Plot Twist: It Was Probably the Tetanus Shot

Friday evening, around 7:00 PM EDT, I was at a recovery meeting when my neck started feeling tight.

Nothing dramatic. Just tight.

Friday is also a dialysis day, so aches, fatigue, and generally feeling like I've been run over by something aren't exactly unfamiliar territory. I had taken some time during the day to sleep and recover, so my first thought was simple:

I probably slept wrong.

Mystery solved.

Or so I thought.

I got home around 8:30 PM. There had been a group conscience/business meeting, I wrote my latest Nextdoor post, and then I hopped onto Zoom with the Fraternity guys.

Basically, a perfectly normal Friday night in my world.

As the Zoom went on, however, things started going downhill.

I was getting achier.

I was getting cold.

And then the thought entered my head:

OMG. Did I pick up ANOTHER flu or virus?

Because apparently my immune system has decided that 2026 is the year we're going to collect illnesses like they're Pokémon.

By around 11:00 PM, I gave up and went to bed.

I'm writing this now at around 6:00 AM EDT after what can generously be described as a terrible night's sleep.

My left arm hurts. I'm achy. I'm pretty sure I have a fever. I feel miserable, and most importantly, I know my body well enough to recognize that this isn't my normal post-dialysis "I've had better days" feeling.

Then, sometime during the night, my brain finally decided to provide one very important piece of information:

Thursday morning, I got a tetanus shot.

Oh.

Yeah.

That.

Mystery possibly solved.

I'm not an anti-vaxxer. I got the original three COVID shots early on, and I've been offered additional boosters since.

But here's the problem:

Every COVID shot made me feel absolutely miserable for almost exactly 36 hours.

Apparently my immune system doesn't quietly process a vaccine.

It holds a staff meeting.

There are committees.

There are breakout sessions.

Someone orders lunch.

And apparently the entire organization needs about 36 hours to discuss what just entered the building.

I understand why it happens. Vaccines are designed to get the immune system ready to recognize and respond to a particular threat. Fever, fatigue, aches, chills, and a sore arm can happen afterward.

Knowing why I feel miserable, however, doesn't make me feel any less miserable.

Which brings me to the vaccine I've been successfully avoiding:

Shingles.

I've been told I should get the shingles vaccine. I'm diabetic. I'm on dialysis. I've had chickenpox. There are plenty of reasons for me to take shingles seriously.

And yet…

I keep putting the vaccine off.

It's not because I think vaccines are bad.

It's because I know the conversation that's going to happen in my head:

Responsible Niel: "You should get the shingles vaccine."

Other Niel: "Remember the COVID shots?"

Responsible Niel: "Yes."

Other Niel: "Remember the tetanus shot?"

Responsible Niel: "Unfortunately."

Other Niel: "Let's revisit this next month."

So here I am, Saturday morning, achy, feverish, sleep-deprived, with a sore arm, writing a blog post at 6:00 AM because apparently sleeping wasn't on the schedule.

The good news?

I probably didn't pick up another random virus.

The bad news?

My immune system appears to be holding another all-hands meeting.

Given how I feel right now, attendance is mandatory.