First Dose of AstraZeneca on 03/01/21 Lot #PW40037
Second Dose of AstraZeneca on 05/18/21 Lot #PV46685
Somerset, United Kingdom
62 yrs old
Q: What was your life like before you got the vaccine?
Prior to 2020, I enjoyed an active life of overseas travel, country walking and touring the UK in our caravan. I was an avid Apple Mac user and enjoyed learning new software. I was a fun-loving, sociable, active bloke, who enjoyed exploring new places.
I am 63 yrs old with no serious previous medical conditions other than hypertension, for which I am taking medication, which was first prescribed 17 years ago and has successfully kept my blood pressure in check. Previously, I did suffer from a slight tremor which over the years, my GP was unable/unwilling to diagnose. I do not smoke, do not take illegal substances, was not overweight at the time of my Pulmonary Emboli and drank alcohol moderately.
Q: Would you like to share your reasons for getting vaccinated?
The Government told us we needed to be vaccinated to get back to normal. I didn't want to infect others and wanted to stay safe.
Q: What was your reaction, symptoms, & timeline?
I first had the AstraZeneca vaccine administered on 01/03/2021 at a Somerset Vaccine Centre. I experienced no issues at all, until about 5-7 days later. I was short of breath, had tightness in the chest and was feeling very tired. I assumed that this might just be a known vaccine side-effect of inflammation. At that time, my GP Surgery sent out a text telling patients not to come to the surgery due to Covid-19. So I did not seek medical advice from my GP. Why were GP surgeries allowed to do this when supermarkets remained open? Gradually over a period of a couple of months, the breathing got easier, as did the other symptoms. At that particular time, there had been no mention in the news about the rare risk of blood clots, and as I was assured that the vaccine was safe, did not consider that to be the cause of my feeling unwell.
I had my second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine administered on 18/05/2021 at the same Somerset Vaccination Centre. Again, I experienced no issues at all until about a week later, when I had difficulty breathing, pains in my chest, feeling very tired and unwell. This time the symptoms were a lot stronger than previously with the first vaccine, and on the morning of 06/06/2021, I went to the A&E Department at the local Hospital, because my breathing was very laboured and worsened with any simple physical activity (like making the bed), and I had chest pain. After parking the car at the Hospital car park, I made my way to A&E and collapsed on the short walk in the Hospital grounds. My partner had to run and get assistance and a wheelchair for me.
I was admitted via A&E into the Acute Medical Unit with increased breathlessness and chest pain. From my Discharge Summary, it says at the time of admittance; CTPA showed bilateral Pulmonary Emboli with right pulmonary infarct (dead lung tissue) and evidence of right heart strain. I was constantly monitored, given oxygen and very strong blood thinners via injections, until my condition stabilised. My condition was serious. During my first 24 hours of hospitalisation, I doubted my survival, and I was under strict bed rest. For the first 48hrs, whenever I had to leave the ward via a porter and wheelchair to have a medical test or scan, I was accompanied by a paramedic with resuscitation equipment, because the possibility of me having a cardiac event was high.
On the 5th day of being hospitalised, I was weaned off oxygen and given the blood thinner Eliquis Apixaban tablets. I was discharged on the 6th day, 11/06/2021. The consultants told me that they could not find the source of my large clusters of blood clots, and so therefore I would have to take blood thinners for the rest of my life. They also told me that it is not often that they have seen such large clusters of blood clots in a patient. In addition, they told me that there is no proof that the AstraZeneca vaccine was to blame for my injuries. After what I had been through, I found this to be really insulting. On my Hospital Discharge Summary, it says the Pulmonary Emboli were “Unprovoked”. Whatever that means!
There is no doubt in my mind that the AstraZeneca vaccine is to blame for my blood clots, yet every NHS professional I have had contact with deny this as the cause. They say that there is no proof, despite my experiencing the same type of symptoms after each vaccination.
I was discharged without any information or guidance on after-care for my condition or the blood thinners, which I will have to take for the rest of my life, and without any contact name or phone number to call should there be medical concerns at home. I was discharged on a Friday with only a small amount of the blood thinning medication (Apixaban), which lasted till the following Monday. It was vital that I continue my blood thinning medication, and I was in no fit state to walk or drive to the chemist. As my partner cannot drive, this was most inconvenient. The first few weeks were very stressful, with my observations being so erratically up and down. My partner had to call the Hospital and the GP for advice on several occasions.
When I first came home, my balance was extremely poor, and I experienced constant dizzy, "swimmy" head with a bad headache 24 hours a day, every day, without any medication to relieve the pain. Over the counter painkillers provided no relief. I had chest pain, breathing was laboured at times, and I was extremely tired, in bed and sleeping a lot. Mobility was difficult due to balance issues and getting out of breath. Gradually over the months, my balance has improved slightly. I have a video that the neurologist's registrar took of me in an appointment at Hospital on 08/09/2021, attempting to walk in a straight line and almost falling over without any aids.
