COVID-19

I Got the Second and Final Round of My Covid-19 vaccine!

Posted on by Amanda Dodson Gremillion

If you have not already read my short blog about my first vaccine, you can read it here: I Got My First COVID-19 Vaccine! – Just Buy Her A Dress and She’ll Be Fine

Three days ago, I got my second round of the Pfizer vaccine for COVID-19. As I was hoping, this one did go a little better than the last. I was not one of the lucky ones who had no side effects which I detailed in the first blog. The second time, I decided to try my right arm. I am right handed, so I did the left the first time. This time, my arm was more sore that night than the previous time, like it was hard to lift it at times, but I think it was because I use it so much more. However, it was not sore for near as long overall this time. It was still a little sore the next day, but only if touched by accident and by the next day it seemed back to normal. This time I got my shot a few hours earlier in the day. I was also told I could take Tylenol right away this time if needed, and did not need to try to wait at least 4-6 hours. However, I had not brought any with me. I am sure I could have found some, but instead I figured I would take some when I got home. I am pretty sure I forgot to by then, but did before I went to bed.

I woke up in the middle of the night with chills and feeling a little rough, but also thirsty. I headed for the frig and my husband was still barely awake on the couch watching a movie. When I walked into the kitchen shivering, I apparently sounded like a ghost and startled him. It was pretty funny! I explained to him that I thought the shot gave me chills. I took some more pain reliever and went back to bed. I woke up feeling pretty normal but took something again before work as preventative. I was fine most of the day, just felt a little sluggish at times, but this got a little worse towards the end of the day, so I took more pain reliever. This was the last time I had to and was the last time I seemed to have any symptoms, so yay! Now, in less than two weeks I should be okay to live a normal life again, yet not really. I honestly do not want to travel a lot still unless necessary. I do not want to until masks are no longer required. One trip we want to take is to Universal Studios in Florida. It is bad enough walking around a place like that without a mask, I get so winded, I do not want to try with one personally. We also want to take a family cruise and I heard they may be doing ones again soon for those vaccinated, but my daughter is not old enough to be vaccinated yet, and of course masks are probably required.

I will still wear a mask even after our state mandate lifts soon for a while, just make other people feel better because they won’t know I have had it, and I also know this makes things easier for other essential employees and those around me. I had a family member, in response to me getting the vaccine, say that they would never get the vaccine. They also said COVID-19 was no different than the flu. I guess they don’t get that vaccine either. I usually do. I told them this virus had killed more in a year than the flu had in 10 and they kind of huffed. So then I said, I just want to be able to get back to normal and travel more and not have to wear a mask all the time, and they had no argument against that, because don’t we all at least agree on that? I have not tried to push others to get the vaccine, other than by getting it myself and sharing my own experience. Some people cannot get it yet, some people will never be able to due to conditions or reactions, etc. some are too scared to, some may forever be scared to and apparently some believe the seriousness of the virus or the virus itself is still a hoax or political somehow. As someone who has never had the flu, but has had this virus and was sicker than I have never been before, I disagree of course. As for the ones who can get the shot but either refuse to or are scared to, if enough of them do not get it, it will make it take longer for us to get back to normal, it does affect me, yet I still respect their decision. If others want to call me a sheep for being their Guinea pig and actually helping them, but also hopefully myself and those I love in the process, then all I can say is baa baa….

Have you had your vaccine yet? What was your experience like?

Bio: Amanda Dodson Gremillion published her first book in 2012. She began revising it in 2019 and republished it as Just Buy Her A Dress and She’ll Be Fine. The story chronicles her experience with severe postpartum OCD, anxiety and depression. Amanda is a graduate of Auburn University, and now lives in Calera, Alabama, with her husband, Jay, their daughter, Aubrie, and their two dogs, Honey Girl and Cooper. She hopes to write more books in the future. Follow Amanda’s journey on Facebook,  or twitter at https://twitter.com/AmandaGremilli2 and order her book here.  Also, follow her on the Mighty here Amanda Dodson Gremillion | The Mighty Contributor or listen to her podcast here Just Buy Her A Dress and She’ll Be Fine • A podcast on Anchor . You can also find her on Instagram here Amanda Dodson Gremillion (@justbuyheradress) • Instagram photos and videos.

