![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Stabby Puppy
May. 29th, 2021 10:02 pmThe main news this week was receiving my first shot on Thursday and the consequent side effects which still haven't completely shaken. I certainly haven't had a vaccination quite like this, with constant lethargy coupled with the occasional headache and fevery shivering spells. It has started to subside, but we completely avoided alcohol last night (I can't remember the last time we did that on a Friday night) and are likely to do the same again, having stocked the fridge up with non-alcoholic deliciousness (?!). The really weird side-effect has been the hypersensitive skin, with my sense of cold significantly amplified and my hairs all standing on end. If I've had it bad though, Wolfie has reacted much worse, with significant joint ache, lethargy and coldsores which are really screwing with him. I just about got through work on Thursday and Friday, whereas he struggled to do anything, particularly on the latter day. What hasn't helped is they jabbed me right in the top of left arm, which is the side on which I usually sleep. I opted for the left over the right so I could still work, neglecting the fact that slumber is more important. This, combined with the fact that a 9:35am appointment meant less than four hours sleep ahead of it, has meant I haven't slept that much over the last three days. It's difficult to know whether how I feel is down to that or the vaccine itself.
Getting a shot turned out to be quite straightforward in the end, on account of the wonderful Fureigners Telegram community here. They highlighted us to a clinic offering appointments a week last Friday, where we were able to book for the following Thursday. It was Astra Zeneca, a vaccine that is particularly unpopular here, but it was better this than waiting for the bunfight that 7 June promises to be, when appointments are open not just to all remaining adults (about 25 million of them) but now 12-18 year olds too. We wanted to avoid all that, so getting in at this charming little place right on the outskirts of Berlin turned out to be a positive. I guess it's inaccessable location is one of the reasons why appointments were easier to find, as it really is in the rural part of Berlin, right next to the Brandenburg border. It took over an hour to get there and we live on the western side of Berlin, but it was an adventure I suppose and good to see another part of the city, not to mention Spandau where we will soon be living.
I was worried about the procedure initially, fearing in my haste that I had filled the online form out incorrectly or being ineligable for some reason. Also, doing it in German was a little anxiety inducing, but my fears were somewhat allayed on Wednesday evening when Note rang us, telling us what to expect. He had gone down earlier that day and told us we needed to tick another box on the forms we had gone through together on Monday at Brewdog. He then detailed the procedure, which turned out to be very straightforward, while I was also able to pick up a slip of paper to prove I have had the vaccine, which may become very useful if/when we return to the UK. It was quite busy when I arrived, but the queue was very quick and the procedure methodical, so much so that I was actually seen before my appointment time and was able to recuperate in the nice garden for a while before going back on my way (we had to stand there for ten minutes just to ensure there were no adverse reactions). The hospital itself was in some charming forested grounds, opposite a military post that I very nearly went into instead. There was one small cottage building given over to the vaccines through which we all had to traipse in. First we gave our consent forms to the man at the tent who checked them. Then, we moved on to the insurance check, before then being led for the vaccine. Fortunately, I heard English voices ahead of me and thus was reassured it could all be done in my native tongue, but I did try and do it in German initially, until realising the queue was long and these people valued efficiency more.
I feel a little more relaxed now we have had our first shot, but our second appointment is only in four weeks time and we are trying to change it, knowing that an eight to twelve week gap is preferrable. Alas, there doesn't seem to be any dates open until the end of July, with the ones in August not yet up for grabs, but Note too is on the case and may phone them next week to see what they can do. If the second jab has to be in four weeks time then that's when it will be - I would rather have it than not - but if we can move it into July then even better, we'll see what happens. As has a lot that has happened in Germany though, I am wary of breaking anything so I don't want to piss about too much. Still, it's nice not having to religiously check the daily vaccination stats, while with the rate in Berlin now in the 30s, I am hoping that the likes of hotels and indoor restaurants will be open up before long - indeed, they are talking about bringing some of this forward from 18 June to either 11 or 14 June.
