Second Dose of Pfizer on 02/26/21 Lot #EN6200
Baltimore, Maryland
54 yrs old
Q: What was your life like before you got the vaccine?
I was a healthy, fit, very active person. I exercised every day; it was my passion. I loved to run, hike, bike, swim, paddleboard, kayak, climb mountains, and play tennis. I just loved to be outdoors being active.
Q: Would you like to share your reasons for getting vaccinated?
I was undecided about getting the vaccine because the clinical trials were not long enough and it was only an emergency vaccine. My doctor said I should get it because I have asthma and so I listened and I got it.
Q: What was your reaction, symptoms, & timeline?
2/26/21- I received the second Pfizer Covid vaccine. My husband drove me. We waited for the 15 minutes then drove off the lot. At 20 minutes after the vaccine, we pulled over so that I could go to the bathroom and at that point my muscles hurt so bad and were so weak that I could hardly get off the toilet. Then three hours after the vaccine I felt like a ton of bricks hit me or like I was hit by a bus. My body hurts so bad. Every nerve in my body, every joint, and every muscle hurts so bad I could hardly move. I took Tylenol and went up to bed. In the morning I could barely pull myself out of bed my body hurt so bad, it felt like I was being squeezed so hard in a vice and it wouldn’t let up. I never in my life felt that kind of pain before. My body felt like it was on fire. I was also extremely fatigued and lethargic and could barely hold myself up. It felt like I was going to pass out. I also started having heart palpitations, chills, shaking, and shortness of breath. One week later it wasn’t going away or letting up at all.
3/9/21- I called my primary care doctor and told her something was really wrong as my horrible symptoms were not going away after the vaccine. She put me on a high dose of ibuprofen every six hours.
3/12/21- my stomach and esophagus were burning so bad from the ibuprofen they felt like they were bleeding. I called my doctor again, she put me on Pepcid and stopped the ibuprofen. It hadn’t helped anyway. My body pain was so bad I still could hardly get out of bed. It was every nerve, joint, and muscle in my body. It was so excruciating that at times I didn’t want to live anymore. It just wouldn’t let up. I was still extremely lethargic and still with palpitations, headache, lightheadedness, and brain fog. She then put me on prednisone taper. I also started to take Tylenol around the clock also. With the prednisone I was actually able to finally stand up, still with severe pain, but I could stand and walk around my house a little, but only in the morning. Some of the lethargy was subsiding. As I moved around though, the pain became so severe that I had to go back to bed again.
3/16/21- as the prednisone dose was decreasing the lethargy came right back full force. I took a shower and washed my hair today and the pain was so severe from using my arms and hands to wash my hair, the nerve pain, joint pain, and muscle pain and muscle weakness. I wasn’t sure how much more I could take.
3/17/21- I called my doctor again. She said we should do a slower prednisone taper. She increase the dose back up with a much slower taper. In addition to the severe pain, I was also still having chills and palpitations. I started taking high doses of turmeric.
3/18/21- I was still very lethargic. I was trying so hard to try to work. I had been working from home doing telehealth since the pandemic started. I could barely hold myself up at my desk. My body hurt so bad. From my lower back down to my buttocks, down both legs to my toes were numb and tingly. It was so severe that it felt like there was a tourniquet around me cutting off all circulation. If I tried to do any activity, like brush my hair or type, that set of muscles, nerves, and joints would have excruciating pain. I was still not able to stand up for long. I could hardly sit at my desk chair because my butt would go completely numb as well as my legs and they hurt so bad.
3/25/21- I was still on prednisone and taking Tylenol. My body felt like it was on fire, every nerve and muscle were burning. I was rubbing essential oils on my body, arms and legs and feet to be able to go to sleep at night. I had blood work done which showed elevated platelets, but everything else was normal. I was only able to work a little during the day and couldn’t take any new patients on.
