Age: 29.0
Sex: F
Vaccine: COVID19
Symptoms: Oropharyngeal pain, Pallor, Palpitations, Panic attack, Paraesthesia
Clinical narrative: On June 10, 2021, I like most people made the choice to get the Covid vaccine. I did my research and felt I picked the shot that was best for me. I chose to get the Moderna. I received the first dose and waited in the pharmacy as they require for the 15 minutes. I was fine and went on my way. The very next day (we estimated about 22 hours later) I felt like I had so much caffeine I couldn?t sit still. I was told I looked pale and was cold and clammy. I passed out for 30 seconds and when I woke up, I was vibrating from head to toe and had that pins and needle feeling like when your foot falls asleep. My heart was racing and was I was having trouble breathing. I was taken to the hospital where they told me I was having a ?panic attack? and was given a shot of something to help me to calm down and was sent home. They told me I needed to get a physical to make sure there wasn?t more going on internally that I may not know about.  I got a physical and they did everything you can think of: anxiety test, blood work, stress test at the hospital, basically the kitchen sink of physicals. Everything came back fine. The only thing that was wrong with me was that my vitamin D was low and that?s all people for the most part, the doctor told me. I was advised not to get the second dose of the vaccine based on what happened to me.  Every day for the whole year of 2021 I had 1-2 of these episodes that would last an hour and half. My heart was racing and I was having trouble breathing. Nothing would trigger them. They would literally come out of nowhere. I decided to see a cardiologist who put me on a heart monitor for two weeks and nothing. I saw a pulmonologist and they told me I might have undiagnosed asthma and put me on an inhaler which I had a reaction to. Then they told me to get a breathing test. My test came back kind of odd, so they asked me to see an ENT to get my throat scoped because they said the only way the test comes back the way it did is if there is something wrong with your throat. So, I got my throat scoped and they found nothing. They told me all they could do is diagnose me with vocal cord dysfunction and get me to a special kind of therapist who could teach me breathing exercises to try and treat it. I learned exercises and did those for a while, and they helped but I still had these episodes.  I got a second opinion by a different cardiologist who told me he had seen what I have been going through before. They told me they have seen patients who were in their 20s to 30s who had the exact same or similar symptoms to me. They said there is nothing they can do and that their patients saw improvements once they hit the year mark of getting the vaccines. They told me they wanted to do a tilt test on me just in case since there was some suspicion of me having a vagus nerve problem. But once again the test came back fine. After that, I decided I was done going to doctors.  I did my own research and I learned that supposedly people with my genetic condition have more heightened cytokines than most people and that there was a possibility that my body was reacting to the vaccine like I had Covid but didn?t, since I was told cytokine storms is what sometimes happens to people with severe Covid. So, my ?panic attacks? appeared to be cytokine storms. I asked my genetic doctor, and she said there is no evidence of this. I asked a support group I?m in with others with my disorder and nothing.  All through 2022, I was good. I had no more attacks and by the time I approached the year mark I felt better. However, I was still having issues. I have been told I shallow breathe now and sometimes I just don?t feel calm. That?s the best way I can describe it. I sometimes have issues taking a deep breath and have been drinking a lot of hot tea since that helps to calm me down. A couple weeks before the holiday of last year I was driving, and both my hands had the pins and needles feeling in them and then I started having trouble breathing. I went to the hospital and while I was waiting, the pins and needles feeling went away but my right hand (only my right) would not stop shaking. I couldn?t control it. Because the hospital was so backed up, I had to wait a long time and by the time I saw a doctor I was better. I told them what happened, and they said I was in denial about my anxiety, and I was showing all the symptoms of an anxiety attack. I told him back in 2021, I had been to the hospital two other times after the initial incident and every time they at least checked me out to make sure I was ok. He didn?t check me out, was very rude, and just told me I needed to exercise to help with the ?anxiety.? Then they sent me home.  The next day I went to primary doctor, and they told me because of the sore throat I had at the time and my swollen lymph nodes and my congestion and my history of the vocal cord dysfunction impacting my breathing, that they think that?s why I had an episode. I have been good up until January 11th of this year where I had another minor episode where I was having trouble breathing and felt a bit anxious. I've had multiple professionals do anxiety tests, and all have said that I do not appear to have anxiety at all.  As a result of all of this, I have continued to mask at all times at work, at stores, and any time I'm in public. Yes, there are pictures of me without a mask in public, at weddings, etc. but the mask only comes off for photos. I get really tired of the looks and people rolling their eyes or making comments about "you still wear a mask?" Yes, I do, because I am scared that getting actual Covid would be even worse than what I have already gone through, especially since I was only able to get one dose.  I am frustrated that no one can tell me why this happened or help me feel like my old self again. I am so desperate for answers that I hope you all share this with anyone who you think might be able to help and send them my way. I do understand that everyone, including doctors and researchers, is still learning about the virus and the vaccine itself so this may not even help, but I am willing to try and to put my story out in hopes I can be helped and anyone who has had something exactly or similar as me