The rest of the week has largely been a typical one. We had to cancel today's proposed walk with Kamsirius again due to the after-effects of the vaccine, with another try on the horizon for next week. Tuesday and Wednesday were typical workdays, with me oscillating between excitement and frustration with my current job. Wolfie's role doesn't look like it's going to be fixed, but he may be away in Munster the week after next, which will provide a distraction. It also looks like we have our current flat for a further month and the new updated contract for the Spandau place, which we again have to sign and send back, is winging its way to us too. So very much a holding week really, with one big piece of news.
Getting a shot turned out to be quite straightforward in the end, on account of the wonderful Fureigners Telegram community here. They highlighted us to a clinic offering appointments a week last Friday, where we were able to book for the following Thursday. It was Astra Zeneca, a vaccine that is particularly unpopular here, but it was better this than waiting for the bunfight that 7 June promises to be, when appointments are open not just to all remaining adults (about 25 million of them) but now 12-18 year olds too. We wanted to avoid all that, so getting in at this charming little place right on the outskirts of Berlin turned out to be a positive. I guess it's inaccessable location is one of the reasons why appointments were easier to find, as it really is in the rural part of Berlin, right next to the Brandenburg border. It took over an hour to get there and we live on the western side of Berlin, but it was an adventure I suppose and good to see another part of the city, not to mention Spandau where we will soon be living.
I was worried about the procedure initially, fearing in my haste that I had filled the online form out incorrectly or being ineligable for some reason. Also, doing it in German was a little anxiety inducing, but my fears were somewhat allayed on Wednesday evening when Note rang us, telling us what to expect. He had gone down earlier that day and told us we needed to tick another box on the forms we had gone through together on Monday at Brewdog. He then detailed the procedure, which turned out to be very straightforward, while I was also able to pick up a slip of paper to prove I have had the vaccine, which may become very useful if/when we return to the UK. It was quite busy when I arrived, but the queue was very quick and the procedure methodical, so much so that I was actually seen before my appointment time and was able to recuperate in the nice garden for a while before going back on my way (we had to stand there for ten minutes just to ensure there were no adverse reactions). The hospital itself was in some charming forested grounds, opposite a military post that I very nearly went into instead. There was one small cottage building given over to the vaccines through which we all had to traipse in. First we gave our consent forms to the man at the tent who checked them. Then, we moved on to the insurance check, before then being led for the vaccine. Fortunately, I heard English voices ahead of me and thus was reassured it could all be done in my native tongue, but I did try and do it in German initially, until realising the queue was long and these people valued efficiency more.
I feel a little more relaxed now we have had our first shot, but our second appointment is only in four weeks time and we are trying to change it, knowing that an eight to twelve week gap is preferrable. Alas, there doesn't seem to be any dates open until the end of July, with the ones in August not yet up for grabs, but Note too is on the case and may phone them next week to see what they can do. If the second jab has to be in four weeks time then that's when it will be - I would rather have it than not - but if we can move it into July then even better, we'll see what happens. As has a lot that has happened in Germany though, I am wary of breaking anything so I don't want to piss about too much. Still, it's nice not having to religiously check the daily vaccination stats, while with the rate in Berlin now in the 30s, I am hoping that the likes of hotels and indoor restaurants will be open up before long - indeed, they are talking about bringing some of this forward from 18 June to either 11 or 14 June.
The rest of the week has largely been a typical one. We had to cancel today's proposed walk with Kamsirius again due to the after-effects of the vaccine, with another try on the horizon for next week. Tuesday and Wednesday were typical workdays, with me oscillating between excitement and frustration with my current job. Wolfie's role doesn't look like it's going to be fixed, but he may be away in Munster the week after next, which will provide a distraction. It also looks like we have our current flat for a further month and the new updated contract for the Spandau place, which we again have to sign and send back, is winging its way to us too. So very much a holding week really, with one big piece of news.
