Age: 67.0
Sex: F
Vaccine: VARZOS
Symptoms: Decreased appetite, Discomfort, Erythema, Feeling cold, Impaired driving ability
Clinical narrative: SHINGRIX Journal: Tuesday, March 19: 11:00 am shot given by nurse at doctor's office at 11:00 am. Slight twinge in upper arm muscle at injection site, but this dissipated in a few seconds. Commented to nurse, and to my husband when I returned home, that this was the least painful and easiest injection I had ever received. Following the shot, I got a haircut, picked up a few groceries, took a shower, cleaned a spot on the carpet and ate lunch. 1:00 pm - Arm began to stiffen and seize up. Pain began. Took an ADVIL. Pain did not seem to respond to ADVIL. Difficult to find a comfortable position. 3:00 pm - Took a second ADVIL and had my husband call the doctor's office. Pain was excruciating. The worst I have experienced - even worse than when I tore my calf muscle. Arm seemed to be starting to swell. My husband indicated that my coloring was "ashen". 4:00 pm - Nurse called back. Said there was nothing more they could do. Told me that it was OK to take 2 ADVIL every 4 hours in a 24 hour period. Also suggested that icing might help. Indicated that if I needed more assistance that I should go to the walk in clinic that was open until 8 pm that evening. Nurse also indicated that her research on the CDC site stated that 1 in 6 people have a severe reaction to this injection and I was probably one of them. Told her I had already visited that site. Immediately following this call I iced my arm for 20 minutes. This gave a bit of relief enough that I was able to nap for about 30 minutes. When I woke it seemed a bit better, probably because during this sleep my arm was somewhat relaxed. 5:00 pm - Took 2 ADVIL. I had little appetite. Drank lots of water, but had a low urine output for about 24 hours. (In a way this was a good thing because it was painful to remove necessary clothing to use the toilet.) 9:00 pm - Took 2 ADVIL.  Attempted to go to sleep in my bed. Needed my husband to undress me - could not do this by myself. Lying in bed was again excruciating, no matter what position. Resigned myself to sleeping on the couch that night. Initially had chills. Woke about every 90 minutes and switched between sleeping on couch and sleeping on loveseat. Not a restful sleep and long bouts of falling back asleep every time I woke, due to pain. 12:40 pm - Took 2 ADVIL. Restless sleep pattern continued. Wednesday, March 20: 5:15 am - Took 2 ADVIL. Restless sleep pattern continued. 6:30 am - Woke up for the day. Could not get dressed. Too painful to change clothes. Upper arm swollen and red. 9:30 am - Took 2 ADVIL. Continued ADVIL regimen for rest of the day. Slept on and off all day. Little appetite. Slept, although restless and painful, in my own bed. Heartbeat seemed "hard" at times. Thursday, March 21:  Changed ADVIL routine to one a day. The result was now about the same as when I was taking two. There seemed to be a slight lessening of the pain. Enough that with assistance, I could get dressed. Arm still swollen and red - difficult to lift up. Friday, March 22: Now down to one ADVIL during the day and one at night before bed. I noticed that there was a slight increase in the range of motion of my arm. (Note: lack of ability to move was always from my elbow up to my shoulder.) Could dress myself, as long as clothes were loose fitting. Still needed assistance with items like coats or robes. Left house to run an errand. Husband had to drive me. Had to cancel plans to go to movies that evening. Too uncomfortable to sit in movie chairs. Best sleep I experience since Monday, March 18. Saturday, March 23: Still on one ADVIL a day. Starting to notice an increase in the range that I can lift my arm, but pain at injection site persists. Still cannot lift it enough to feel that I could drive safely.  Husband drove me for a few errands. Probably did too much that day as I experienced pain and discomfort throughout the night. Very restless sleep, more like Thursday night than Friday night. Sunday, March 24: Pain continues to subside. Took one ADVIL in am and one at bedtime. Nearly painless sleep. Monday, March 25: Arm is still tight and slightly swollen. Now it is much like a "normal" reaction to an injection. Almost have full range of motion back. Stopped taking ADVIL.