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I Got My First COVID-19 Vaccine!

Posted on by Amanda Dodson Gremillion

This blog is included in this podcast below:

I realize not everyone is able to get the vaccine yet and some are still worried about getting it, so I wanted to share my own experience. Thanks to working in a preschool, I was able to get my first COVID vaccine through my work last week! We were sent to UAB and I got the first round of the Pfizer vaccine. The shot did not hurt at all and I was able to choose which arm it was given in. I chose my left arm since I am right handed. I later heard it might be better to actually choose the arm you use more to prevent soreness, but it was too late. I also remembered after choosing this arm that anytime I do anything on the left side of my body, it seems to affect the pinched nerve I have in my left shoulder. I also read that if you have had COVID you are more likely to have side effects from the vaccine. You cannot even get the vaccine yet if you have tested positive in the last 90 days. I had COVID last July.

My arm started to get a little sore a few hours after I got it, right before I went to bed. They told you to try to wait at least 4 to 6 hours to take Tylenol if you could. My arm was still a little sore the next morning so I did take some Tylenol and went to work. As the day progressed my head and other parts of my body began to hurt. I eventually felt like I had fever and chills. I was able to work all day, but by the time I got home, I felt so bad that I took more pain reliever, put a couple ice packs on me and then went to sleep. I almost felt like I had COVID again for a few hours, but I woke up three hours later feeling a lot better. I ate some dinner, took some more pain reliever and went back to bed. I woke up the next morning feeling completely normal again, minus my arm being a little sore still and went to work. It remained a little sore for about two more days, but not enough to bother me much.

Some others I know, even those who had the same vaccine, had either no side effects, the same as me or not as bad as me. I do not know of anyone personally who had any worse than I did. Some were older than me, some were younger, some were heavier than me, some were not, some were healthier and some were not. It seems to affect everyone as differently as the actual virus has. Everyone I have known personally who did have bad side effects with one of the two shots, did not with the other shot. I am hoping that is the case with me of course. I have not noticed any signs yet that I have been chipped by the government, but if I have I guess it will join the other chips from previous flu shots and every other vaccine I have had, and it will join that chip always tracking me on my phone I guess. At least now if I am even thinking about Lay’s chips, an ad pops up for me in case I want to buy some that instant.

In all seriousness though, I do not regret getting the shot. Even if my reaction had been even worse, or is the second time, I know there is a risk ,and I still feel that the risk outweighs the risk of not getting it in most cases. As with everything else, you just have to try and make the best decision for you and your family, but the general population was also factored into my decision because I am I ready for this to end soon for all of us. I go back for my second shot on March 31st and I think I will ask for this one in the right arm. Turns out you have a choice both times and are not even required to switch arms, but I think I would like to and I will let you know how the next one goes in another blog to follow….

I Got the Second and Final Round of My Covid-19 vaccine! – Just Buy Her A Dress and She’ll Be Fine

Have you had your vaccine yet? What was your experience like?

Bio: Amanda Dodson Gremillion published her first book in 2012. She began revising it in 2019 and republished it as Just Buy Her A Dress and She’ll Be Fine. The story chronicles her experience with severe postpartum OCD, anxiety and depression. Amanda is a graduate of Auburn University, and now lives in Calera, Alabama, with her husband, Jay, their daughter, Aubrie, and their two dogs, Honey Girl and Cooper. She hopes to write more books in the future. Follow Amanda’s journey on Facebook,  or twitter at https://twitter.com/AmandaGremilli2 and order her book here.  Also, follow her on the Mighty here Amanda Dodson Gremillion | The Mighty Contributor or listen to her podcast here Just Buy Her A Dress and She’ll Be Fine • A podcast on Anchor . You can also find her on Instagram here Amanda Dodson Gremillion (@justbuyheradress) • Instagram photos and videos.

My Family got COVID-19!

