First Dose of Pfizer on 03/23/21
Second Dose of Pfizer on 04/21/21
Iowa
41 yrs old
Q: What was your life like before you got the vaccine?
I didn’t have any major health situations that impacted daily life. Would love to return to my pre-vaccine state.
Q: Would you like to share your reasons for getting vaccinated?
I was afraid of getting COVID.
Q: What was your reaction, symptoms, & timeline?
March 2021: I experienced left side facial numbness and inner mouth swelling and visited the ER within 2 hours of vaccine. Was told it would go away, and I should get the second vaccine. I consulted further with my primary, and he advised moving forward with second but to get it in the right arm. Symptoms cleared prior to second shot.
April 21, 2021: The clinic didn’t want to proceed because of previous reaction, but looked up my medical record and notes advising to proceed and the clinic Dr. approved it. I unfortunately had an immediate anaphylactic throat swelling reaction and was administered hydroxyzine on site. Swelling subsided and was better the next day, but May 8th I started experiencing all the life-altering symptoms on the left side of my body: First was muffled hearing and twitching behind left ear, which led to blood tests and high inflammation markers. This led to a temporal artery biopsy, which was negative for temporal arteritis. Placed on steroids, and in the upcoming month, I had stroke like incidents with disorientation, slurred speech, vision problems, rush like feelings in head that led to ER visits. MRI didn’t show a stroke or TIA, but all the leftover symptoms felt like I had one. This all occurred while seeing a neurologist, who said it was just migraines or bad posture and anxiety. MRI shows one left side, white matter lesion. I was in PT for two months for posture correction and migraines, it didn’t help. For the next many months, I had electric shocks in head, teeth, toes, and fingers on left side. Entire left side of head felt inflamed or injured. Had sharp stabbing like pains in top of head. Had popping sensations or snapping in top of head. Had sensory issues that led to soreness or nerve pain in my head and sometimes seizure like incidents, sometimes while driving. I stopped driving for a couple months. My anxiety and trauma response was extremely heightened, especially after these types of incidents. Insomnia, exploding head syndrome for many months, and an adrenaline rush cycle, as my body would not let me drift into sleep. I had new food allergies that led to more throat swelling incidents and random hives. I now act like a MCAS patient. I have left eye floaters confirmed by an optometrist, that were not there prior. My left leg was weakened and experiences weird soreness/pain, and when standing, the knee would sometimes buckle. I had finger and toe numbness in left side that now seems to be gone. I have gradually improved at the now one year mark, but I experience relapse like flares. I am waiting for my next Neuro appt. in Nov 2022, while trying the Patterson protocol. I'm grateful to be alive and for the gradual improvements, but I feel my self-diagnosis is based on the year long research and groupthink we have used to help understand this. My personal assessment, which may mean nothing, points towards a brain injury with peripheral neuropathy from an overreactive immune response to the vaccine.
Q: What is your life like now, after getting the vaccine?
I have some really great days, but there is always more pain and soreness that reemerges on the left side of my head. I have made many life adjustments that help me function as if I’m fine, but I have unexplained and undiagnosed symptoms that I am waiting to have recognized by the medical community. I keep striving to gain better monitoring, acknowledgement and treatment for long haulers and the COVID vaccine injured.
Q: Share your experience with any medical care and any diagnoses you have received:
I do not have a proper diagnosis, however, the Dr. I am seeing in Chicago recognizes the problem. I am trying the Patterson protocol, which aims at bringing down cytokine panel numbers via maraviroc and pravastatin, and is based on the theory of platelet activation and problems with the endothelial layer of vessels.
Q: Was your reaction reported, and what was the response?
CICP, VAERS, Inadequate responses
Q: Is there anything that has helped, and have your symptoms improved?
zyrtec and pepcid daily, aspirin, maybe maraviroc and pravastatin
Q: Have you had Covid before?
No
Q: What do you wish others knew?
The vaccine is not for everyone. It is a larger risk than they have advised.
Tell Your Story: www.realnotrare.com/submityourstory
Subscribe: www.realnotrare.com/contact
REAL NOT RARE DISCLAIMER:
Real Not Rare does not diagnose medical conditions, offer treatment advice, treat illnesses, or prescribe medicine or drugs. Anything contained on this website or conveyed in the blog stories or groups, is not substitute for adequate medical care, diagnosis, and/or treatment from a medical doctor. It is strongly recommended that prior to acting upon any information gleaned via Real Not Rare or their representatives, you at all times first consult a physician. The views and opinions expressed are those of the individual being interviewed in each story, and do not necessarily reflect the position of Real, Not Rare as a whole.
