CDC Says…. Vaccine Round Three

[GramaA]

Lots of great info here!!! LexieCat…I’m glad you’re feeling OK!! Sore arm is much better than the other side effects! 

I’m with you guys and don’t really go anywhere. Dr, occasional grocery store…that’s about it. I’m very afraid of getting covid. 

I’ve got 2 more chemo treatments of Taxotere/Cyramza, and will be done Oct. 11. (I started chemo in April…turned out I was allergic to Carbo so after 4 very scary treatments, dr switched me to Taxotere….will have a total of 6 Taxotere treatments.)  I had my 2nd vaccine on April 1. Here’s the thing…my dr told me to get the booster asap. Online research (I know that’s not not the best thing to do) mostly suggests waiting until chemo is done.

I would LOVE to hear if ya’ll have heard anything about “boosters while on chemo”. 

 

Thanks a bunch!! Hugs and prayers to each and every one of you!! 😘🙏🏻❤️

 

[Rower Michelle]

This is precisely why the CDC guidance is so maddening to me in the first place.  It’s not entirely clear on how the booster population is defined.   
 

My doctor said he recommended anyone on active treatment over a certain age receive the booster immediately as well.  He said chemo is considered active treatment.  I was super surprised to find out according the medical community,  targeted therapy isn’t considered active treatment but maintenance therapy. 🤷🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️
 

None of us wants Covid for sure so that’s why I think it’s up to our treating doctors to make the recommendations in our best interest    They don’t want us to get Covid either…

 

 

[LexieCat]

FWIW, there's no requirement that you PROVE you're immunocompromised. When I filled out the appointment questionnaire and it asked if I were immunocompromised, I answered "I don't know;" I wasn't questioned any further (if I had been, I would have taken off my baseball cap covering my bald head). If asked to elaborate, I'd say I was on active treatment when I got the first two shots and I had this chemo that made my hair fall out only a few weeks ago and tell them their guess is as good as mine, but my doctor advised me to have the third shot. I don't think the techs giving the shots have enough medical knowledge to overrule it.

[Rower Michelle]

I totally agree with you. Around here it’s pretty much the same thing. In fact I’ve heard through the KU rumor mill that that’s there’s a number of physicians who were vaccinated back in December 2020 going to the supermarket and getting their boosters.  Unlike the roll out of vaccine there doesn’t appear to be a supply issue.  

[Judy M2]

Had my booster shot on Tuesday. Yesterday I was a little tired in the morning. That's it. My arm didn't even hurt like it did from the flu shot. I feel more confident now and am resuming our regular card parties with a few of our vaxxed friends. 

[TJM]

What an interesting string. I will get my booster as soon as they will give it to me. The statistics are pretty much undeniable to me. Get the jabs or catch the VID. And I do think this rather enduring spike will be the last one IMO.

Not judging...but we have all been infused with poison as part of Chemo. Not a drug....poison. The very last thing I am worried about is a booster jab. I look at it as taking a lot of vitamin C.....it's not going to hurt me at all. But this is America and we should all have the right to decide for ourselves, and I'm cool with that.

Love you all.

Peace 

Tom

[Tom Galli]

I'm afraid the political tag that's been put on the COVID vaccine is here to stay. That is sad. There is this popular hue and cry today "to follow the science" uttered mostly by those who do not understand science. In science, nothing is settled. There is a hypothesis and then tests and experiments to prove or disprove this hypothesis, but even a proved hypothesis yields only a theory--not a fact. And a disproved hypothesis advances understanding. Theories are subject to change. Theories are not perfect understanding. There is data on all vaccine safety and effectiveness, but even this data shows examples where vaccines are unsafe or not effective.

Mask safety is a theory; social distancing practice is a theory. Vaccine effectiveness is a theory, and vaccine safety is a theory. Are they all best practices? Yes, absolutely! Are they unquestionable facts? No. Is it smart to establish policy based on best practice? Yes, absolutely! Is the policy always right? No.

I do hope policy discussion and formulation for a future medical emergency resembles that of the Higgs "god particle" discovery announcement. Everyone in the room understood the concept of "five standard deviations" for accuracy!

We lung cancer survivors understand living with uncertainty. Perhaps the rest of society should go to school on our experience.

Stay the course.

Tom

 

[TJM]

Very well put Tom. I do not disagree with anything you said.

Now. On climate change.....😂

Peace

Tom

[Rower Michelle]

Hey everyone, 

I just got a very interesting email from my local American Lung Association Advocate.  She was enrolled in the Moderna clinical trials for the initial COVID vaccines.  Now she is in a new clinical trial for a booster that has specifically between "tweaked" for the Delta variant.  That makes sense to me... having a booster (like the flu shot) that has been tailored for a specific reason, not just more of the same.   Of course if our pal Tom is right, by the time a Delta variant booster is rolled out, Delta will be long gone (hopefully).    

[BridgetO]

I'm getting my Pfizer booster on Thursday. Working ii a homeless shelter, I feel like I need all the help I can get. I stopped working ,on my doctor's advice, when the pandemic started but went back after I was vaccinated. Then delta reared it's ugly head and I considered whether working was a good idea, but decide to keep on at least for the present, since getting out of the house and doing something useful really improves my mood. I'm using a KF94 mask, which is the highest grade I can deal with for a whole shift, maintaining social distance and reminding both co-workers and shelter residents to wear their masks properly, not under their nose!