Posted on by Amanda Dodson Gremillion

A few weeks ago, in early July, an employee at my husband’s work tested positive for COVID-19. She was asymptomatic and only got tested because her boyfriend had tested positive. My husband had worked with this employee recently and he soon started having symptoms. It took him eight days to get his test results back. By then, he was starting to feel better and I was starting to have symptoms. Luckily our 12-year old daughter only had a headache and felt kind of sluggish for a day or two. On the other hand, my husband and I both had fever, body aches, chills, trouble breathing, and felt like we could not do anything.

I think my husband felt like that for about a week, but mine lasted closer to two. I think I handled it a little worse, because anything you already have it makes worse. I already have Anxiety, so that got worse including upset stomach symptoms. I have a pinched nerve and my back and for a couple days that pain came back at its worst in a while and was unbearable. The pain comes and goes but any time I am sick or stressed it usually comes. I also have gotten walking pneumonia a lot the last few years so between that and the anxiety, that might be why I felt like something was on my chest for a while and it was hard to breathe. My daughter was so sweet and checked on me often, and even gave me a bell to ring in case I needed her.

Our cases were still mild and we were never hospitalized. American Family Care provided some cough syrup and an inhaler. We stayed in our house for a couple of weeks, but unfortunately had already spread it to my nieces unknowingly, but luckily no one else. They did not get as sick as my husband and I did, but they got a little worse than my daughter did. They are a little older than her, but still only teenagers. They each spread it to their best friend, but as far as I know the spread stopped there. They tried to stay away from my sister, because she is high risk and luckily she and her husband never caught it. I was also glad we had not spread it to our parents or my grandmother. We actually did not go on a family vacation with some of my husband’s family due to us having the virus. I had to put off starting my new job one week. The preschool I used to work at closed permanently due to the virus, but I found a job at another one closer to home.

I finally started my new job and my first day there, they had to close for a week due to an employee testing positive. We did get to come in some later in the week to help clean and do some training, and we were able to open back up the next week. It was actually kind of nice to have another week to recoup, because I still got easily winded doing basic things. It was days before I could even take the dogs for a short walk again, but by my second week at work this week, I feel back to normal finally. It reminds me of the time I got walking pneumonia and bronchitis at the same time (except this was worse). I was so sick that time, my husband had to drive me back to the doctor for a second visit. I had gotten used to taking the stairs at my work. We were on the 5th floor and I would take them several times a day in the morning, evening and at lunch normally. I could not do this after I was sick. It was too hard to start all over again on working my way towards doing it again.

Even after all of this, I am still one of the lucky ones.  Until this I did not even know anyone who had the virus, I only knew of others through people I knew. I have had some close to me lose people close to them, but now I have known a few people with the virus. Of course I hope this means we are immune at least for a little while, but apparently they are not even sure if that is the case. Even if it was mild again, I would not want to go through that a second time before they come up with a vaccine. I have never had the flu before but I still normally get the vaccine every year, so I will definitely want the one for this. I just hope it comes out soon. My daughter is doing virtual learning for now and is actually enjoying working at her own pace in her pajamas, but I want her to eventually go back to school, and I want to eventually not have to wear a mask at work.  I also do not want anyone else to get sick or lose loved ones to this, but it looks like it may be a while before this all ends. On a positive note I guess, I have only smoked a few times socially, but I have not since the last time I had walking pneumonia. After having this as well, I honestly cannot imagine ever doing it again.

Bio: Amanda Dodson Gremillion published her first book in 2012. She began revising it in 2019 and republished it as Just Buy Her A Dress and She’ll Be Fine. The story chronicles her experience with severe postpartum OCD, anxiety and depression. Amanda is a graduate of Auburn University, and now lives in Calera, Alabama, with her husband, Jay, their daughter, Aubrie, and their two dogs, Honey Girl and Cooper. She hopes to write more books in the future. Follow Amanda’s journey on Facebook,  or twitter at https://twitter.com/AmandaGremilli2 and order her book here.  Also, follow her on the Mighty here Amanda Dodson Gremillion | The Mighty Contributor or listen to her podcast here Just Buy Her A Dress and She’ll Be Fine • A podcast on Anchor . You can also find her on Instagram here Amanda Dodson Gremillion (@justbuyheradress) • Instagram photos and videos.

