COVID-19

The Vaccination Process | Booking, Safety and First-hand experience

I’m back with a guide to the vaccination process! Thank you all for being so patient. Please check out the rest of my posts. The content is the same but hopefully, they are now easier to read and more useful information is provided. I have now added alt text and descriptions of images and videos properly. I apologise to my visually impaired readers for not doing this before. Please contact me if any part of this blog is inaccessible to you, whatever your need or disability.

I received my vaccination on 20/02/2021. While a big part of me is sick of talking about COVID-19 I hope it will help tackle any uncertainty or fear surrounding obtaining your vaccination. It is subjective, as was my post on my experience of the virus, so the opinions expressed are entirely my own and should not replace medical advice.

Booking your vaccination

Many people with disabilities have already had the vaccine as many of us are either in the extremely vulnerable category or category six. I’m category six as I have an underlying disability but have no health issues from that. In England the NHS booking service now says you can book if:

  • you are aged 50 or over
  • are at high risk from coronavirus (clinically extremely vulnerable)
  • work as an eligible frontline health or social care worker
  • your condition means you are clinically vulnerable
  • you have a learning disability
  • someone you care for is at high risk from coronavirus

Physical disabilities aren’t mentioned but don’t let this put you off. Clicking the booking service link above will take you to the NHS website, where you will be asked to enter your date of birth and your hospital number. The system then determines whether or not you are eligible. If you are eligible to book your vaccination you will be taken to a page where you can select a place, date and time to receive it. If you don’t know your hospital number, you will be asked to provide your basic information in order to continue.

Vaccine booking screen requesting hospital number

When trying to book my vaccine in this way the system told me I wasn’t eligible. So it’s worth trying as you won’t be booked in unless you meet the criteria. You’ve nothing to lose!Several people I know and people I don’t have got appointments this way before official invitations arrived. I also contacted my GP as I have to recruit carers/PA’s and felt at risk with the prospect of having an increased number of people in the house, without the protection of immunisation. Understanding my situation, my GP agreed I should be moved up the list but I still had a six-week wait. It is always worth asking!

Safely attending your vaccination appointment

Unless you are exempt from wearing one for medical reasons you must wear a mask when attending your appointment. It is understandable that you may feel nervous going out, especially if you’ve been shielding and this is your first outing in some time. Allow your self plenty of time to get to your appointment, the last thing you want to do is rush.

Think about how you will get to your appointment. Although bus services are still running many people, myself included, find them inaccessible. I’m lucky as my GP surgery is only a fifteen-minute walk/wheel from my house. The taxi firm,Uber, is offering a £15 discount on trips to or from major vaccination centres around the UK and their drivers follow COVID-19 safety measures. In some cities, they offer wheelchair accessible vehicles. Carry out a local internet search for transport services in your area which also may be able to help.

Getting vaccinated

On the morning of my vaccine appointment, I got up and dressed in loose clothing. The needle is inserted into the upper arm muscle of whichever arm you choose. Wearing a jumper with sleeves that would roll up high enough saved me from getting undressed at the doctor’s.

My Mom accompanied me as I need someone with me when needles are involved. This is because my startle reflex could cause my arm to move when the vaccine was being administered. Cerebral Palsy startle reflex means that I jump at loud noises or sudden sensations. Someone holding my arm still is just for safety.

Arriving for my vaccination

We planned on walking but as it was raining heavily my Dad took us in the car. I’m very lucky to have them available to assist me. When we got to the practice there was a big queue as someone had been taken ill earlier that day so COVID-19 vaccine patients were backed up. This prolonged the appointment to one hour and 40 minutes! I was hoping to be in/out within half an hour!

Having joined the queue outside Mom helped me put my mask on and we slowly inched towards the front. When we made it inside the tent staff were using to check people’s details I was told that as I’m a wheelchair user I could’ve gone straight inside and stayed warm. I am affected if I get too cold but only in that it can take a long time for me to get warm again. If you have difficulty queuing for whatever reason it’s worth asking if there are any adjustments that can be made for you.

I handed in the form with my details on and we were shown into the surgery and into one of the consulting rooms. The form asked for my name, address, date of birth and questions about how I’d been feeling the last ten days.

