Age: 54.0
Sex: M
Vaccine: COVID19
Symptoms: Abdominal discomfort, Abdominal pain, Arthralgia, Back pain, Balance disorder
Clinical narrative: To begin, I have always been a healthy, middle-aged male, with no history at all of neurological problems. What follows is a comprehensive summary of all that happened to me shortly (7 days) after getting the Janssen COVID vaccine and the supporting documentation to support the diagnosis of my having developed Guillian-Barre' Syndrome (GBS) as a direct and obvious consequence of the vaccine.    THURSDAY, 5/13/21: Received the J&J vaccine at 10:00 AM (LOT NUMBER 205A21A).   FRIDAY - THURSDAY, 5/13 - 5/20/21: No obvious reaction to the vaccine, at all.   FRIDAY, 5/21/21: During the day, I noticed deep-muscle pain/soreness in both shoulders (deltoid muscles) that increased throughout the day. It felt as if I had been doing heavy-weight presses with the resulting soreness.  I attributed it to a delayed reaction from the vaccine (as I'd heard muscle pain, particularly in the shoulders, is a common reaction symptom), as I had no injury or other possible cause and chose to ignore it.  It may have even started a day or two before Friday, but wasn't of such consequence as for me to recall it; the only vivid memory I have is the discomfort on Friday, 5/21/21.   SATURDAY - SUNDAY, 5/22 - 5/23/21: I had continued shoulder pains, but ignored them because they were not acute and just attributed them to a short-term vaccine reaction.   MONDAY, 5/24/21: In the evening, while sitting in the bleachers attending a sporting event, I noticed my buttocks was pretty sore. The bleachers are not normally comfortable, but this was a dull, serious ache across my entire buttocks. I didn't know to what to attribute it (not yet at that time associating it with the shoulder pain), so ignored it. In retrospect, I realized later that the soreness I was feeling at that time was similar to the shoulder pain and was the pain felt from a deep numbness across the buttocks, akin to when a body part (hand, foot, etc) "falls asleep" so deeply that it's numb, but is still very, very sore.  Later that night, my upper back began to feel sore, from shoulder to shoulder, down to my mid-back. As the night progressed, this pain increased exponentially to a "Level 10", leaving me unable to sleep but in 15-minute increments, wandering the house to find a spot -- sofa, chair, floor, anywhere -- to give me some comfort to sleep; I slept 2 hours, total, that night.  The pain across my back felt equivalent to someone beating me with a baseball bat all over my upper back -- it wasn't an acute, localized pain, but very deep and broad across the area.  Normally, Aleve quickly resolves any pain issues I have, but overnight, it did nothing to reduce the pain.   TUESDAY, 5/25/21: I began to piggyback Aleve and Extra Strength Tylenol, and that seemed to help abate a little of the most intense pain, but it was still painful and precluded sleep and much of my working.  I think it was at this time that I began to notice the pain and numbness going beyond my buttocks, down the backs of my legs, and into my feet, leaving my feet (and toes, in particular) numb and tingling.  I also began to notice a problem with balance and gross motor controls (stumbling when walking, nearly falling several times in the shower) -- all symptoms I have never experienced in any capacity.  Additionally, I had considerable pain down the backs of my legs, leading me to feel as if my calves and hamstrings had been through a heavy workout the day before and desperately needed stretching -- however, any attempts to do so led to excruciating, stabbing pains in those muscles.  I also noticed that the pain in my upper back was becoming more acute and localized in my cervical vertebrae area. Having taken care of a father who has had many back surgeries and suspecting I have my own degenerative cervical disc issues (I've had past neck pains), I began to believe that all the pain and numbness throughout my body might be due to a cervical issue (e.g., bulging disc, stenosis, etc), and so tried to treat the area as such, with hot shower, heating pad, better neck support, etc.  I continued to piggyback the two pain meds that day, but the upper back and neck pain and numbness and gross motor issues came back in full that night, again leaving me no relief for sleep -- I could only doze in 15-minute increments and found no position or place to sleep that was comfortable; I was in tremendous pain  10) across my entire back and down my legs. By 2:00 AM, I knew there was going to be no relief, and I couldn't wait until the morning; I drove myself to the nearby ER, again still believing/expecting at the time that this was a spinal issue.  In the ER, I was met by a PA who reviewed my situation, determined that cervical imaging was unnecessary, and prescribed Percocet.  My blood pressure was recorded at 160/94. I was released after two hours and returned home.  Despite the meds, I was still in considerable pain that night and found myself unable to sleep in more than 10- to 15-minute increments.   WEDNESDAY, 5/26/21: During the day, the Percocet seemed to abate the pain, somewhat, although it tended to flare up much more at night during the prior 2 nights, anyway.  However, I noticed I had an upset stomach by midday, and as the day progressed, the pain in my abdomen grew considerably. By the evening, the pain across my abdomen was unbearable, as bad as it was in my back and legs. Late in the evening, I researched Percocet and saw that abdominal pain and nausea are two prominent side effects.  