Age: 22.0
Sex: M
Vaccine: ANTH
Symptoms: Fatigue, Frequent bowel movements, Hypoaesthesia, Impaired work ability, Irritable bowel syndrome
Clinical narrative: I received the first Anthrax vaccine while on active duty. We were underway on a ship. It has been some time but the first symptoms I remember were numbness in my hands and feet, chronic diarrhea, chronic fatigue, joint pain, and shortness of breath. Prior to receiving the shots I weighed 210lbs. I ran three miles in under 19 minutes and worked out with over 300lbs on bench press. After the shot, I constantly had watery stool and would use the restroom about 12 times a day. I went to sick bay numerous times and was given a couple of different types of antidiuretics as well as MOTRIN that had little to no effect on my symptoms. I was non-ranked by my platoon commander as a malingerer due to constantly sleeping while on deployment. I had to request mast all the way up to the MUE commander to remove the non-rank at the end of the quarter so that I would be promoted to Sargeant. At the end of my enlistment my weight would be up and down from 180 to 200lbs. I had lost a dramatic amount of my strength and speed. None of the medication that I had received from the hospital had any significant effect on any of my symptoms. I entered a claim with the hospital shortly after finishing my enlistment in 2001. After extensive testing, they updated my status as service connected disabled for Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Asthma. The shortness of breath seems to be well controlled by daily ALLEGRA and Levalbuterol Tartrate inhaler as needed. However, I continued to experience severe symptoms with my stomach and fatigue. The hospital has prescribed numerous medications for my stomach problems with little result. I have seen about as much control from diet and exercise as I have from any of the medications. I have had some success with probiotics and digestive enzymes. In 2001 I had a few seizures of some kind. My then girlfriend, now wife, said that I suddenly fell to the ground with my body in a frozen posture. She said that my eyes rolled back in my head and that I did not appear to be breathing. I went to a neurologist for those episodes but he was not able to diagnose them either. Unfortunately, I was climbing cell towers for work at the time and one of the seizures occurred at a company bar-b-q. Which resulted in me be grounded and losing so much income that I had to find other work. Since that time I have continued to struggle with stomach troubles, joint pain, numbness and fatigue. I figured as long as I wasn't continuing to have seizures and if the numerous doctors couldn't tell me what was wrong I would just have to ride it out. Well then about six months ago I started getting dizzy spells. They only lasted ten or fifteen minutes at first. Unfortunately, they have gotten worse. The last time I was dizzy for about three hours, I had a cold sweat, then vomited six times. During this I had numbness in my hands and feet and was short of breath. I have gone to the ER and a private primary care doctor but no diagnosis yet. I have appointments with private ENT, Cardiologist, and Gastroenterologist because things just have not gotten anywhere with the hospital. I am 35 and work as a policeman in a city with a high crime rate. I am married with two kids and one on the way. I was in incredible health before receiving those shots and have now struggled to maintain any type of decent health ever since. My health has directly impacted jobs, family, and my ability to secure my future. I am a hard worker and highly disciplined. I just want someone to acknowledge, evaluate, and treat my illness with some type of integrity. Thank you for your consideration on this matter.