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Even if you’re not a big fan of boxing, you may have heard Mike Tyson’s famous line “Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” Tyson was quoted ahead of a 1997 fight with Evander Holyfield.
After getting my second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, I took inspiration from Tyson and coined my own version: “I had no plan until I got punched in my immune system.”
Though glad to finally be on the road towards immunity, I was in a tattered physical condition for two days after the second dose of the Moderna vaccine. To be honest, it was a bit painful for me. As a healthy male in his 30s, I did not expect to experience anything stronger than the arm soreness I experienced from the first dose a month ago.
This is a record of the fierce fight that broke out between a humanity-threatening tenacious virus and me.
The side effects after the first vaccine dose of Moderna were not bad. The soreness on my shoulder and a little bit of swelling were all gone in three days. I checked in with my family to reassure them that I was doing good.
For my second dose a month later, I made my way to the Camp Humphreys vaccination center and waited in line for nearly three hours. I knew there were going to be a lot of soldiers getting vaccinated, but I didn’t expect to wait that long.
My gripe on the long wait disappeared the moment I saw a small number of American soldiers and Korean nursing officers handling hundreds of people inside and outside of the building. I want to express my sincere gratitude to them and everything they’ve done in this battle against COVID-19.
After I was vaccinated, I was on my way home without a hitch. That night, however, pain began to set in. Despite all my research and stories I’d heard from vaccinated friends and coworkers, I sincerely underestimated how the second dose was going to hit me. I was definitely unprepared.
The severe pain in my shoulder woke me in the middle of the night. I took some medicine, but I didn’t get a good night’s rest. Hoping to feel better in the morning proved to be wishful thinking.
When I opened my eyes in the morning, I faced mild flu-like discomfort. I thought I could log in and work from home as it was a workday, but soon a fever and headache settled in. I took more medicine but the pain wouldn’t subside. So, I took a close look at the bottle of medicine and saw that it had expired. No wonder the pain didn’t go away! I dragged my ailing body out of bed and headed to the nearest drug store to find that the brand name pain killers were sold out, so I went for the generic acetaminophen. It worked!
My pain subsided and within two days, all was forgotten. It was as if I had never been sick. The lesson for me was to remember to have over-the-counter medicine ready ahead of getting sick.
The trouble of feeling sucker-punched by my immune system was only a small price to pay for getting vaccinated against COVID-19. All in all, I learned a few things about myself and about being prepared for the worst. And now, I’m on the road to full immunity! And that’s what it is all about!
Speakin’ Korean:
I have a pain in my shoulder. 어깨가 너무 아파요. Eokkaega neomu apayo.
I have a fever. 열이 나요. Yeorinayo
Did you get COVID vaccine? 코로나 백신 맞았어요? Korona baeksin majasseoyo?
I’m vaccinated. 저는 백신 주사 맞았어요. Jeoneun baeksin jusa majasseoyo.
Have you been fully vaccinated? 예방접종 완전하게 다 하셨어요? Yebang-jeopjong wan-jeon-ha-ge da hasyeosseoyo?
