Go Ask Mom

Inside a pediatric COVID vaccine study: First appointment

WRAL lifestyle editor Kathy Hanrahan's 2 year-old daughter is a participant in a COVID-19 vaccination trial at Duke.

Posted Updated

By
Kathy Hanrahan
, WRAL lifestyle editor
DURHAM, N.C.WRAL lifestyle editor Kathy Hanrahan's 2-year-old daughter is a participant in a COVID-19 vaccination trial at Duke. She is documenting the journey on Go Ask Mom. You can read her first post about the vaccine study here.

The day of the first appointment was a little stressful! I wanted to make sure we got there early and didn't get lost. I also had to make sure Hayden was hydrated for her blood draw. I knew she would be a little scared because we were going to a new place. Really every place is new to her since we've spent most of her life in quarantine.

We drove up, and Hayden started asking for her brother. She loves him so much and was hoping he would be there to meet us, I guess. I explained that brother was with grandma and we would see him later.

We brought Kermit the Frog and Betty Beaver with us. Once we got buzzed into the center, I had to carry Hayden up two sets of stairs. She is tall and just over 30 pounds, so I got my weight lifting in early that day.

We were brought to an exam room and waited for the research coordinator to come in. She explained everything that we would be doing in the study. She checked Hayden's vital signs and gave me paperwork to review and sign.

Soon, one of the doctors running the study came in and examined Hayden. He answered questions and made me really feel at ease about the process.

Then, he had to do a COVID nasal swab on my baby!

Hayden, like most of us, hated the test, but they didn't have to swab too much inside her nose. It wasn't one of those swabs that hits your brain.

After that, three nurses came in to do a blood draw. I had applied an approved numbing cream to her arm to help ease the pain of the needle. It didn't matter though. Hayden was a wiggly worm, and the nurses decided to send us to a nearby lab to have a pediatric phelobotimist do the blood draw.

We had to get our stuff and drive to the lab. There we waited our turn to be called, and then a very nice lady had the task of getting Hayden's blood. After one arm failed to give any blood, she had to move to other one. Finally she got the blood she needed and we were free to go.

We had a few hours to hang out before going back to get the COVID vaccination (or the placebo). We had lunch at home and relaxed. It was so great to hang out together and just breathe after the stressful morning.

We went back a little early that afternoon to get the shot. It was quick. Just a quick jab in her arm and then we were on the clock. We had to wait 30 minutes to make sure there wasn't a reaction to the shot. If after 30 minutes, we were good, then they would send us home.

After 30 minutes, we were sent on our way with a bag of "goodies" - a therometer to measure her temperature each night for a week, a device to measure any inflammation around the injection site and some COVID-19 tests that we are not allowed to open unless they tell us to test her.

Hayden jogged to the car and hopped right in to go home. She got a little sleepy on the way home, but when we saw her brother at home she went wild. She ran around, snacked and played. Lots of energy. Then she slowed down and just chilled out watching TV on the couch.

For the next week we monitored her for side effects and reported back via an app. We only noticed a little fatique one day. Otherwise, she was her normal self. No fever, no rashes, no problems.

We go back in a few weeks and do it all over again. Not looking forward to the long day, but at least we are on our way to getting vaccinated - whether it was a placebo we got or not.

 Credits 

Copyright 2024 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.