Karen Ingenito

First Dose of Pfizer on 12//28/20

Second Dose of Pfizer on 01/18/21

Jacksonville, Florida

50 yrs old

Q: What was your life like before you got the vaccine?

I'm in healthcare, in the rehab part of OT. I have a very active job, and it's been difficult. I was always on the go, loved going to the beach and other types of outdoor activity. Loved spending time with friends or family.

Q: Would you like to share your reasons for getting vaccinated?

For my job in healthcare... I knew mandates were coming, and thought how much worse could it be than the flu shot...

Well, I found out how much worse!

Q: What was your reaction, symptoms, & timeline?

My side effects:

• Extensor muscles contracted/locked-up in back, arms, legs, and feet for a good week after each shot.

• Severe pain in arms, legs, feet for 4 months

• Blurry vision, hard to focus on reading

  • nurse told me my eyes were really twitching / jumping around. My eyes have been pinkish red.

• Severe nausea (both shots for almost a week)

• What I call brain fog, sometimes word-finding issues or receptive (understanding) issues

• light headed from time to time

• Proprioception issues with my right leg/ balance

• After the severe pain dissipated, I'm left with a strange sensation in arms, legs & back 24/7.

• **Not daily, but at times the severe pain comes back & lasts for several hours to a day.

• 2 days after my 2nd shot, was able to see the needle prick area, within a couple of hours it grew to a small pink circle, within 4 hours it grew into an amoeba-shaped rash, by the next day just a little bit more, the following day was almost half my arm (LUE).

• extreme fatigue

• After my first shot, my dogs Bailey & Toby stuck to me like glue for 4 days. After the second dose, Bailey immediately sniffed my shot area, as soon as I walked in the door. For 3 days, he wouldn't let anyone near me or in my room at all. It was no joke, he went in total guard-mode, even the kids couldn't get near me. After 3 days, he let go some of being overly protective.

• increased BP for several days after each - about 5 to 6 days -

• my toes- the last 3 on my RLE curl under. My foot wants to go into flexion externally & internally rotate on days when I'm tired.

• The lymph nodes on my shot arm are now 3cm. This is the majority.

Q: Share your experience with any medical care and any diagnoses you have received:

Doctors have been very dismissive. I've tried every combination under the sun with no guidance from doctors.

Q: Was your reaction reported?

Yes to VAERS

Q: Is there anything that has helped, and have your symptoms improved?

The combo that is helping me (with some guidance from my health food store), is magnesium capsules, niacin capsules (non-flushing), and also a CBD ointment. This combo has made a huge difference in my quality of life. I go to the beach now, but still can't handle the waves or long walks. I have to really talk myself into things. I used to be the one convincing others to do things. I still have major flare-up days, and today happens to be one of them.. But with the combo above, I'm not calling out of work daily. I'm making it through each day. However, in the evening and on weekends, I have to weigh the consequences in order to decide to do something fun or to recoup.

Q: Have you had Covid before? What was your experience if so?

Got Covid in August of 2021. It was a huge slap in the face. I got it bad. If my friend, a PA, didn't RX me meds, I wouldn't have made it (for real, I was losing big time to it)!

Q: What do you wish others knew?

I should have listened to my gut feeling and refused to take it. Only a handful of people where I work did so, and they came extremely close to losing their jobs. But they watched what I went through and were my biggest helpers and advocates. Thank God.

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