Let's Talk About Mental Health: A Guide for Parents and Kids

/

Hey awesome parents and kids! Taking care of our mental health is important, especially when times get tough. Here is a simple guide to help you learn about mental health — what it is, why it matters, and ways we can take better care of our minds every day.

Mental Health: What's It All About? You've probably heard the words "mental health", but have you ever wondered what it really means? Mental health is all about our social and emotional well-being — in other words, it’s how we feel when we’re with other people and when we’re by ourselves. Kids today especially face so many challenges that can impact their mental health. Pressures of school, social interactions, and the digital age can be a lot for kids to process.

Balancing The Stress Bucket: Imagine we each have a stress bucket sitting on top of our heads. School, friends, family—these fill up our buckets with different stressors. As the bucket fills up, it gets heavier and harder to balance, which can make us feel overwhelmed. So, it's important to empty our stress bucket by doing healthy things, like getting enough sleep, eating well, and spending quality time with friends and family.

Of course, stress is a natural part of life. The goal isn’t to completely eliminate stress — that’s not realistic. The goal is to be as healthy as possible so that we can manage the stress that comes into our lives with compassion and resilience.

Mental Wellness Journey: Mental wellness is like a lifelong adventure. It's not about always being happy but managing well in our day-to-day lives. We are all going to have good days and bad days, happy and sad days. Our mental wellness will go up and down throughout our lives, and that's completely normal.

However, While mental health is something we all have, mental illness is just one part of it. Mental illness involves mental health problems linked to high distress or problems in daily life. It's helpful to know that everyone has feelings, but not everyone has a mental illness.

Signs To Look Out For: Recognizing signs of potential mental health issues helps adults step in as early as possible. Experts suggest that adults pay attention to the following indicators that their kids may show:

  • Changes in Behavior: Sudden and significant changes in your child's behavior like increased irritability, withdrawal, or aggression.

  • Difficulty Concentrating: Academic challenges mixed with an inability to focus can be a sign of stress overload or anxiety.

  • Physical Symptoms: Complaints of frequent headaches or stomachaches, which have no apparent medical cause, could be from emotional distress.

  • Sleep Disturbances: Changes in sleep patterns, including difficulty falling asleep or frequent nightmares, are important to note.

Enhancing Children's Mental Well-Being: Adults are important role models to kids when it comes to healthy behaviors and seeking help when it’s needed. Here are some ways we can bring out the superheroes in ourselves and our children:

  • Open Communication: Establishing open lines of communication between parents and children helps create a safe space for kids to express their thoughts and feelings.

  • Promoting Healthy Habits: Encouraging regular physical activity and a balanced diet can positively impact a child's mental health.

  • Limiting Screen Time: Managing screen time is essential in the digital age, and engaging in activities that promote face-to-face interactions.

  • Seeking Professional Help: If parents observe persistent signs of mental health issues, seeking professional help is crucial. Child psychologists and psychiatrists can provide assessments and interventions tailored to the child's specific needs.

Mental Health Practices To Try: Getting into the habit of noticing when our stress buckets are too full and practicing stress-busting activities can be a big help to keep our minds and bodies in better balance. Here are some practices you can try with your kids:

  • Magic Breaths: When things get a bit overwhelming, try taking some magic breaths together. Breathe in slowly, counting to three, and then breathe out counting to three again. It's like a little magic trick that helps calm our feelings and make our nerves feel better.

  • Flip Those Thoughts: If you notice you’re feeling bad about yourself, recognize those thoughts and switch them for positive ones. For example, if you are down on yourself for doing badly on a test, tell yourself you know you didn’t do your best, but you are someone who will always improve and make each new attempt better than the last. Training your brain to let go of the past gives your mind room to welcome in the joy of the present and be enthusiastic about the future!

  • Feeling It Out: Sometimes our feelings just need a little expression. Draw them, dance them, write them, or talk them out with someone you trust — even talking your feelings out in private to your favorite toy can help! Getting your feelings out helps release them from your body. It truly does help you feel better!

Helpful Resources: Here are some great resources you can turn to for more education, tools and specialized help:

Final Thoughts: Mental health is a big deal, but it's not as scary as it may seem. We can all play a part in taking care of our mental health and supporting each other. Remember, you're not alone, and taking care of our mental health is something we can all do together! 💖

World 1-3: How Does a Ventilator Work?

/

Hello, SuperCaptainBraveFAM!

I’m Nurse Leah and I’m here with another installment of the Science Saga of SuperCaptainBraveMan!

In World 1-1, we learned about the lungs and what they do. We even made our own “mini-lung” to show how the lungs inflate inside the chest.

In World 1-2, we found out that CPR (aka: cardiopulmonary respiration) can be done using only our hands to pump blood through the body and bring the oxygen we need to where it has to go. At least, until experienced medical help can arrive!

Now we enter World 1-3. And I’d like to share with you one of the mechanical ways medicine can help support our lungs and provide precious oxygen to our body.

Before we continue, just a quick recap of the parts of the respiratory system. (Remember that’s the name of the body system that’s responsible for breathing!)

The mouth & nose help air go into and out of your body.

The trachea (aka the Windpipe) is the tube that connects the mouth & nose to your lungs.

The muscles in between your ribs and a large muscle called the diaphragm work together to increase the space inside the chest and cause the lungs to expand.

The lungs are protected in your ribcage and hold smaller, balloon-like structures called alveoli. These alveoli are where carbon dioxide and other waste gases are exchanged for fresh oxygen.

Oxygen is needed to create energy in every single cell in your body!

All these parts work together for the main purpose of getting rid of waste gases and gaining new oxygen.

Recap done; I just need to explain one extra science fact about breathing.

Look at our mini-lung!

If you still have the mini-lung from World 1-1, it’s a great visual example of what I’m talking about. When we made our mini-lung, we sealed off the bottom and top of the bottle. The balloon and straw inside the bottle now exist in a partial vacuum.

A vacuum is a space with nothing in it—not even air. A partial vacuum can have a little air or other stuff in it. The way scientists measure the strength of a vacuum is by using a measurement called pressure.

Because of the partial vacuum in the bottle, there are only 2 ways air can go in or out of the balloon.