Prior to having the blood clots, I had a tremor which was visible primarily in my hands. After the blood clots, this has got much much worse, and I experience whole body tremors at rest and in action. No diagnosis or cause or treatment has been given for this. It makes my daily life much more difficult/impossible when cooking, using my phone or laptop or doing anything requiring precision movements from my hands.
Two weeks after my discharge, at night on 25/06/2021 I experienced unusual chest pressure and pain, and I felt very dizzy and unwell. I recovered somewhat, and my partner phoned 111 service for advice. A paramedic was sent out to me who ran some tests on my heart and decided I should be taken to Hospital for further tests and observations. I was discharged on 26/06/2021, and shortly after had to wear a recording device for my heart for 72 hrs to investigate dysrhythmia.
Over the months, the chest pains I was experiencing immediately after hospital discharge have improved, and my breathing is easier than it was, though I still get out of breath when showering, walking, climbing stairs etc.. I am still experiencing headache 24/7, but mainly of lesser intensity than when I was first discharged from hospital. I still have awful difficulty with concentration, brain fog and this brings on a very bad headache. I do feel that the level of medical follow-up care has been abysmally minimal;
1) I was fobbed off by the hospital’s neurology registrar (obviously the neurologist was too busy with private patients to actually see NHS patients) who told me I probably had Functional Neurology Disorder, a term so broad and vague that it is completely meaningless. I was directed to an FND website, no treatment or further investigation. The Neurology department at Hospital prescribed an old medication from the 1950's, Amitriptyline, for my constant headache. After investigation, I decided not to take this medication due to the horrible side-effects and difficulties coming off this medication. No other alternative has been offered. At the insistence of my partner, who knew that something was very wrong with me and suspected a stroke, they reluctantly organised an MRI of my head, though they did not think I had had a stroke. Unfortunately, I was unable to proceed with this due to claustrophobia, and so a CT scan was scheduled, four months from my neurology appointment. The neurologist’s registrar wrote a letter to me telling me the results of this CT scan, which showed that I had a mild Lacunar stroke in the left Basal Ganglia and a small hole in my brain. All my neurological issues pointed to a stroke, yet this was the very thing they were reluctant to look for. The Neurology Department at the hospital have discharged me, following a telephone appointment, in which the consultant said there was nothing more they could do for me.
2) On 08/09/2021 I had an appointment with the Lung Clinic at Hospital, but my lung function was not even checked. It was only after enquiring about my lung function that another appointment was made on 01/10/2021, and very minimal testing was done without any follow-up letter or further appointment.
3) I had to wait a very long time (just over 10 months) to have my heart checked after hospital discharge. The echocardiogram, which was supposed to occur 3 months after my discharge on 11/06/2021, has not happened due to the massive 9 month+ backlog. I eventually had my ECHO on 17th March 2022. The Lung Registrar did try to get my echocardiogram booked sooner, since he agreed that my right heart function needed to be reassessed faster than that. But he was unable to successfully achieve this. All it said on my test result letter was that my ECHO was in normal limits. Whatever that means. I believe that the normal limits range for an ECHO was changed last year.
4) Back/ hip pain - this began in March 2022 and has been getting steadily worse. Thought to be sciatica, but no improvement has come from private chiropractic treatment or a handful of NHS physiotherapy appointments. My lower back and hip pain was so extreme and debilitating, that one morning I simply could not get out of bed. After calling 111 service, a paramedic was called. I now believe that there is a possible link with swollen legs and ankles, caused perhaps by venal damage due to Pulmonary Embolism.
5) Balance & Vertigo Clinic - I have finally been referred to this clinic, only a 41 week waiting list! Maybe I will get an appointment next February 2023, maybe not.
6) My lower legs and ankles have been swollen since January 2022, yet no investigation into the cause or treatment has been offered, despite several visits to my GP and emails to the surgery.
I consider myself to be one of the fortunate ones who has survived vaccine damage, but this experience has changed mine and my partner's life and attitudes considerably. Prior to 2020, we enjoyed an active life of overseas travel, country walking and touring the UK in our caravan. Currently, I only drive locally and infrequently and would not even consider towing the caravan, let alone being able to do any of the physical preparation involved in towing a caravan. I do not go out other than to drive my partner to the local supermarket to collect our click and collect groceries or to go to medical appointments. I haven’t set foot in a shop for almost 3 years now and neither has my partner. Our social life is non-existent. I have to be careful about coming into contact with respiratory illness in particular, now that I have only part of one lung and other health complications. My partner also takes the same precautions in order to shield me.
I am sharing my story with you in the hope that lawful changes can be made to prevent this from happening in the future to others. I do not consider that I had informed consent to this experimental treatment. I feel that the Government is trying to hush-up the extent of this problem. Especially when I heard that there was suggestion of giving all over 50's blood thinners to prevent stroke. This has been know for years. Why is there talk of implementing it now? Is it really about lessening strokes or is it to hide the effects of the vaccines?
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