Just got mine...last year it wasn't a big deal, but this year it fucking HURT. I'm already a giant baby who hates getting my vaccines but this was way worse than usual. When I started telling people about my reaction this year a number of people agreed that it hurt way worse this year and/or they had different reactions than previous years.
Please note I'm not looking for any conspiracies about it being worse or different somehow in a bad way, and I'm not trying to scare people into not getting it; even if it fucking hurt this year please get it, the temporary pain is better than getting and spreading covid.
But it definitely felt different in my arm and in my body this year and I have heard the same from others. Did something change or are we just misremembering? Or are our bodies reacting different somehow this year for other reasons? Or is it just random and this year for whatever coincidental reason I know a bunch of people who had a worse muscle reaction to it.
Yeah, general anecdotal consensus is the Moderna hits harder because of that. I've been sticking with Pfizer so far but am hoping to try the Novavax this time. I'm a pretty large guy, but Pfizer always knocks me out for a day or so. And every mRNA shot has resulted in a longer and longer period of swelling in the lymph nodes of my armpits. Hoping for something less drastic this time.