  1. Changing the shape and size of the bottle by pulling the stretched “diaphragm” or compressing the bottle sides.

  2. Forcing air into the balloon by blowing directly through the straw.

The physical way our bodies take in air is option number 1; through a process called negative pressure breathing.

Since the space around the balloon is in a partial vacuum, this space will always want to have the same amount of pressure in it. By expanding the shape and size of the bottle, the pressure change inside will pull air in through the straw and inflate the balloon. The bigger the balloon gets, the closer to the original pressure the bottle becomes.

Air is pretty invisible so it may be hard to visualize how this works using just our mini-lung. If you have a medicine dropper, bulb syringe, or turkey baster, here’s a quick example of negative pressure in action.

Take your medicine dropper or turkey baster, squeeze the bulb a bit, put the tip in a cup of liquid, and let go of the bulb.

Where did the liquid go? Into the dropper!

That’s because items like medicine droppers, eye droppers, turkey basters, or those bulb syringes you use to suck up baby boogers all have partial vacuums!

Now, you might be thinking, “If negative pressure breathing exists, then positive pressure breathing is a thing too, right?”

You are absolutely correct!

Conventional CPR used by those trained in it, requires rescue breaths aka mouth-to-mouth. This is where air is blown into the lungs by an outside force.

The outside force can be the breath of a rescuer; air pushed through a large, self-inflating bag aka a bag valve mask; or in very serious and extended instances, a machine called a ventilator.

A ventilator is a form of life support. The machine takes over the work of breathing when a person isn’t able to breathe enough on their own. The ventilator pushes a mixture of air and oxygen into the lungs.

Very often, when someone has to use a ventilator, they also need extra oxygen. Using either oxygen tanks or an oxygen concentrator, tubes connect the source of the oxygen to the ventilator and into the person’s lungs.

Why would a person require extra oxygen if breathing normally already gives us all we need?

Imagine a handful of ice cream sprinkles—the rainbow kind. Some are white, some are pink, a few may be blue or light green. In a way, the air around us is a lot like that handful of sprinkles. Some of the air is oxygen, some is carbon dioxide, some is a gas called nitrogen or any other kind of gases. But altogether these separate gases make up the air we breathe.

Usually, breathing is enough. Our bodies sort through the different gases in the air and take the oxygen in as fast as it takes to take a breath. But, when a person isn’t able to breathe on their own, extra help is just that.

Extra help.

There are several reasons why a person would need a ventilator. One of the most common is because the help a ventilator gives allows the body to focus energy on other things like healing after an accident or during a severe infection.

Everything our bodies do require energy. Life support machines like ventilators help ease the strain on our bodies during the healing process.

In hospital settings like an ICU (intensive care unit), those using ventilators can have something called an endotracheal tube that connects the ventilator to them. This tube goes through the nose or mouth and into the Windpipe. And with the tube in place, they can’t talk or eat until it's removed.

Endotracheal tubes aren’t permanent and are removed when the person doesn’t need a ventilator anymore.

There are times when an endotracheal tube isn’t enough, though. If something is blocking the windpipe or the ventilator will be used for a long time, a tracheostomy procedure is performed.

Kyle has a tracheostomy tube put in place by his doctors.

Kyle has a tracheostomy tube put in place by his doctors.

A surgeon creates a hole in the person’s neck & trachea and inserts a tracheostomy tube into the hole. That tube is then connected to the ventilator and the person now has a working airway. While the tracheostomy tube is in place, the person can still talk and eat as long as they're very careful. 

Like the endotracheal tube, the tracheostomy tube—more commonly known as a trach—isn’t permanent and can be removed once the ventilator isn’t needed anymore.

Nurse Ashley checks Kyle's lungs before they begin the "sprinting" exercise.

When a person is getting better and the time comes to remove the ventilator, healthcare professionals will help them get used to breathing without it. Through a series of exercises and observational tests, healthcare workers assess a person’s ability to breathe on their own.

Nurse Ashley checks Kyle’s lungs before they begin the “sprinting” exercise.

For those with trachs, an exercise called “sprinting” is used. After disconnecting the ventilator tube, a small cap is placed over the trach. The person then focuses on breathing as normally as possible through their nose and mouth. After using a ventilator, the muscles used in respiration might need to retrain themselves for a bit.

Healthcare workers monitor the person closely and when the chosen sprinting time is reached, the ventilator is reconnected to the trach and the exercise is over. This is done again and for longer intervals until doctors believe that the person can breathe well on their own.

Breathing is an amazingly simple thing we do every day. Our bodies are designed so well that its something that happens naturally and mostly without conscious thought. So, when problems occur that mess with that function, scientists and doctors over the years have had to figure out new ways for people to breathe.

Science helped us discover how we breathe and is constantly searching to improve our knowledge in order to help others.

This adventure is far from over. Be sure to come back and explore new worlds with me in…

Until next week, stay safe and stay brave, SuperCaptainBraveFAM!

Join our mailing list and don’t forget to like & follow SuperCaptainBraveMan on social media for new posts and exciting news!

www.supercaptainbraveman.com

Instagram: @supercaptainbraveman

Facebook: www.facebook.com/supercaptainbraveman

World 1-2: What is CPR?

/

Hello, SuperCaptainBraveFAM!

Last week, we learned about the lungs and how we breathe. Today, we’ll learn about a way we can help someone in case they suddenly can’t breathe on their own. At least, until emergency medical personnel arrive.

Cardiopulmonary means relating to the heart and lungs.

Cardiopulmonary means relating to the heart and lungs.

This process is called Cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR.

Cardio means heart.

Pulmonary means lungs.

Resuscitation means to resume or revive.

Sometimes, a person can collapse very suddenly. Because of an accident or physical problem, their heart can stop beating and their breathing will pause as well. This can be very bad because the reason we breathe is to exchange carbon dioxide for fresh oxygen. And oxygen is essential to creating energy in our bodies.

In World 1-1, we learned that the lungs inflate and deflate when we breathe. This allows air to travel into our bodies from our nose and mouth. Muscles move to expand the space in our chest and exchange carbon dioxide for oxygen.

The heart is responsible for pumping blood throughout the body and is very important!

Resting in our chest along with the lungs is the heart. The heart needs to be close to the lungs because it’s the muscle that needs fresh oxygen the most. It pumps and pushes blood to the rest of the body and has the most important job ever.