Receiving the vaccine

Once inside the consultation room, I was informed that I was going to receive the AstraZeneca variant. I was a bit disappointed. I’d hoped to receive the Pfizer vaccine instead as I’d heard it was more effective and had fewer side effects. There is no proof of this. Some days later a friend told me they had heard the Pfizer was the worst for side effects, guess things affect people differently.

I was asked which arm I wanted the vaccine in and I chose my left as I drive my chair with my right hand. The needle was in/out before I knew it and it didn’t feel any worse than a scratch. The nurse then told me that I may have flu-like symptoms and a sore arm which should last no more than a week. I was then told I could leave straight away and I didn’t have to wait for fifteen minutes. I’m not sure why but I was asked if I drove, (I don’t,) so maybe that is why I didn’t have to wait. We were in the room for approximately six minutes.

Vaccination card

I haven’t been given my second date yet. My GP practice will send me a link to book my appointment sometime in the middle of May.

Side effects

I had my vaccine at 11.10 am and didn’t start feeling ill till about 8 pm that evening. I then experienced a minor version of the joint pain I had when ill with the virus, together with shivering for a couple of days. The worst thing was the injection site became swollen and sore for roughly five days. I was thinking about ringing my doctor when suddenly the swelling went down.

Conclusion

Even though I was uncomfortable these side effects were nothing compared to being ill with COVID-19. Many people experience far fewer symptoms than me. I would encourage anyone and everyone to get vaccinated. The symptoms far outweigh the benefits both to myself and to society. My only caution. Check with your doctor if you have any allergies, are pregnant, breastfeeding or have a compromised immune system. These circumstances may affect when you can be vaccinated and which variant you are given as there are different ingredients in each.

I hope this post is reassuring. If you would like to ask me anything about the above, please do. My next post will be a review of the recent Naidex virtual event.

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My Suspected Coronavirus Experience

This took longer to write than I thought it would. The idea was proposed to me by Disability Horizons magazine, I hope people find it interesting. It was pointed out to me when I submitted this to the magazine that I never actually received a positive diagnosis of Coronavirus I believe that is what it was but because testing was not widely available then, I’ll never know for sure.

Contracting Coronavirus

I live with my parents and brother. Back in April, I believe we all caught Covid-19, but our experiences of being ill were different.

Thankfully, none of us had it seriously enough to need hospital attention, but the road to recovery has been slow, particularly for me.

I’m disabled and have cerebral palsy, but I don’t think this makes me no more vulnerable to the virus than an able-bodied person. I’m probably as fit as any other 34-year-old who doesn’t exercise regularly.

Having watched my brother and mother become ill first, I knew it was only a matter of time before I caught it as my parents are my main caregivers at the moment.

My brother and parents’ symptoms

My brother and dad had what can only be described as ‘typical’ symptoms of Coronavirus – a high temperature and cough. How they felt matched closely with what we were being told in the news, so we assume they had the virus.

At the time, tests weren’t even widely available for NHS staff, so there was little chance of us being able to get tested. I would like to get an anti-body test, once they become available, to be sure that’s what we had. But I’m pretty convinced as it is.

Coronavirus recovery time

The quickest to recover was my brother, who felt ill for about three weeks. Friends with family members who have had confirmed Coronavirus tests have said they experienced a horrible week, perhaps 10 days.

For me, it was two months from catching the virus before I started feeling close to normal again.

Back in April, the information available about how long we might all be ill suggested that we should’ve begun feeling normal towards the end of my second week.

But, as time went on, more details came out and the times seemed to vary. One article I read described someone having what he called prolonged Covid-19. They were ill for three months.

Pain

My first symptom of possible Coronavirus was pain. I assumed it would be sweating because there was so much talk of a high temperature.

It initially made me question whether I actually had the virus. But with my brother and dad having had what seemed so like Coronavirus surely it couldn’t have been anything else? 

I had what I can only assume was nerve pain. I say this because every muscle and joint in my body ached to the point where I couldn’t cope with sitting up as my hip joints were the worst. It was unbearable.

Pain killers didn’t touch it, but there would be random moments where suddenly all pain and discomfort would disappear, only to reappear again sometime later.

Temperature and cough

I didn’t really have a temperature, as has been talked about so much. I woke up sweating a few times in the night, but my temperature was stable.

I instead felt cold most of the time, and generally off-balance, which wasn’t fun. I also didn’t have any breathing difficulties or indeed a cough.

Confusion and rambling

Being confused and disorientated is not something I have experienced before, so this was new territory.

