AstraZeneca - Very painful legs

[Dottyyy1]

I had the AZ vaccine 9 days ago and I am now experiencing very sore, painful lower legs. I wondered if anyone else had experienced this side effect or should I be worried about a blood clot?
My symptoms immediately following the vaccine were very mild so I am surprised about this leg pain for more than 24 hours. They don’t appear swollen, just very painful as if I have done a lot of exercise...but I definitely have not! Very concerned.

I had aching legs too, a few days after it felt as though I'd run a marathon.
I've had a throbbing vein and achy lower leg in the last few days, and worried because I take tranexamic acid (which clots blood).
I've sought medical advice, who said it was probably just an inflamed vein and to keep an eye on leg for swelling, hotness etc.

I haven’t had the vaccine, however I did have this feeling in both my calves about ten years ago. It was like utter fatigue in the calf muscles and was worse when standing still. I was recovering from a viral infection at the time - I had contracted the ‘slapped cheek’ virus from my son and was quite ill with it.

Anyway, I went to GP and she did a blood test. I had thrombocytopenia, which is the clotting problem with this vaccine and why I’m writing this post. it means a lack of platelets, however paradoxically with this vaccine it seems to be causing clots rather than haemorrhage.
For me it, was assumed to be post viral as an audio immune reaction, was very closely monitored with regular blood tests to make sure I was recovering naturally, thankfully it rectified itself with no treatment within 6 weeks. It was a bit of a mystery, but put down to an immune reaction, so perhaps not entirely different from the reaction the vaccine is producing in a minority of people.

@Dustyboots do you never take medication when you're ill? Would you refuse antibiotics if you had an infection? Or chemotherapy if you had cancer? Or insulin if you were diabetic?

What about all the other (non medical) stuff science has made possible, do you eschew that too? Where does your anti science position end, or do you just cherry pick?

OP, I had painful legs (and painful everything!) for about a week after my AZ first dose. I also had the painful, crampy toes a pp described. I have rheumatoid arthritis which results in all sorts of aches and pains so tbh I didn't think too much of it - when I had the vaccine there wasn't so much talk of blood clots, so I didn't make a connection. All the side effects resolved after a week or so.

I do think you should call 111 or your GP however, to be on the safe side. But I just wanted to reassure you that if you're like me (and most people who have the jab) you'll be fine.

I had the painful leg too. Gone now. Felt like a pulled muscle in the knee/bursitis and then a groin strain. Has gone now. I did fill in yellow card a couple of days ago in case it is connected as it should be reported I guess,. I had my jab the day after Germany (I think) ceased the AZ jab. Main immediate reaction was a whacking migraine.

I got to the 'if it's still like this in three days , I'll call the GP ' stage.

Thank you for the advice, I did go in to have it checked out at the hospital and it was taken seriously. They did a physical exam and a blood test which came back fine so not likely to be a blood clot at this time.

They don’t know however what could be causing it or if it is related to the vaccine and advised to go back if there’s swelling. Apparently they have had a huge number of people presenting with similar symptoms. There were another two women with vaccine related leg pain in the same clinic.

Hope that helps someone, please do get checked out if worried.

Glad all is well @Dottyyy1 - very interesting that lots of people are presenting with similar.

Please make sure you record it on the yellow card website. This is quite an unusual 'common' side effect for a vaccine (along with many of the others we've heard about) so I would hope with multiple reports they will try to understand the cause.

@TheVampiresWife - I never take antibiotics - maybe I took them as a child ... but I can't remember.

I would turn down chemotherapy, yes. I've lost three members of my family to cancer and the chemo killed them horribly. I know people who've refused chemo and they died, but with less pain for themselves and those around them.

It's the cancer experiences that have made me so anti medicine. I lost a parent at a young age - the illness was also very likely caused by taking the pill when it was new and very high in oestrogen.

Sometimes I've fought the fear or been put under pressure and gone with mainstream medicine/scans etc and been furious with myself afterwards when I've learned how high in radiation and damaging they are. So many times there are other ways to explore first.

