Side Effects from My Second Dose of COVID-19 Vaccine

        This month, I've received my second dose of COVID-19 vaccination. As I mentioned in my previous entry, My Experience Side Effects from the COVID-19 Vaccine, I got the first shot last month, and I only had mild side effects from the first shot. However, the side effects of my second shot were stronger than the first one. Today, I'm going to share my experience side effects from the second COVID-19 vaccine with you. 

DAY 1

  10 a.m.   I got the second dose of COVID-19 vaccination.

  5 p.m.    I started having minor joint pain and feeling fatigue. I took an over-the-counter medicine, acetaminophen. Then, those symptoms went away.

  11 p.m.  I started having joint pain and feeling fatigue again, and those symptoms were stronger this time. Soon, I started being shivering and having a fever (38.5℃ / 101.3℉). After the chill subsided, I took acetaminophen.

 

DAY 2 

I still felt some ache and fatigue. I took acetaminophen every six hours or so. Because of those symptoms, I had to stay in a bed all day.

DAY 3

I still felt minor fatigue, but I could do normal activities. At the end of the day, I felt as good as before.

 

 

 

 

 

The Second Dose of COVID-19 Vaccine Side Effects Could Be Severe for Many People.

Before I received the second dose, I was told that the second dose of COVID-19 vaccine side effects would be severe, but I didn't really expect that I would actually have a fever because I had little reaction to the first dose. However, I did have a fever this time indeed. Most of my coworkers also had a fever at the night of the day they got the second shot. Some of them had a very high fever (40℃ / 104℉). Yet, it is an indication of a vigorous immune response, and those side effects should go away in a few days. If you are planning on getting the second dose of COVID-19 vaccine, I recommend you to take one or two days off on the following day. 

 

 

 COVID-19 Vaccination After-Care Instructions

COVID-19 Vaccination After-Care Instructions

 

 

 

Stay safe, and stay healthy! 

 

 

     These are my entries you might like.

■My Experience Side Effects from the COVID-19 Vaccine

 

■How to Boost Your Immune System - 6 Foods That Can Boost Your Immune System

 

■How to Make A Face Mask - No Sewing Required

 

■Coronavirus Panic Buying Hits California!

 

■How Japan Deals with Novel Cornavirus - Cut the Flowers to Avoid Crowding

 

■Costco Haul - Polar Black Garlic Cured Super Food

 

■10 Best Face Masks Won Beauty Awards in Japan

 

■10 Best Sunscreens Won Beauty Awards in Japan This Year 

 

■7 Best Japanese Beauty Products Hall of Fame

     My entries related to Costco can be seen here.

     My entries related to Starbucks can be seen here.

     My entries related to Best Japanese Beauty Products can be seen here.
 
     My entries related to Japan can be seen here.

     My entries related to beauty can be seen here.

     My entries related to Japan Haul can be seen here.

     You can find my beauty entries by categories from here.

My Experience Side Effects from the COVID-19 Vaccine

I got a COVID-19 vaccine.

     I have already received the COVID-19 vaccination this month, and I am going to get the second shot next month. Today, I'm going to share with you my experience of the COVID-19 vaccine.
 

Wasn't I Scared of the New Vaccine?

Nope. When I got the COVID-19 vaccination, over 5 million people in the U.S. had already vaccinated, and I thought that it's safe for most people.

 

Moderna or Pfizer?

It was made by Moderna.

 

Did I experience any side effect from the COVID-19 vaccine?

I did have some minor side effects form the COVID-19 vaccine. Five minutes after I got the shot, I started feeling mildly fatigued. However, my tiredness went away in two hours.   In addition to that, five hours later, I started having mild muscle pain in my arm where I got the shot. It lasted for two days. That's it. To me, it was easier than side effects from the flu vaccine.

COVID-19 Vaccination After-Care Instructions

COVID-19 Vaccination After-Care Instructions

    I received this COVID-19 Vaccination After-Care Instructions at the vaccination site. It reads that side effects may feel like flu but should go away in a few days.  However, it's important to remember that if you are having an allergic reaction or have extreme shortness of breath call 911.

V-Safe After Vaccination Health Checker

V-Safe After Vaccination Health Checker

      At the vaccination site, I received this paper which V-Safe After Vaccination Health Checker explanation are written in. It's smartphone-based tool that uses text messaging and web surveys to provide personalized health check-ins after you receive a COVID-19 vaccination. Through V-Safe, you can tell CDC if you have any side effects after getting the COVID-19 vaccine.    I registered to V-Safe and have received text messages from V-Safe around 2 p.m. every day since I got the shot. The questions V-Safe asks takes me about 1 minute.

