Age: 33.0
Sex: F
Vaccine: COVID19
Symptoms: Gait disturbance, Headache, Impaired work ability, Loss of personal independence in daily activities, Muscular weakness
Clinical narrative: 1/23/2021 - The first Moderna vaccine. I had flu like symptoms, which included fatigue, muscles aches, muscle spasms, joint aches, chills, and shortness of breath for 2-3 days afterward.  2/20/2021 - The second Moderna vaccine. The side effects were much worse, including muscle aches, abdominal pain, back pain, headache, nausea, chills,  fatigue, and shortness of breath. I also found myself limping. 2/21, 2/22, 2/23 - I rested and stayed home from work. Most of my symptoms had improved by the evening of the 23rd, and I felt like the shortness of breath was also improving if I took it easy.  2/24 - I went to work where the shortness of breath became much worse after working for a couple of hours. I began to get dizzy, and my hands and feet were cold and tingling. The school nurse checked my temperature (which was normal) and oxygen levels (99%). I was sent home and told to take another day or two off.  I was fine if I was sitting still and doing nothing, but talking caused me to become winded. Walking and exertion of any kind caused me to become winded. Once winded, it would take 15 minutes of sitting still to get my breathing back under control. Then I would be hit by a wave of fatigue. Also, when my breathing was bad, I walked with a limp. 2/25 - I went to  the shortness of breath was still bad. They were concerned. They took a chest x-ray (which came back clear), did blood work (which was normal), and gave me a Rapid Covid test (which was negative). My oxygen levels were at 99%. They prescribed a 6 day pack of MethylPREDNISolon. If I was not better by Saturday, they wanted me to return. They also did a PCR test (this came back negative on 2/28).  2/26 - The steroid did not help, and by the evening, I was worse.  I went to the ER . The doctors there were concerned about a pulmonary embolism. They did blood work (which was normal), a chest x-ray (which came back clear), and an EKG (which was normal). My vitals were good, though my blood pressure was high for me (113/64). The doctor told me to continue the steroid pack and prescribed an albuterol inhaler. I was directed to contact a pulmonary specialist on 3/1 if symptoms did not improve. The doctor wrote a note for me to work from home through 3/5. 3/1 - The shortness of breath did not improve. I almost passed out while driving after I picked up my two small children from school. I could not catch my breath in the car and started to get lightheaded. When I parked, I stayed in the car huffing and puffing for several minutes. I was seeing spot, was dizzy, and my hands and feet were tingling. When I climbed out of the car, my legs buckled beneath me. I was able to grab onto the car and not fall. I had some really bad breathing episodes between 3/1-and 3/3. At these times, the breathing was so rough, that I couldn?t even talk. It would take 30 minutes or more of sitting still for me to be able to bring my breathing under control. 3/3 - Appointment with Pulmonary Specialist. I had an appointment  He ruled out asthma, as the inhaler and steroid were both ineffective. He considered anxiety, but the problem was clearly not a panic or anxiety attack. (I have experienced those before and know the difference.) He ruled that out. He ran a pulmonary function test (which was normal) and a CT scan with contrast (which was normal). The doctor wrote a note for me to work from home through 3/10.  3/4 and on - My breathing was better some days than others. The less energy I exerted, the better I did. If I did too much one day, my breathing would be worse the next day.  3/7 - Ajovy injection. I was past due for this monthly injection. Once injected, I had an allergic reaction to it for the first time ever (this was the 7th time I used it). A few minutes after the injection, the injection area had a rash and was itching like crazy. I put ice on it and took benadryl. It was fine by the next morning.  3/9 - Appointment #2 with Pulmonary Specialist. The specialist was not sure what the problem was with my breathing. I was the first patient with these vaccine side effects that he had seen. He scheduled more tests and said he wanted to read more literature. He wrote a note for me to work from home through 4/6.