Sex: M
Vaccine: ANTH
Symptoms: Intentional self-injury, Multiple sclerosis, Muscle spasms, Paraesthesia, Syncope
Clinical narrative: Submitted to Docket No. 1980N-0208; 69 FR 78281, December 29, 2004 - Bacterial Vaccines & Toxoids Efficacy Review Proposal. I went overseas to patrol the northern no-fly zone. Everything was fine and dandy until the second week we were there and they said we will be starting the anthrax inoculations. I didn't think much of it, after all why would the military give you anything if they knew something bad was going to happen, that would be a poor investment. So I went in and received my first shot. Just like a normal flu shot and went back to work and carried on as normal. Several days later, I would find myself and co-workers noticed also that I was chewing on my right index finger, kind of like when you chew on a pencil. I didn't realize it until someone pointed it out. My finger tip was completely numb. To this day, it is still tingling and sometimes numb. I thought maybe it was just asleep. After all that would be the trigger finger as a pilot and I can't have a numb trigger finger. So I ignored it thinking it would go away. A week later, we were playing volleyball and I was walking off the court and all of a sudden, I collapsed. No pain, no aches, just my right knee just did not work and felt like it was not there. Everybody asked what happened and if I was ok. I said, "I do not know what happened, my knee just stopped working." Twenty seconds later I was like OK it's working now lets go. No aftermath of pain or anything. It was like my knee just decided to not talk to my brain for the period of time. The rest of the trip went uneventful except for my finger. After I returned home, I was out on the flight line towing a jet and I was walking around the nose and I collapsed again. Same thing; no pain, just no knee. After that I knew I had to go see someone for it because I didn't want to be on the end of runway on a jet and collapse at the wrong time or place. I didn't want to tell anyone because I was afraid that it would postpone my pilot slot. So I scheduled an appointment with a top ortho surgeon 6 weeks out. In that six weeks, I went to maintenance school. One night after talking to my fiance, I was laying in bed and all of a sudden it felt like my foot was falling asleep. Then it started creeping up my right side of my body up to my face and I laid there with my right side paralyzed. No pain but could not move. It was like my whole right side was having a huge cramp but without the pain. This happened for about 20 seconds 3-4 times a day after that for 2 weeks. I tried my best to hide it from everyone because I knew that couldn't be good. I didn't even tell my fiance. After I returned home, I went to the ortho surgeon and he checked out my knee and said it was perfectly normal. I then told him about my other problems and I could tell on his face that it could not be good. He immediately got me into a neurologist for testing. I went to the head doctor and told him everything and my symptoms and he ordered the usual tests, MRI, EKG, blood. After all the tests, I went in for an appointment to find out all the results. I can barely even type this because of the tears in my eyes. My fiance and I went into the room and he came in and said that my EKG was normal and all my blood was normal, but my MRI was not. He said that I have multiple lesions and that he believes that I had Multiple Sclerosis. I was thinking how could I have MS. I am 24, healthy, male, and besides that, would ruin my flying career. He then said that there are other medical issues that they have to rule out before officially diagnosing me with MS. So more and more blood was taken and a spinal tap. All the tests confirmed MS. I refused to believe him. I asked for a second opinion and to believed to be the best MS doctor and he agreed with the other doctor. I told him where I have been and if I have taken my shots before going overseas. I mentioned the anthrax shot and his expression was not very good. He did not say that the anthrax shot gave me the MS but he said that it very well could have been the reason. So then all the trouble started. I went into severe depression because everything that I worked for and obtained was gone. I got so bad that one time I even had a gun in my had looking at a .45 hollow point that I was going to use. The only thing that stopped me was thinking how sad my fiance would be if I left her in this way or at all for that matter. The hardest part was having to go into the officer's room that selected me for the position and tell him that I have to regretfully decline my pilot slot. I ended up getting discharged from the military which meant that I would lose my full time job. So I was in depression, jobless, and my whole career path was shattered and that I would have to find a new career. Not to mention the mounds of pills with anti-depressants, anti-fatigue pills and other vitamins and the worst is the shots that I have to give myself 3 times a week. Since my diagnosis, I have had to have a  steroid infusion due to a episode and numerous increases in the dosage of anti-depressants. (OMIC)