There's too many stories. Too many family members.

But I'm intrigued by science and don't think it's all rubbish. Just very very aware that we are mere humans. We don't know everything or in fact much at all in the grand scale of things.

Have your DC been vaccinated @Dustyboots?

[quote Dustyboots]@TheVampiresWife - I never take antibiotics - maybe I took them as a child ... but I can't remember.

I would turn down chemotherapy, yes. I've lost three members of my family to cancer and the chemo killed them horribly. I know people who've refused chemo and they died, but with less pain for themselves and those around them.

It's the cancer experiences that have made me so anti medicine. I lost a parent at a young age - the illness was also very likely caused by taking the pill when it was new and very high in oestrogen.

Sometimes I've fought the fear or been put under pressure and gone with mainstream medicine/scans etc and been furious with myself afterwards when I've learned how high in radiation and damaging they are. So many times there are other ways to explore first.

There's too many stories. Too many family members.

But I'm intrigued by science and don't think it's all rubbish. Just very very aware that we are mere humans. We don't know everything or in fact much at all in the grand scale of things.[/quote]
I'm really sorry about your losses @Dustyboots.

I am aware that I am coming from a very different viewpoint, but when I think of my son....life saving treatment at birth, life saving treatment several times over through childhood, getting a diagnosis of a rare genetic disorder through a study into the human genome...I am hugely grateful for the work of the scientists who have made such progress in these fields.

I would turn down chemotherapy, yes. I've lost three members of my family to cancer and the chemo killed them horribly. I know people who've refused chemo and they died, but with less pain for themselves and those around them.
Chemo is a beast, and a very blunt instrument...however it also saved my life 20 odd years ago when I had a gestational trophoblastic tumour, which became cancerous. I won't deny that the cure wasn't incredibly painful and difficult to cope with...but before the treatment programme that I was on, was introduced, the majority of women with this form of cancer died...after the treatment programme started there is almost a 100% cure rate.

do you never take medication when you're ill? Would you refuse antibiotics if you had an infection? Or chemotherapy if you had cancer? Or insulin if you were diabetic?

‘What about all the other (non medical) stuff science has made possible, do you eschew that too? Where does your anti science position end, or do you just cherry pick?’

Funny how people with these ‘science can do no wrong ever’ attitudes sweep all the dodgy drugs previously developed by pharma under the carpet that were subsequently withdrawn from use, innit?

@WilsonMilson
That’s a very useful comment, thank you.
I don’t have this symptom, but just had AS jab yesterday and am experiencing very flu like symptoms, or Covid like for that matter. Heavy body, chills and aches in muscles all over my body. Thankfully no headaches or aches in my legs. Feel quite anxious as I’m in my 30s no health conditions and recovered from Covid, been offered the jab through my work.

@Dottyyy1 thank you for coming back with your update, by chance I have also been to the doctors this week due to leg pain - had been going on for a few weeks and getting worse so wanted to get it checked out. Crappy aches type pain mainly left leg and mainly below knee. GP was concerned may be blood clot but no swelling or hotness, they couldn’t really work out what it could be other than muscle fatigue (Except I haven’t done anything much to get tired muscles from lately!). I’m 30s and had AZ in mid-Feb, the leg cramps pains came on about 3 weeks later I think and gradually got more difficult to ignore. I was undecided but I’m going to yellow card it now.

I got generalised achyness (is that a word) 2-3 weeks post vaccination, stiff joints, achy limbs etc but I didn't link to the vaccine, now I'm wondering??? Apparently a&e was rammed Thursday with worried well vaccine recipients, caused huge delays for those with genuine need - the a&e dr was not impressed with how the government handled the situation, saying he was still fine for his teens to have AZ because the risk is very small. 18 hours to get a bed is not good enough for a 87 year old in great pain!