The heart is responsible for pumping blood throughout the body and is very important!

Thanks to the heart pumping oxygen rich blood in our bodies, we can do things like dance, walk, work, play with our family, and sleep soundly.

So, when there are problems with our hearts, there are very serious problems with our bodies.

Modern CPR as we know it was introduced to the world in 1960 by Dr. William Kouwenhoven, Dr. James Jude, and Dr. Peter Safar. Thanks to the work of this team, they made it possible for everyday people to help those that collapse and need help.

“…anyone, anywhere can initiate cardiac resuscitation procedures. All that is needed are two hands.”

– Dr. William Kouwenhoven

According to the American Heart Association, there are two types of CPR.

Some people trained in CPR carry special one time use mouth guards to make mouth-to-mouth resuscitation safer.

The first is known as conventional CPR.

Some people trained in CPR carry special one time use mouth guards to make mouth-to-mouth resuscitation safer.

It’s the kind of CPR usually shown in TV shows and movies. Chest compressions are done along with mouth-to-mouth rescue breaths. It’s a multi-step process and one that you can get certified in after taking a CPR class.

This type of CPR is performed by healthcare professionals and others certified in CPR. It’s used to help people of all ages in an emergency situation.

The second type is called compression-only CPR or Hands-Only CPR.  

This kind of CPR doesn’t require any mouth-to-mouth. Since there is no mouth-to-mouth, Hands-Only CPR is a great way to help in an emergency if direct contact with the other person’s mouth isn’t advisable.

This type of CPR can be performed by anyone and is recommended only for adults & teenagers who suddenly collapse in out-of-hospital situations.

Unlike conventional CPR, Hands-Only CPR is made up of 2 steps.

  • Step 1: Activate the emergency response system.

    • Call 9-1-1 or have someone nearby do that.

  • Step 2: Push hard and fast in the center of their chest.

    • The best way to keep track is to push to the beat of a fast song like:

      • “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees

      • “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd

      • “MMMBop” by Hanson

      • “Just Dance” by Lady Gaga

      • “Hips Don’t Lie” by Shakira

If you still have the model lung we made in World 1-1, you can see how Hands-Only CPR works to inflate our lungs. The movement of chest compressions also helps mimic the way the heart beats and keeps the blood moving in our bodies.

Hands-Only CPR Example Using the Model Lung Experiment

According to the American Heart Association, immediate CPR can double or triple the chances of survival after cardiac arrest. (Cardiac arrest is when the heart malfunctions or stops working correctly.)

In fact, another study showed that sixth graders are able to perform Hands-Only CPR correctly once shown how to do it. CPR training is a high school graduation requirement in 34 states so far. In our home state of California, it’s been a requirement since 2018!

There are several different jobs that require CPR certification besides healthcare providers. Firefighters, police officers, child care providers, and flight attendants all need to learn CPR in the event someone collapses.

But Hands-Only CPR doesn’t need certification!

There are even kiosks that give a quick lesson on Hands-Only CPR located in different airports across the US. The lesson includes a video introduction and tutorial. As well as an interactive practice session on the manikin attached to the kiosk. A list of airports with these kiosks can be found here.

Watch below for a quick video on how Hands-Only CPR works. So easy, even Ken Jeong can do it!

Don't be afraid to use Hands-Only CPR, you could save a life!

Getting CPR training is a useful skill for everyone to have. In person classes might not be available right now, but once they are, we fully encourage everyone to get CPR certified.

After learning how the lungs work and how important oxygen is for us, knowing how to give aid in an emergency is a great way to help save a life.

So, remember to stay safe and stay brave, SuperCaptainBraveFAM!

The journey continues next week on…

Join our mailing list and don’t forget to like & follow SuperCaptainBraveMan on social media to hear all about it!

www.supercaptainbraveman.com

Instagram: @supercaptainbraveman

Facebook: www.facebook.com/supercaptainbraveman

World 1-1: How We Breathe

/

Hello, SuperCaptainBraveFAM!

I’m Nurse Leah and I’d like to talk about breathing. Why do we do it? Why do we need it? How does it all work?

The answer to the first two questions is simple: we breathe in to get fresh oxygen into our bodies and we breathe out to get rid of carbon dioxide and other waste gases.

Oxygen is an essential part of the process our body’s cells use to create energy in the most efficient way. A byproduct (or result) of that is carbon dioxide (CO2)—which is dangerous to keep in our bodies and that’s why we need to breathe it out. The process of using oxygen to make energy in our cells is called aerobic respiration.

There’s a way for our cells to get energy without oxygen, but it actually takes more effort and the byproducts of that process can be more harmful to your muscles. That process is called anaerobic respiration.

So, oxygen is really, really important for our bodies to work at its absolute best.

And the place where our body exchanges carbon dioxide for fresh oxygen is right there in our lungs!

That brings us to the third question I started with: How does it all work?

The parts of the body responsible for breathing are collectively called the Respiratory system. That’s because it’s a system of organs and parts of your body that work together to get some of the materials needed for aerobic respiration.

David, from A Kyle Adventure Book 2: Signs of the Season

So, let me introduce you to the parts of the Respiratory system, starting at your head with the nose and mouth.

When we breathe, air usually comes in through our nose or mouth. The truth is that the passages that make up the inside of your nose and mouth are connected. That’s why liquid comes out of your nose if you laugh too hard while drinking.

Have you ever gone out when it was especially cold and every time you breathed, it hurt your chest a little? Or has it ever been so hot and dry that you can practically taste the heat?

It’s because the difference in air temperature from your own body temperature contrasted a bit too much. Your body likes everything inside to stay pretty much the same temperature and works hard to maintain that. The inside of your body also likes to stay moist and doesn’t like to dry out too much—think of the inside of your mouth—and so one job of the mouth and nose is to warm and moisten the air entering your body.

Another job is that they keep particles that don’t belong in the body out. Things like dust and pollen get stuck in our nose hairs and sneezed out. Or the back of your mouth catches the bigger particles and you can cough them out.

Just a quick reminder to please cover your nose & mouth when coughing & sneezing, use tissues to wipe your face, and wash your hands afterward. Doing these things can help keep yourself clean and prevent the spread of diseases that take advantage of how our Respiratory systems work.

