Age: 28.0
Sex: F
Vaccine: FLU3, FLUX
Symptoms: Activities of daily living impaired, Back pain, Dizziness, Fatigue, Headache
Clinical narrative: I was surprised that the vaccine injection felt more painful than other shots I have gotten, including other flu vaccines, and I remember feeling a little faint. After past flu shots, I have felt arm discomfort for a day or two. In this case, I felt a more extreme version of this discomfort for about two weeks after getting the shot, starting later in the day after getting the shot. It became very difficult for me to do things like turn the steering wheel with my left arm, take off clothes, and sleep on my left side. I woke up in the middle of the night in pain regularly. I had reduced range of motion in my arm, and if it was jostled, it would cause severe pain. By early November 2014, I was no longer in severe pain, and my shoulder did not hurt while at rest. However, it was still difficult to do the activities I mentioned, and doing them would cause significant pain. Because of this, I scheduled an appointment with my doctor at the student health clinic to ask her about it. She thought that the pain was likely tendonitis related to the vaccination. She pressed on my shoulder, which did not hurt much if at all, and moved my arm in ways that did not hurt. She said that I could get physical therapy if I wanted, but that it might resolve on its own. Since I had not had success with the physical therapist at the student health clinic for my back pain (it was ultimately treated successfully by a physical therapist), and the pain seemed to be going away, I decided to wait to seek physical therapy. By February 2015, my level of pain had not changed much since when I went to my doctor, and it was still difficult to get dressed or undressed. I was also still having trouble sleeping; I woke up several times a night in pain because I was putting too much pressure on my left shoulder. I had stopped sleeping on that side altogether. I decided to seek physical therapy at this point and they booked me for early March. After making this appointment, I did some additional research into shoulder injuries related to vaccines, which is when I found the law firm and contacted them. To date, I have had two physical therapy appointments, and have a third scheduled. The physical therapist was able to manipulate my shoulder in ways that triggered the pain I was describing. I have learned that the pain is mostly related to certain pushing or pulling movements that engage my shoulder, which is why moving my arm is not painful but, for example, pulling clothes off is painful. He prescribed strengthening exercises, which I have been doing regularly, although I had to stop doing one because it triggered more pain. I have also been trying to use my arm more in ways that are not painful in order to strengthen it. He put tape on my shoulder, which seemed to help somewhat. In my second session, he massaged my shoulder, which was so painful that my eyes teared up while he was doing it. This therapy has resulted in about a 50% reduction in my pain. This injury has taken up a lot of my time and mental energy. Scheduling and going to doctor/physical therapy appointments and doing physical therapy exercises at home takes time. It takes me extra time to get ready in the morning and get undressed at night because I have to figure out a way out of my clothes without causing myself more pain. It has interfered with my sleep, and I am more tired during the day. Since I already had limited my sleeping positions to prevent recurrence of back pain, not being able to sleep on one side has been very frustrating. I was traveling alone during the months of December and January for interviews, and it was difficult to do things like carry my luggage and place it into overhead bins on airplanes. I have felt hopeless at times that this will ever get better. It has now been 5 months and 2 weeks since getting the vaccination. While I have seen some improvement with physical therapy, I still have shoulder pain when sleeping and taking off clothes. My health is otherwise still good and I do not experience other pain with the exception of occasional headaches. I plan to continue physical therapy in the hopes that this will eventually be fully resolved.