@Babyroobs
I think doctors are pretty much in the same dark we are in re these shots
It sounds horrendous for both you and op
And therein lies the problem...if we all knew that we would suffer 0 side effects now or long term we’d all feel a bit easier about having it.
I have two cousins the same age.
One felt nothing and afterwards had no problems.
The other , 12 hours later could barely climb the stairs to bed..and her husband was the same
They were really ill , normally fit people just under 60
Both az
I just hope you get the reassurance and treatment you may need to make you well again
You and op

@Dustyboots. Many people die of cancer, usually because it's discovered too late. Thanks to chemotherapy I am here alive now. Otherwise the very aggressive breast cancer I caught early would have killed me. I also take more drugs daily than I would like, but they enable me to live an active, normal life. Without them my rheumatoid arthritis would render me incable of walking and in intense pain.

As to the leg pains, shoulder pains and every other twinge that has people worried. I don't dismiss anyone's concerns, but I wonder if there is a tendency at the moment to blame everything on the vaccine. A bit like we sometimes blame everything on hormones or the menopause.

@MummyPop00

do you never take medication when you're ill? Would you refuse antibiotics if you had an infection? Or chemotherapy if you had cancer? Or insulin if you were diabetic?

‘What about all the other (non medical) stuff science has made possible, do you eschew that too? Where does your anti science position end, or do you just cherry pick?’

Funny how people with these ‘science can do no wrong ever’ attitudes sweep all the dodgy drugs previously developed by pharma under the carpet that were subsequently withdrawn from use, innit?

You're confusing science with a scientists i.e. human with failings and imperfect knowledge

It's not the fault of science that drugs have side effects. It's a fact of life and scientists for the overwhelming majority are doing the best they can with the knowledge available at the time. No progress would ever be made otherwise.

I don’t think anyone should be discouraged from seeking medical care at the moment, vaccine related or not, despite reports of A&E being swamped.

Concerns from the vaccine are genuine, if people don’t go in to get checked a serious reaction may be missed. Of course people are going to be worried by a thumping headache or other unusual pains. This is what we have been told to look out for!

Did anyone yellow card this?

I tried to but under symptoms, if you put 'lower leg pain', it's not a term recognised.

What have others done?

I did. I put leg pain.

Have had around 3 weeks of mild headache after AZ, headache more or less gone but today occasional sharp pain around/in eye, brief and one eye or the other. Just a few times, lasting couple of seconds. When headache was present eyes were sensitive to brightness at times when looking at computer for example. So relieved headache virtually gone, but even once completely back to normal which I think should be very soon, I am wary. I am wary about how many people including myself have had side effects lasting 2/3 or 4 weeks post AZ vaccination. It seems outside the normal for a vaccination. What I am saying is - are these all harmless side effects plus I am concerned about what may happen after a second dose. If I lived in Germany or several other countries my second dose after my AZ would be being switched to Pfizer or Moderna. In the UK, it is a case of another AZ or nothing. I don't mean to be ungrateful but I am not comfortable with having a second AZ but then I don't want to decline it and have nothing. Anybody feel the same?

@penni00 I am not taking my second dose. My husband isn't either. We don't know enough about the side effects. He is unwell and us unable to walk down or up the stairs being out of breath and has no energy. Had full suite of blood test and scans. Hospital said it was side effects of vaccine. We are both just angry at the lack of transparency when clearly there is more than a minority having challenging side effects for 2,3, 4 or more weeks.

Hi Sparks779. Here I am 6 weeks after AZ, head and eyes are still not back to normal. I keep thinking it is resolving and then it is back again. This is definitely the vaccine. The longer it goes on, the more I have to accept the fact that I will not be able to have the second dose. I am very upset and angry now, I feel the AZ trials must have shown up some of these prolonged/unacceptable side effects.

I had the AZ vaccine two days ago, I was totally fine initially but now I am in such pain. Just to say I have a very high pain threshold, I don’t complain easily. But this is agony. Joint pain, particularly lower back which radiates . Can’t sit or lie down. I really hope this goes away soon!