I Lost The Job I Love to COVID-19

Posted on by Amanda Dodson Gremillion

Before reading this blog, you might want to read my 4 part blog about my career before losing this job here…

This Isn’t the Career I Ordered Part 1 of 4

This Isn’t the Career I Ordered Part 2 of 4

This Isn’t the Career I Ordered Part 3 of 4

This Isn’t the Career I Ordered Part 4 of 4 – Just Buy Her A Dress and She’ll Be Fine

I recently wrote a blog about us not all being in the same boat when it comes to COVID-19 and how that compares to women postpartum, which may be why some go through postpartum mood disorders and some do not. I wrote about being one of the lucky ones. Well, maybe I cursed myself because right after that I found out my work would not be reopening. I still consider myself one of the lucky ones. I am still babysitting for essential employees, they have a pool, my husband is still working and I am about to republish my book and am blogging. Once my babysitting job ends, I have many other options to consider. I still do not know of anyone close to me dying or even getting really sick. I am still walking the dogs and am now even able to get their nails trimmed and my hair cut again, and I can get massages again!

I had to miss watching my niece graduating from my old high school in person because only 4 could attend, but I got to watch it on TV and part of me even thought can we keep doing it this way forever, as I watched comfortably from my bed in my pajamas. I also recently wrote some blogs about my career not going as expected so of course that continues to be the case. I have no idea what I am gonna do next. Of course I am hoping my book and blogs take off and/or my husband gets promoted in the near future, but if not, I must decide if I want to find another preschool teacher job, maybe even stay a Nanny, maybe even for one of my former students, go back to the corporate world maybe even in HR or payroll again, or do something completely different. It is exciting and scary all at the same time. Since I have OCD and Anxiety of course it is scary, but over the years it has kind of become so normal I have had to learn to manage through it.

Most people do not stay at jobs for long anymore. I often wish I had lived when people kept the same job forever and companies took care of you even through retirement. It is so hard to change jobs, even when it is for a better one. It is hard to start over learning everything again, it is hard to make new friends again and it is hard to leave your old ones, it is hard to hope you get a good boss and management and a company that really cares about you. The place that is closing is a church daycare. Many are hurt by their decision to close. Some say they are a business that needs to make money, but there is also frustration because they are a church, not a business and they don’t pay taxes for that reason. Yet when it comes down to it, they layoff people if they do not make enough money. Not only are they not required to pay unemployment, they are not allowed to in the state I live in.  If it were not for the exceptions passed by Congress due to COVID-19, no one would even qualify.

Although the reason for not reopening seems to be that the unpredictability of when and how to reopen and new stringent requirements(which are already pretty stringent), the daycare had a waiting list of 100 people and was one of the best around, but despite that it often seemed to be hinted that a yearly consignment sale helped to pay our salaries, and we were strongly encouraged to volunteer to work at it for free, so I guess the money parents paid each month was not enough? The church did pay workers more than most of them around here, in addition to a huge childcare discount, which was amazing, and they are still paying us for another month even after we just found out we are closing. The parents of most of the kids were amazing and often gave the teachers gifts and you always felt appreciated by most of them and most of the church staff. The people who made this decision were not people I knew well or worked closely with.  My bosses and coworkers were all amazing and I will miss them and my work babies so very much.

Those of us who all loved this job, are left with so many questions. Even working for a church, I found my HR background have me questioning the morality and legality of many of their practices. I felt there was no fighting it though because if someone did, they probably would have just closed like they are now. I personally did not need benefits and paid time off. I currently have them through my husband, but many did need them but could not get them. Many struggled to even pay for lunch each day and I personally helped as many as I could. One thing I have really been shocked about over my career, is how little most people at the top care about employees or really even customers for that matter. It always seems to come down to money, even in a church where I thought my job was mainly a ministry to win young people to the church and to give people in the community a job and to give parents in the community great childcare. I just hope after how many have lost their jobs and many even their insurance permanently or temporarily during this pandemic, that some things will change in our country.

