Age: 54.0
Sex: F
Vaccine: FLU3
Symptoms: Pruritus, Tremor, Urticaria
Clinical narrative: I received flu shot at a clinic conducted by Board Of Health on Wednesday 11/17/05 around noon. I have received annual flu shots at this clinic for at least the last three years. I have been getting the flu shot for my predisposition to serious affect of flu with my life long asthma for over ten years. My asthma is in complete control. I have not had an attack in at least five years as of this year 2005. Adverse reaction to 11/17/05 Wednesday flu shot is as follows:  Starting with 7pm on the evening of the shot 11/17/05 I felt completely drained and weak and my hands were shaky; I could not stay up and went to bed. I was achy and generally unwell. I assume I was just tired. I awoke after a long sleep feeling generally rested at 5:30 a.m. the next day Thrusday 11/18, but I was still overcome with this achy and sore feeling like I had been beat up especially in my waist area and my muscles and bones just felt sore and achy. I figured I might be coming down with someting. As the day went on I began to think the unwell feeling which presisted and compounded throughout the day might be a non serious reaction to flu shot and it would pass since I did not get a live virus. I went to bed tired and early. I awoke on Friday 11/19/05 still feeling achy and beat up and sore all over; but this feeling started to diminish by late afternoon Friday and I was myself by that evening. I awoke on Saturday 11/20/05 feeling fine; but at around 1 p.m. I was completely overwhelmed with tortuous hives and itching full trunk and bright red skin neck to pelvis. I did not have any breakfast that morning, only half a cup of coffee, then went out for errands, I had eaten out at noon having a plain coffee, milk, sugar and chocolate chip cookie. I drove home all itchy, took Benadryl (two) and a shower; I called my doctor who said to come in. Arrived at his office at 2 pm with hives and redness all over my trunk but itching relieved by Benadryl. I was drowsy. My blood pressure was 110/60 which is my average range; my lungs were completely clear not even a wheeze; my lips and tongue and throat had no affect or itchy feeling. It was just the hives affecting me. I did not feel unwell, just drowsy from Benadryl. Doctor admin. epinepherine and observed me for about 2 1/2 hours. My husband had accompanied me and took me home with instruction to take anthistimine at bedtime and doctor's opinion the hives would not reappear. I arrived home at 5 p.m. At 6 p.m. the hives started to flare and red all over my trunk. I took an antihistimine; itching subsided; I went to bed at 8 p.m. very drowsy; I awoke at 3:30 a.m. Sunday 11/21 to a flare of hives and itching; just took another antihistimine without even getting out of bed to look in mirror; awoke at 8 a.m. and saw hives had overtaken my arms and legs. I called doctor who prescribed 60 mg. of prednisone once a day for next five days. I filled prescrip. took first dose of 60 mg. that Sunday 11/21 and another antihistimine around noon (about 24 hours after first hives showed). Fell asleep; woke by husband and had lunch in bed at around 3 p.m.; fell asleep and woke to full hives flaring now on my trunk and on my face; took antihistimine; ate dinner while hives spread now to my hands and feet (back and front) with slight discomfort on back of hands and feet from itching. At around 10 pm I felt normal; hives had subsided considerable and I assumed the prednisone was working; went to bed at 1 pm without antihistimine because I had a wake up call at 5:30 a.m. Monday 11/22. Woke at 3:30 a.m. 11/22 Monday with hives all over my trunk and legs, and pelvis itching; tried to sleep thru it because I had to wake at 5:30 and was so tired. Woke at 5:30 to see the hives everywhere and flared and terribly itchy; but not on my face. Took 60 mg. prednisone and anthistimine and shower. It is now 12:27 p.m. Monday 11/22/05. I have been ill in one way or the other reacting to something immediately after getting flu shot 11/17/05 with little let up. I went from general malaise the evening of shot into the entire next day and most of the next; felt better evening and morning before hives showed up at noon Saturday. These hives that are not going away but continue to flare despite epinepherine, prednisone two courses 60 mg each; and antihistimine every four to six hours. I feel itchy but can resist the urge as long as I have antihistimine working inside me. I have hives visible on body. They move from one area to another. Right now my chest is sort of itchy with hive markings. I am alarmed as this does not appear to be a food allergy....it has been over 72 hours sine I ate a chocolate chip cookie which I ingested a full thirty minutes before hives; but in any case was fully treated as if it were food allergy but with no relief in symptoms at all in 72 hours. It is looking less and less like a food allergy. I am on a course of prednisone 60 mg. a day which is making me very unsettled and jumpy. I feel itchy; and I am dependent upon antihistimine with their own side effects of dry mouth and tiredness as well as jittery nerves. I want to get off this merry go round. I want a diag. that makes sense. I think I reacted to the flu shot. I want to be taken seriously, as I am not one to complain, but to only speak up when I am alarmed. My husband, age 55 is in perfect health with no symptoms; my child age 17 is well with no symptoms. I hope this is not contagious. I don't think it was a food allergy reaction to a cookie I have eaten with no problems in the past. I don't have food allergies. The only thing that has happened to me or my family is I am reacting to the flu shot with initially malaise and achy bones and muscles; like I was beat up, sore; now unrelenting hives that are not responding to general allergy treatment. I  have not changed any cleaning products and we cook at home. I have not been out to eat since 2003; that is how infrequent our visits to a restaurant have been until I had coffee and cookie last Saturday. My diet has not changed. My vitamins (which I forget to take anyway) have not changed. I have no pets. I live in a house where we have lived for the past four years. THE BOARD OF HEALTH ASKED ME TO GO ONLINE AND FILL OUT THIS FORM AND THEN I FOUND YOU WANTED INFO LIKE MANUF. AND ROUT WHICH I DO NOT HAVE, BUT THE NURSE WHO HAS THIS INFO IS AWAY FOR THE DAY FROM OFFICE GIVING OUT FLU SHOTS; SO I WAS ASKED BY HER STAFF TO RELAY TO YOU TO CALL THEM FOR THAT DETAILED INFO WHEN YOU GET THIS REPORT. YOU CAN CALL THEM. THE NURSE IS USUALLY AVAILABLE AS WELL AS THE DIRECTOR AT THAT NUMBER. THANK YOU.