Carlene Spitzer

WITHIN 3 DAYS OF RECIEVING THE SECOND MODERNA VACCINE I FELT A SUDDEN SENSATION OF BURNING THROUGHOUT MY BRAIN AND THEN BODY. IT LASTED FOR A FEW MINUTES. I THEN BEGAN TO EXPERIENCE SEVERE PAIN FROM MY THIGHS TO MY KNEES. I ALSO HAD BILATERAL NUMBNESS IN MY THIGHS LATERALLY. I COULD NOT WALK WITHOUT PAIN AND WALKING UP STAIRS OR INCLINES . I WOULD ALSO BE UNABLE TO HOLD MY URINE. SO I WOULD GET A MILD URGE AND THEN BECOME INCONTINENT OF URINE ONLY. (ALTHOUGH IT DOESN'T HAPPEN AS OFTEN RECENTLY, IT WILL STILL OCCUR SEVERAL TIMES A WEEK).

ME AND MY COWORKERS GOT THE VACCINE ON THE SAME DAY AND NO ONE ELSE EXPERIENCED THESE SYMPTOMS SO I DECIDED TO WAIT 4 WKS TO SEE IF THEY WENT AWAY. DURING THAT MONTH THE SKIN ON THE PALMS OF MY HANDS KEPT PEELING OFF, I LOST THE HAIR ON MY LOWER LEGS AND IN THE AREA OF NUMBNESS ON MY THIGH. I ALSO LOST THE HAIR ON MY ARMS PROXIMALLY. I DEVELOPED A RASH TRICEPS AREA, BILATERALLY THAT WAS LATER BIOPSIED AND DIAGNOSED AS GRANULOMA ANNULARE. I WAS AFFECTED MENTALLY IN THE WAY THAT I COULDN'T STOP CRYING .(NOT SURE IF THIS WAS NEUROLOGICAL OR BECAUSE I WAS SO AFRAID THAT I WAS DYING). I DID GET VERY DEPRESSED AND OFTEN WISHED FOR DEATH BECAUSE THE PAIN WAS SO SEVERE ALONG WITH MY QUALITY OF HEALTH DECLINING RAPIDLY.

IN EARLY MARCH OF 2021, I WENT TO MY FAMILY DOCTOR WHO THOUGHT MY SYMPTOMS WERE RELATED TO SPINAL STENOIS EVEN THOUGH I STRESSED THAT SPINAL STENOSIS DOESN'T OCCUR OVERNIGHT, (LET IT BE KNOWN THAT I HAVE WORKED IN THE MEDICAL FIELD FOR OVER 40 YRS BUT I THINK MY CRYING AFFECTED HOW I WAS PERCIEVED). HE REFERRED ME TO A PHYSIATRIST BECAUSE HE WAS CERTAIN THAT I NEEDED P.T.(ANY TYPE OF ACTIVITY MADE EVERYTHING WORSE)) BUT I SAW HIM AND SEEMED LIKE HE LISTENED TO MY STORY AND THAT HE BELIEVED ME. HE SENT ME FOR AN MRI FO THE LS SPINE AND I WAS OFF.

MY SYMPTOMS ONLY WORSENED EACH DAY AND I FINALLY ASKED FOR A REFERRAL TO A NEUROLOGIST(NOTE: I HAD TO ASK!!) I WAS ABLE TO GET AN APPOINTMENT IN MID APRIL OF 2021. ALTHOUGH MY NEUROLOGIST HAS BECOME MY BIGGEST SUPPORTER, IT WAS NOT THE CASE ON OUR FIRST VISIT. BEFORE SPEAKING WITH OR EXAMINING ME, HE READ THE CONCLUSION OF THE PHSYATRISTS REFPORT THAT DIAGNOSED ME WITH SPINAL STENOSIS. SO THE NEUROLOGIST STERNLY ASKED ME, "WHY ARE YOU HERE TO SEE ME, YOU HAVE SPINAL STENOSIS", WHILE CRYING, OF COURSE, I HAD TO TELL HIM THAT I WAS THE HISTORIAN AND THAT I HAD NEUROLOGICAL S/S AND HE NEEDED TO EXAMINE ME BEFORE MAKING A RASH JUDGEMENT. WHEN HE EXAMINED ME , I WAS HYPER REFLEXIC, I HAD POOR BALANCE AND NOW HE BECOMES CONCERNED. OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS I HAD MRI'S OF MY BRAIN, CSPINE, AND TSPINE AND A LUMBAR PUNCTURE AND EVERYTHING CAME BACK NORMAL.

I THEN ASKED THE NEUROLOGIST TO REFER ME TO A NEUROLGY SPECIALIST IN PHILADELPHIA AND I SAW DR JOSEPH BERGER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA. MY EXAM WAS VERY THOROUGH BUT BY THAT TIME I WAS NO LONGER HYPER REFLEXIC BUT I WAS STILL IN PAIN AND EXPERIENCING ALL OF THE SAME SYMPTOMS. HE FELT THAT I HAD MYOSITITS AND ORDERED A MYRIAD OF STUDIES . EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL EXCEPT FOR THE PROTIENASE 3 ANTIBODY WHICH WAS 68. I WAS REFERRED TO A RHEUMATOLGIST AT HOME AND THATHAPPENED AROUND EARLY AUGUST.

SHE TOO WAS VERY THOROUGH AND EVEN SENT OUT GENETIC TESTING FOR AUTOIMMUNE MARKERS. SHE TOLD ME THAT SHE WAS INTRIGUED BY MY STORY AND WAS GOING TO DISCUSS MY CASE AT A CONFERNCE THE FOLLOWING WEEK AND I WAS TO CALL HER (GAVE ME HER PERSONAL CELL #) TO TALK ABOUT MY LABS AND WHAT SHE MAY HAVE LEARNED. WELL I CALLED HER ONCE A WEEK FOR 3 WKS AND LEFT MSGS WITH THE OFFICE. I FINALLY GOT A CALL FROM HER MEDICAL ASSISTANT STATING THAT MY TESTS WERE NORMAL AND THAT MAYBE I SHOULD TALK TO MY PCP ABOUT P.T.

I BECAME SO DISCOURAGED AND KEPT TRYING TO FIND INFORMATION ABOUT OTHER THIS MAY HAVE HAPPENED TO TO NO AVAIL.

I THEN THOUGHT ABOUT CALLING AN INFECTIOUS DISEASE DOC COLLEGUE OF MINE FOR ADVISE. SHE FERRED ME TO ANOTHER RHEUMATOLOGIST WHO I SAW IN SEPT 2021. MY PROTIENASE 3 ANTIBODY WAS IN THE 40'S AND HE DID A BIOPSY OF THE RASH THAT CAME BACK AS GRANULOMA ANNULARE.

I'VE FOLLOWED UP WITH THIS RHEUMATOLOSIT 3 TIMES AND MY PROTIENASE 3 ANTIBODY IS GRADUALLY COMING DOWN. IT WAS 28 AS JUNE 20, 21022