One second I would be convinced I had to do something, but the next I couldn’t remember what it was at all.

I tend to ramble anyway – why use one word when you can use 10?! But, apparently, there were times when I didn’t make much sense at all.

I was also aware that I wasn’t thinking as fast or as clearly as I normally do, right up until a few weeks ago. Thankfully, I now feel like myself again now.

Tiredness

Together with the other symptoms, I didn’t know what was going on half the time and, despite sleeping a lot, I was constantly exhausted.

I have so much sympathy for people who suffer from fatigue after experiencing what I did.

I’d be sitting or lying down, either watching TV or listening to an audiobook when my body and brain would suddenly want to sleep. Even worse, if I didn’t get my head down straight away, I would go dizzy and experience headaches.

The tiredness lasted the longest, about 15 weeks in total. Even when all the other symptoms had disappeared, I couldn’t actually concentrate to read or do anything without needing to go to bed soon after. I couldn’t look at my phone or laptop without getting an instant headache.

Lack of taste and smell

Not being able to taste or smell anything is now a recognised symptom of Coronavirus, but it wasn’t at the time my family was ill, so that threw another curveball.

For me, the virus caused the weirdest sensation. It wasn’t like when you have a cold and you can’t taste anything, or only taste the catarrh in your throat.

Everything tasted like dust. There was no texture to food either. Everything I put in my mouth could have been the same food.

I suppose at least it didn’t taste horrible, but trying to eat with no sensory feedback was hard. The lack of smell was easier to cope with as I’d experienced that before.

It was also weird when these senses suddenly came back. I was actually overwhelmed for the first two or three days afterwards as everything was suddenly different.

Nausea

This was the worst symptom. I suffer from nausea anyway, but it seems as though this virus had taken it to a new level.

As mentioned earlier, I had no breathing difficulties and I didn’t really have a cough. But I do believe that this virus, assuming it was Coronavirus, attacked my digestive system.

I felt like somebody had turned me inside out. If I didn’t eat, I felt ill, and if I eat more than a few mouthfuls, I was sick. It was a delicate balance that I’d mostly figured out by the beginning of week two.

The rest of my family stopped eating altogether for around two days and then felt better. My nausea lasted about six weeks.

I’ll probably never know if my theory is correct, but it was disconcerting to have an atypical experience when every day the news and NHS were discussing what to expect. My mum’s symptoms also echoed mine more closely too, so it wasn’t just me.

I hope reading this has been interesting and useful in some way. I’m so grateful that none of my family had to go into hospital.

With lockdown relaxing, I just hope people will be sensible so that everyone can get back to ‘normal’ and leave their homes without worrying about catching this awful virus.

I’ve been very lucky, but I never want to feel like that again. Stay safe everyone.

My next post will be about the importance of choice and control and how I’m still having to fight to achieve this! So much in fact that I’ve started a new Twitter hashtag, #DirectPaymentHeadache. If you or someone you know is having issues with the support you receive, DP or not, please get in touch. Together we can effect change for a more inclusive world. 🙂

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Covid-19 and upcoming articles

Thank you to everyone who expressed concern for my health over the last few weeks. I am now fully recovered. Apart from your kind concern, I haven’t received any COVID-19 questions from any of you lovely readers yet but there has been plenty of interest in the actual article. It occurred to me that perhaps I’m overthinking things and I should just write about my experience but also that people may be concerned about anonymity. Please be assured that anything you ask me, only the question will be used. There is still time to get in touch if you’d like to. It also crossed my mind though that this blog may not be accessible to everyone. I’d be grateful if you would take a minute or two to vote on the accessibility of this blog. If it isn’t accessible tell me how to rectify the situation.

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Thanks for Voting!

As lockdown relaxes for some of us, I’m starting to put things in place for my new PA’s to start and will be writing about my journey as I go. I also have a couple more articles to write for Disability Horizons, a list of online courses which are still available to do from home and a money advice article. Keep your eyes peeled for those! I have a busy few months ahead. Stay safe everybody.

My COVID Experience

I’ve been asked by Disability Horizons to write about my experience of COVID-19. Rather than just write how I felt I think it would be of more interest and use to you, the readers, if I answered any questions that you might have about what it’s like to be ill with this virus. I’m really interested in what you would like to know and I’ll do my best to answer them. There are no silly questions so get asking.

