Age: 76.0
Sex: F
Vaccine: TDAP
Symptoms: Influenza like illness, Loss of consciousness, Lymphocyte count normal, Lymphocyte percentage decreased, Malaise
Clinical narrative: Extreme Reaction-Long lasting effects even to today in some areas. I am 77 years of age, (7-25-30) postpolio, quadaparesis, ventilator and oxygen dependent. I go out of the house only to go to the doctor. Tuesday, 5-15-07: Appointment for physical with DO, who as we talked scolded me for having allegedly been "in control" of my health and now she was going to be "in control" (This was my second visit to her office). For my physical, she only looked at the the top of my hands and said I needed a tetanus shot and would give me the shot that included whooping cough, which she said would not cause me any problem. I was not told any information about the vaccine nor was I given any information to read (or sign) so I could make an informative choice to have the vaccine. (Which I would NOT have agreed to get. The risk was not worth the benefit to me, as I am never out in public, have no contact with young children and have never known anyone who had whooping cough.) I was a state of shock as to how the appointment had transpired and before I could even think, her Certified Medical Assistant gave me the shot. On my way out, I was handed two papers explaining the Tdap vaccine. Before I got home from the appointment (I have to have a nurse with me and go by Medivan) I became very weak in all of my muscles and so tired. I went right to bed with assistance and slept. 5-16-07-Became hoarse and hard to talk, weak, fluish. 5-17-07-Became short of breath. Hoarse, nose feels full, but isn't, lungs more congested, headache like a band around head, strange congestion in back of throat, faster heart rate, so tired and weak Ache in every joint and all over body. Neck pain. 5-18-07 Same symptoms plus SPO2 sats are down, inside of mouth, gums, throat, esophagus, inside nose feels like they are burning up. Feeling like you had cayenne pepper on them. Pain in stomach. 5-19-20-21-22-07. Same symptoms plus blurry vision, coughing feeling like I would vomit. Stomach bleeding. 5-23-07. Same symptoms: night sweats started. Body odor very strong and pungent. Throat red, blotchy. One minute I feel like I am burning up inside/the next having chills 5-24-25-26-07 feeling worse. Teeth are changing color, getting darker. Ache, fatigue. 5-27-07. Feeling really sick, and so weak; Able to get a nurse and van and went to ER. Since then I feel I am getting weaker, all my muscles, I now have a hard time to lift a full cup of liquid. Etc. I am tired all of the time, I wake up exhausted. My vision is changed: vision loss. My teeth have/are turning black, sensitive. I notice that I am not able to smell things as before. I still have headache and have had a migraine. I never have headaches. My neck aches. I have a hard time to concentrate. I feel fluish. Ache in joints and all over. I still have nightly sweats, to the extent that all my bedding has to be changed down to the mattress. My mouth, gums, throat, esophagus, nose still burn, throat red. No my hands are shaky. I still get periods when I feel like my whole body is burning up and then periods when I feel chilled. Stomach very sensitivity and still very bloated. Breathing more labored and exhausting and more suctioning, effort just to talk. I feel like my whole body is on fire, and wearing down, weaker each day. Monday, July 2, 2007-Transferring, I had a very strange sensation in my legs and I passed out. Tuesday, July 10, 2007 The 8th week after the shot: Starting July 10, 2007, ...the burning in mouth started to lessen, less sweating. Feeling better. Have vision loss, eyes more sensitive, ache over eyes, itchy. Still weak-shaky...hard to even lift a cup full of liquid. (No problem before the shot). Easy fatigued, cannot stand up on legs as before. Frequent headaches yet (Before shot had no headache for 40 years.) Gums still sore, teeth very sensitive, now sensitive to hot, cold, chewing and some touch, teeth turned grey and black. Have some loss of smell. (I have always had a very keen sense of smell) August 7, 2007: Eye exam Loss of some vision-need for bifocals. August 29, 2007: Teeth had turned black. Dentist found teeth to be stained. Dentist started to remove stain. October 2, 2007: Dentist finished removing the stain. March 1, 2008: Since the Tdap shot, I have been having a, (by mouth), temperature of 99+. This is not normal for me. I am still having occasional headaches, including migraines. I am still experiencing periods of feeling very hot like I am burning up and then I will be cold and have chills. Every slight draft bothers me. As a result from my mouth, gums, throat, esophagus, and the inside of my nose feeling like they were burning up, feeling like cayenne pepper was on them, along with pain in my stomach, I have had an extremely sensitive stomach and bloating. My biggest concern that has resulted from this Tdap shot is that I get so fatigued and I ache and hurt so much in all of my muscles and joints. The more I hurt, the more my muscles go into spasms, and then the more pain I have. This brings on shakiness; shortness of breath and extreme exhaustion will come on suddenly. So now without medication, I cannot function. The two options that would help me, as I am a post-polio, is to have a massage therapist and a chiropractor that does pressure points. However, I do not have any funds to pay for them. I have always been very flexible and now I am getting stiffer and stiffer and soon I will not be able to even stand, if I do not get this help. The Tdap shot has really changed my health, my quality of life, a shot that I was given no information about and was not given the chance to address whether I wanted the shot or not. I never gave permission to have the shot. I would not have had the shot. I feel I was taken advantage of and "bullied." 3/10/08-records received for DOS 10/23/07-seen several months prior with C/O blackening of her teeth, feeling tired, malaise, fatigue, no energy, no pep. Now symptoms have resolved  3/31/08-records received for DOS 5/27/07-Impression: Generalized weakness and abdominal distention. Secondary to constipation. CT mild constipation. 1/21/2010 I am still experiencing problems tha torginated with Tdap. I have never been sick or had reaction from anything before that affected my entire body and there was nothing I could do about it. My teeth, up until I had the shot were in good health, first after the shot they became covered with a black stain. The dentist removed this in two visits. No they show decay at the base of some of the teeth which I have never had. I have loss of vision since the shot. I had my eyes examined August 7, 2007 and now needed bifocals. My vision continued to bother me and on July 9, 2008 I had my eyes examined and my vision is worse. I continue to ache and have pain in my muscles and joints that started after the Tdap shot. I have had some areas that would bother me on occasion, but never like this. I now do not have on day without pain and can not function without medication. As I have stated before, when in pain, my muscles go into spasms and this makes pain worse. This is turn is still effecting my breathing, making it harder to breath and more congested. All this made it harder, to impossible, for me to be able to do things I did before the shot. I can barely stand up now, before I could walk with assistance. I am getting stiffer and stiffer. Sine the Tdap, I get fatigued and there are times ehen all of a sudden I am completely exhausted and have to lay down immediately. This was not the case before the Tdap shot.