J. – Georgia
Describe the symptoms and the timeline of the reaction.
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5/21/21
I was a healthy physically active 39yr old female physician and new mom to a 4 month old baby when I got my first Pfizer vaccine on 12/26/20. At 11 minutes after the shot I became flushed, tachycardic, hypertensive, and dizzy. I laid down for about an hour and the symptoms started to improve. I was taken to our ER where an EKG was normal. There was no concern for anaphylaxis and I felt better so I left.
I got the 2nd vaccine on 1/15/21 and experienced the same symptoms within 2 minutes of getting the shot. I laid down and waited for them to subside. After 20min I felt better and left. I was driving home on the freeway and suddenly my face starting burning and flushing and my heart was racing. I began to feel like I would pass out and frantically looked for an exit to get off the freeway. I pulled over in a parking lot and laid in my car for 30 minutes until the symptoms stopped.
Over the next several weeks I began experiencing brain fog, nausea, extreme fatigue, diarrhea, heat intolerance, tinnitus, POTS/tachycardia, and dizziness when sitting or standing. I often felt like I may pass out. I missed multiple days of work due to my symptoms. One day I was taken by ambulance to the ER from work due to the severity of my condition. I was diagnosed with dysautonomia/POTS and small fiber neuropathy. My colonoscopy showed a nonspecific colitis. I was able to return to work for a few weeks after a 6 week leave however I began experiencing worsening joint and muscle pain and had difficulty walking. I ended up going on leave again due to my disability.
I had 4 ER visits and also saw my primary care physician, an allergist, 2 cardiologists, a neurologist, a rheumatologist, a dermatologist, and a gastroenterologist. I enrolled in a study with the National Institute of Health (NIH) and underwent further testing at their clinic center. I have had 4 MRIs, one CT, an echocardiogram, 2 tilt table tests, 3 EMG/NCS, a lumbar puncture, and 2 skin biopsies. I have had at least 50 tubes of blood drawn over the past 4 months. I have taken two courses of prednisone and received 5 days of IVIG. My condition remains debilitated and I am unable to work. I am trying to slowly recover after the IVIG but it will likely take several months, possibly more.
J. - Georgia
