Age: 70.0
Sex: M
Vaccine: COVID19
Symptoms: Antibody test abnormal, Blood test, Carpal tunnel syndrome, Electromyogram, Herpes zoster
Clinical narrative: Heart attack; peripheral neuropathy continued and has gotten worse.; An outbreak of shingles on his left chest area and on his back on the scapula on the left side; it was carpal tunnel; he has sleep deprivation; The pain is worse when he sleeps; Inflammation in his hands; Within a month after the second vaccine he had an antibody test and did have antibodies, it was positive, but he was recently tested again for antibodies and it was negative; This is a spontaneous report from a contactable consumer (patient). A 71-years-old male patient of received BNT162B2 (PFIZER BIONTECH COVID VACCINE, solution for injection), dose 2 via an unspecified route of administration, administered in Arm Left on 24Mar2021 12:30 (Age at vaccination 70-Years-old) (Batch/Lot Number: ER0730) as DOSE 2, SINGLE for covid-19 immunisation. Medical history included polymyalgia rheumatica from an unknown date and unknown if ongoing His mother and brother both had polymyalgia rheumatica. Patient's medical history included Polymyalgia rheumatica. His mother and brother both had polymyalgia rheumatica. History of all previous immunization with the Pfizer vaccine considered as suspect (or patient age at first and subsequent immunizations if dates of birth or immunizations are not available) was reported as none. No Additional Vaccines Administered on Same Date of the Pfizer Suspect. Prior Vaccinations (within 4 weeks) If applicable, list any other vaccinations within four weeks prior to the first administration date of the suspect vaccine was reported as none. Patient's family history included His father had everything and was overweight and diabetic, and died at 58 years old. His mother died at 91 years old from bone cancer. Concomitant medication included meloxicam taken for joint swelling from an unspecified start date and ongoing. The patient received BNT162B2 (PFIZER BIONTECH COVID VACCINE, solution for injection), dose 1 via an unspecified route of administration, administered in Arm Left on 03Mar2021 12:30 (age at vaccination 70-Years-old) (Batch/Lot Number: EN6201) as DOSE 1, SINGLE for covid-19 immunisation and experienced outbreak of shingles and after the shingles was treated and went away he was left with a frozen arm that turned into numbness and tingling in both arms and hands. It was reported that patient had polymyalgia rheumatica in the past but rheumatologist told him this wouldn't cause numbness and tingling in both hands, only one side so they don't think that was what was going on. Patient still had this in both hands and swelling and burning and had two rounds of steroids. It was reported that within a month after the second vaccine he had an antibody test and did had antibodies, it was positive, but he was recently tested again for antibodies and it was negative. Doctor told him that it was possible that it was because he was on a second round of steroids for inflammation in his hands, and he stopped taking steroids a week ago. He took a blood test at his annual physical and 4 or 5 months after the vaccine it was negative on antibodies. After 2nd dose he had an outbreak of shingles on his left chest area and on his back on the scapula on the left side. Stated that at first he thought he was having a heart attack, because of the heaviness on his chest and he also had frozen arm on right side, and he had a history of heart conditions. But stated that a heart attack normally affects the left arm. Stated that he always gets shots in left arm and didn't conclude that any of his symptoms had anything to do with the vaccine. He had not had the shingles vaccine yet, but if the covid vaccine was targeting his immune system then maybe it brought out the shingles virus. He stated that his frozen arm turned into numbness and tingling, and pretty soon was in both arms and hands, mostly in hands. His primary care doctor said that it was a side effect of the shingles and that it would go away in time. Within 3 weeks the shingles was gone. He had taken medications; it was never itchy but the peripheral neuropathy continued and has gotten worse. Now he had a team of neurologists and rheumatologists trying to determine the cause. His primary care doctor sent him to a neurologist because the neuropathy did not dissipate like he was told it would. The neurologist told him that it was carpal tunnel, but he did not had any repetitive motions or trauma. It happened at the time of the vaccine. The neurologist gave him steroids. Stated that he had Polymyalgia Rheumatica in the past, so the neurologist sent him to a rheumatologist before they started talking about doing surgery for carpal tunnel. The rheumatologist said that it is not Polymyalgia Rheumatica because the neuropathy is in both hands. It was reported that while he took the steroids his hands felt better, but as soon as the steroids ran out the symptoms returned due to the inflammation in his hands. Neuropathy was tingling and numbness but it's not as troubling as the swelling and burning that he had from the inflammation. He can't close his hands and make a fist. The neurologist did an EMG to check the conductivity of the nerves, which confirmed peripheral neuropathy and carpal tunnel, but they still don't understand where the inflammation came from, so they ran more tests. They have done a lot of blood work, but the results are all unremarkable; they have done every kind of blood test and all have been normal. They are going to do an EMG on his legs because the neurologist said if he had something super serious, like MS, he would also be having symptoms in his legs. He will also be having an MRI on his spine and vertebrae that will show the spinal column that holds the nerves that lead to his hands. Long story short, the doctors are stumped. He Stated that he had now taken 2nd round of steroids for the inflammation and burning. The pain was worse when he sleeps, which is typical of neuropathy, so he has sleep deprivation, his hands get stiff when he's not moving them. He has never had any of these problems before getting the vaccine. He has also learned at his annual physical that he no longer had any antibodies from the Covid vaccine. It was reported that he had antibodies about a month after getting the vaccine, but now he didn't had any antibodies 5 months after getting the vaccine, so now he was exposed again. He Stated that he stopped the steroids a week ago last Friday. Getting revaccinated was more important than taking the steroids. His doctors told him that the steroids may be the reason that he doesn't have antibodies anymore; when on steroids vaccines don't tend to work as well. Stated he had 3 neurologists, a rheumatologist, and a primary care doctor and no one has any answers. He stopped the steroids 1 week ago, from what he had read, he should not get a vaccine until 14 days post steroids. Event An outbreak of shingles on his left chest area and on his back on the scapula on the left side and peripheral neuropathy continued and has gotten worse led to Physician Office visit. The patient underwent lab tests and procedures which included blood test and showed unremarkable results in 2021, electromyogram confirmed peripheral neuropathy and carpal tunnel in 2021, sars-cov-2 antibody test positive on an unknown date in 2021 antibody test and did have antibodies, it was positive , sars-cov-2 antibody test and showed negative results in 2021 he was recently tested again for antibodies and it was negative. Therapeutic measures were taken as a result of an outbreak of shingles on his left chest area and on his back on the scapula on the left side, peripheral neuropathy continued and has gotten worse, it was carpal tunnel. At the time of this report, the outcome of events heart attack, within a month after the second vaccine he had an antibody test and did have antibodies, it was positive, but he was recently tested again for antibodies and it was negative, inflammation in his hands, it was carpal tunnel, he has sleep deprivation was unknown, an outbreak of shingles on his left chest area and on his back on the scapula on the left side recovered on an unknown date in 2021, peripheral neuropathy continued and has gotten worse , the pain is worse when he sleeps not recovered.