After our nose and mouth, the next part of the Respiratory system is the trachea.

The trachea is tube that runs alongside and in front of your esophagus. The esophagus is a soft, flexible tube that food travels down to get to the stomach. The trachea is more rigid and keeps its shape a lot more easily to allow airflow to travel properly.

The easy travel of airflow is why another name for the trachea is “The Windpipe.”

The trachea, bronchi, bronchioles, and the lungs.

The trachea, bronchi, bronchioles, and the lungs.

As it goes down into your chest, the trachea branches off into two bronchi—which are smaller tubes—and from there bronchioles—which are the smallest airway tubes of all.

At the end of the bronchioles are small clusters that look like tiny, tiny balloons. These clusters are called alveoli and this is where the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide take place.

The alveoli are covered with the smallest blood vessels in the body and the red blood cells in the vessels are the ones that trade the carbon dioxide they hold for new oxygen. They then take that oxygen to the rest of the body.

But more than the lungs—and all they hold—are needed to take a breath.

This is where muscles like your diaphragm and those in your rib cage come in to play.

The diaphragm is a muscle that sits right below the lungs and is the major muscle used in breathing. This boss muscle is dome shaped and when it contracts, it flattens. This makes the space inside your chest bigger and causes the lungs to inflate and expand.

The muscles in your rib cage—right in between your rib bones—also help expand your chest whenever you inhale.

When the space inside your chest gets bigger, air is sucked into your lungs and the alveoli fill with fresh oxygen. That is what happens when you inhale.

When the diaphragm and rib cage relax, the space inside your chest returns to it’s resting size. The air you just breathed in is released through your nose and mouth. That is what happens in your body when you exhale.

Breathing helps everyone race around and have fun!

And the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide happens in millions of tiny alveoli during that short time between inhaling and exhaling.

Our bodies automatically know how to take a breath. People like singers, dancers, actors, and athletes all learn how to control their breathing and use their respiratory muscles to improve their performances. It’s really amazing how our bodies take so many separate parts and use them together to do something like breathing!

If you want to get a simplified visual of how your body breathes, then here’s an experiment that adults and kids can do to make your own “mini lung”!

Make your own model lung at home!

Disclaimer: This experiment is relatively well-known and available online through multiple sources. Always be sure to be careful and have an adult handle the scissors. Safety is always important!

How to Make a Model Lung

Materials Needed

  • A plastic bottle

  • A straw (we used a wide, reusable boba straw)

  • 2 balloons (regular party balloons)

  • An elastic band or tape

  • Play dough or something to seal the bottle top (we used half of a balloon and tape)

  • A marker

  • Scissors

Instructions

  1. Mark the bottle halfway down and have an adult use the scissors to carefully cut the bottle at the mark. You can use the bottom half as a planter or decorate it to hold pencils. We’ll be using the top half for the experiment.

  2. Get one balloon and tie a knot at the opening. Use the scissors to cut the top off of the balloon.

  3. Take the top half of the bottle and stretch the tied-off balloon around the bottom of the bottle. Tape in place, if needed.

  4. Put the straw in the other balloon and secure in place with an elastic band or tape. Be careful not to crush the straw! Air needs to travel through it. You can blow gently through the straw to check if the balloon inflates to be sure.

  5. Put the straw and balloon into the neck of the bottle so that the balloon is inside the bottle near the center.

  6. Now, you have to make an airtight seal at the top of the bottle. There are two ways I know how to do this depending on what materials you have:

    1. You can use play dough to secure the straw at the top of the bottle where the cap usually goes. Make sure the straw isn’t crushed and that no air can escape through the play dough.

    2. Take the other balloon piece and have an adult cut a small hole in the center. Slide the top of the straw through the hole and bring the balloon piece down to the bottle opening. Secure the straw to the balloon with tape. Tape the balloon edges to the bottle, or you can use an elastic band to seal the balloon at the bottle opening.

Presto! You’ve made your own mini-lung!

You’ve probably figured out how the different materials make up the different parts of the respiratory system, right?

  • The bottle = your chest and rib cage

  • The straw = your windpipe

  • The balloon inside the bottle = your lungs

  • The balloon at the bottom of the bottle = your diaphragm

But how do you see it in action?

If your lungs inflate because your diaphragm makes the space inside your chest bigger…

What happens when you pull down on the balloon at the bottom?

Don’t be discouraged if it doesn’t work the first time. Just re-check for any holes or leaks in the tape or play dough to make sure everything is sealed and there are no leaks.

In fact, problems like small holes or leaks in our respiratory system can keep our own lungs from inflating properly. And it’s things like that that doctors and healthcare professionals look out for when treating patients who are having trouble breathing.

Knowing how our bodies work is important for us to know how to take care of ourselves. And especially important so we know how best to help those who might need it.

The human body is intriguing and amazing to learn about. There’s always more to learn and share.

Join us next week for another installment of…

The Science Saga of SuperCaptainBraveMan!

Until then, stay safe and stay brave!

Join our mailing list and don’t forget to like & follow SuperCaptainBraveMan on social media to hear all about it!

www.supercaptainbraveman.com

Instagram: @supercaptainbraveman

Facebook: www.facebook.com/supercaptainbraveman

Hand Washing and Social Distancing

/

Hello, SuperCaptainBraveFam!

It's Nurse Leah with two very special messages from SuperCaptainBraveMan. We all have been living very strange lives over the past year. We want all of you to know that we're doing our best to keep everyone safe by washing our hands and social distancing responsibly.

With that said, please enjoy these SuperCaptainBraveMan Comics drawn by our very own Victor Lodevico.

As the pandemic continues and numbers start to decrease, we should all work hard to keep each other safe. Remember to be an everyday hero to everyone around you.

As always, stay safe and stay brave, SuperCaptainBraveFAM.

Don’t forget to subscribe to our mailing list, like, and follow us on social media for more content and upcoming announcements!

www.supercaptainbraveman.com

Instagram: @supercaptainbraveman

Facebook: www.facebook.com/supercaptainbraveman

I Got the COVID-19 Vaccine: Part 2

/

Hello, SuperCaptainBraveFAM!

