Age: 37.0
Sex: F
Vaccine: FLU3
Symptoms: Flushing, Headache, Heart rate increased, Immunoglobulins, Inflammation
Clinical narrative: I received the flu shot October 8, 2007.  As each day passed after the shot, I began feeling worse and worse.  On October 15th, I contacted my Allergist to get antibiotics for what I believed was a sinus infection.  He prescribed Levaquin.  I continued to feel worse and worse, even while on antibiotics.  By October 18th, I woke up with a rash on my neck and chest.  I went in and saw Dr. so she could check out the rash on my neck and chest, and she wondered at that time if it was a reaction to the levaquin (my allergist was out of the office that day, so I could not consult with him).  I was also having fever and chills, weakness, a lot of coughing, extreme nasal congestion, headaches, dizziness, difficulty breathing, and tremors.  I was also white as a ghost, but my face kept flushing red.  I have taken levaquin many times before without incident, so I did not believe that was the problem.  I stopped the levaquin at Dr. instruction anyway, and she changed my antibiotic to Zithromax.  The rash subsided a little bit over the next couple of days, but I still kept feeling worse and worse, even with the change of antibiotic.  I was still having all of the symptoms I mentioned previously, but they were getting worse.  By around October 23rd or 24th, I was feeling so bad that I called my allergist to see if he could help me.  He had me come into the office for an exam.  I think he was surprised at the shape I was in.  I told him about all of the symptoms I was having, and he did a check.  He said everything looked inflamed, my nose etc., and he said even my ears were red and inflamed.  It was evident I was very ill, and he even questioned if I should drive home.  On top of all of the other symptoms I had been having, I was progressively more weak and dizzy which worried my allergist.  He gave me a shot of antibiotics and a shot of steriods right then, and he prescribed doxycycline, rest and fluids.  I did as I was instructed, but I still was not getting any better.  At some point in the middle of all of this, I was prescribed steriods as well, but I cannot remember exactly when.  I kept trying to work during all of this, but I became so sick that I was unable to work, and I am still unable to work.  I saw Dr. and my allergist again during this period, and there wasn't a lot done.  They were not sure what was going on and why I continued to keep getting sick.  During this time my allergist prescribed a round of avelox, which did not help me at all either.  My allergist did some blood work, but I am not sure of exactly what the results were then.  I still continued to try to work during this time, but I was just absolutely unable to work.  Around the first of November, I went to the urgent care clinic because I was feeling so horrible.  Dr. and my allergist didn't seem to know what to do for me, but I was desperate because of how bad I continued to feel.  The urgent care clinic took down my symptoms and checked my blood pressure and pulse rate.  The doctor came in and was very concerned because my pulse rate was 134.  I told him about all of the headaches, sinus problems, coughing and chest pain, etc. etc., and he decided to immediately do an EKG to be sure my heart had a stable rhythm.  He asked me how long my heart had been racing like it was, and I told him it had been going on since the beginning of October.  He was absolutely shocked, and proceeded with the EKG.  He said my heart rhythm was stable, but my pulse was very, very fast.  I told him that it had become increasing difficult for me to breathe over the weeks, and that I just felt horrible.  He had the nurse check my oxygen saturation, which was around 96 or 97%.  He said that wasn't bad, but at my age it should be 100%.  He did some blood work and said my red and white blood count was elevated, and he also did a chest x-ray.  He diagnosed me with the sinus infection and bronchitis, and he said that the tubes in my chest were in spasms.  He said the most important thing was to protect my lungs, so he gave me Omnicef and Azmacort for my lungs.  He also prescribed cough medicine to help with the cough and chest pain.  He wasn't sure where the tremors were coming from, but he hoped the medication would help me get well.  As the week continued, I was not getting any better at all, and my tremors were so bad that my entire body hurt from shaking.  I went back to the urgent care clinic that Saturday (around Nov. 10th), and the doctor gave me another shot of steriods, another 10 days of Omnicef, and a different cough medicine.  He told me to check in with my regular doctor if I continued to be sick.  I continued to be very ill, and none of the medication was helping me at all.  