How it feels to be a pregnant person who got the J&J vaccine 4 days before it was banned

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boateng

New member
... It feels not great.

I went against my OB’s recommendation not to get this vaccine because I’m high risk otherwise (plus size, asthma) and I’m so sick of living in fear.

Went to get the jab Friday morning, they wouldn’t even tell me it was J and J until I arrived on-site. I was surprised and a little taken aback since I didn’t personally know anyone who had gotten that one, but I figured, hey only needing one shot is nice because my life has been completely taken over by medical appointments already.

I had really bad side-effects starting Friday night. My arm felt like it was going to fall off and I had full on body aches and chills and one of the worst headaches I’ve ever experienced for about 24 hours after that. The headache lingered a bit longer in a diminished capacity, but after a really uncomfortable weekend, I thought all was well.

Then this news bombshell drops about the CDC pausing the Johnson and Johnson vaccine due to blood clots in younger women. And the news is saying even thought it’s still relatively safe, pregnant or recently pregnant women should probably not get the J and J vaccine.

Welp, it’s too late for me. I know rationally that the chances of me getting a blood clot are infinitesimally small, but I can’t help but feel anxious and like I’ve put myself and my baby in danger.
 
@boateng I got it as well. It's helping me to remember that the clots happened at a rate of less than 1 in a million. They're like 1 in 1000 for hormonal birth control, which I've been on for almost a decade. The risks of fatality with getting COVID are still WAY higher.
 
@katrina2017 AND the rate of this particular type of clot is estimated at 1 in a million in the general population. That’s no greater risk than being unvaccinated.

Also the rate of clotting in hospitalized covid patients is 1 in 6....
 
@foglights I am curious why this is even being considered a side effect of the vaccine at all at those numbers vs instances in general pop. I guess is that normal with all new drugs? Probably with anything under as much scrutiny as a vaccine like this
 
@boateng Try not to stress. You did what you thought was best for you and your baby with the information you had at the time.

Have you see what to look symptoms to look out for in regular to the clots?

It’s super unlikely you will get a clot but make sure you know what to look out for, and possibly call your OB and see what they say to do?
 
@boateng I can imagine that’s very stressful. It may help to put the data in context and remind yourself that there’s a 1 in 1000 chance of having a blood clot while on Birth control where the vaccine has caused 6 out of millions.
 
@boateng I’m sorry you’re experiencing so much anxiety. All the women who experienced these blood clots did so within 2 weeks of getting the J&J vaccine. The next 10 days will be stressful but once you pass that you can breathe a sigh of relief, both for getting out of the side effects danger zone and for being vaccinated against covid!
 
@boateng As an epidemiologist who is also pregnant, I wouldn't stress too much. Monitor for symptoms of a blood clot and stretch your legs frequently. I think being pregnant by itself carries a higher risk for blood clots (though I don't know the actual numbers off the top of my head).

You made an informed decision and the probabilities are in your favor.
 
@boateng Remember that they’ve given this vaccine to literally millions of people already - something close to I think 7 million?! - only SIX total individuals have had this side effect. Six, of millions.

The risk is so infinitesimally small that you will most likely be okay.

They’re meeting about it to discuss pausing it until more is known, and this is probably just because of the fact that anti-vaxxers are having a field day with this shit so it’s more PR than anything.

And you’d have a 1 in 20 risk of getting a blood clot with COVID so... you did the right thing.
 
@boateng I can understand your fear, but try to put it in perspective. We’re talking about an absolute minute amount of women who experienced these side effects. The chances of anything happening to you and your baby were higher just getting to the vaccine center and you both are doing alright! I know in pregnancy, your only concern is your baby, but there isn’t a whole lot of reason to be overly worried.
 
@boateng Fellow pregnant J&J vaccine recipient here. I received mine six days ago when I was 14+3.

Deciding to get the vaccine felt like the first (of many! ah!) decision that we’ll have to make without having all the data we’d want. My hunch is that much of parenting will be making the best decision we can for us and our babes’ health and happiness, without any “right” answers.

While the initial headlines were alarming, these stats helped put things in perspective for me:
  • Your probability of a blood clot when on birth control is somewhere between 15 and 80 in 100,000source
  • Prevalence of blood clots in pregnant and postpartum women is 1 in 1,600, with the few weeks after birth being the highest risk period source
  • Prevalence of pulmonary embolism in severe COVID-19 cases is still being studied, but could be the cause of as many as 1 in 5 fatalities source
Fortunately, we (and every doctor who isn’t living under a rock) are now aware that the treatment of these clots may be different than the typical treatment.

Sending you and your babe good vibes!
 
@boateng I can definitely understand how, it was a very stressful thing to see and read, but you made the decision that you felt was right for you and your baby. You didn't do anything wrong. The chances of getting a blood clot if you're in the ICU with covid is about 31% versus the chances of the blood clot with johnson and johnson is .0001%. They don't even know for sure that the vaccine caused the clots, but they're taking it down for now to evaluate.
 
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