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Self-Isolation Activities

I’ve seen a few of these self-isolation posts pop up since I said I was going to post and while I’m not surprised by this, COVID-19 is after all the only topic of conversation at the moment. During my COVID-19 illness, I have to say audiobooks kept me sane as I didn’t have to focus on anything. I sincerely hope that non of my readers share my experience but being read to is a great way to pass the time, especially if you’re feeling under the weather or just fancy a lazy day. I hope you enjoy reading how I’m spending my isolation and I’d love to hear how you are filling your days during this crisis.

Colouring

I love colouring books and even before we officially isolated I used it as a way of gaining some me time. I’m unfortunately not arty and cannot draw to save my life. The beauty of colouring books is that the hard work is done for you.

Pigment app

I’ve recently discovered an app called Pigment which I now use on my iPad. It’s available for IOS and Android. You can finger tap, use a stylus to fill in an area or just set it so you can’t colour over the lines. Great if you have limited hand function. I find as much as I like pencils and paper, after 20 minutes my hands are really sore.

The app is free with in-app purchases which I recommend you leave alone. The app gives extra brushes or colours but is £7.99 per week! There are plenty of free pages without having to spend anything though. Pigment also lets you import pictures to colour in. There are other free colouring apps, Colorfy is a good example, (also available on Android) but this is my favourite. Check out a couple of my pictures below.

  • A Picture Of A Garden That I Have Coloured In.
  • A Picture Of A Bird That I Have Coloured In.

Organise Email

If you’re already a superbly organised individual then feel free to scroll down.

If you are looking for a way to be productive whilst in self-isolation then this is a good place to start. Having completed this task I can tell you it’s very satisfying.

Top tip:

It feels even less like work if you have music, the radio or your favourite audiobook on in the background.

The organisation process

My process for organising my account followed this pattern:

1) Open your email client or sign in using your web browser and click on your inbox

2) Have a piece of paper/your phone next to you before scrolling right to the bottom of your inbox.

3) Go through and read each message. Before moving to the next message decide if the email you are currently reading needs to be kept, filed away or left in your inbox. You have to take action before it can be moved.

If it’s an email from Amazon or similar, trying to persuade you to buy something you don’t want/need. Press the delete key! It can feel like a big accomplishment. If you’re like me, these kinds of emails have built up over the years! If however, it’s something you want to keep, think about a category folder that you could create for that email and write it down on your piece of paper. A few categories I use are Receipts, Social Services and Volunteering. Move onto the next email in your inbox when you have written a category down and leave the email in your inbox for the moment.

Screenshot Of Email Folders I've Created

4) Go through all your emails. You should now have deleted all useless ads etc. Your inbox will now contain emails that you need to take action with and emails that need to be filed. You will now also have a few categories jotted down.

Creating Folders

5) If you use an email client, I use Mail on a Mac, visit your email account via your web browser and create folders for all the categories that you noted down. I use Gmail. Folders are called labels in Gmail. To create a new folder you need to click on an email, find the label icon and type in a new label/folder name. After that click ‘create new.’ Do this for each of the categories you have written down.

Screenshot, How To Add Labels/Folders In Gmail

NB: Remember to untick the boxes unless you want to move the current email into your new folder.

6) Now you can go back to your inbox and go through it again. This time you can move each email into one of the categories you created. I had emails going back as far as 2016. It took me about two hours to do all of that. It did get boring but made life so much easier.

Organising my photos into folders in a similar way. I put all the photos from all my devices and memory cards onto my computer hard drive. I put my favourite music on in the background and went through them one by one.

Video Calling.

Video calls are a great way to stay in touch and can help keep feelings of isolation at bay. I haven’t done a lot of video calls as I find them exhausting at the moment. I really feel for people who haven’t got access to the internet at this present time. I’m mostly using Zoom, as I can have it running on my Mac and everyone can access it. Unlike Facetime, where an Apple device is needed. I’ve just started taking part in two regular quizzes via zoom which is entertaining. Fingers crossed I’ll feel well enough this Friday to take part in my Freewheelin’ dance class again. After over a month’s absence, I’m missing it.

Screenshot zoom Dance

Audiobooks

I use two audiobook services, Audible and RBDigital.

