First Dose of Johnson & Johnson on 03/15/21
Fords, New Jersey
Donald's Video Interview (credit c19vaxreactions.com):
DONALD'S REAL NOT RARE INTERVIEW:
Q: What was your life like before you got the vaccine?
I was a very active family man. I enjoyed hiking and outdoor activities. My family was always on the go. We would not stay in one place very long. I am father to a 10-year-old very active boy. My job was physically demanding and kept me busy when I wasn't with my family. I loved going out and having new experiences with my family and friends.
Q: What was your reaction, symptoms, & timeline?
Immediately after I got the shot, I felt a cold rush run up my arm to my head. I started to panic because I thought I was having an allergic reaction. Within the next few minutes I felt like I was going to pass out several times. I really think the technician that gave me the shot had hit a vein or artery. The shot did not stay in the deltoid where it is supposed to. It definitely went right into my bloodstream. After about 20 minutes I felt well enough to drive home. When I got home I felt OK and went out to dinner with my family. The next day I had a fever and felt pretty crummy. After that things got better. That is until 10 days after my shot. I was letting my dog out, when all of a sudden the same feeling, from when I got the shot, came back over me. It was different this time though because I also had blurred vision, numb head, tingling arms and legs and my heart was racing. I calmed myself down and thought I was having a panic attack. I tried to go to sleep that night but could not. I got up in the morning and went to the urgent care. My blood pressure was up which was unusual for me because mine was usually very good. I had the blood pressure and pulse of an athlete before this. The doctor gave me an EKG and everything came back normal with my blood work. I was then having trouble breathing; especially when I would lie down to go to sleep. Everyone was trying to convince me that it was in my head. That it was nerves. After not sleeping for three days, I went back to the urgent care. I told the doctor my symptoms have not improved and now I cannot breathe when I was lying down. He told me I was going to the hospital right now. He thought I might have blood clots in my lungs. The ambulance came and took me to the hospital. Once I got there they were treating me like a Covid patient. I was beyond scared. I thought for sure I had it. I called my wife because I thought I was not ever going to leave the hospital. They gave me a CAT scan of my chest and checked my heart to see if I had a heart attack. They ran bloodwork and gave me another EKG. Everything came back normal except for a slightly elevated D dimer. When the doctors left I cried. My mother had died of Covid in November the same way. I thought for certain that was my fate too. They told me I can leave and I hopped off of the gurney and walked out of the hospital. I still did not feel right but felt hopeful that this will all pass. I still couldn’t sleep and four days later my left ear started ringing and I had intense pressure behind my eyes and sinuses. That completely freaked me out. I went back to the doctor and he said it was from stress. Two days later it spread to my right ear and I developed extreme sound sensitivity. None of my other symptoms had left; I was just getting more. I made an appointment at the Deborah Heart and Lung Hospital. When the nurse was taking my vitals and asked why I was there I told her what happened. It got her attention immediately. I was looking in her eyes and I could tell she had heard this before. I asked her if this was becoming common and she told me they are getting people now saying the same things. Right then I knew I had made a mistake in getting this vaccine. They gave me an echo cardio stress test and everything came back fine. They could not find anything wrong with me. I have been living with some symptoms on and off, but tinnitus and sound sensitivity constantly now for seven months. Sometimes the tinnitus and sensitivity is so bad that I cannot function.
Q: What was your life like after you got the vaccine?
I am no longer active. I can’t go out to places because they’re too loud to me and I fear sound. I can’t go hiking because I have exercise intolerance now. I have a hard time going to my sons hockey games because of the noise, and being around a group of people. The weather affects me tremendously. It makes my tinnitus and sound sensitivity so much worse. There are days when I wish I wouldn’t wake up the next day. I look at my son and feel guilty for ever having thoughts like that, but this is so debilitating. I am losing hope that I will ever have silence again. It is taking a toll on my job, my life as a father, and as a husband. I am changed and never know if I will be the same again.
Q: Share your experience with any medical care and any diagnoses you have received:
I have gotten my heart checked and tested several different ways and they have found nothing. My lungs are clear and they cannot find a thing. Most doctors have been very dismissive. They don’t want to believe that something like this could happen.
Q: Was your reaction reported, and what was the response?
I have a reported it to VAERS. I never received a response. I reported it to Johnson & Johnson. I did NOT receive a response. It has been seven months and there are still people getting this that don’t have all the information they should.
Q: Is there anything that has helped, and have your symptoms improved?
Some of my symptoms have improved, and they come and go. Most are still here and I am trying to learn to live some sort of life. It’s extremely hard when you don’t have a moment to stop and think without a screaming noise in your head.
Q: What do you wish others knew?
I wish other people had all the information about the shots before they made the decisions. I wish they knew that they have a choice and don’t have to be bullied into getting this. I need to think very hard about taking this and giving it to the children. I never thought about these things before this happened to me. I was so healthy for so long. I never thought this would be the way I am may have to live the rest of my life. People need to be informed that their decision may be life altering for themselves or their children.