Nurse Leah here with part 2 of my vaccine journey.

On February 4th, I wrote a lot about the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines for COVID-19. Hopefully, it wasn’t too much of an information dump and answered some questions you might have had. Now that most of the technical stuff is out of the way, I can talk about my personal experiences with getting the vaccine.

Vaccine distribution set up, January 7, 2021

My main job is for a home healthcare company. This means that normally I go to my patients’ homes for anywhere between a 30-minute visit to a 12-hour shift. Traveling through the city is involved as well as direct patient contact. I was careful at maintaining a clean and sanitized work ethic before. Now, like many others, I’m almost over-zealous about it.

My vaccine story actually starts in the middle. In the middle of winter, in the middle of the multi-tier vaccination eligibility requirements created by the state of California, in the middle of a transition of leadership, and in the middle of my breakfast.

My job being what it is, I knew that even as a healthcare worker, I wouldn’t be eligible for either vaccine for a while. Frontline workers at hospitals deserve the vaccines first. So, I was surprised when I received an email from work with a link to make an appointment with the LA Department of Public Health for the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

At the time of writing, if you visit the LA Department of Public Health website you can find links outlining the current tier system and eligibility requirements for vaccine distribution. There is also a link to schedule an appointment if you meet the requirements.

I made my appointment for 9:55 am on January 7, 2021.

Scheduling the first dose was pretty easy. I chose a site near my house to cut down on travel time and as early an appointment as I could get. At this site the vaccine offered was the Moderna vaccine.

Ever since 7th grade, I've lived my life on Lombardi time.

“If you are five minutes early, you are already ten minutes late.”

~Vince Lombardi

So, I showed up to my 9:55 appointment at 9:15 AM.

Nurse Leah waiting in the observation area after receiving the Moderna COVID-19 vaccination.

Then had to walk a bit to get to the actual site since the GPS sent me to the wrong entrance of the building. I was instantly glad I was early because the line already went around the corner and was making its way down the street.

In early January, the vaccine wasn’t yet available to those 65 and older, so the others in line with me were fellow healthcare workers. Close to a year of practice meant that keeping a 6-foot gap between us was practically habit at this point. Which is a little sad to think about, but is our new normal.

It took about an hour and a half of waiting in line. I filled out the health form when I made the appointment and checking in was quickly done. From there it was just a matter of providing proof of employment & my ID and then I was sitting down for the shot.

The shot itself was pretty standard. Straight into my arm with me staring straight ahead. Because I absolutely hate needles and I’ve learned that looking at the process seems to make it hurt more. Maybe it does, maybe it doesn’t. But I’m still not gonna look when I get an injection or blood drawn.

The first feeling I experienced was the cold. One thing I didn’t mention in the last vaccination post is that both vaccines need to be stored at very, very cold temperatures. Then my arm felt sore very quickly, which is normal for me when I get injections in my upper arm.

I got my vaccination card, was led to an area for observation, and given a time when it was considered safe to leave. I felt okay, if a little headachy. But after 15 minutes, I was okay to go home.

Chatting with friends while in the observation area

From the moment I got there to the moment I was cleared to leave; the whole process took about 1 hour and 45 minutes. I’ve waited in lines at Disneyland that were just as long. And the payoff for this wait is definitely worth it. During the wait time I texted with some friends who were doing the same thing I was, only at different sites.

By pure coincidence, my cousin—who works at a nursing home—received the vaccine the same day at his facility. We spent the rest of the day texting back and forth on how we were doing. The texts went along the lines of this:

Me: My arm hurts.

Him: Mine too. Got a fever?

Me: Nah. Not really. You?

Him: A little one. But it’s warm in my room.

*Two hours later*

Him: I fell asleep. Kinda tired.

Me: Same. Fever?

Him: Lemme check.
Nah

Me: Gotta eat. Laters

He told me the next day that he had little to no appetite, but that could also just be one of his quirks. I honestly couldn’t stop snacking—which is one of my quirks.

Stephen Chow as Sing in Kung Fu Hustle (2004)

But my arm was very, very sore. And remained sore for the next few days.

On January 12, Operation Warp Speed—the program tasked with vaccine development and distribution—announced that the vaccine would be made available to those 65 and older.

With the transition of leadership in the country, there was a bit of confusion on where, when, and how to schedule appointments for my mother and godmother, who are 69 and 75 respectively. Both are retired registered nurses who have each dedicated close to 35 years of their lives to their patients.

In an article on the AARP website, as of January 27, vaccines are available to adults 65 and older in all but six states—with some of those states planning to start distribution in early or mid-February. And even then, some counties have different age ranges listed for vaccine eligibility. Be sure to check the guidelines not only for your state, but county as well when looking to schedule an appointment for family members.

The situation on vaccine administration is ever evolving and the LA Department of Public Health website—DPH for short—has done its best to keep up with these changes. Information can and has changed by the minute with additional sites being added (or removed) from the list. My mother and I have taken to keeping a tab open on our phone’s internet browsers and checking every hour (or every 5 minutes) on available appointments at the sites she prefers.

On Sunday, January 24, I received an excited text from my mom stating that she got an appointment at one of the vaccination Mega PODs set up by LA County. She tried to schedule another one for my godmother for the same day, but in the time it took her to make one appointment, all the available spots were taken.

That’s when I started lurking on the DPH website, constantly refreshing the page and acting as I did in the early days of online auction shopping. Wishing and hoping.

Clickin’ and hopin’; refreshin’ and watchin’
Plannin’ and checkin’ each site for a spot
To make sure my Aunt gets her shot.

Sorry there, sometimes I re-write song lyrics in my head. (I love Dusty Springfield.)

Being so glued to the scheduling website, I almost missed the page flicker and change before my eyes. Suddenly there were three available appointments at the same location where I got my first shot.

THREE available appointments.

Knowing some of my godmother’s information, I started filling out the form and ran downstairs to tell her the news. (She & my mother live with me & my daughter now that they’re retired.) Excitedly, she gave me the other necessary details. Altogether, it took about 10 minutes to fill out the form and by the time we were done, all of the appointments were taken. Again.

Only this time, she had an appointment scheduled.

It was at this moment that the three of us—my mom, my godmother, and myself—realized that we’d scheduled their shots on the same day.

