In a world full of jab Nazis and mask Karens, I capitulated. Monday morning, I
received the second dose of the Moderna vaccine. "It will feel worse than the
first." warned the petite Asian nurse matter-of-factly at the Walk-in Care in
north San Jose.
The pain on the left shoulder kept spreading and I sneezed a couple of times by
the afternoon. But I managed to train Jiu-Jitsu and roll with three guys in the
evening.
The real assault started at bedtime. The fever kept me awake all night and Tuesday
morning, my heart rate measured 76/min, a big jump from the normal 45/min.
Every bone and muscle hurt and except for one snail-paced trip to Trader Joe's
and cooking, I lay on the sofa all day. The weather was perfect and the landscape
immaculate. They projected high hopes from the divine that this sick guy could
never live up to, which made everything feel hopeless.
Tim cheerfully dismissed my claim that the real ordeal could have been better
and showed much patience when I brought out the garlic bulbs for him to peel
after super. Meanwhile, I told him my regret of being too sick to vote off the
island the governor who ordered the people to stay apart from each other and yet
partied himself barefaced.
Wednesday morning, my heart rate came down to 57/min. Another day off.
PS: Jiu Jitsu on Wed evening, 46/min on Thu, and 42/min and lifted weight on Fri.