Audible is relatively well known and is owned by Amazon. I love the choice and control you have with this service. For £7.99 a month you get one credit on a recurring monthly subscription unless paused or cancelled. Find a book you like and listen to a sample. This is particularly useful if like me you find some narrators more enjoyable than others. Purchase the book with either a credit or by paying by credit card. Within twelve months you can exchange a book for another if you don’t like your choice.

When you first join you have access to a months trial which means you get your first book free. At the moment, I’m listening to Wicked by Gregory Maguire. The book is very different from the theatre production. 😉

Screenshot Of The Audible App On My Phone

Top Tip

When signing up for the free trial, choose the two book a month option. You will get two free books. If you love the service but £14.99 is too expensive, you can always downgrade to the one book a month subscription before the trial ends. If you cancel before the trial is up, won’t be charged and you’ll get to keep your books. Pausing membership is where you take a break for three months. You are still a member. Membership and billing restart after three months but for the paused period you are not charged and no more credits are added to your account. This is Great for when you have too many books to listen to.

RBDigital is the service Birmingham Libraries uses for it’s members to access audiobooks/magazines and now apparently also newspapers. In my experience it’s a lot more limited than Audible but it is a free service. A valid library card is required and set up is done through your main library webpage. Your city may not use this service, some use Overdrive. Below is a screenshot of Birmingham Libraries page explaining set up and the RBDigital app on my phone.

  • Screenshot of the Birmingham Library page

Screenshot of RBDigital app, displaying A Harry Potter Book

Ebooks

Reading is a solitary activity that takes me to different places and is the only way we can travel at the moment. Ever since I’ve owned E-Readers I’ve loved ebooks. They are so much easier to hold and I can read whilst I sit outside, great when the weather is nice and sunny.

Libby App

I use a Kindle Oasis and an app called Libby. Libby is the ebook app for my library and can be downloaded onto all android, and IOS tablets. Like the RBDigital app, listed above, a valid library card is required but set up can be done through the app itself. The app will ask you to select your local library and input your library card number. If you have an E-Reader that uses the Epub format rather than the Kindle/Mobi one, loans from Libby can be sent to your e-reader. The only drawback to my kindle is library books can’t be added to it.

I use Amazon to get most of my books, which is why I prefer the Kindle above other e-readers. Kindle Unlimited is currently offering a free trial to new customers. Project Gutenberg offers free out of copyright books to the public. I’ve also just discovered a website called Manybooks.net, which I’ll be exploring for new books soon.

Kindle

Writing

Last but definitely not least is writing. It helps me relax and get any and all ideas out of my head before I go to sleep at night. At least that’s the theory, it doesn’t quite work that well in practice. While I was ill I couldn’t write at all which is why this post has taken so long. I still find looking at my laptop screen tiring. I couldn’t wait to start writing again! I’m pleased to be getting back to some semblance of normality in these strange times.

Top tips for coping with isolation

Not being able to see friends and family is hard and it is very easy to let the situation affect your mental health. Many disabled people already know what isolation feels like as illness or circumstances have meant that they can’t go out.

Whether you are isolating because you are ill, shielding or just following lockdown rules here are my top tips for staying sane.

Pick activities that isolation rules don’t change

With the exception of reading, all of the activities I have listed are activities that are done by me when I’m alone. Ok if I wasn’t isolating I may colour in the same room as others or listen to music and books with headphones on but I don’t actually need and wouldn’t normally have anyone else engaging with me. This reduces the sense of weirdness that self-isolation can bring. I’m doing something by myself and I’m enjoying it. Focusing on this instead of the fact that I can’t visit friends is a positive frame of mind that will assist your mental well-being.

Reading can take you from isolation to anywhere in the world

Whatever form it takes for you, ebooks, physical books, audiobooks, can transport your mind away from your isolation to different countries, fantasy lanes or just make you think of something else. Using your imagination in this way is one of the best ways I have found to combat loneliness.

Keep in touch with friends and family

It doesn’t matter how you do it keep in touch. Phone calls, video calls, emails, letters postcards. Have contact with people. If you’re looking to meet people there are now various groups online to suit all sorts of interests. Dance, writing, knitting, crafting, photography are just a few ideas.

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about how I’m spending my isolation. Get in touch and let me know what you’ve been doing to keep busy. If anyone has any podcast recommendations please let me know as I’m interested to know what all the hype is about but unsure where to start as there is so much choice!

Till next time stay safe and well.

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