I stopped taking the pain medication immediately, knowing that my back pain would return in full through the night; again, I slept in 15-minute increments in considerable back and abdominal pain for a total of about 3 hours.  It was also during the day Wednesday that I noticed considerably worse gross motor skills (e.g., walking, ascending/descending stairs, standing up straight, writing), balance, and increased numbness and tingling in my legs, feet, and hands. At one point, I tried to walk by my daughter in a hallway in the house, and in trying to go around her, I fell against the wall. She thought I was joking; I wasn't. It happened several more times that week.  Also, this day or the next, I started noticing additional problems with urinating and defecating. It felt as though I had no control over my abdominal muscles, so could not strain or push when going to the bathroom. When trying to have a bowel movement -- and I knew needed to -- I felt as though I had no control to push; when urinating, I had no muscle support for pushing out the urine.   THURSDAY, 5/27/21: Still believing these pain, numbness, and other neurological, problems to be related to cervical vertebrae/disc issues, I had an appointment with a spine orthopedist. He ordered cervical X-Rays and confirmed that I do have disc compression/degeneration, but not excessive and nothing that could explain the pain and numbness persisting all over my back, down to my hands, across my buttocks, and down my legs to my feet. The message: the cervical discs were not the problem.  This is when I reconsidered all I had been through, tying back to the initial pain I felt in my shoulders the prior Friday. This is when I realized that my body had been reacting to the vaccine. Never before in my life had I had neurological problem. Never before had I experienced pain, numbness, and tingling across my entire body that way, so until that moment, I hadn't considered the vaccine to be a possible vector for all that was going on with me.  The coincidence of these events was FAR too great to be anything but a causal relationship. The likelihood of these symptoms arising on their own is infinitesimal in comparison to a causal effect. The vaccine had triggered a serious and painful neurological response in my body.  The orthopedist, knowing I had responded poorly to the Percocet, prescribed oxycodone. I took that pain medicine that day and into the evening, but once again, my stomach and abdomen began to bother me and the abdominal pain returned. Once again, I looked at the side effects of the medicine, and the first two I saw were stomach pain and nausea. I stopped taking the pain medicine immediately. That night, I slept a total of 2.5 hours.   FRIDAY, 5/28/21: I was still in considerable pain, and that combined with very little sleep (and none of it good) for 4 days led me to having trouble thinking clearly. My wife insisted I needed to go back to the ER in the morning to see what could be going on. My blood pressure upon being seen was initially approximately 185/140, but what was finally recorded after a second test was 191/112. I waited to be seen for about 2 hours, but I finally met with the ER physician and described my history of problems that week, including my then-belief that this was a vaccine reaction. She ordered full bloodwork, chest X-Ray and CT scans (without contrast) of lumbar and thoracic spine and CT scan with contrast of chest/abdomen. Nothing strikingly abnormal was found in these scans, but doctors (ER physician and neurologist) noted bliteral weakness in lower and upper body. The doctors wanted to order MRIs, but I am unable to have an MRI due to a piece of metal in my left eye. The morphine I was administered helped reduce my pain and my blood pressure upon leaving had abated, somewhat (don't recall my final BP). Both doctors seemed not to believe that these symptoms could be the result of an adverse vaccine reaction, but they were unable to explain a cause. On my inquiry, at my friend's recommendation I ask to verify, the neurologist disagreed that these were symptoms of a presentation of Guillian-Barre' Syndrome (GBS). The ER doctor asked if I was interested in being admitted, but I felt some of my more extreme symptoms (blood pressure and pain -- thanks to the morphine) had abated sufficiently to allow me to leave. After 8 hours in the ER, I left and returned home.  My numbness, tingling, some pain, balance, and motor skills issues persisted, but were blunted somewhat (probably from the morphine?). It was either this day or the next, that I was standing outside, and knowing I had problems walking and with balance, I decided to try to run a few steps to see how weak my legs were and bad my motor skills and balance were. Immediately, it was clear that things were worse than I had considered. I had very poor control of my legs -- they flew off to the sides, out of control, as I tried to step; I stumbled a couple times and almost fell; and I couldn't proceed in a straight line, veering off at an angle. I earnestly tried several times, with the same results each time.  That night, while the pain was still there, it was tolerable enough that I was able to sleep for a total of about 5 hours.   