First Week : They will send text messages every day.

Week 2 to 5 : They will send text messages once a week.

They will also send text messages 3, 6 and 12 months after your final dose of vaccine.

You will also get reminders if you need a second vaccine dose.

 

 

 
 

When Are You Eligible for a COVID-19 Vaccination in the U.S.?

 

     If you live in the U.S., you should check your county's Official Website. They tell you who is eligible for a COVID-19 vaccination right now. They may also tell you when you can get vaccinated and where you can go to get your vaccine. ( If you live in LA, OC, or SD county in Southern California area, you can check this link. ⇒LA County,   Orange County,   San Diego County)

 

 

Stay safe, and stay healthy! 

 

 

     These are my entries you might like.

■How to Boost Your Immune System - 6 Foods That Can Boost Your Immune System

 

■How to Make A Face Mask - No Sewing Required

 

■Coronavirus Panic Buying Hits California!

 

■How Japan Deals with Novel Cornavirus - Cut the Flowers to Avoid Crowding

 

■Costco Haul - Polar Black Garlic Cured Super Food

 

■10 Best Face Masks Won Beauty Awards in Japan

 

■10 Best Sunscreens Won Beauty Awards in Japan This Year 

 

■7 Best Japanese Beauty Products Hall of Fame

     My entries related to Costco can be seen here.

     My entries related to Starbucks can be seen here.

     My entries related to Best Japanese Beauty Products can be seen here.
 
     My entries related to Japan can be seen here.

     My entries related to beauty can be seen here.

     My entries related to Japan Haul can be seen here.

     You can find my beauty entries by categories from here.

 

How Japan Deals with Novel Cornavirus - Cut the Flowers to Avoid Crowding

    Last week, I was surprised at the news about how Japanese cities deal with novel coronavirus. Yame city, Fukuoka, cut off the flowers of beautiful fully bloomed Japanese wisteria to prevent crowds. Every year, a great number of people come to see these flowers during Golden Week, which is a long Japanese holiday and is a week from the 29th of April to early May. The tree of Japanese wisteria, which is called ofuji (大藤), is 600 years old! Cutting off the beautiful flowers from the precious tree was very sad news, but you can see the flowers next year if coronavirus outbreak subsides. Before the Golden Week, many Japanese local governments decided to cut a lot of flowers to avoid crowding such as 800,000 tulips in Chiba, 15,000 lilies in Okinawa, 3,000 roses in Saitama.   

     As I mentioned in my previous entry, Kurogi Ofuji Festival in Yame Fukuoka, Japan - Beautiful Japanese Wisteria of Kurogi, my parents took me to this place to see Japanese wisteria when I visited my hometown, Fukuoka, in 2014. Actually, when I was a child, my family visited there almost every year because my mother grew up in this city. My family visited some of my maternal relatives who live in Kurogi, Yame city.

     When I visited this place in 2014, I was amazed at how beautiful these flowers were! I hope that I will visit this place again. 😊

    I uploaded this video, which I recorded in 2014, on my YouTube channel.

     These are my entries you might like.
■Kurogi Ofuji Festival in Yame Fukuoka, Japan - Beautiful Japanese Wisteria of Kurogi

■What I Bought at Japanese Supermarkets

■Costco Haul - Polar Black Garlic Cured Super Food

■Trader Joe's Japanese Aomori Black Garlic

■Japanese Aomori Black Garlic

■How I Make Black Garlic at Home

■Costco Haul - the Big Island, Hawaii

■What Do They Sell at Costco on the Big Island, Hawaii? - 12 Kinds of Unique Products!

■COSTCO in Japan

■10 Products I Purchased at Costco in Japan

■What Do They Sell at Costco Business Center? (My Costco Haul)

■Costco Haul - Tiger That Tempura Shrimp

■Starbucks Winter Blend Melange D'Hiver 2017 at Costco

■Starbucks Arizona Double Wall Traveler and Cold Cup

■7 Best Japanese Beauty Products Hall of Fame



     My entries related to Costco can be seen here.

     My entries related to Starbucks can be seen here.

     My entries related to Best Japanese Beauty Products can be seen here.
 
     My entries related to Japan can be seen here.

     My entries related to beauty can be seen here.

     My entries related to Japan Haul can be seen here.

     You can find my beauty entries by categories from here.