So far, I'm good. Wish me luck.  

[Lisa Haines]

 I contacted my Oncology office when the talk of "boosters/third doses" first started and he recommended that ALL his Lung Cancer patients get a 3rd vaccine once they reached the six month mark which for me was in mid September, so I booked my 3rd Pfizer online a local CVS and like Lexi I answered "I don't know" to the question about being immunocompromised.  I do not think I am, but who knows.   I had the third dose and felt much like I did after the second, (sore starting that night, and the following day felt very fatigued, had a dull headache and some muscle and body aches) I took Tylenol and it lessened and by evening I felt must better.

After the latest CDC update I was also now able to book my 65 year old husband for this third Pfizer and he'll be getting it next weekend.   Sounds like ALL Pfizer cancer patients, and those 65 and up, plus anyone at high risk is now eligible (Pfizer only) at this time.

I had also read that the Pfizer vax losses efficacy faster than Moderna.  I do feel better now that I have had three and know many LC patients who have.   Even many who originally had Moderna,   I suggest everyone talk to their PCP or Oncologist and go with their guidlance.

As for masks and I have been wearing a mask "inside" all along and never stopped.  It's started be be mandated herw in some places again, but NOT all, however it is highly recommended.  I tend to double mask I wear a surgical mask, and then a cloth mask with an inserted filter over it.   I toss out every surgical mask and filter after each use and wash and sanitized my cloth mask after every use.  I have a few KN95, but they dont' seem to fit me as tightly ?   Surgical alone seems to flimsy so I like adding the cloth with filter over it for the best fit.  

PS   LUNGEvity is hosting a FACEBOOK Live with a group of experts relative to Covid and Vaccine this coming Tuesday at 7PM Eastern on the main LUNGevity Page -- https://www.facebook.com/lungevity/photos/a.424328797859/10159099360662860/

[LouT]

The Moderna "delta variant" vaccine Michelle mentions is interesting, but I believe that we'll be seeing more annual vaccines at any rate, each one tweaked for a predicted variant, similar to what we do now with the flu.  Anyway, I got the Moderna booster (original version) and will live carefully, but live.  

Please note that a "kn95 mask" is better than a surgical, cloth or both together.  If it doesn't fit well you can usually adjust them or even wear the surgical over it.  That may keep it pressed against your face better.  Perhaps attending the "Covid and Vaccine" session on Tuesday can answer the questions on masks.  It's a topic that can become confusing, but worth getting real data on, as it is one more element of protection against this bugger.

Lou

[LexieCat]

I wore cloth masks in the beginning, but lately have been wearing a KN95. I recently bought a package of actual N95 masks (note that you need to check out the manufacturer--there are a lot of counterfeits still being sold), and I will use those for higher-risk settings--like the two indoor events (a reading by David Sedaris and a Clannad concert) I have next week, or the movie premiere I'm attending in NYC in October). 

[Judy M2]

I have worn good KN95 masks from the beginning. I hate cloth masks that sit right on my mouth.  I used to do my daily outdoor walk wearing the KN95 until I was vaccinated. Powecomm makes a good non-counterfeit mask. You can usually make a small knot in the ear straps if the mask isn't tight enough. 

[Rower Michelle]

Hey Gang,

Quick update, I had a routine physical last Friday where I planned to also receive my flu shot. I was quite surprised to learn KUMed actually had the Covid booster as well so I thought may as well bite the bullet and hope for the best.  
Fourteen hours later the freight train came.  For the next three days I ran fevers and had all other sorts of misery.  The most concerning was when my O2 levels dropped to 91.   It was an amplified response from round two.   
 

I had to cancel my mammogram which frankly didn’t bother me, not on the top of the fun list anyway.  
 

It’s been a week now and I’m still a little draggy but definitely getting back into things.  I really do hope that there isn’t another recommendation for continued boosters in another six months.  
 

It’s going to be a glorious fall day here and I’m going into KC for my first message in almost two years.   Carry on.  
 

Michelle

[LouT]

Michelle,

There are people who have legitimate allergies to some of the contents of the vaccines (e.g., propylene glycol) you may well be one of those people.  It hardly feels like the "immune reaction" could be causing symptoms that strong, but anything is possible.  I can't begin to explain an O2 reading of 92, as that is one of concern.

In the event that these "boosters" become an ongoing thing you may really need to check with your PCP to see:

1. Why you are having such a strong reaction.
2. What elements could be causing it, (you may need to see an allergist or ENT for this).  If you can identify the element then you can see if all the vaccines have it or if some other brand would be better for you.

Enjoy the fall day and I'm assuming you meant "massage", so enjoy that as well. 
 

Lou

[Julia g]

@Rower Michellewhen I had COVID I was sick for two weeks with fevers, coughing, extreme lethargy, and my o2 dipped to 90. I think you definitely reacted to the booster. Which one did u get? 

[Rower Michelle]

Thanks Lou- I will definitely send a note to my PCP.  The onc is well aware of my last reaction to the Pfizer shot, his focus is really on the cancer and anything else to him is kinda a shoulder shrug but maybe the PCP has a different take on it.  I did have a full allergy panel so that is a rule out too.  I’m still slugging my way through and definitely feeling better today.  

[Judy M2]

Michelle, I also rely on my PCP more these days now that my oncologist has an easy job with me. 

Have a nice massage. Hope you are feeling better soon.