J.I. – Minnesota

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5/20/21

I am a 43-year-old woman living in MN. I am a Nationally Board-Certified Massage Therapist with my own practice. I willingly received the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine February 27, 2021 to better protect my high-risk clients and myself. It was lot number # with an Exp of 8/24/2021.

On February 27th, 2021, at 9:25 am, I was inoculated with the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine in my left deltoid. 4 minutes later while in the post vaccine waiting area, I felt like I was hit by a giant wave that hit me from the top of my head down to my feet. I had to stop the text conversation I was having and just focus on staying seated, breathing deeply. I felt like my body was filled with waves, I was dizzy and started to feel tingling throughout my whole body. I was a different type of dizzy in which it was the same whether I stood up or sat down. I waited out the 15 minutes and then waited longer hoping these sensations would go away. They did not so I called a nurse over. The nurse gave me water, juice and Benadryl and sat with me for a while discussing options such as the ER which was located right there, or going outside to see if I would feel better. She also advised me to take a couple Aleve that were in my purse. As my symptoms did not progress nor feel immediately life threatening, I decided to drive home with the safety plan to pull over and call 911 if I needed to on the way home. I was escorted out by a healthcare worker and got into my car. I arrived home, took some migraine meds in case what I was feeling was the beginning of a migraine, although that is not how my migraines typically start. In fact, these were sensations I have never felt. I laid down to rest before I had to pick my son up at noon. I woke up around 11:30 and my chest felt like a heavy elephant was sitting on it, my throat felt tight and I had no sensation at all from my elbows to fingertips on both arms and knees down to toes on both legs. I also was unable to move at all. Eventually I was able to start moving my fingertips and toes and slowly I was able to regain full movement and sensation. The buzzing sensation was throughout my whole body and I started to feel very light tremors throughout, heavy chest and the constant vertigo continued. The remainder of the day I felt this was so I was just very slow and careful. I had very light injection site pain but full range of motion and the pain was very minor. I also had an aversion to coffee immediately following the vaccine even though I love coffee and had a cup in the car with me that I could not drink. (As of today, I have not been able to resume any caffeine among other things.)

The following day, Sunday February 28th, I had vertigo the whole day, intermittent numbness in varying areas of all my limbs, dizzying waves throughout my whole body, and what felt like a possible migraine coming on in the evening.

Monday March 1, 2021 I still wasn’t feeling well but it felt as though symptoms were a bit lighter. I worked only half a day and rested the other half. I thought this would be the end of my reactions.

Tuesday March 2, 2021, I woke up feeling heavy in my heart and throat, light headed, shaky, tinnitus, spotty and blurry vision, and left injection arm pins and needles and numbness down the arm. I felt much worse today than yesterday. I ate a good breakfast and brought plenty of soup to work, drinking water all day. I did see clients and it felt off. I felt like I was going to pass out multiple times and had to take a lot of deep breaths and stay seated in case I passed out. I usually wear a double mask and face shield and I was having such a hard time doing so. I removed a layer of mask and I wore my face shield minimally. My left neck would occasionally spasm and I had a left sided headache. I ate between each client to see if it would help and I didn’t see an improvement. After work I immediately took a rizatriptan to see if I could get on top of my headache which was turning to migraine. I didn’t notice an improvement so I gave myself an injection of ketorolac. I started to feel a lot of sensation in chest, neck, and face. I called the nurse line describing what was going on. I described it as what hives feel like but I didn’t notice any hives. She told me to go to the ER to be assessed. I looked in the mirror and I then noticed I had bright red hives across chest down to abdomen, neck, ears and sides of face and entire back down to butt. I started to freak out so as I was driving to ER I called them, they didn’t answer so I called 911 and they had me return home and they sent medical. I was examined and they had me take a Benadryl and drive to ER. I did so. At hospital I had high bp, hives which were still very active although they had calmed down a bit, slight heart pressure, nervy sensations that jumped around my body, the spot on back of R leg still bothering me. They assessed me for blood clot with ultrasound and chest CT scan and ECG. I received IV meds of saline solution, epinephrine, Benadryl, Pepcid, and prednisone for anaphylactic shock. I reacted very strongly to the meds and had a lot of intense sensations in my body that caused a lot of panic and felt like I was climbing the walls. It felt like I was going to die. I eventually started to calm down and so did my hives. I started to feel a little better, not normal but better and like I could go home. The ER doctor who treated me confirmed that he believed this was a vaccine reaction and not to get the next injection. I was given epi pens, Pepcid, and prednisone prescriptions. A lab test also showed that my d dimmer was higher indicating thickened blood. At home I had a hard time sleeping and was feeling a lot of racing in my heart. I did fall asleep and I woke up drenched in sweat a few times. The following day I still felt a bit shaky, dizzy, and like my skin is crawling. I still felt a bit of pressure in center chest, cold shivers off and on, just not feeling right at all.