How to Boost Your Immune System - 6 Foods That Can Boost Your Immune System

      Recently, I have been into "Cho-katsu (腸活)," which is improving and maintaining your digestive health in order to improve your immune system. According to Koichiro Fujita, an immunologist of infectious diseases, 70% of the body's immune cells are found in the gut, so you can improve your immune system by getting your gut bacteria healthy. I try to eat more fermented foods and fiber on a daily basis. Today, I'm going to share with you 6 my favorite foods that can boost your immune system.

6 Foods That Can Boost Your Immune System  


 1. Natto (納豆)

Natto (納豆)

     Natto is fermented soybeans, which is the delicious Japanese superfood. It's probiotic-rich foods and improve gut flora and boosts immune system.

Hikiwari Natto (ひきわり納豆)

     As you can see the photos, natto is very sticky. If you don't like natto or have never had natto before, I recommend you to add a little amount of mayonnaise. I think that many people will love the taste of natto with mayonnaise. Natto is perfect with steamed rice. 😋

Hikiwari Natto + Mayonnaise

Hikiwari Natto + Mayonnaise

      Recently, my favorite way to eat natto is natto salad. Mix natto and mayonnaise, and toss the salad and the natto.    I also love natto maki, natto sushi rolls. I sometimes make futomaki with natto.

How to Make Ehomaki, Futomaki, Japanese Sushi Rolls for Setsubun

 2. Miso (みそ, 味噌)

Miso Paste

     Miso is also the delicious Japanese superfood. It's a condiment made from fermented soybeans.  It's also rich source of probiotics which maintain healthy gut flora. I love miso soup and hoi-ko-ro.

How to Cook Wafu Hoi-Ko-Ro

 3. Gobo (ゴボウ, ごぼう), Burdock Roots

Gobo (ごぼう)

    Gobo, burdock root, is a fiber-rich vegetable. Oligosaccharides in burdock root improve gut flora. As soon as I come back home from grocery shopping, I cut or shave the all burdock roots and freeze them, so you can keep burdock fresh longer, and it's easy to use for your cooking such as miso soup and steamed rice.

How to Cook Tori Meshi - Savory Japanese Rice with Chicken and Gobo

 4. Mushrooms (キノコ)

Mushrooms

     Mushrooms are healthy foods you can eat every day. Mushrooms act as a prebiotics and improve your health.

Baby Bella Mushrooms

      As soon as I come back home from grocery shopping, I also cut or slice the all mushrooms and freeze them, so you can keep them fresh longer. Moreover, frozen mushrooms have more umami flavor than raw mushrooms do. It's easy to use for your cooking such as miso soup and mushroom pasta.

Shimeji Mushrooms

How to Cook Zoni, Japanese Mochi Soup for New Year's Day

5. Tofu (豆腐)

How to Cook Soon Tofu

     Tofu is made of soybeans, which contain soybean oligosaccharides increasing the number of bifidobacteria. Thus, tofu is good for your health, and it maintains healthy gut flora.

How to Cook Agedashi Tofu, Deep-Fried Tofu in Dashi Soup

How to Cook Healthy Tofu Okonomiyaki

6. Garlic 

Black Garlic (黒ニンニク)

       Garlic is a superfood and has a lot of health benefits such as antibacterial effect. I try to eat two to three cloves of garlic every day. When I have a sore throat or have a runny nose, I eat black garlic, fermented garlic. If you are a Costco member, you can find Polar Black Garlic around the produce aisle. You can check out my previous entry, Costco Haul - Polar Black Garlic Cured Super Food.

Black Garlic (黒ニンニク)

     If you have a rice cooker, you can make black garlic at home very easily. (However, I thought that not everyone can make it because the garlic releases very strong smell during fermentation. The strong smell might bother your neighbors.) If you are interested in making black garlic, you can check out my previous entry, How I Make Black Garlic at Home. I made black garlic at home before, and it took me 14 days to finish making it.

     These are my entries you might like.
■How to Make A Face Mask - No Sewing Required

■Coronavirus Panic Buying Hits California!

■What I Bought at Japanese Supermarkets

■Costco Haul - Polar Black Garlic Cured Super Food

■Trader Joe's Japanese Aomori Black Garlic

■Japanese Aomori Black Garlic

■How I Make Black Garlic at Home

■Costco Haul - the Big Island, Hawaii

■What Do They Sell at Costco on the Big Island, Hawaii? - 12 Kinds of Unique Products!

■COSTCO in Japan

■10 Products I Purchased at Costco in Japan

■What Do They Sell at Costco Business Center? (My Costco Haul)

■Costco Haul - Tiger That Tempura Shrimp

■Starbucks Winter Blend Melange D'Hiver 2017 at Costco

■Starbucks Arizona Double Wall Traveler and Cold Cup

■7 Best Japanese Beauty Products Hall of Fame



     My entries related to Costco can be seen here.