SATURDAY, 5/29/21: Early in the AM, I noticed I was unable to smile. Having a friend who had had Bell's Palsy, I recognized the signs immediately. The left side of my face sagged, I was unable to smile (left side of my mouth sagged), and I was unable to close my left eye. My wife took me to the ER, and we were met by the same ER physician who had seen me the day before. She was shocked about my return so soon after my prior visit. My blood pressure, on being admitted, was 151/102, but as with my other visits, asymptomatic other than the problems described before (pain, numbness, and tingling, in my back, arms, legs, and abdomen; gross motor movement; lack of coordination; and lack of clarity in thinking); no other signs of infection or illness. The Dr ordered a CT scan (without contrast) of my head and other bloodwork. Of note, the CK came back at 712 U/L. The CT scan came back normal. Again, I was administered morphine, which abated my pain and allowed me to relax. After 3 hours, I was released, with prescriptions for Amlodipine for the high blood pressure and Prednisone and Valtrex (Valacyclovir) for the Bell's Palsy.  The morphine helped reduce my back and abdominal pain and give me some comfort, such that I could sleep another 5 hours that night, although all other symptoms persisted.   SUNDAY - WEDNESDAY, 5/30/21 - 6/2/21: I continued to experience the numbness and tingling in my back (primarily), abdomen, legs/feet, and arms/hands, but my severe pain began to abate, such that I could sleep a bit more easily. I taped my eye shut at night, as my Bell's Palsy eyelid would not close fully, and it teared constantly.   WEDNESDAY, 6/2/21: Not having a GP, I finally found an Internist to review my case and symptoms, but primarily to extend my meds (Blood Pressure and antiviral and steroid for the Bell's Palsy), as the ER doctor had only given me a 5-day prescription. The doctor review my situation and continued the meds. Having been prompted regularly by my friend to confirm a GBS diagnosis, I asked this doctor about a possible GBS-vaccine link and after a cursory review, he said he did not think so.   THURSDAY, 6/3/21: With the weakness in my left eyelid, my desire to find a resolution to it, and my concerns about its effect on my vision, I had an appointment with my opthamologist, who recommended eye drops until the eye improved and instructed me to stop taping the eye shut. She noted no other problems with my vision.   FRIDAY - MONDAY, 6/4/21 - 6/7/21: During this time, the medicines for my Bell's Palsy seemed to take effect, and the paralysis symptoms abated mostly (with some residual weakness in my left eyelid).  I continued to experience the other neurological symptoms, however.   TUESDAY, 6/8/21: Having been unable to get a timely appointment with a trusted neurologist, a friend with a contact at medical school head of neurology was able to get me an appointment with a neurology faculty member. I met with Dr. that afternoon, and he was the first to really listen to the symptoms I had and understand some of the possible triggers and consequences of them. I started the conversation explaining that I'm a reasonable, rational, and science-based person, an engineer by training and career, and that I firmly believed all the symptoms I was presenting were a direct consequence of my getting the vaccine.  Additionally, at my friend's continued urging, I asked if these symptoms could point to a Guillian-Barre' diagnosis.  He was at first skeptical of my proposition of the vaccine cause, but was quick to say he was glad I had raised the question of GBS, because he had that diagnosis in mind, as I discussed my symptoms.  He believed that the symptoms I had and the way and speed with which they had progressed pointed to a likely GBS diagnosis.  He scheduled a follow-on appointment to have an Electromyogram (EMG) and Nerve Conduction Study to assess the extent of the neurological damage and prognosis for resolution, as I am unable to get an MRI and he seemed to feel a lumbar puncture was unnecessary.    FRIDAY, 6/11/21: I had my scheduled EMG and Nerve Conduction Study with Dr. The results showed some abnormal neuropathy, but mostly normal in my extremities and indicative of some recovery from symptoms. Although I still had considerable numbness, tingling, and some pain down my legs into my feet and down my arms into my hands, my most prevalent issues at that point were numbness and tingling across my entire upper back and abdomen, but the doctor indicated these tests don't identify issues very well, that they are better designed for testing neurological issues in the extremities. We agreed to reconvene over the phone in several weeks, unless problems worsened.   TUESDAY, 6/29/21:   During a follow-up appointment with the doctor, I indicated that some of my neurological issues were abating and that my blood pressure had returned to near-normal range.  My energy was returning to a degree and my motor skills and balance and control had improved.  However, I continued to have significant numbness and tingling across my back and abdomen, and of greater concern, I had increasing tingling and pain going down my left arm to my index finger when I stretched out my arm.  This was a new symptom and increased in pain in frequency in the following days and raises the question of what other symptoms might arise.    AS OF 7/8/21:  CURRENT STATUS: I have continued numbness and tingling in my feet and hands and back and abdomen, although they are reduced from their earlier state. However, I have increased shooting pain in my left index finger when stretching out my left arm. Additionally, I have a mild increase in weakness in my left eyelid, after prior improvement from the Bell's Palsy. My dangerously high blood pressure at the early onset of these symptoms has returned to near-normal levels, although my GP continues to keep on blood pressure medicine (Amlodopine) for now. Finally, a lot of the issues I had thinking clearly and regularly making mental mistakes, all noticeable and commented on by my family, have lessened, although I still find myself making mental mistakes and forgetting information that would have been MUCH less likely prior to this adverse GBS event caused by the J&J vaccine.