At completely different sites.

Retired RN, E. Mercado (age 75) waiting in the observation area after receiving the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine

Across town from each other.

*Cue Benny Hill-esque music*

The first appointment on the schedule was for my godmother. 8:30 AM at a site close to our house. The second was for my mom at the Mega POD located at The Forum at 11:30 AM. And they only had one car available to use.

I had prior knowledge of the layout of the first vaccine site, so I gave them some advice on where to park and my godmother was second in line to get the Moderna vaccine. Once my godmother was cleared from the observation area, they drove to The Forum and my mom received the Pfizer vaccine there.

The experience of waiting for both vaccines in one day is a strange one for sure, but it might be a story that becomes a familiar one by the time spring comes around. With every passing day, news stories and online chatter about the confusion of the vaccine schedule grows. Instances like that my mother and godmother experienced may repeat itself throughout the country.

Thankfully, the controlled, nail-biting dash they went through for their first doses won’t happen for the second shots of their respective vaccines. They were both given appointments for their second dose after they received their COVID-19 Vaccination cards. And that’s one less worry for them.

Because my godmother got the Moderna vaccine, her second dose is scheduled 28 days after the first. And because my mother got the Pfizer vaccine, her second dose is scheduled 21 days after the first.

They can be more leisurely about getting the shots the second time around and I can feel a little better knowing that they are safer when they go out.

It's very important to note that if you receive the vaccine from one company, then your second dose MUST be from the same company.

And now the World Health Organization is stating that because of the burden and stress a limited supply of vaccines can cause on a country, the second dose of the vaccine can be given up to 42 days after the first. But the WHO encourages getting the second dose as close to the 21- or 28-day period originally intended by the creators of the vaccines.

But back to me.

When I scheduled my godmother's appointment, I still hadn’t received my second dose. At the time I was given my vaccine card, I was just told what time to schedule my second appointment. I wasn’t given one automatically; but told to check the DPH website when it was near the 28-day mark and make my appointment then.

Together we can limit the spread!

So, while I was refreshing the page to make appointments for the two most important women in my life, I was looking for an opening for my own appointment.

If you live in Los Angeles or San Diego county and are actively searching for vaccine opportunities, then you’ve probably noticed that California set up a scheduling website called myTurn. This is intended to help schedule vaccine appointments.

And in the first week of the website being active, it became a huge pain in my behind.

Partly because I wanted to make appointments for the elders in my family and partly because there was no option for me to make a second appointment for myself.

By day 4 of my frustration, I received an email from the LA Department of Public Health with a dedicated link to schedule my second dose of the Moderna vaccine.

They didn’t forget me after all!

Nurse Leah after the second Moderna vaccine injection

28 days after my first shot, I got my second one.

On Thursday, February 4th, I went back to the site where I got my first shot. The line looked longer from the last time, but it definitely moved faster and as I got closer to the front, I noticed several differences in the set up.

This time the number of personnel available to help people check in was doubled and there were twice as many stations administering injections. As well as a larger observation area with more seating and more people sanitizing the chairs. In addition, before entering the vaccine administration area the line branched off into two sections. One for individuals getting their first dose of the vaccine and one for those who were there for their second.

These were small, but effective changes that made getting the vaccine more streamlined. All in all, it took about an hour and 15 minutes. And 30 of those minutes were spent sitting in the observation area.

The reason I had to sit in the observation area for 30 minutes instead of the 15 minutes I sat for last time is because I have Type 2 Diabetes and that required a longer observation time. I forgot to ask if it was because this was my second shot or if more info was available now regarding the Moderna vaccine and side effects related to having Diabetes.

Once I got home, I was hit with a wave of fatigue that was stronger than any I'd felt in a long, long time. I knew that I had to eat something so that my immune system had fuel to react to the vaccine. So I ate a quick lunch and went down for a nap.

During my nap, my mom and daughter checked in on me and later told me that I was wrapped up in my blankets in a relatively warm room. When I woke up, I definitely had a fever.

Fatigue, chills, fever.

That's three of the common side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine. And three that I didn't really encounter during my first injection. Which could be taken as a sign that my immune system recognizes and is ready to fight any cell that has the SARS-CoV2 protein spike.

(Remember from the last post that SARS-CoV2 is the virus that causes COVID-19 and that the vaccines are designed to help the immune system recognize the virus by a specific protein spike on its cell surface.)

I hate getting fevers. Of all cold and flu symptoms, for me, fevers are the least tolerable. It feels like my eye sockets are on fire, my skin feels dry and hot, and once the fever breaks the clammy sweat is just...ugh.

My normal body temperature is close to 97 degrees Fahrenheit. So when my temperature rose to 101.1 degrees Fahrenheit at 1 am, I was miserable. But as miserable as I was, I am stubborn enough to let my body and immune system do their thing and ride the fever out. Until the morning, that is.

On Friday, I took some ibuprofen and started drinking sports drinks to stay hydrated. Throughout the day, I had the classic "medicine head" fog. Concentrating was difficult and remembering to eat became a bit of an issue. I could tell I was a little hungry, but there was no driving appetite.

As for my arm where I got the injection?

It was sore, but not as sore as the first time. Do you know what was sore? My neck and shoulders. I carry a lot of my stress in my shoulders and neck. I've been told this by multiple people, including my chiropractor and my mom. But this was a whole new level of tense.

I knew I had work the next day, but wasn't sure if I'd feel well enough to do so. Luckily, I work with a great team and one of my co-workers offered to come in if I needed her to.

Thankfully though, by 11 pm Friday night, the worst of the side effects were gone and I felt fine.

On Saturday, I went to work and did everything I needed to do. Bringing several sports drinks with me, to stay hydrated.

Now the only lingering effect of the second Moderna vaccine is soreness at the injection site.

Well, that and the knowledge that I'm now protected against the worst effects of a SARS-CoV2 infection, aka COVID-19.

My post-vaccine reactions may not be typical or shared by many people. But it's a better experience than getting COVID-19 to begin with.

The COVID-19 vaccine rollout is an ongoing process and one of the biggest enterprises that our healthcare system has ever undertaken. I have friends in healthcare who are working at vaccination sites and spoke to me about how organized things are. And I have friends who are struggling to find appointments for their parents and grandparents.