     My entries related to Starbucks can be seen here.

     My entries related to Best Japanese Beauty Products can be seen here.
 
     My entries related to Japan can be seen here.

     My entries related to beauty can be seen here.

     My entries related to Japan Haul can be seen here.

     You can find my beauty entries by categories from here.

How to Make A Face Mask - No Sewing Required

       Yesterday, CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, finally recommended Americans wear face coverings in public.

       Even though most people in Japan have been wearing face masks whether they have symptoms or not, I've only seen a few people wearing face masks in the U.S. since last month. I was very surprised that the CDC finally released the new guidance regarding face coverings. From now on, we all should wear cloth face masks in public to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

      That's why I decided to make a cloth face mask, and I found this video below. I made my own cloth face mask for my first time. It was very easy! Today, I'm going to share with you how to make a face mask with hair ties and handkerchief.

What You'll Need
2 rubber bands or hair ties
1 handkerchief (20" x 20")

If you don't have a large handkerchief, you can also use a large bandanna, small scarf or any fabric. You can also use your old t-shirt (cut to the size).

1. Fold the handkerchief in three.

2. Pleat it.

3. Slide a rubber band on each side. 

4. Fold each end inside.

5. Voila!

If you want an extra protection, add a piece of paper towel. Some people use a coffee filter, a PM2.5 filter and etc.

     These are my entries you might like.
■Stay At Home Order

■Coronavirus Panic Buying Hits California!

■What I Bought at Japanese Supermarkets

■Costco Haul - Polar Black Garlic Cured Super Food

■Trader Joe's Japanese Aomori Black Garlic

■Japanese Aomori Black Garlic

■How I Make Black Garlic at Home

■Costco Haul - the Big Island, Hawaii

■What Do They Sell at Costco on the Big Island, Hawaii? - 12 Kinds of Unique Products!

■COSTCO in Japan

■10 Products I Purchased at Costco in Japan

■What Do They Sell at Costco Business Center? (My Costco Haul)

■Costco Haul - Tiger That Tempura Shrimp

■Starbucks Winter Blend Melange D'Hiver 2017 at Costco

■Starbucks Arizona Double Wall Traveler and Cold Cup

■7 Best Japanese Beauty Products Hall of Fame



     My entries related to Costco can be seen here.

     My entries related to Starbucks can be seen here.

     My entries related to Best Japanese Beauty Products can be seen here.
 
     My entries related to Japan can be seen here.

     My entries related to beauty can be seen here.

     My entries related to Japan Haul can be seen here.

     You can find my beauty entries by categories from here.

Stay At Home Order

     As I mentioned in my previous entry, on March 17, Orange County announced that all gatherings of people outside home in Orange County are banned. Then, on March 19, California's governor issued a statewide stay at home order. Yet, people are allowed to go to grocery stores, pharmacies, gas stations, banks and etc. In addition, people can take a walk in local neighborhoods as long as they maintain a social distance of 6 feet or more.

     Since the stay at home order was issued, more people have been going to grocery stores, and now it's problem with panic buying. Last weekend, my husband and I skipped grocery shopping even though I wanted some fresh vegetables and milk. We still have frozen vegetables and canned tomato in our kitchen. We can live without grocery shopping for a week or so. I think that less frequent grocery shopping and buying only what you need for a few weeks help everyone. We should avoid crowded areas and stop panic buying. We will use frozen vegetables and meat in our freezer first. Maybe, it's good time for me to save money on groceries.

     Last weekend, we took a walk around the park. It was so refreshing! I think that regular exercise is important to keep us healthy physically and mentally. We saw many people walking and running there. Everyone was trying to maintain a social distance of 6 feet or more. However, I heard that some beaches and parks in Southern California were very crowded last weekend, so some of those areas were eventually closed because of COVID-19.

      After coming back home, we washed our hands as usual. As we all know, washing your hands is the most effective ways to prevent the spread of infections.

Clean hands protect against infection (WHO)

    I think that it's the best time for everyone to learn how to wash your hands properly. I hope everyone stays safe and healthy.  😊

     These are my entries you might like.
■Coronavirus Panic Buying Hits California!

■What I Bought at Japanese Supermarkets

■Costco Haul - Polar Black Garlic Cured Super Food

■Trader Joe's Japanese Aomori Black Garlic

■Japanese Aomori Black Garlic

■How I Make Black Garlic at Home

■Costco Haul - the Big Island, Hawaii

■What Do They Sell at Costco on the Big Island, Hawaii? - 12 Kinds of Unique Products!

