Age: 65.0
Sex: F
Vaccine: COVID19
Symptoms: Inflammation, Loss of personal independence in daily activities, Mobility decreased, Musculoskeletal stiffness, Myalgia
Clinical narrative: The first event started 2 weeks after the shot. I woke up with leg pain which is something odd for me. I don?t usually get this aching sore pain that wake me up. I was taking kettlebell classes and felt extremely stiff. I go three times a week and did not ever have issues. Eventually, I had trouble putting a pole behind my back as part of the class. I had trouble putting on my sports bra as well. All of these are abnormal for me. I usually take baths and was having trouble getting into the tub. My toes actually tuned black and blue. This continued throughout the month of April. The stiffness and joint aches. I also developed muscle pain as well. On 4/30, I went to bed and had terrible pain in both hands. It felt like there was a knife put into my fingers. I also had pins and needles and shooting pains. I waited a day and called my PCP who suggested I needed an EMG. I had that done and was diagnosed with carpal tunnel in both hands. In the left it was severe and right was moderate. I was told I?d need surgery to resolve it. He also said he never experienced anyone developing carpal tunnel overnight. I was also getting fatigued and tired. I was having difficulty moving as well. I was moving like an 85-year-old. My PCP ordered blood work but nothing came back abnormal. There were some elevated levels, but nothing to raise concern. I got a call from the medical group who recommended an appointment with a hand surgeon and get hand splints for both hands. At one point, at its worse, I moved my thumb and it felt like an electrical shock ran through my hand. I was unable to reach for things in the fridge, I could not open doorknobs, I was unable to open jars etc. I tried to be seen at clinic but was rejected. I was directed to go to the emergency to get some tests done. I went to the ER, and they saw some increases in factors that diagnosed inflammation was very high. My BP was also elevated more than usual. They tested for hepatitis. As more tests were done, things were going up on each test. After, the ER visit, I was fast tracked to see a rheumatologist on 8/24. They did a sonogram which showed subtle changes in my lungs and liver. It showed a polyp on my gallbladder and slight fatty liver disease. I was continuing to take ibuprofen, but I needed something to make me feel at least normal. I was given prednisone but was warned that it could worsen thing with my liver, so I did not take it. I was also given gabapentin which helped me sleep but I noticed I was also dizzy, so I discontinued that. It continued and I waited until my rheumatologist. The rheumatologist saw issues with both my joints and muscles. He noted that he couldn?t believe how weak I was. I went for blood work and x rays. He was treating for rheumatoid arthritis. I got a call from the Dr. who said the tests showed signs of myositis which he was not expecting. He said we are going to up you on 60mg of prednisone. He believed that the inflammation was so severe, we needed something strong. I After about 3 days of prednisone, I noticed great differences. My movement has definitely improved. The doctor has been checking in on me. My joints were in great pain before, and now the pain in my elbows and knees is gone. He is encouraged in my improvement in walking and moving around. Aside from this, I also noticed issues in my vision and hearing. I sometimes feel like my ears are blocked.  I was prescribed alendronate sodium 25mg, I am currently at 40 mg prednisone  and gabapentin as well.  I was told I will be on medication for the rest of my life due to the polymyositis diagnosis.