Some of you may scoff at what I am about to say, but I am so relieved and grateful to have been vaccinated.
We are so fortunate to have the option to do so and not only that, in LA we even get to choose which one we want and it is free! Whilst a huge majority of people are still dying from this virus and don’t have the vaccine readily available to them we are so lucky that we do and not only that we have the option to take it or leave it.
Even the UK has been struggling to vaccinate everyone and has had to make the decision to stretch the gap between the initial shot and the booster to longer than what’s recommended. Brits also don’t get to ask for their jab of choice. One of my sisters (who lives in London) has had her second one postponed due to lack of supplies. She was very impressed when I told her how it works here. There isn’t really a lot to be grateful for right now so I am looking for things to appreciate in every which way I can. Compared to the current atrocities going on around the world we have it pretty good even when it is bad.
I must admit I was a little nervous walking into my appointment, although I do try to ignore the stories of terrible side effects and the conspiracy theories that are going around, some still manage to slip through and make me (ever so slightly) start to have a few doubts … that’s normal though I think and pretty much everyone I have spoken to has experienced a similar feeling. I had read that the second dose can give you stronger symptoms than the first one so I decided it wouldn’t hurt to give my immune system a boost. Longtime readers will know I am a huge advocate of B12 shots, I give them much credit for sending my anemia packing and for also keeping me healthy during flu season. Sadly my favourite practitioner (Dr Amy at Lyfe, Health & Aesthetic clinic ) is not yet ready to reopen, so I did a little googling but couldn’t find anyone I felt completely comfortable visiting – most were evasive with pricing and they all seemed more like beauty parlors rather than actual doctors who care about your wellbeing. As serendipity would have it I was browsing through my Facebook newsfeed only to see a post from a friend that included a photo of her getting a B12 shot!
I love personal recommendations and to date have never been steered wrong by one, so I immediately asked for the details and a few days later got my long awaited vitamin B boost at Beverly Hills Regenerative Medicine (which is actually over on Montana Avenue in Santa Monica). They are one of the fortunate businesses on this busy high street to have free parking available in the rear.
Best of all B12 shots only cost $30 (which is probably cheaper than a visit to your GP and better than the $35 CVS charge) .
My visit was a few days before my second Pfizer injection so I decided to be proactive and get one of their popular multivitamin IV infusions too. I’ve read about people like Rihanna getting them after a heavy night out, giving her an extra boost thus enabling her to perform a live show. But I’ve never really considered one for myself; if now isn’t the time to boost my immune system when is? A massive thank you to the team at BHRM (Mania Megerdichian on the left and Phi Phi Do on the right) who spent a good 10 minutes patiently searching for a decent vein to insert the IV; rather than rushing and causing me pain in the process. The infusion took about half an hour which actually flew by and didn’t hurt at all.
I slept like a peaceful baby that night and definitely noticed an extra spring in my step the following day. I also lost a couple of pounds which I’m told is due to me getting my fill of much needed nutrients however I also put this down to the B12 which is known to speed up your metabolism. Best of all I had almost zero side effects after my second vaccination. A slightly sore arm and a couple of extra hours in bed but overall nothing! I can’t say whether the IV helped or not but I certainly know it didn’t hinder my recovery. Visit https://tinyurl.com/BHRMIV if you want to try for yourself. They also offer Covid testing including the ones you need to board a plane which is a much-asked question on our Facebook group!
I will be fully vaccinated at the end of the month and to celebrate I’ve booked a table at the Cat and the Fiddle for the Champions League final. I am quite excited to venture out into the new world!
Hope to see you soon…
Cheers!
Eileen
