Age: 84.0
Sex: F
Vaccine: VARZOS
Symptoms: Arthralgia, Biopsy skin, Erythema, Hypersensitivity, Immediate post-injection reaction
Clinical narrative: Copy of letter sent to FDA is enclosed. Best used to describe adverse events and outcomes. On August 2, 2018 I had the SHINGRIX vaccine given to me in my left arm by a Pharmacist. On August 6th my entire back started to itch very terribly for the whole day. Because I had a standing appointment with my general practitioner on Wednesday, I had her look at my back. She told me it looked like chicken pox. (??) By then the itching had stopped. A few days later I started to break out in red welts on the inside of my left arm which itched badly for two to three days. I made another trip to my general practitioner due to the fact that along with these welts, swelling also appeared, and I was very concerned over that. She said it looked as though there was fluid where the small welts came through. Another group broke out somewhere else and also itched for two to three days. For better than two months I have been breaking out with these very itching welts - on my arms, my legs, my stomach, and my breasts. After going to my Dermatologist, I was given a cream to help with the itching. He took a biopsy of one of these welts, and the result was "non specific allergic reaction". This allergic reaction was of course due to something in the SHINGRIX Vaccine because these welts, along with pain, started immediately after receiving it. I was lucky to have one whole week without a reoccurrence of welts, thinking they had at last gone away. No such luck! I now have a cluster of them on my stomach, and three of them on my neck. (Hope they never make it to my face!). I am 84 years old, but have always been healthy - sure, I have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and the like, but otherwise have been healthy enough to care for my sick husband (who originally started with an extreme case of shingles with the pain never going away), then failing kidneys required three trips to Dialysis every week for 6 months, in and out of hospitals for almost two years. I am not "tooting my own horn", just calling attention to the fact that I am basically healthy. It was suggested that I do not get the Shingles vaccine (the live one) while he was with us. My left leg had a venous closure procedure on August 1st, 2018, and the knee was very swollen and considerably painful, sometimes making its way down to my ankle. I have been to my orthopaedic specialist where X-rays were taken, resulting in the fact there is no arthritis in my knee. At the vascular office an ultrasound was done on that leg, indicating fluid around the knee. My left wrist has been quite painful over the last few weeks. I only mention all this because I did read on the computer that some of the RARE side effects are "Ankle, Knee, Great Toe Joint Pain; Joint Stiffness or Swelling". Of course we have no idea what I might be allergic to in this vaccine; however, I sure would be very happy to discuss this with someone. Quite frankly, the itching welts are driving me crazy (after having them on and off for better than two months, I would think they would)! I would so appreciate hearing from someone, as these are very definitely adverse effects.