I fainted after my COVID-19 vaccine by Anya Bhargava

I fainted after my COVID-19 vaccine

I knew that it would eventually be my turn to get the COVID 19 Vaccine, the
first vaccine I was ever excited about. The hope of concerts, large gatherings,
and a normal college experience seemed so close! Yet, I’ve always had a fear
of needles and vaccines. Not only do I get extremely nervous before getting a
shot or a prick, my body goes into a nervous overdrive and causes me to faint.
Usually, I have to lie down whenever I get a shot and have to continue laying
down for the next 10 minutes to ensure I don’t fall over and injure myself.
Although fainting may seem abnormal to most, it’s actually pretty common in a
large percentage of the population. About 3% of men and 3.5% of women
report fainting at least once during their lifetimes, but it is unknown just how
often people faint after being vaccinated. Fainting is particularly common
among adolescents, where one study reported that 62% of fainting reports
were from adolescents aged 11-18. That made me feel slightly less abnormal.

As many know, you sit in a chair when getting the COVID vaccine since there’s
such a high demand and so many patients waiting. I, of course, was in the
same situation. Rather than telling the doctor that I faint when I get a shot or
prick, I convinced myself that I “had probably grown out of it” and that “I
shouldn’t be dramatic”. Little did I know that not telling them this vital
information would result in even more stress for the doctors and my poor
mother.

I quickly walked to my assigned seat and watched the doctor get the dose, a
wipe, and a bandaid. I felt a quick pinch and was all done. It was quick and
painless. No big deal, or so I thought. I walked over to my seat across the hall
to wait, feeling completely fine and being really proud of myself for not fainting
so far. Well, I spoke too soon. My mom asked me if I was feeling fine and I
responded with a confident yes. A few minutes later, I retracted my statement
and said “actually I feel kind of bad now”. Before I could even finish talking, my
eyes started rolling toward the back of my head and I began to get dizzy. I saw
grey and felt like I was spinning into oblivion. Then, I began to fall. It was like I
had gone skydiving without the parachute to slow my fall and I was rapidly
approaching the ground.

I abruptly woke up to 4 concerned nurses staring down at me as I was laying
across three chairs pushed together. The once crowded waiting room was now
empty. When I asked what happened, the doctors said I fainted and thankfully,
my mom was there to catch me. I was shocked. I had really believed that I had
grown out of my fear and could possibly go to the doctor by myself like an
actual adult. Apparently not.

I did, however, meet and get to talk to some of the sweetest, most caring
doctors. I had always heard people talk about the importance of passion in the
healthcare field. Until that moment, I hadn’t seen that passion with my own
eyes, but as I began talking to the doctor who’s job was to take care of those
who reacted to the vaccine, I finally witnessed that true passion. The way she
told me that she too faints when she gets shots and proceeded to share stories
of how multiple of her friends in the healthcare field also faint but overcame
those fears to follow their passions, made me think that maybe the entire
medical field isn’t an impossible job prospect.

I hope to one day be so passionate about something the way that doctor is so
passionate about taking care of her patients. Although the pandemic has been
and continues to be incredibly difficult, I am thankful for vaccines, trusted
healthcare professionals, and our ability to come together as a community to
fight this virus and keep people safe and healthy.