Age: 50.0
Sex: F
Vaccine: COVID19
Symptoms: Injection site pain, Intervertebral disc degeneration, Joint impingement, Joint stiffness, Magnetic resonance imaging neck
Clinical narrative: After the 3rd Covid-19 shot (booster) on Nov. 4, 2021, within a week and a half or so, I developed pain in the joints of my right and left hand. Every joint in every digit of my right hand was painful. About 3 weeks later, I experienced shoulder pain and reduced range of motion in the left arm where I received the shot.  Was diagnosed by orthopedist with shoulder impingement, then later frozen shoulder and have since done 3 separate and full rounds of PT and there is still pain and reduced range of motion; plus developed some pain with certain forward movements. Also, experienced slight numbness in arms which got really bad about three months after the 3rd shot; in late February, woke up with both arms feeling completely dead/numb. Went to ER and diagnosed with paresthesia in both arms, but considered not life-threatening so discharged after about a 5-minute examination and advised to wait and see the neurologist, whom I had already set up an appointment with.  Also three months later, after experiencing noticeable hair loss in the front of the head, went to dermatologist and diagnosed with telogen effluvium; hair is still falling out after using Rogaine and now taking 6,000 IUs of vitamin D and an iron supplement as directed by doctor.  About a week and a half after the 3rd shot, developed what the ophthalmologist said was plica semilunaris and he mentioned cyst bubble particulate.  In February 2022, PCP found my ANA levels at 160.  As months followed, experienced pain in my other joints and stiffness in lower body joints. After seeing neurologist in March 2022, diagnosed with carpal tunnel in right hand and she ordered an MRI of the neck which found thinning spinal fluid and I was referred to a spine surgeon who had me do a CT scan of the spine. He said thinning spinal fluid is causing a bone spur to push against my spinal cord, possibly causing the arm pain.  Also found disc degeneration. Rheumatologist said I have osteoarthritis in my hands, but my other blood work looks okay ? he said maybe I was born with high ANA levels; so nothing was done.  I mentioned to him:  Shouldn?t osteoarthritis develop over time, rather than hitting me hard and suddenly right after the 3rd Covid vaccine shot?  But he responded that there would need to be studies done to show causation vs. correlation, or something like that.  Went to OBGYN, who did Dexa and said I have developed bad osteoporosis. Currently, the pain has spread to my leg joints so I cannot walk as fast or even a third as far as I used to without pain in the hips, knees, feet, and ankles, in addition to my back and shoulders.  I could walk 10,000 steps a day before, and I eat a predominantly vegetarian diet ? with fish once a week or so, which, to me, would explain why my CRP and ESR levels are low. More recently, I have started waking up with pain and heat throbbing around the neck and terrible joint pain down my spine, with numbness in both arms and legs, and constant weakness/numbness in my right leg during the day, as if I slept on it. At night, there is an odd feeling in my right calf and toes, as if they could go into a spasm.  It?s still painful and hard to open and close my right hand in the morning, especially after I developed a trigger finger.  I also now have trouble and pain bending down.  Previously, I did not have any joint pains.  I feel like the vaccine took what I might have had in my genes, turned it on, and put it on steroids, so that what might have either never manifested or would have developed over the years, has been kicked off and revved up to progress at a faster than usual rate.  My parents do not have joint pain or osteoporosis at their advanced age.  The decline after just one year, having been previously active and healthy, has left me feeling worried about my future.  I have decided to do hormone replacement therapy and an osteoporosis medication (which was recommended), but I do feel the underlying issue was the vaccine which seemed to set everything off.  I would prefer to see if there is a way to somehow address the possible adverse nerve or autoimmune response I believe I had to see if it can halt the systemic decline, rather than doing symptomatic treatments using Rogaine; PT; possible cortisone shots, pain meds, and spine surgery in the future; HRT; etc, which may lead to other detrimental side effects.   FYI, after the 1st Pfizer COVID-19 shot, about 1 and ½ hours later, my right leg began to shake while I was driving. I had to pull over and the shaking lasted about 20 ? 30 minutes.  After the 2nd shot, I noticed my right hand would occasionally get numb and I was not able to write or hold a book. Two months after my 2nd shot, my periods stopped suddenly and it turned out to be menopause. Also, to my knowledge, I did not contract Covid-19. Because the vaccine is new, maybe some people affected don?t show any issues in their blood work, but I feel my steadily building joint and nerve pain plus hair loss should count for something in terms of meriting some nerve or autoimmune treatment options. Maybe there are different tests that need to be done specifically for potential COVID-19 vaccine adverse reactions.  Discounting an ANA of 160 as something you may have been born with may be overlooking one of the factors in the adverse reaction to this new vaccine.  I?ve read there are other tests that can be done and I would like to be directed to a clinic or study that has been treating those who exhibited similar reactions. I?ve read some of the case studies and wondered if the patients were found through the VAERS site.  I am hoping researchers find this and connect me to a clinic that can help, or perhaps add me to their studies.  Seeing and feeling the decline is frustrating, and I am now afraid of losing my mobility, which prompted me to finally report this.  Can someone please refer me to doctors or clinics that have studied, handled, or treated adverse reactions to the Covid-19 vaccine, even outside of my area, so I can see if they can help me?  I worry that everything will become irreversible because I am not getting any treatment for autoimmune and nerve issues. Thank you.