My and my family’s experience with the vaccine and vaccine distribution process could be different from yours. Or eerily similar. Or some version of in between. Any way you see it, we live in unprecedented times and sharing stories & experiences like ours can help us feel closer when we are physically apart.

I’d very much like to hear from you. What have you seen or experienced in terms of the COVID-19 vaccines? What questions were answered and what questions came to mind when reading about them?

The conversation has started. The story is in the middle. Let’s keep things going and get to The End.

Stay safe and stay brave, SuperCaptainBraveFAM.

Don’t forget to subscribe to our mailing list, like, and follow us on social media for more content and upcoming announcements!

www.supercaptainbraveman.com

Instagram: @supercaptainbraveman

Facebook: www.facebook.com/supercaptainbraveman

I Got the COVID-19 Vaccine: Part 1

/

Hello, SuperCaptainBraveFAM!

If you are a new reader to the blog, welcome! I’m Nurse Leah. I am a Licensed Vocational Nurse and work in the home healthcare sector.

Which—at the time of writing—puts me in the Phase 1A, Tier 2 group of the LA County Vaccine Distribution Plan and makes me eligible to receive the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines for COVID-19.

I received the first dose of the Moderna vaccine for COVID-19 on January 7, with the second dose scheduled 28 days later. Which happens to be today, February 4.

Today, I’m going to go over what I know and have found out about how both the Moderna & Pfizer vaccines work and commonly asked questions about the vaccines. In Part 2, I’ll talk about my own journey with signing up, receiving, and side effects I experienced with regards to the injections.

Right off, I have to admit that I am firmly pro-vaccine. The science behind vaccines is sound and makes sense to me. I totally understand why certain people are vaccine hesitant or want to wait before allowing their kids to get this vaccine. (More on the reasons why in a bit.) But overall, the scientific approach toward vaccines in general, and for the COVID-19 vaccines in particular, is one that I have trust in.

I will put links for the info I have at the bottom of the blog. I’ll also try my best to use mostly casual knowledge that I have about immunology from my pre-nursing days to keep the blog from getting too technical.

So, buckle up, cuz ahead thar be science.

~Nurse Leah

How do vaccines work?

If I’m remembering my AP Bio correctly, then vaccines work by priming or “jump starting” the body’s immune response to the presence of a specific pathogen. The pathogen could be a virus or bacteria that causes you to get sick. Your immune system is in place to identify and destroy these body invaders.

There are special proteins on the surface of practically every cell ever. And every type of cell can have a different sequence of these proteins. Think of them like calling cards, keys, or (in my attempt to connect with today’s youth) hashtags. Each one is unique to that pathogen and one of the jobs of the immune system is to keep track of these “hashtags” and prevent certain ones from flooding the body’s newsfeed.

When you get a vaccine, it’s giving your immune system an example of the pathogen. Your immune system then creates antibodies that identify that pathogen and signals the need to fight/destroy/ban the identified cell from your body.

So, when the actual pathogen shows up, your immune system recognizes and can destroy it before it can spread and make you sick.

One question that my mom asked when I told her I got the vaccine was “Do you have COVID-19 now?”

In one word my answer was: no.

And allow me to explain why.

There are different types of vaccines and a lot of that has to do with how well they work at priming our immune system for fighting and keeping the body from getting the disease. One of the most common types of vaccines are live-attenuated vaccines. This is where a live, weaker version of the pathogen is introduced into your body for your immune system to identify and remember.

If you guys are curious about the different types of vaccines, leave a comment down below and I can rev up my research machine and write about that in the future.

There are other companies working on vaccines as well. Just because Pfizer and Moderna received permission to distribute their vaccines first doesn’t mean they’re the GOAT (Greatest of All Time) at protecting us against getting COVID-19.

However, both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are mRNA vaccines. There is no live virus in the dose and those who receive it do not contract COVID-19 from the injection.

Now on to the question: What is mRNA?

It sounds like another science-y word. DNA. And you’d be right. But they’re not the same thing.

mRNA stands for messenger RiboNucleic Acid

(It’s not spelled that way. It’s just a way for me to visualize why it’s abbreviated the way it is.)

DNA stands for DeoxyriboNucleic Acid

They’re both nucleic acids. But do different things. And mRNA cannot change the DNA of a cell.

mRNA is used by all cells to help create proteins that the cell then uses for whatever job it’s coded for.

So, what does an mRNA vaccine do exactly?

Using techniques learned over decades, scientists were able to analyze and isolate a specific protein spike from the SARS-CoV2 virus. This is the virus that causes COVID-19. Once the sequence of the protein spike was determined, scientists then created an mRNA sequence that re-creates the SARS-CoV2 protein spike onto non-SARS-CoV2 cells.

When the body’s immune system interacts with body cells that have the SARS-CoV2 protein spike, an immune response occurs and antibodies are formed. Remember that antibodies are how the body recognizes and identifies pathogens.

The faster your immune system can recognize a pathogen like SARS-CoV2, the faster your immune system can mobilize to get rid of it.

Going back to the hashtag metaphor, your Immune System is like an admin for the social media group that is your Body.

The SARS-CoV2 virus is like one of those automated spam bot accounts that comment on everyone’s posts with scams. And in every comment it makes, it has the hashtag for COVID-19.

The current mRNA vaccines know what the COVID-19 hashtag looks like and reports it to the Immune System.

Now the Immune System can do its admin thing and delete/destroy/ban every comment with the hashtag for COVID-19.

And in the end, it leaves the Body’s newsfeed clear of the illness and clutter the SARS-CoV2 spam bot left behind.

Is the vaccine safe?

Every drug and modern technique used in medicine has a balance of risks and benefits. What types you use and feel safe using should be discussed fully and honestly with your doctor. Remember that they are on your side and if you have any concerns, you have the right to voice them and ask for further clarification on any aspect of your care.

When the FDA gave Emergency Use Authorizations to the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, there was a whole process involved where scientists and physicians went over the collected data supplied by the companies and weighed the benefits versus the risks of allowing the use of the vaccines.

You can find a quick infographic of the process here. As of January 31, 2021, some news outlets report that a third vaccine—this one produced by Johnson & Johnson—is expected to apply for an Emergency Use Authorization for their COVID-19 vaccination in early February.

