Sex: M
Vaccine: TDAP
Symptoms: Feeling abnormal, Gait disturbance, Headache, Insomnia, Myalgia
Clinical narrative: In May of this year, I got the Tdap Vaccination (Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Pertussis). I have received this vaccination twice in my life and both times it provided an excruciating experience. - The first time (2009), neither I nor my doctor recognized that the symptoms had any correlation to the vaccines. -It was the worst experience I had ever had and since I was on a higher than average dose of Ibuprofen at the time (due to an orthopedic injury), we attributed it to that. -The second time (May 16, 2019) due to advanced technology (smartphones with google) I was able to diagnose the cause - I told my doctor, who had heard this was possible but is supposed to be extremely rare. -My experience from Tdap vaccine May 16, 2019: -I got the vaccine shot about 11:00 am - about 9:00 pm I realized that my body was hurting all over and I had a mild fever (101'F) - similar to if you were sick (fever) and starving (everything hurt) - by 2:00 am my fever had risen to 102.5'F and the body pain was excruciating in every way I can explain - my headache was so bad, I felt like I had a concussion - I was fatigued such that it was difficult to stand/walk - my muscles hurt to the touch and to move - my joints felt like they were very brittle and would snap - my skin felt someone was running a cheese grater over it from every touch (laying in bed was painful) - my cognitive ability was dramatically diminished - my balance bad enough that I had to brace myself while walking to the bathroom - At this time, since I wasn't sleeping anyway, I laid in bed, searched my symptoms, and came across several websites for discussion about these effects of the Tdap - By the next morning, the fever was mostly subsided but all the pain was still there. -I spent the morning at work but was unable to be productive so I left by noon and went home to sleep - Over the next 5 days, my pain symptoms diminished linearly (evenly over each day) - By the 6th day, the pain was mostly gone - I am not aware of residual effects but recognize that if my capacity is slightly diminished that I would not really know. Not exaggerating when I say that it was the most painful/scary experience of my life (both times). Here is a video of another person having the same effects: Unfortunately, neither of my Primary Care Physicians either time (who are both quite knowledgeable and experienced) understood my symptoms. -As Tdap came out in 2005 and my first experience was in 2009, so there was minimal to no data on these side effects. -By 2019 there have been enough cases that it is identified that slight pain and fever are some side effects, but my doctor was very shocked to learn that the side effects could be so bad. -Also, neither of my PCPs knew how to report these events. I found this FDA option after a notable amount of research. I do plan to continue with my vaccinations but will take a different approach next time. -Next time, I will get these vaccines separately (to discover which is the cause), get them each on a Friday (so that I won't have to miss work due to the effects), and to prepare a nest for the weekend (st