Dr. and my allergist kept sending me back and forth, and they just kept telling me to "wait it out".  I saw Dr. again on November 26 because I was breaking out in the red splotches again.  I kept having these splotches throughout this whole ordeal.  She finally said she thought I was getting hives, and she sent me to a dermatologist to get it checked out.  I went to the dermatologist on November 27, and she confirmed the hive diagnosis.  She gave me cream for the splotches, allegra, and a liquid antihistimine to take at bedtime.  I told the dermatologist about all I had been through since October, and since I was still having trouble breathing she prescribed an EPI pen for me to keep with me in case I needed it.  She told me she had seen a lot of weird reactions in her time as a dermatologist, and she felt that something in the flu shot could have set off this cascade of symptoms and illnesses.  She said this fact was strengthened by the fact that I had reactions to immunizations as an infant, so I did not get the regular schedule of immunizations when I was a baby.  She said that there could have been a preservative or something that I am allergic to in the flu shot, so she felt strongly that I should be seen by an allergist in town that had once worked in the clinic.  Her office called the allergist in town, and they made an appointment for me Dec. 7th.  After I saw the dermatologist, I saw the ENT on Nov 28th.  This was an ENT I had seen before, and he was shocked at my condition.  He took my history of what had been going on, he looked at my sinuses as much as he could in the office, and he sent me for blood work and a CAT scan of my sinuses.  He took a culture of the green mucus in my nose as well.  He also referred me to a neurologist because my tremors were so bad.  He didn't change any of my meds because he wanted to get the test results first.  On Nov. 29th I saw the neurologist.  They did a full check of me and the tremors I am still having.  The neurologist said the tremors were not a "Parkinson's type tremor" which was good, but he was not exactly sure what was causing the tremors.  He prescribed Clonazepam for the tremors to try to help make me more comfortable--my body hurt so badly from the constant shaking.  I still have to go for a follow up soon.  On Dec. 7th I saw the allergist in Athens that the dermatologist wanted me to see.  I was in his office for hours, and he did extensive blood work, allergy testing, I blew into a machine, and he took my history of what had been going on.  He could definitely see how sick I still was, and he told me that if I were him I should forgo the flu shot in the future.  I told him that that would be no problem, and that I had already decided that I will never get another flu shot because I firmly believe the flu shot is what caused all of these problems.  I went from healthy to deathly ill overnight--the flu shot was the difference.  The allergist cut down my medications to only the ones that were necessary, and prescribed meds for the hives, an inhaler for my cough and chest pain, and Wilson's solution for my sinuses.  He also told me my pulse rate was high, I was dehydrated, and that I should drink a lot of fluids, which I have been doing.  On Dec. 10th, the ENT called to tell me that my sinus CAT scan looked clear, the tests for Lyme and a few other weird things came back normal, my culture didn't have any weird bacteria, but my white count was still high.  I went to see my regular allergist that day as well, and he also did an exam.  I told him everything I had been through over the last months, and he could definitely tell that I am still very sick.  My regular allergist is now going to put me on 6 months of IVIG to see if it will boost my immune system to get rid of all of these symptoms I am still having.  I saw the allergist again on Dec. 17th, and he said I still had a ways to go but to hang in there.  He agreed that we will see if the IVIG will help boost my immune system to fight all of these symptoms.  The IVIG was approved, and I start that this weekend.  I am going for a re-check with the neurologist on Dec. 19th, with more follow-up appointments in January.  I don't remember the last time I have been this sick, and my symptoms just won't go away.  I haven't had any kind of bronchitis since I was young, and I have never had tremors like this before in my life.  This illness has been very unusual for me, and I am sure the flu shot is the problem.  I have missed a lot of work because of the problems I have been having since October, and I am so weak I cannot do much of anything right now.  I am still coughing like crazy, having headaches, dizziness, tremors, chest pain, etc.etc.--everything I have had since October.  I have spent a trememdous amount of money on doctors and tests and medications as well, and that aspect has been difficult.  I will never get another flu shot!!!