Sarah Howard
Sarah Howard (nee Tackett) has dedicated her career to supporting the T1D community ever since she was diagnosed with T1D while in college in May 2013. Since then, she has worked for various diabetes organizations, focusing on research, advocacy, and community-building efforts for people with T1D and their loved ones. Sarah is currently the Senior Manager of Marketing at T1D Exchange.
Related Stories
35 Comments
How many doses of a COVID-19 vaccine have you (or your loved one with T1D) received? Cancel reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
All I can think of is that poem of the day:
No vaccine,
How obscene. (❛̃ 益❛̃)
Three, all Moderna,
3 but I still feel as vulnerable as before getting any since fully vaccinated people that wear masks in public all the time are getting the new variants. Maybe people don’t get as severely ill as before the vaccines, but they still get sick.
Hospitalization rates for vaccinated people getting Omicron look to be a tiny fraction of those who are not vaccinated. Vaccines don’t prevent infection directly, because that is a matter of exposure. Vaccines prevent or reduce illness– so they greatly reduce serious illness, hospital stays, and deaths.
Those not vaccinating increase their chance of hospital admission, ICU stay, or death 10-20 fold. They also provider prime cannon fodder for new variants. Their ‘choice’ greatly increase the chance that others do not receive non-COVID care in a timely way because hospitals are being over-run by those getting presentably sick w COVID. No room at the inn…so that ‘choice’ endangers their community, especially the vulnerable among us, like those > 75 yo, transplant patients, people with immune deficiencies from cancers, etc. Those who are vaccinated are very unlikely to be admitted or die w COVID, are less likely to spread COVID to the vulnerable in the community, their community. As an HCP, I have lost 4 patients to COVID, all w diabetes, all unvaccinated (before there was vaccine available), one was 42. I have seen 2 others with life changing bad outcomes- all pre vaccine. I have also seen lots of patients get COVID and recover or have minimal symptoms. That’s the roll of the dice. I have an unvaccinated patient right now fighting for life, likely from the delta variant, told by another MD not to vaccinate——– The 3000-4000 a day COVID deaths in winter 2021 were a tragedy. The 1500 COVID deaths a day this winter are a travesty. This was preventable.
I had three Moderna vaccines. I tested positive December 22 but I had no symptoms whatsoever. I only tested since my son wanted it done before he would come down to visit us for Christmas (lost his wife to Covid in October 2020). I feel very fortunate.
2 Pfizer & 1 Moderna. The Moderna I had arm soreness for a few days. Pfizer, no problems at all.
Unfortunately the vaccine scenario that currently exists where I’m located is overwhelmed and trying to get a booster is problematic to say the least. So I’m not sure when I’ll be getting my booster at this point. If received the first was AstraZeneca second was Moderna. Currently living with a situation I’ve only seen when sick with the flu sugar levels out of whack and extremely high usage of humalog insulin. The only real symptoms I’m experiencing are pain in my joints and a slight headache which is now gone. The healthcare system is inundated and I don’t want to get tested because of the hassle etc.
I’ve had equivalent of 3: J&J single shot in April, the booster-strength Moderna at the end of Oct. My state didn’t include T1D’s in their high-risk group, or I would’ve gotten my 1st vaccine weeks earlier.
2 as my daughter is under 12 and not eligible for booster and received them recently.
I got my first shot (Pfizer) in February 2021 as soon as diabetics became eligible in my state. It wasn’t easy finding an appointment then but I finally got one. Had the follow up dose in March 2021. I got the booster shot in October.
I received the J&J and it disregilated the way my insulin worked. i had life threatening BG levels for 68 ays. My endo told me not to get the booster, retire immediately and live as reclusive a life as possible which I am doing.
I lso had blood sugar problems after J and J. I do not plan to get the booster.
I received my first Pfizer in Jan. 2021, second in Feb. 2021 and finally received my booster in Oct., only because my Oncologist got mad at my PCP & Endocrinologist for telling me I didn’t qualify for it.
Kristine!!!
I am horrified that your PCP AND Endo said you didn’t qualify for it. =:o
The rules were confusing at first (to me), but I eventually saw a video from one of the TCOYD doctors who basically said, “you have an autoimmune disease. You qualify. get vaccinated.” And, that gave me the push that I could get my first vaccination without “getting into trouble.”
But, that your _doctors_ told you this… goodness gracious. Your cancer alone should have qualified you.
While this experience is in the past, I just need to express my concern for you and also that I am super glad you are fully vaccinated and boosted!!
Yay for your oncololgist!!! 🙂
I have never stopped wearing a mask. Since Omicron, I am now double masked. One of these days I will invest in N95 when I can find one.