On Wednesday March 3, 2021, I was unable to work and was still feeling the same way. Symptoms started to increase in the evening and I again went to the ER as it felt like my throat was tight, I had hives, high blood pressure, chest tightness, dizziness, loss of coordination, muscles giving out such as in I fell down a flight of stairs at home, and I started walking bow legged due to muscle weakness. This doctor also advised to not get a second injection. I had a very hard time sleeping now as it has been feeling for days like every system in my body was driving 100 mph down the freeway constant buzzing, thirst and pooling sweating over my chest.

On Thursday March 4, 2021I had a telehealth with my primary care doctor, unquenchable thirst, burning mouth, thick and full and dry mouth, dizzy, high bp, hives, chest tightness, tremors throughout and buzzing in each cell of my body. My doctor prescribed me enough medication to make it through the weekend. I was feeling so horrible and didn’t want to go back to the ER so was hoping the meds would help. Still cannot sleep due to intense body sensations and excessive pooling sweat over chest.

Friday March 5, 2021, I woke up early thirsty, drank a liter of water throughout the night, I had hives on upper back and around clothing lines such as hips, felt dizzy, woozy, nauseous, abdominal pains, high bp, face numbness and tingling, really not feeling right and wondering what is next. I did have some shortness of breath and coughing in the night the previous night with excessive sweating over heart, tremors, buzzing, and thirst.

On Saturday March 6, 2021, my oxygen was slightly lowered (92 as opposed to 98-99) per my oximeter. I was having a hard time breathing. I went to acupuncture which helped for a short time. I sent my son to a neighbor’s home and did everything I could to just stay relaxed and calm and see if I could rest. Although I felt like I was calm mentally, emotionally, and my body was as calm as I could get it, I had crushing chest pain, heaviness in the chest, high pulse and high blood pressure. I also had pain down my left arm (injection side). A neighbor then brought me to the ER to have my heart assessed. I had a wonderful doctor who gave me an EKG, heart ultrasound and x rays. They did not give fluids as I was drinking so much water – 1 liter of water an hour during the day and 1 liter over the night when waking. They assured me I was not having a heart attack but that the way I was describing my symptoms sounded like a case of covid and that I was experiencing these adverse effects from the vaccine.

On Sunday March 7, 2021, my son was still at the neighbor’s house. I called my aunt to come take me to ER. She came and we chatted a long while first. I felt like I was buzzing bee’s nest with every cell in my body vibrating constantly and the hives felt all over and internal too crawling everywhere and building like a giant wave that could take 2 hours to get there and they were all over on the inside of my mouth and throat inside and out. I felt the wave subside and I told her I was ok and she left planning to return later. 15 minutes later I called her back to bring me to ER. At the ER they were busy and I was on my own for quite a few hours, no meds but there and available for emergency care if needed. The hives would crawl all over and disappear and reappear in different areas, each time building up in intensity, constricting airways, pressure in chest, and then slowly release. We left after more tests and no medication changes but was reassured that my vitals were ok even though my bp was high. I didn’t need fluids as I was drinking so much water.

Monday May 8, 2021, I was feeling like everything was burning inside and out. I was on fire, unquenchable thirst, high bp, high pulse, weak and dizzy, vertigo, tinnitus, and could no longer care for myself. My aunt came over to care for me. I was concerned each night I went to bed that I would not live through the night.

Tuesday May 9, 2021. All drinking stopped, eating stopped, I felt like I was going to die and had the last conversations about details should I die and recorded them. I considered going back to the ER but as I had been so many times before, I didn’t feel that they could help me. I called the nurse line to discuss this and my vagal tone was so weak and in and out that she couldn’t understand me. I decided to ask my mom to come stay with me in case I ended up dying so that my body would be inaccessible.

Wednesday March 10, 2021, I had a migraine, vomiting, meds give brief relief and then back strong. I was unable to eat a miserable all day.

Thursday March 11, 2021. The first day was able to eat 3 times since this all started. I had a telehealth with Dr parker. A boil had appeared overnight and I had deep abdominal pressure continuing. I had a lab blood draw appointment, went outside the house for that, first time in days, had boil looked at that late afternoon, looks like cellulitis, wanted to prescribe antibiotics but I want to wait to hear test results, took topical antibiotics and told to rest on heat as much as possible. Abdominal pressure continuing. Wondering if its giant blood clot or swollen bowel. Occasional kidney pain both sides. I was able to talk to my son for the first time since Saturday.

I continued to have this intensity of symptoms for weeks beyond. I had a family member stay with me for another week until I no longer felt like I was going to die in the night. My son was then also able to come home as long as I had help. My kidneys shook for a few days, the buzzing and tremors continued. After a couple weeks exhaustion hit. My heart rate and pressure regulated after a few weeks. At one point about 4 weeks post vaccine, I had a trial work day. This failed miserably as all the intense chest pain, pressure, tremors returned. I could not try returning to work for another month.

Today I am on multiple anti histamines, multiple supplements, cromolyn and Chinese herbs. I am receiving acupuncture, cranio sacral therapy and chiropractic weekly. I also am receiving PEMF treatments and eating all low histamine. At this point, 12 weeks out from my vaccine injury, everything is still revolving around my recovery from the injury. I have started working again part time and can take care of my son but I have not been able to do all the things I used to. I am looking forward to healing fully and resuming my life.

- J.I. - Minnesota"