The vaccines offered by Moderna and Pfizer are as safe as they can be given the facts and processes the scientific studies have shown at this time.

It sounds like a non-answer. Believe me, typing that was somewhat difficult for me.

But it’s also the truth.

And it’s a lot better than hearing the words “We’ll see” from your parents when you ask for that toy that's just this shy of dangerous.

What are the Side Effects?

As mentioned before, there are risks and benefits to any medication.

Common side effects that both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines share are:

  • At the injection site:

    • Pain, swelling, and redness

  • General side effects:

    • Fatigue/tiredness

    • Headache

    • Muscle pain

    • Joint pain

    • Chills

    • Fever

    • Nausea

    • Vomiting (reported most often in the Moderna vaccine)

The serious side effects are along the lines of a severe allergic reaction. Which include difficulty breathing, swelling of the face and throat, a fast heartbeat, a bad rash all over the body, and dizziness & weakness. Severe allergic reactions like this are called anaphylaxis.

If you’re like me and have family members with shellfish allergies, it’s a very concerning issue when considering whether or not to get either vaccine.

If there is any chance that you believe an allergic reaction is possible for you or a loved one—for example, if the person getting the vaccine keeps an Epinephrine pen (Epi-Pen) with them at all times because of an already known allergy—then I strongly suggest talking to your doctor to create a personalized plan for when it is time to get the vaccine.

So…who can get the vaccine?

I mentioned earlier that the vaccines offered at the time of writing this blog were given Emergency Use Authorization by the FDA. After reviewing the information given to them by the companies, the FDA created guidelines on the use of each vaccine based on their knowledge of the safety and efficacy of the vaccine. (Efficacy means how well the vaccine does to prevent infection by the SARS-CoV2 virus.)

For the Pfizer vaccine, the FDA authorization allows those 16 years old and older to get the vaccine.

For the Moderna vaccine, the FDA authorization allows those 18 years old and older.

The reason for these particular ages has to do with the ages of the people involved in the clinical trials at each company. The data available only included people above the ages listed. It’s also because the data in the clinical trials is contained to the age group listed that the vaccines aren’t currently available for children.

There also isn’t a lot of data about the vaccine’s effect on pregnant or breastfeeding women. During the time of the clinical trials, there were several pregnancies reported after the start of the trials in the groups taking part, but at the time of writing, there is no information on any negative side effects in either mother or child in relation to the vaccine.

The only people in the allowed age range who absolutely should NOT get either COVID-19 vaccine are those who’ve had a severe allergic reaction to a previous dose of the vaccine or who’ve had a severe allergic reaction to any of the ingredients of the vaccine.

The documents of outlining the Emergency Use Authorizations of each vaccine are available to the public on the FDA website. If you want to read more about them, you can find the Moderna EUA Fact Sheet and the Pfizer EUA Fact Sheet by clicking the links.

When will the vaccine be available for children?

Walk down any medicine aisle in a grocery store and you’ll find a section with brightly colored boxes with the word CHILDREN’S splashed before the name of many familiar medications. It’s more than just an issue of changing the amounts and ratios for smaller humans. It’s about achieving the desired chemical reactions.

The way children’s bodies react to medicine can be different than adults. So separate studies and clinical trials for children of different ages need to happen before any vaccine can be available for kids. Any data for adjustments that might need to happen to make the vaccine just as effective for kids as in adults is collected during this period.

The way that Emergency Use Authorizations work in the case of vaccines is that the company must wait 60 days after 50% of the clinical trial group gets their last dose of the vaccine to apply for the authorization. This allows scientists and doctors time to check for any side effects. The process is the same for any clinical trial that includes adolescents and children.

In a January article in Bloomberg, it was reported that the Pfizer vaccine trial for adolescents ages 12-15 completed enrollment for volunteers. Which means the clinical trial with actual administered doses of vaccine should start soon.

In the same article, Moderna reported that the first doses in their vaccine trial for adolescents ages 12-18 were given in December. With the current timeline of the second dose given at 28 days after the first, it’s entirely possible for the Moderna vaccine to be eligible for an Emergency Use Authorization for children in that age range by the time the 2021-2022 school year starts. 

There will be trials for younger kids, too. And those will go through the same process in order to get the Emergency Use Authorization from the FDA.

Which, being the mom of a current 4th grader, sounds ah-maze-ing. But, seeing as how my 4th grader has a high chance of having a shellfish allergy (we haven’t tested this theory yet), I’m still nervous.

With either company, the road to getting the vaccine into the arms of our kids is a long one. And given the current rollout in the U.S. for giving vaccines to the adults, patience is a virtue we’ll definitely need.

But what is it like getting the COVID-19 vaccine?

That is a great question. And one that honestly deserves its own blog post. Whatever you may feel about the current state of vaccine administration, I will share my own experience with the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine from finding out if I was eligible to receive it to the side effects I felt in the days after the shot. And with California making individuals 65 and over eligible as well, I can share what steps I took to make sure my mother got her vaccine safely and quickly.

Stay safe and stay brave, SuperCaptainBraveFAM!

"I Got the COVID-19 Vaccine: Part 2" is coming up on Monday, February 8th. So, don’t forget to subscribe to our mailing list, like, and follow us on social media for more content and upcoming announcements!

www.supercaptainbraveman.com

Instagram: @supercaptainbraveman

Facebook: www.facebook.com/supercaptainbraveman

For further information regarding COVID-19 and the vaccines mentioned in this blog, please visit:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/faq.html

https://www.fda.gov/emergency-preparedness-and-response/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/covid-19-vaccines

https://www.fda.gov/emergency-preparedness-and-response/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/moderna-covid-19-vaccine#additional

https://www.fda.gov/vaccines-blood-biologics/vaccines/emergency-use-authorization-vaccines-explained

https://www.fda.gov/emergency-preparedness-and-response/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/pfizer-biontech-covid-19-vaccine

Congratulations for reading this far down the blog!

As an extra, here’s the link to a video made by one of my favorite science YouTube channels: ASAP Science. In it they talk about the effects of mRNA vaccines on the human body. Enjoy! https://youtu.be/the81FQoAUI