Age: 62.0
Sex: M
Vaccine: COVID19
Symptoms: Arthralgia, Burning sensation, Insomnia, Musculoskeletal disorder, Nausea
Clinical narrative: Soreness on the around the shot site; Severe arm pain up where the rotator cuff is; Severe arm pain up where the rotator cuff is; Has not slept due to pain; cannot sleep, the pain wakes him up; Could not use his arm; 50% deficit with the use of his left arm; After the vaccine, he could not lift his arm above his mid face level; Burning and tingling down the left arm; went to his hand and fingertips and progressed to the whole left side of his body including his rib line, hip, leg, and foot; Burning and tingling down the left arm; went to his hand and fingertips and progressed to the whole left side of his body including his rib line, hip, leg, and foot; Nauseous; This is a spontaneous report from a contactable consumer (patient who is a retired paramedic). A 62-year-old male patient received BNT162B2 (PFIZER-BIONTECH COVID-19 VACCINE; Lot Number: ER8732), via an unspecified route of administration in left arm, on 30Mar2021 at 01:00 PM (13:00), as first dose, single, for COVID-19 immunization. The patient's medical history included bipolar depression from probably 10 years ago (2011) and ongoing, torn rotator cuff (15 to 20 years ago), and food poisoning in mid-Aug2020 (maybe it was more than that; may get tested to see if he ever had COVID-19). The patient's concomitant medication included vilazodone hydrochloride (VIIBRYD) from 2017 and ongoing (for at least four years) for bipolar depression. The patient has no known allergies. The patient was one of those people who doesn't get sick and he doesn't normally get the flu shot and everyone told him to get this Pfizer vaccine. The patient was not panicking but got the first dose of the Pfizer Vaccine on Tuesday (30Mar2021) around 01:00 PM and saw some things about having soreness on the around the shot site and all of that from that night (30Mar2021). This is going on for three days (from 30Mar2021) with severe arm pain up where the rotator cuff is; if you ever have pulled a rotator cuff it feels like that and he has not slept in almost 3 days due to pain from 30Mar2021. The pain is severe at times that it makes him nauseous (Mar2021). He figured the soreness was normal and later in the evening on 30Mar2021, the pain became an issue when he tried to go to bed that evening. Since the first two nights compared to last night, the soreness is actually improved; every time he tries to sleep with pain as a factor it is not easy. The patient can feel throbbing with his heartbeat and with the circulation there is throbbing pain. The pain was terrible and was throbbing like his heartbeat and similar to like a shoulder rotator cuff injury. For the first two days, on Tuesday (30Mar2021) and Wednesday (31Mar2021) after the vaccine, he could not use his arm or lift his arm above his mid face level. According to the patient, it was like a rotator cuff and he had a torn rotator cuff 15 to 20 years ago and this is the same arm that his torn rotator cuff occurred in; this is very painful and he is comparing it to the torn rotator cuff. In Mar2021, the patient had burning and tingling down the left arm and 3 days no sleep because the pain is worse at night. During the last week (Mar2021), his left leg down to his foot is also tingling and burning. The patient's primary care physician just retired, and he is in the process of finding a new one. The patient had no treatment or physician or emergency room (ER) visit for the reported events because being in the ER field, he can tell right now that it would be a waste of time of the effort to go into the ER as they would do nothing but tell him to take paracetamol (TYLENOL) and that is it. The patient did not like to take paracetamol and hates taking paracetamol. The patient clarified it is generic acetaminophen extra strength (Strength: 500 mg; Lot Number: P119682, Expiration Date: Mar2022, UPC Number: 5084417594) that he has taken (maybe every 6 hours oral) and it does relieve the pain so that is only so good. He does not know if in motion of the course of the day, something happened because at night laying still in bed is when he has pain. The patient did a lot of research before he made this call and the severity of the pain is enough to actually keep him awake for three days. He thought it was severe pain; maybe he should have told them to administer the vaccine in his right arm, but it was administered into his left arm. The only reason he made this call was because he wanted someone to know what he was having which could be just completely normal and he is sure every reaction is different and he expected the soreness because he remembers as a kid having shots. Also, this level of pain he is experiencing is what he wanted to report; imagine having  himself going three days without a full night of sleep and he wanted to report this to make sure Pfizer knew this if they were keeping track of numbers of how many people have a similar pain level. The patient also asked if there were other people who called and reported these symptoms and if there is any information or treatment recommendations. As of 08Apr2021, even up to five days after getting the shot, now going on seven days that he has had some pretty severe reactions. The patient called in after 3 nights of getting no sleep. The patient was calling today to see if someone was ever going to call him back and asking will there be a follow up call from someone to see if he's still alive. The patient had some pretty severe reactions and they have actually gotten worse. There also have been new developments. The patient had pain in his arm that pulses along with his heart rate. It is so bad that it kept him up for 3 nights and still wakes him up at night. The pulsing pain in his arm started on the first night and has gradually gotten worse. The pain in the arm that is enough that it keeps him awake at night only starts getting severe when he goes to bed. He has tried sleeping in an upright position and he has tried everything, and nothing seems to alleviate it. The patient took generic acetaminophen which did not work during his last phone call. The patient also tried naproxen sodium (ALEVE) and that doesn't work wither. It was absolutely debilitating at times to where he has a 50% deficit with the use of his left arm (Mar2021). The patient initially reported burning and tingling sensation that was on his left arm and went to his hand and fingertips but now it has progressed to the whole left side of his body including his rib line, hip, leg, and foot. He is a retired paramedic and is pretty sure he is not having a long stroke. The patient feels it is too long to have symptoms from a shot he got. The patient has a lot of friends in the medical field and he's been told even going to a primary care physician, it is kind of gray area when it comes to dealing with COVID-19 vaccines. The patient was having second thoughts about getting the second shot. He had been told he can take NSAIDS over the counter for pain which has not helped him; there is no protocol for diagnosing or treating anything that happens from the shot. People in the medical field have told him there is thin line now to treat side effects because of liability; some doctors won't even get into it, just refer to Pfizer because medical insurance will not cover any services related to COVID-19 vaccine reactions. The patient continues to explain that is why the federal government is the only one that owns the shot due to liability. The patient's main concern is calling and reporting and maybe getting some help in deciding whether or not to get the second dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. In his opinion, that is too long to have pain that he cannot sleep, the pain wakes him up. This all happened along with the shot, the same night and there are times where he can't work due to it. The patient asks if anyone is concerned with it and will someone feel bad because he doesn't get the second shot. His main concern is that people are underscoring or even lying about side effects, stating he can't believe he is an isolated case. The patient continued to ask if this is something he's stuck with, or if it is something he would have to deal with from now on from getting this shot. The patient regrets getting the first shot and stated that if he knew then what he would be going through now, he wouldn't have got it. The patient has no sort of history of being a hypochondriac and the feelings he is going through right now are sensations that he has never felt in his life. The patient continues to explain he doesn't even know how to categorize it other than mentally relating it to the shot since it all occurred in line with Mar2021 getting the shot. The patient further commented that if he ran a call with an ambulance right now with a patient telling him what i he was telling the company, he wouldn't even know what to do with them other than getting them comfortable and to a hospital. The patient had not recovered from "Soreness on the around the shot site", "Severe arm pain up where the rotator cuff is", and " Has not slept due to pain; cannot sleep, the pain wakes him up". The outcome of the other events was unknown.