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Kevin Brill

Tagged with: Heart Issues,

What was your life like before you received the COVID-19 vaccine?

I was a normal 42-year-old that was not in the best shape, but I was not in bad shape either. My wife and I had been walking three to four miles each day for the past year. Each of our trails has a bit of incline or a small hill for some added challenge. We have a two-year-old granddaughter that we babysit a couple times a week. They are a ball of energy at that age and I was able to keep up with her and enjoy my time.

Describe the symptoms and the timeline of the reaction.

I received the first Pfizer shot on May 21st and had little to no reaction. My arm was sore for a few days. When I went for the second shot on June 11th, I expected the same sort of result. Everyone that I knew had little to no reaction and the news kept saying that the shot was “safe and effective.” I was getting the shots so that I would have a reduced risk of spreading the virus to my wife who cannot have the shot for medical reasons. I have gotten all the recommended shots in the past. What could possibly go wrong?

Within 24 hours of the second shot, I noticed chest pain just left of center anytime I was exerting myself. This came on during the small hills and inclines during our walk. The pain would only last for a little while and if I stopped and rested it would die down. Each time it came back I kept hoping that it would go away, but it did not and I finally went to a cardiologist. They ran blood work, echocardiogram, and a treadmill stress test, which all came back normal. The doctor said there was nothing wrong with my heart.

The chest pain persisted for about a month after the shot and as it faded away an ever-increasing fatigue set in. I was trying to be careful and modified the walks we were taking to eliminate the inclines and hills. This worked to reduce the chest pain and I thought I was out of the woods. I could not have been more wrong and wish that I could go back to just those symptoms.

About a mile into one of our normal walks I ran out of energy. My whole body felt like it was shutting down. It was all I could do to stumble back to the car with the assistance of my wife. Even the smallest movement took so much effort. The only thing I could think of was making it back to the car. My wife had to help me in and out of the car. When we got home, I went right to bed for the rest of the day. The next day I was okay and hoped this was just a one off.

A couple days later we attempted another walk with the same results. I was determined to still get some form of exercise and tried to reduce the walk down to the point where this crash did not happen. Sadly the amount of activity that I could do has continued to decrease slowly over the past months. Each crash takes a little more out of me and it is harder to recover.

After almost a year I have to pay very close attention to anything that I do. Everything takes away that precious energy and it takes so much longer to replace. Doing simple things like crossing the room, or a small walk is too much for me. Most of my days are spent resting and taking it easy.

Describe the solutions that helped your symptoms

Unfortunately the only thing that helps is taking it easy and resting. I do my best to avoid crashing because that could take days to recover from. This condition resembles ME/CFS and I have taken to PACING to avoid crashing which works for the most part. The problem I run into is that the amount of energy I have each day is not the same. Things I could do last week might send me into a crash this week.

Which solutions were not helpful?

The doctors that I have seen were not helpful in any way. They were quick to dismiss my symptoms an said it was anxiety or depression.

What would you like others to know?

I wish that others knew that the vaccine can cause injury. It is not all in my head or I am not making it up to get attention. I got the vaccine to help protect others and something bad happened. Doctors should be receptive and try to find solutions.
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The individual experience shared above is offered for informational purposes only. React19 neither endorses nor recommends any treatment(s) noted therein. React19 does not diagnose medical conditions, offer treatment advice, treat illnesses, or prescribe medicine or drugs. It is strongly recommended that, prior to acting upon any information gleaned from a shared experience, you first consult a physician.