Bio: Amanda Dodson Gremillion published her first book in 2012. She began revising it in 2019 and republished it as Just Buy Her A Dress and She’ll Be Fine. The story chronicles her experience with severe postpartum OCD, anxiety and depression. Amanda is a graduate of Auburn University, and now lives in Calera, Alabama, with her husband, Jay, their daughter, Aubrie, and their two dogs, Honey Girl and Cooper. She hopes to write more books in the future. Follow Amanda’s journey on Facebook,  or twitter at https://twitter.com/AmandaGremilli2 and order her book here.  Also, follow her on the Mighty here Amanda Dodson Gremillion | The Mighty Contributor or listen to her podcast here Just Buy Her A Dress and She’ll Be Fine • A podcast on Anchor . You can also find her on Instagram here Amanda Dodson Gremillion (@justbuyheradress) • Instagram photos and videos.

What COVID-19 and Postpartum Mood Disorders Have In Common:”We Are Not All In the Same Boat”

Posted on by Amanda Dodson Gremillion

I have often wondered why only some women get postpartum mood disorders if we all go through the same hormone changes, etc. I discuss this in my book some, but lately I have been wanting to blog about how this compares to how people are dealing differently with the current COVID-19 pandemic. I have heard it said more than once during this that we are not all in the same boat right now. Some have lost their jobs, some are still working but fear getting sick, some want to work and can’t, some have small businesses and may lose everything, some have gotten stimulus checks and/or unemployment, others have not. Some of us know people who have died or have been or are sick, some of us do not yet. We all know of someone though, including some famous people.

Some of us are enjoying time at home, some are sick of being home and it is affecting their mental health. Some wish they could be home and working through this is affecting theirs. Some already have a history of mental illness, others do not. Although I do suffer from obsessive compulsive disorder with anxiety and had postpartum depression years ago, I am actually probably doing better than most during the pandemic. I am making more money during the pandemic than before. I am still getting paid by my work while babysitting for essential employees and received a $2,900 stimulus. My husband is still working and my daughter is 12 and doing school from home. She is a very good student, is gifted and hardly ever needs help, so that is going well.

I can still walk the dogs, I get to swim with the kids I babysit with and play video games and board games with them. I have actually caught up on all my TV shows and started some new ones and watched several movies. I have even re-watched some of my favorites. Don’t get me wrong, there have been some challenges. For one, like everyone else, I have been scared at times. I have never experienced anything like this in my lifetime. I am scared of high risk people I know getting sick, I am scared of me and my family getting sick. I also regularly get massages to help manage pain from an injury from falling down the stairs years ago. I have gone a while without one and I am feeling it ,and having to use every other way to try and manage it in the mean time.

Of course I miss going to the movies, and out to eat, and getting my hair cut and my dogs bathed and their nails trimmed, those last two are torture to do myself, let me tell you. I miss my work babies and my coworkers so much. Also, the kids I babysit do not willingly do their school work, so that has been a fun challenge, that may have given me a panic attack one day. They are also siblings who fight a lot and I am used to an only child.

When women have children, they do not all have the same support from their spouse and family and friends. Some have none, some have a lot, some work, some stay at home, some have more money than others, some have a history of mental illness, some have a great birth experience, some have a horrible one, some planned their pregnancies, some did not, some had an easy time getting pregnant, some had a very hard time, some experienced deaths or layoffs or other sad experiences around the time they had a child, while others did not, some already have several kids different ages, some have none, some are younger when they have kids, some are older, and all have different life experiences.  Some babies are great sleepers, others are not, some babies are happy all the time, some have colic and cry all the time.

When I was pregnant with my daughter, my real father died. We had not spoken in three years. Less than a year after she was born my grandfather passed and I was laid off from my job. My daughter was not a good sleeper and I did not handle sleep deprivation well at all. When my daughter was 2, my husband left me and I finally lost it enough to not hide my depression anymore and got help. I knew many had been through worse, but it was the worst I had ever been through. I once had a dream where I had a rash, but other people around me had a worse rash. Mine kept getting ignored because it was not as bad, until it got worse and worse and I could not stop itching. We are not all in the same boat. Regardless of our religious, political or other beliefs, this is affecting everyone differently, so we should all try and have some compassion for everyone. No one knows the right or wrong way to react to this yet. Most of us are trying our best though.

