To decline Covid 19 booster if I think it might be causing my skin problems

[Tractorroot]

I'm NHS so was luck enough to be double vaccinated by May. I honestly cannot remember when it started exactly but certainly around that time, I started suffering with chronic urticaria. It was being managed well initially with oral antihistamines but then I. August I became very unwell with a bacterial chest infection, (not Covid) and immediately after that my urticaria went ballistic. Suddenly I was needing 4x the usual dose of my already very strong antihistamines and steroids and still nothing was keeping them as bay. It was absolute torture. 5 weeks ago I started an autoimmune protocol diet and miraculously that seems to have got them back under control though I'm still having to take 2x normal does of antihistamines and this diet is incredibly restrictive. No body has ever mentioned Covid 19 or the vaccine to me from a medical perspective (GP, dermatology), they've only been interested in treating, not identifying a cause.
In the past 3 weeks, 4 separate people have all told me about someone they know who have had similar skin issues either following the vaccine or actually having Covid and that made me realise that it must have been around one or the other that this first started though an exact date I honestly cannot remember.
I'm booked to have my booster this week and I'm really worried that if there is a connection between the vaccine and my urticaria, having the booster might cause it to come back to how bad it was before I started this diet and honestly, I just can't cope with that. They were literally everywhere! My face was swelling with , my skin was covered, it was unbareably itchy, I couldn't sleep, it was honestly the worst thing I've ever experienced. I'm now back to having clear skin, no itching or swelling as long as I take my 2 tablets and I'm so scared if I have the booster it might trigger it again.
I am thinking I might decline the booster which I don't really want to do as I believe so strongly in vaccines and I don't even know if there is a link. But I don't know if I want to risk it.

Urticaria rash is quite common in covid cases, it's not an unknown symptom of it. I'm not sure how common it is from vaccine. It may make the urticaria worse, or it may have no effect at all. I can't risk assess it for you, but as an urticaria sufferer myself I will be having the booster vaccine as soon as I become eligible

I had a skin reaction but it passed in 6 weeks and I hadnt had it previously. It was graded as a moderate allergic reaction so I could have my second with 30 minutes and will have my booster in hospital.

Was it red itchy rash out of nowhere in waves (arms, legs, stomach) with eye/ facial swelling?

I've had a skin rash on my face since the covid vaccine, too. I don't know what it is but it's been there for 6 weeks and I can't get rid of it.

I got an itchy blotchy rash with covid but not with the vaccination. It wasn't long lasting though.
Tricky decision for you to make.

I haven't had Covid as far as I'm aware. Plenty of coughs and colds thanks to my little one but tested everytime and always been negative. Its hard because I just don't know of it is connected to the vaccine; it just came out of no where. Red blotches all over my body, swelling to my lips; hadn't noticed swelling to my eyes as such but definitely the lips. Initially I used over the counter antihistamines but it got progressively worse so GP diagnosed chronic urticaria and game me a stronger, prescription only does and that was treating it fine but then after this illness (PCR test confirmed not Covid) it just went insane suddenly. It's hard because I just can't remember when it started because initially it wasn't much of an issue, a mild irritation that a ceterizine could take care of but thinking back it must have started around the time I had my jabs and has just been getting progressively worse. It's only calmed now I'm on the AIP, nothing at all worked. It may well be nothing at all to do with the vaccine but I'm so nervous that if it is, once it's on my system I can't exactly take it out again.

Have a look on the MHRA website and see how often this has been reported as a possible side-effect. Fill in a Yellow Card form if you think that it might have been a side-effect for you. Autoimmune diseases usually have a trigger and that can be a virus or a vaccination.

The vaccine triggered off arthritis on me which has been devastating.

I’m now on methotrexate indefinitely

My rheumatologist said it was the vaccine although I would have had it eventually and at least we caught it early

I’ve also had psoriasis for the last 12 years so I definitely have a terrible immune system

So yes I think there is a definite link between the covid jabs and autoimmune diseases but I don’t often mention it because I’m still grateful to have had the vaccine

Have you actually asked your dermatologist and GP about vaccine and reports of utercaria? Have you asked the same about Covid? You could ask about actual reports of side effects as well as their opinion.

Unless I was CEV, I wouldn’t have the booster in the circumstances you described. That urticaria sounds hellish. I used to get it sometimes so now bad it can feel.

*know

I work at a vaccination centre, and have noticed that a new question has recently been added to the screening questionnaire, specifically asking if the person has ever experienced an urticarial (itchy) skin reaction following a COVID-19 vaccine dose.

If the answer is yes, the jab can be given, but some extra precautions are recommended (staying 30 minutes instead of 15, and pre-treating with antihistamine, potentially discussing with an allergy specialist). So it does look like it's a known potential side effect. There should always be a GP present on-site, and by now the vaccinators do have quite a lot of experience of different side effects. I would recommend telling them about your experience and seeing what they advise. Good luck!