Two plus booster
3, all Pfizer
I just got back from Key West on a trip with 5 other vaccined and boostered people including my husband. Why did we go? We had the trip planned pre-COVID, then cancelled. Replanned after vaccines came out. Just wanting to go on with our lives. My 89 yo dad says COVID is cheating him out of his remaining days, had never been to the Keys while having lived in St Pete since a teen. So we went. He had the time of his life, his words. One of our party got the sniffles the day he left and took a home test and tested positive. I freaked a little but none of the others of us got it. The COVID positive person said he had mild cold symptoms. The interesting part is both me and his wife got the night sweats the night before he became symptomatic. She googled and that is a symptom apparently. She tested negative. I haven’t tested, but I’m wondering if that was our bodies fighting the infection. We quarantined when we got home. Feel fortunate. Probably won’t travel again soon. Florida is a mess right now (thanks DeSantis).
2 Pfizer and just got my Pfizer booster a week-ish ago!!
My father died of COVID about 2 weeks before a vaccination would have been available to him. He was in a nursing home.
My cousin, who is (and was) vaccinated, spent a few months in the hospital and is STILL building back his strength. If he hadn’t been vaccinated, he would have died, too.
I have other vaccination “realizations/stories”, but the upshot is: vaccination was essential and is emotional for me.
Did your dad die from COVID or rather with it?
kflying1@yahoo.com– you would not be asking that if you had any first hand knowledge of what can happen to COVID patients. Not what always happens- no reasonable person has claimed COVID maims of kills everyone who gets it. But enough get severely ill to overwhelm the medical system in many areas. And enough die that some hospitals have had to get refrigerator trucks to handle the corpses of the unprecedented number of deaths. Most kids who got polio did not end up in a wheelchair or iron lung. We still vaccinated to prevent polio, and require it for school attendance. This is the kind of thing that civilized societies require for public good.
@ kflying1 –
Hi – my father died of covid. (COVID is on his death certificate along with sepsis, pneumonia, and something else that I’ve forgotten.) I wasn’t allowed to be in the room with him because the hospital had to limit visitors. I won’t tell you all the other delays and not-normal things we experienced because of so many covid deaths. (Dr. Argento has listed a few of the problems and it is heartbreaking.)
I had COVID-19 7 weeks after heart surgery (I suspect Delta since that was the Democrat’s fear “de Jour” at the time. T1 and 67 – I was in the prime fear model category. It was like a medium severe cold.
Good thing, glad you did well, you were luckier than the 830,000 American’s who have died from COVID-19, and many more who were hospitalized or intubated.
This is a healthcare forum. You should leave your political status at the door.
Got first Phizer as soon as I could which was March 2021. Follow up shot and then boostered as soon as available, also Phizer. I was impressed by efficiency of mass delivery by healthcare provider: like an assembly line. CDC recommended taking anti-inflammatory tablet about 30 to 60 minutes before shots to avoid side effects. That worked for me. I’m all for vaccines. Remember polio? I knew a schoolmate who got polio just before the polio vaccine was available. Remember the “March of Dimes”? What’s the controversy over mandates and quarantines? TB patients were quarantined. There was no fuss about that.
I jus have two doses but that’s a little deceiving because I got J&J as early as possible in Mar 2021 and got a moderna booster as soon as they were approved.
Three full doses as part of primary vaccination. I’m due for my booster in February.
I’ve had my booster due to wanting to travel to places where it’s required. Otherwise, I likely would have passed on it completely.
Dental Hygienist 2 dose vax’d Jan 2020. Got Covid-19 9/2020 2 wks before booster was available to me. Rec’d booster vax 12/2020. Super Immunity…for now.
Oops 😬 2021 not 2020 dates. What day & time am I living with Corona virus 🦠
I’ve been following developments closely, and here in San Antonio, while we’d been doing pretty well just before Christmas when Omicron hadn’t really showed up, yesterday the tsunami arrived here, too. Had 733 new cases on Dec 30, but 3,894 new cases on Jan 3. Positivity rate went from 2.2% to over 20%. I’m 68, T1D, vaccinated, boosted and careful. The only data I haven’t seen is how the vaccinated T1D community, or vaccinated immunocompromised people generally, have actually been doing with break-through Omicron. Has anyone seen any hard data describing that?
I have had three doses + booster and flu vaccine
3 – so far.
Anxiously awaiting being able to get the booster and hoping that happens in the next few days.
My unvaccinated and partially vaccinated family members are getting hit with COVID right now. I have no desire to join them. Their personal “choices” to not wear masks, not avoid crowds, and not get a free, highly effective vaccine endanger my health and life.