Bio: Amanda Dodson Gremillion published her first book in 2012. She began revising it in 2019 and republished it as Just Buy Her A Dress and She’ll Be Fine. The story chronicles her experience with severe postpartum OCD, anxiety and depression. Amanda is a graduate of Auburn University, and now lives in Calera, Alabama, with her husband, Jay, their daughter, Aubrie, and their two dogs, Honey Girl and Cooper. She hopes to write more books in the future. Follow Amanda’s journey on Facebook,  or twitter at https://twitter.com/AmandaGremilli2 and order her book here.  Also, follow her on the Mighty here Amanda Dodson Gremillion | The Mighty Contributor or listen to her podcast here Just Buy Her A Dress and She’ll Be Fine • A podcast on Anchor . You can also find her on Instagram here Amanda Dodson Gremillion (@justbuyheradress) • Instagram photos and videos.

You Are Only Supposed to Put One Space Between Sentences Now?

Posted on by Amanda Dodson Gremillion

So my cousin, who is a little older than me, posted a meme on Facebook the other day about her surprise at learning it is now expected that you leave only one space between sentences not two. Wait, what? I am currently writing a book and have a blog and this was news to me. You might notice this is the first blog I used one space instead of two and boy let me tell you, what a hard habit to break. I started learning on a typewriter and two is just what I was taught. I was also taught to sneeze in my hand though and we have to in our arm now. Occasionally, I will accidentally sneeze in my hand and my child gets onto me.

I have also been nannying recently and helping a 2nd grader and 5th grader with their school work due to my work closing and them e-learning from home due to COVID-19. I also occasionally help my 6th grader, but she is pretty independent. Recently, while relearning 5th grade language arts, I realized some more edits that needed to be made to my book. I am not sure if it was me not remembering the rules, the rules changing since I was in 5th grade or a combination of the two, but I kind of felt like I needed to repeat every grade like Billy Madison. I especially feel like this when I do not know the answer to one of the 2nd grade questions. I would feel worse, but the dad was trying to help the 2nd grader when I showed up one morning, and they had already gotten one or two answers wrong on something as well.

So many things have changed over the years. For one, kids are learning things earlier than we did. I feel like the math my daughter did in elementary school was algebra.  This was not even in her gifted class, just regular math. Pluto is no longer a planet and there is an extra ocean that did not exist when we were kids. Do not even get me started on common core math. Thank goodness my daughter just gets it, because I know parents whose kids don’t, and they cannot help them with it because we did not learn it that way. My daughter’s teacher did give the parents some homework once at an open house in 4th grade, and it helped me to finally understand common core. They still learn the way we do, they just learn many others ways as well.

This all being said, if you ever notice errors in my writing, please feel free to private message me and let me know. I stare at it so much, sometimes I miss even the most common errors. Other times, I apparently did not know the rules have changed, so don’t feel bad if you did not know either. I actually had a friend help me make a correction the other day to a blog, when he got stuck on one sentence for a bit due to a comma error.  Have you ever read a best selling book and noticed a common spelling or grammar error? I have more than once and now I realize how that happens. I am currently having my book professionally edited before republishing, but if you catch something, even the professional did not catch once it is out, please let me know. You will not hurt my feelings. Apparently, we are all still learning new things every day.

Bio: Amanda Dodson Gremillion published her first book in 2012. She began revising it in 2019 and republished it as Just Buy Her A Dress and She’ll Be Fine. The story chronicles her experience with severe postpartum OCD, anxiety and depression. Amanda is a graduate of Auburn University, and now lives in Calera, Alabama, with her husband, Jay, their daughter, Aubrie, and their two dogs, Honey Girl and Cooper. She hopes to write more books in the future. Follow Amanda’s journey on Facebook,  or twitter at https://twitter.com/AmandaGremilli2 and order her book here.  Also, follow her on the Mighty here Amanda Dodson Gremillion | The Mighty Contributor or listen to her podcast here Just Buy Her A Dress and She’ll Be Fine • A podcast on Anchor . You can also find her on Instagram here Amanda Dodson Gremillion (@justbuyheradress) • Instagram photos and videos.