■COSTCO in Japan

■10 Products I Purchased at Costco in Japan

■What Do They Sell at Costco Business Center? (My Costco Haul)

■Costco Haul - Tiger That Tempura Shrimp

■Starbucks Winter Blend Melange D'Hiver 2017 at Costco

■Starbucks Arizona Double Wall Traveler and Cold Cup

■7 Best Japanese Beauty Products Hall of Fame



     My entries related to Costco can be seen here.

     My entries related to Starbucks can be seen here.

     My entries related to Best Japanese Beauty Products can be seen here.
 
     My entries related to Japan can be seen here.

     My entries related to beauty can be seen here.

     My entries related to Japan Haul can be seen here.

     You can find my beauty entries by categories from here.

Coronavirus Panic Buying Hits California!

     Last weekend, my husband and I went grocery shopping just like we always do on weekend, but we noticed that things are different now because of COVID-19. I thought that people have been stocking up toilet paper and water to cope with coronavirus fears. However, this Tuesday, Orange County announced that Orange County bans all gatherings of people outside home. The order of the local health officer states, "All public and private gatherings of any number of people, including at places of work, occurring outside a single household or living unit are prohibited." Yet, it has a long list of exemptions, and people are allowed to go grocery shopping. I didn't expect that it would be really happening in my local area.

     Anyway, Today, I'm going to share my weekend grocery shopping with you.


Costco
      My husband and I go shopping at Costco almost every weekend. Last weekend, we were surprised that there was a long line to enter my local Costco, and at the entrance, Costco employees shouted out, "We were sold out of toilet paper and water!" 
      Oh no, It's COVID-19 panic-buying! I thought that we should skip shopping at Costco this time, but it seemed that the line was moving smoothly, and I really wanted to purchase Polar Black Garlic there. We just had to wait for three minutes or so to enter the store. Despite the long line, it actually wasn't very crowded inside store. It was a little less crowded than normal weekend. Because of COVID-19, Costco is controlling the number of customers in the store. Unlike usual weekends, very few people were looking at clothing and home goods, and most people were buying foods especially canned foods, pasta and etc. The Costco cashier was saying, "The problem is people are hoarding now."  

Costco Haul

      For now, my husband and I don't need to stock up toilet paper nor bottled water. I basically buy toilet paper in bulk only when it's on sale because paper products are pretty expensive in the U.S., so I still have plenty of it in my home, and we don't usually drink bottled water (We drink filtered water from our refrigerator.) I believe that Coronavirus outbreak won't disrupt power, water and internet, so we don't need to be worried too much. The photo above was what I purchased at Costco that day. I was glad that they still had plenty of Polar Black Garlic, and I could buy one. 😃 You can check my previous entry, Costco Haul - Polar Black Garlic Cured Super Food.



Japanese Supermarket

We found empty shelves for rice at a Japanese supermarket!

     Then, we went to a Japanese supermarket because I wanted to purchase natto (納豆). At the store, water and rice were all sold out. We saw the empty shelves for rice at a Japanese supermarket for the first time in the U.S. 😦  We saw a few Asian people wearing masks there. (By the way, nobody was wearing a mask at Costco.)

Japanese Supermarket Haul

       These were what I purchased at the Japanese supermarket. They still had plenty of natto there.
😋

There were plenty of natto at a Japanese supermarket!

     Next time, I'll write how to boost immune system.





     These are my entries you might like.
■What I Bought at Japanese Supermarkets

■Costco Haul - Polar Black Garlic Cured Super Food

■Trader Joe's Japanese Aomori Black Garlic

■Japanese Aomori Black Garlic

■How I Make Black Garlic at Home

■Costco Haul - the Big Island, Hawaii

■What Do They Sell at Costco on the Big Island, Hawaii? - 12 Kinds of Unique Products!

■COSTCO in Japan

■10 Products I Purchased at Costco in Japan

■What Do They Sell at Costco Business Center? (My Costco Haul)

■Costco Haul - Tiger That Tempura Shrimp

■Starbucks Winter Blend Melange D'Hiver 2017 at Costco

■Starbucks Arizona Double Wall Traveler and Cold Cup

■7 Best Japanese Beauty Products Hall of Fame



     My entries related to Costco can be seen here.

     My entries related to Starbucks can be seen here.

     My entries related to Best Japanese Beauty Products can be seen here.
 
     My entries related to Japan can be seen here.

     My entries related to beauty can be seen here.

     My entries related to Japan Haul can be seen here.

     You can find my beauty entries by categories from here.