've had the infection at some point. Maybe true - looking back to the few days in winter/spring 2020, when they news was full of the new from-China virus that caused coughing and fever.

I had several days of fever and exhaustion, but no cough. So, maybe.

Whatever, I don't want to experience anything like this past week again. Heavy.

I see ex-pat online groups this morning are full of chat about the UK government relaxing some of the travel rules, so that doubly vaccinated people can get into the Uk more easily, and that the Japanese vaccinations will be recognized. It's wonderful news for so many people. I have friends who haven't seen their elderly/sick/or new family members in over 2 years - so these changes will make a big difference to so many.

I'm ok. Japan is home. I've got friends I want to see one day - in Manchester/Surrey/Cambridge shire/Hampshire/the West Country, but no urgent family situations. When international travel becomes somehow more normal again I will plan a trip. For now, happy to be where I am.