Covid, ED, & Vaccine - Opinions

[Old Guy]

69 and implanted but still got the vaccine. Moderna left me with a sore arm on the first shot for a day. The second shot hit me 24 hours later with chills and lack of energy. Slept most of the afternoon, early to bed but felt good the next morning. Since we live in a big city, and our infection numbers were some of the highest in the country we definitely wear a mask every time we go out.
Wife has worked through the entire year in child care where several parents/children/co-workers were found to be positive. She always wears a mask, plus regular hand washing. She has not gotten COVID as much as she had to get tested twice after being exposed to a positive person.

[tomas1]

My wife and I over 80.
She has never had a sick day in her life.

I haven't had more than a cold in maybe 50 years.
We both just got our second Pfizer shots on Friday.

On the first shot she had a slightly sore arm.
I had nothing.

On the second shot, she had a sore arm again.
I had a low grade headache for 2 days, but that's gone.

We will still use a mask when going inside stores but we have never worn one out-of-doors.

! see people riding bicycles with a mask on. To each his own.

I'm convinced that Fauci and probably others knew there would never be enough masks to go around when this started and they wouldn't mandate their use.

[AnotherOldMan]

Both of us had the Moderna shots. It's a race between vaccines and variants. That's why we still wear masks in public!

[abhishek26]

got first phizer shot the other day. no side effects. just a bit of discomfort in shoulder at injection site. still was able to workout so guess things are going to be all right

[Flavio]

Age 44, got the Pfizer vaccine on 11 of April. Minimal side effects (minor headaches), no effect on sexual performance. Second dose is scheduled for 9 of May.

[Gt1956]

A N95 mask might be effective. You might as well not wear a mask if what you have on is cloth. Pore spaces way too large to effectively stop a virus particle.

Even a cloth mask will stop a droplet of sputum (carrying virus particles). Saliva, sputum, mucous particles are MUCH larger than a virus particle alone. So, a person wearing a cloth mask is less likely to transmit a virus, just as an unmasked person is less likely to spread a cold or flu if sneezing into a handkerchief or elbow than if sneezing into open air.
Less effective, sure. But more effective than a bare face.

As far as the question “does the vaccine prevent the virus”? Of course it does. I’ve never been much of a conspiracy theorist type but in my old crotchety middle age I’ve gotten to the point to where I don’t believe much that comes from Washington DC.
I’ve had the vaccine. Allegedly I’m immune or if I do catch Covid it’s supposed to be mild. It’s time to live, not to hide behind a mask.

You got that right. "allegedly immune, but if infected, milder than without the vaccine"
Your use of the word "allegedly" suggests that you don't 100% believe what you wrote, "Of course it does."

As far as the question “does the vaccine prevent the virus”? Of course it does.

I’ve had the vaccine. Allegedly I’m immune

I am not much of a conspiracy theorist, either, but recognize that one could describe our government as "the gang that couldn't shoot straight". Honest mistakes and incompetency among the sincere pile on top of nefarious motives of the insincere to make us dubious about most new information we get any more.
"Believe only half of what you see and one-quarter of what your hear" is an old, old piece of advice. To which I add, "And that goes double for anything you get from the internet, especially from non-authoritative sources."
Thanks for starting this thread. It will be useful and informative. If I am wrong about anything, I hope to be corrected.

LS, to a degree, your comparison to the gang that couldn't shoot straight is well understood. Having rode with some of the worlds best nitwits for over 42 years I have to say that fortunately in a group setting the best seem to rise to the task.....thank god. Now after having said that, I'm fairly sure that "our gang" is better overall that most of the other similar gangs in the world.
I'm a bit neutral on the mask mandate. My sil got covid while living in a nursing home. It was locked down from visitors, staff was all trained & masked up. She has literally every comorbidity possible. 80 years old, former almost life long smoker, overweight & a stroke survivor. She got a raspy voice for a few days & sounded like Kermit the frog. The short question to me is how did she catch covid with all the precaustions that were taken?

[FreddyFree]

I have had 1st shot of Astra-Zeneca, chills night of injection. Next day quite a headache, I rarely get headaches. Foggy brain. No energy. By end of 2nd day back to normal.

Yes I will mask up! I may not get sick, or if I do, it will be mild. Reason I would mask up is I could spread the virus unknowingly.

[bldoink]

No one should be forced to get vaccinated.

I'm done with masking.

I've had both Moderna shots plus the booster 3rd shot.
Sore arm for me. The 2nd Moderna made my wife pretty darn sick for a few days. She doesn't want the booster.

While I think no one should be forced I think some people with existing conditions are stupid to not get the shots.

[Up4Real?]

At 74, I had both of the Pfizer injections several months ago as did my wife, but even before me she got it at a test center. When she got hers she knew she might be getting a placebo but later found out she got the real vaccine. She continued to report vital signs and went in every couple month or so to for an in person check. About 2 months ago she got the booster and knew that was what she was getting. She has had no Covid related problems. Neither of us experienced any significant symptoms from the vaccine injections. We both have worn masks off and on as per what seemed to be the current recommendations
I never got a booster but as a senior citizen the time was coming when I needed to make a decision if I wanted it or not( and has now come).
About 1 month ago I was experiencing what I thought was a real bad cold and a terrible sore throat as well upper chest congestion with quite a bit of flim and some "gurgling.
The symptoms started on Tuesday, I got a Covid test at a public center on Thursday, and on Saturday I was feeling much better and also got a text saying I had Covid. I was able to get through to an MD handling the telehealth calls and was told I have or had a mild case of Covid.
Currently, I am scheduled for lab tests at my request to answer:
1. Did I really have Covid? I understand there are false positives.
2. What does my blood indicate for antibodies and how strong of a titer is it?
From this information I will make a decision in concert with my personal MD what if anything I do next. I understand that it is not uncommon to have higher titers of antibodies from experiencing the disease than from the vaccines....and that they last longer.
I am not an antivaxxer, I get the flew shot every year. I am 5'8 and weigh 159lbs. I, too, got all kinds of immunizations prior to serving in the infantry in Viet Nam and more when I returned stateside in one piece -Thank God. I exercise regularly and generally blessed with good health.
I felt very fortunate that there was a break in reported cases of the virus in Nov. of 2019 and was able to finally get a penile implant.
In summary, I feel there still is a lot we don't know about Covid and related matters. Thank you China.

[steamfitter]

I have seen all the news articles about Covid being bad for the penis. However, I have also heard anecdotally about a small (but not insignificant) number of young men (<40) who have gotten ED from the vaccine. I am 38, and I took the first pfizer shot a couple months ago. My ED immediately got noticeably worse. It has not improved much since then. I am someone who has medically induced ED.

I suspect that men (particularly men 40 and under) who have found themselves to be sensitive to side-effects from RX drugs in the past that have caused them ED (SSRI, finesteride, Accutane) are at a much higher risk of having their ED affected by the mnRa vaccines.

Most men on this site seem to be in their 60's and 70's+ and have age-related ED, I am not directing this message at you.