Age: 51.0
Sex: F
Vaccine: TD
Symptoms: Nasopharyngitis, Periarthritis, Tetanus, Ultrasound scan
Clinical narrative: From the next day of the vaccine administration and during almost 10 days I had a lot of swelling and pain in left arm, where vaccine was administrated.  I thought it was normal but, even if the swelling disappeared after 8 to 10 days, the pain increased every day.  Pain was like a very strong cramp in upper arm that did not loosen up, I could not move the upper arm because of the pain and the shoulder became frozen. During the first month I had unusual burning sensation and stiffness in the right thumb. Two months later I suddenly had a horribly strong "cramp" in left calf.  I could not even stand on that leg and the muscle did not loosen up for 5 or 6 days while the cramp and pain in left upper arm continue exactly the same as from the beginning.   I was treated by many doctors who insisted that it was not related to the vaccine despite I told them this felt like tetanized muscles.  During one year and a half I was not diagnosed or misdiagnosed.  The pain was unbearable and I could not move my left arm.  After seeing all kind of doctors (neurologist, immunologist, orthopedist) who diagnosed and treated me for different things (bursitis, frozen shoulder, I even got an infiltration for bursitis and the arm did not get better) I was refer to physical therapy.  From October 2013 to march 2014 I attended sessions first twice a week and later on once a week, when I realized that exercising was making my arm more "crampy".  The therapist realized that my left arm muscles could move without pain in a passive way (when the shoulder pully was used or my arm was lifted by the therapist) but if I had to lift or move the upper arm in an active way (by myself, forcing the muscle) I was able to only lift my arm a couple of inches and with unbearable pain.  I moved on April 2014 and did not continue immediately with physical therapy because of the moving.  After a year of treatment and visits to many doctors I was not diagnosed and my arm was not better at all.  After a couple of month without physical therapy I realized the fewer I moved the arm, the better it felt and I could move it better.  In June 2014 I got a cold, and, due to coughing, I suddenly experienced the same kind of "cramp" all around my upper torso, it hurted so much I could barely breathe.  This horrible pain lasted for a week, even while taking muscle relaxants.  It was not the normal muscular pain due to coughing and, as the pain felt exactly the same I was feeling in my arm and eventually in my leg, I explained to the doctor about the problem I had with my arm for more than a year.  After a couple of consultations they diagnosed "mild tetanus" due to the vaccine.  The doctor recommended a muscle relaxant and not to force muscles with exercise for a while.  It did work and now, after 20 months of suffering, my arm is much better, I have very little pain (only when I move my arm to forced positions) and I slowly regain movement.  I still can not lift my left arm all the way up or move it to the back of my back, but it is getting better.  During these horrible 20 months I did a lot of research and at some point discovered about SIRVA, I spoke to all of my treating doctors about it but they all dismissed the possibility (maybe because of fear of legal problems).  Anyway, the doctor took a look (ultrasound, physical exam) at the point of vaccination and everything looked fine, due to the kind of pain and muscular stiffness that I described to him he said it was not SIRVA, and the bursitis and frozen shoulder was due to the lack of movement.  Being true that I had a bursitis (diagnosed after an MRI in September 2013), once it was healed the problem persisted and the pain and lack of movement was not better at all.   A second MRI after the infiltration for bursitis (November 2013) did not show any problem (the bursitis was already healed), but the pain and lack of movement persists until now (January 2015).  Nowadays, I try not to exercise to avoid pain.  If I walk during more than 10 straight minutes, I feel my calf getting stiff.  The minimal exercise I do with my arm (even rolling dough for cookies!) gets back the pain and the cramp in my left arm muscles. Perhaps it is important to make clear that my shoulder NEVER hurted, pain was only on my arm's muscles that hurted permanently and some times felt like they were shrinking, pulling up and down from the shoulder to the elbow. I asked my doctor for the number and data of the vaccine I've got, it was Tetanus Adsorbed Tenivac NDC 49281-215-10, Sanofi Pasteur.