3/28/21- as the prednisone dose was being tapered again, I became more lethargic again. It had never helped with the pain, but helped very slightly with the lethargy. I could hardly walk up the steps. At night, I was in so much pain that I couldn’t even brush my teeth or wash my face. There was a noticeable difference in my muscles as they started to atrophy. At one point my left knee and ankle gave out and I couldn’t stand at all. All this was starting to affect my mental health. I was crying a lot.
3/30/21- I called my doctor again. The pain was not going away. It felt like all my circulation was being cut off and my extremities were so numb and tingling. It felt like I was walking on pins and needles. My doctor referred me to rheumatology and immunology. She said that she didn’t know what else to do.
4/2/21- still in severe pain, nothing is helping. I called Johns Hopkins immunology to schedule an appointment. They told me that they would not see me as they are not seeing people that have had reactions to the vaccine right now. I was devastated.
4/4/21- I was referred to physical therapy who noticed that all my muscles were very tender. He said there’s not much that he can do and sent me home with stretches to do. I started another herbal anti-inflammatory supplement today.
4/30/21- I saw rheumatology. I’m still with joint pain and stiffness, numbness and tingling throughout my body, lethargy, muscle pain and muscle weakness. I lost 8 pounds. Rheumatology ordered more bloodwork to check for More inflammatory markers and rheumatoid factor. They turned out to be negative. I was still waiting to get in with immunology someplace besides Hopkins. Rheumatologist suggested acupuncture.
5/3/21- I got acupuncture and a little bit of progress that I had made became much worse. The nerve pain after acupuncture was so much worse.
5/4/21- I went to get anointed by a priest. I wasn’t sure how much longer my body could be sustained this way. I was put on a muscle relaxer by my rheumatologist but it did not help at all.
11/2021- my lethargy is gone. I am not back to working a full day yet and I need to take naps after work. The pain in my arms is somewhat less, but still there. The pain in my legs is still so severe with nerve pain, joint, and muscle pain and weakness. I continue with the brain fog.
March of 2022- it has been a little over one year since my vaccine. I am still dealing with severe neuropathy in my legs and feet. I have severe joint pain with muscle pain and weakness. I still cannot run or hike or jump or even walk far or do many of the activities I once enjoyed. I have difficulty going up and down the steps and even getting on and off the toilet still. I continue to follow up with my doctors but they have not been able to help me. I was seen by a functional medicine practitioner who did a cytokine 14 panel which showed inflammation and especially inflammation in my vessels. They started LDN (low-dose naltrexone). For the first time at a low-dose of the LDN I had some slight relief from the nerve paint. Then they kept increasing the dose and I felt worse all over again. It came right back and the joint pain was more severe. I am currently weaning that doze back down to the starting dose and I’m starting to get a little relief again.
Q: What is your life like now, after getting the vaccine?
It has been over one year since the vaccine and my life has been completely altered. I am still dealing with severe neuropathy in my legs and feet. I have severe joint pain with muscle pain and weakness. I still cannot run or hike or jump or even walk far or do many of the activities I once enjoyed. I have difficulty going up and down the steps and even getting on and off the toilet.
Q: Share your experience with any medical care and any diagnoses you have received:
I have continued to see my primary care and my rheumatologist. My primary care says that my immune system overreacted. My rheumatologist says that the vaccine caused a type of fibromyalgia, although my symptoms differ from someone who has Fibro. My functional medicine practitioner says that I’ve had a vaccine injury and the spike protein caused inflammation in my body and especially in the vascular system. She would like me to be seen by a cardiologist.
Q: Was your reaction reported, and what was the response?
It was reported to VAERS. I only received a follow up email months later asking for an update and that was it.
Q: Is there anything that has helped, and have your symptoms improved?
I think the prednisone helped with the fatigue and lethargy. My herbal supplements helped some with the muscle movement. The LDN helped very slightly with the nerve pain, however in a higher dose it made everything much worse.
Q: Have you had Covid before? What was your experience if so?
No, I have not had Covid.
Q: What do you wish others knew?
If you are undecided go with your gut feeling. I want so badly for the researchers and scientists to figure out why this happened to us and what they can do to help us.
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