Age: 74.0
Sex: F
Vaccine: COVID19
Symptoms: Balance disorder, Dizziness, Laboratory test, Pain in extremity, Photophobia
Clinical narrative: Dizziness/She had become dizzy; Light sensitivity/I went outside to my mailbox and when I came back in my eyes were so messed up that I couldn't focus, all of the letters were rambling around; Injection site pain; Arm was just a little sore; lose her balance; This is a spontaneous report from a contactable consumer (patient). A 74-year-old female patient received the first dose of BNT162B2 (Pfizer-BIONTECH COVID-19 Vaccine), via an unspecified route of administration, administered in the left arm on 02Feb2021 at 09:55 (Batch/Lot Number: el9262) single, for COVID-19 immunization. Medical history included suspected COVID-19 from Mar2020 to an unknown date, gained weight over the summer of 2020, blood pressure abnormal, was prediabetic, on blood thinners for many years, was exposed to her doctor who tested positive for the COVID-19 Virus, and ongoing shortness of breath and chest tightness. The patient did not have any prior vaccinations within four weeks. The patient experienced 'dizziness', 'photophobia', 'vaccination site pain', and 'pain in extremity' on 04Feb2021; and 'balance disorder' in 2021. The patient reported that she received her first vaccine dose on 02Feb2021 and in the next 2 days, she started having dizziness and light sensitivity. Stated that when she went outside to her mailbox and when she came back in, her eyes were so messed up that she couldn't focus, all of the letters were rambling around. According to her, her symptoms were now resolved but she was concerned about receiving the second shot. She reported that she called her doctors office but they only provided CDC recommendations and didn't know what to tell her. She went on reporting that she had COVID in Mar2020 but she wasn't tested, she was with all of the symptoms that came with it including the pink eye. She reported that she was still experiencing some shortness of breath and tightness in her chest from it. The patient was asking if she should get the second vaccine dose if her symptoms were normal and if it mattered if she had COVID back in Mar2020. She was tested in Apr2020 and her COVID-19 Virus test was negative. She was scheduled on 02Mar2021 for her second COVID-19 Vaccine shot. She said she had no problem the first day after receiving her first COVID-19 Vaccine shot. She clarified on the second day she had some injection site pain, saying her arm was just a little sore at the vaccine injection site. She further stated that on the second and third day after getting her first COVID-19 Vaccine, she had something going on. She said she had become dizzy quite a number of times throughout those 2 days, and her eyes were very sensitive to light. She said when she went outside to her mailbox, and then came back inside her home, she couldn't read for about an hour afterwards. She said all the letters were jumping around and she was unable to focus her eyes. She said the dizziness and eye sensitivity to light went away after those 2 days, and on the third day she was fine. She said she is concerned about getting her second COVID-19 Vaccine now based on what she experienced after her first COVID-19 Vaccine. Reported she had called her doctor's office to get his opinion about the second COVID-19 Vaccine. She said one of the doctor's nurses gave her a set answer that the doctor abides by the CDCs recommendations to get the second COVID-19 Vaccine shot. She said the doctor did not seem to be concerned about what had happened to her after the first COVID-19 Vaccine. The patient stated that at first she didn't think what she was experiencing had anything to do with the COVID-19 Vaccine. She said it dawned on her after the third time she became dizzy in a day (2 days after getting her fist COVID-19 Vaccine shot) that maybe there was some connection between the COVID-19 Vaccine and the dizziness. She said the following day (3 days after getting her first COVID-19 Vaccine), she started to get concerned because she still had the dizziness and eye sensitivity to light. When she was experiencing the dizziness and eyes being sensitive to light, she didn't go out of her house. She said she did nothing around the house on those 2 days. She said the next day (4 days after getting her first COVID-19 Vaccine), she was fine and has had no problems since then. The patient clarified that the dizziness she experienced was not when she went to stand up. She said one time she was just sitting at her desk, and all of a sudden, she got really dizzy. She said she held onto her desk until the dizziness passed. She said she has never had anything like that happen to her before. She said she would become dizzy and lose her balance as she was walking across the room. She said when that happened, she would sit down for a few minutes until the dizzy feeling passed. She had some blood pressure medications that were changed a month or two before she received her first COVID-19 Vaccine. She said her blood pressure medications have her blood pressure under control. She said she is prediabetic and takes a pill in the morning and has not had a problem. She said she was not on insulin and she watches her diet. She said she has been on blood thinners for many years. She hasn't changed her medications in any way recently. Reported that in Mar2020 (when she had the COVID-19 Virus) she couldn't get tested for the COVID-19 Virus because she was stuck at home. She said when she got tested in Apr2020 for the COVID-19 Virus she was negative. She said in May2020, Jun2020, and Jul2020, she had ongoing symptoms from having the COVID-19 Virus in Mar2020. She said during that time she was hospitalized twice for tests because she had shortness of breath and chest tightness. She said her heart tests were fine, and her lungs look good, but she still had symptoms. She said she tested negative again for the COVID-19 Virus in Aug2020. She said at that time, she was exposed to her doctor, who tested positive for the COVID-19 Virus the day after she had seen him at a wellness appointment. She said her doctor was hospitalized for the COVID-19 Virus. The events did not require any Emergency Room or Physician Office visit. Outcome of the events 'dizziness' and 'photophobia' was recovered on 06Feb2021, for 'vaccination site pain' was recovered on an unspecified date, while for the rest of the events was unknown. No follow-up attempts are possible. No further information is expected.