Weird symptoms following 2nd jab

[ExhaustedFlamingo]

I’m 45 and had my second AZ vaccine on Saturday. I wasn’t worried about having it.

Walking back to the car to sit and wait for the required 15 minute period before driving off I felt short of breath, but not wheezy. I then felt very panicky. Debated going back in but nothing else developed and the feelings eventually passed. All good, I drove home.

Saturday night I woke up after about an hour of sleep utterly consumed by grief and panic and sobbed like a baby for about an hour. My mood plunged and everything felt very bleak.

Sunday I tried to pull myself together but I felt very empty and flat. I had to work through Sunday night (self employed) and at about 6am I noticed my upper stomach was hard and deeply uncomfortable. It’s also swollen but I’m desperately overweight now so that doesn’t help.

Since this morning I’ve had a splitting headache and my mood is rock bottom. Constantly crying and tearful, I’ve been in bed all day. Stomach still feels weird and I’ve got zero appetite.

I have suffered with anxiety for years but never anything like this. Life can be quite tough, I’ve got two autistic children who I home educate now, my DM is disabled and my DP lost his job last week. I work very long hours and get little sleep. So theoretically it could be stress but I’ve been through much tougher times and never had this before.

Could it possibly be related to the vaccine?? I was really ill with the first dose with flu-type symptoms but had expected to sail through the second dose.

I feel so awful physically and mentally- I just don’t know what to do with myself.

I think there are a lot of stomach bugs around at the moment, and one symptom I've heard is not feeling like eating or that you can get food down you.

You could have a Covid test, perhaps, as headache can be a symptom of it. I'm glad you're ok and functioning generally in other respects. It's natural to feel anxious after the jab.

I agree in theory, but it's a new vaccine and knowledge about side effects is still emerging. Hopefully yellow card reports will make the information about side effects more comprehensive in future. The other issue is that public confidence in the AZ is shaky, and it's probably right for public health authorities to worry about undue publicity around side effects leading to a drop in take-up. We are, frankly, all stuffed without high vaccine take-up. Ultimately the risk of deadly side effects is still infinitesimally tiny, and the protection against covid high. That's what I'm holding onto.

In general, I do think doctors are unduly dismissive about people presenting with side effects to any medicine. That's particularly likely to be an issue in this situation where presumably loads of people are presenting at a&e with minor headaches etc, and only a tiny tiny proportion are likely to be dangerously ill. I don't know what the answer to that is, I'm glad I'm not the one making those calls. In the end, I got a CT scan and so did your husband, even if we had to metaphorically stamp our feet. That's also a good thing.

What does seem abundantly clear to me in all this is that the 111 service is utterly, utterly shit.

I don't think GP's know what to say when people report these symptoms following the vaccine. I had severe headaches for about 3 weeks following first jab, have felt extremely tired for weeks, had a very scary episode with my eye four days after the jab where it was like my eye almost went into a seizure/ contraction, honestly one of the scariest things that has ever happened to me, totally all consuming. I am extremely apprehensive about having second jab.

Hi OP

My best friend had terrible anxiety after her AZ vaccination for first time in her life - she reported it as vaccine reaction

Poor you ( xx

Omg @Babyroobs my mum had a mad twitching eye for ages after her first jab !

I was also light headed for a week after my AZ but I think part of that was I was feeling anxious about it. I am due to have my second and have already started feeling light headed before it - so I am thinking I am feeling anxious again!

I hope you feel better

Walking back to the car to sit and wait for the required 15 minute period before driving off

Waiting for 15 is not necessary and not normally recommended after the AZ, not sure why they asked you to wait.

If you don't think your symptoms are related to the AZ as you say OP, maybe asked MN to change the title of your thread? It's a bit alarming for people with anxiety about vaccines and not so helpful in a pandemic.

Can you please - please - report these yourself through the yellow card system? The data on side effects is only as good as the data collected.

This kind of thing is what used to be known as mass hysteria, I am sure it has a fancier name now though!

I’m sorry to hijack this thread but your posts about anxiety and panic are really resonating with me.

I’m not having the vaccine. I’m not an anti vaxxer at all but really feel strongly about body/ medical autonomy. That said, the most important reason why I’m not having it? My own preexisting anxiety which has completely latched on to the potential side effects issue. I’m actually not prepared to make myself mentally unwell and trigger mental health issues purely over societal pressures. It’s weird because I’m very relaxed about Covid (and have had it) but I feel excessively worried about this. I actually think one should be able to get medical exemption on mental health grounds. I might look into just to get people off my back! I might even start a thread on this issue of mental health related exception ( if I’m feeling really brave!).

Big hugs to all those who are struggling or feeling unwell on this thread.

*exemption

@YouCanCallMeBob - like every other vaccine, covid vaccines are not mandatory so you do not need any exemption. Public activity restrictions are likely to include an option for anyone unvaccinated to test instead, so you would just do that. There may be restrictions for working with very vulnerable people such as in care homes, so an exemption wouldn't be appropriate.

Just get the bl@@dy vaccine, it really is NOT a big deal!

Thanks MRex. Testing is okay as an alternative - for now- as long as it’s lateral flow but I’m thinking of more expensive swab testing that could be required for travel. I say ‘for now’ as I’m concerned that individual freedom to access all sorts of things in society may become harder without an exemption, vaccine or test.
Furthermore, I wonder if you have done a lateral flow test? I have done dozens for work and the nostril thing is increasing painful as I’m drilling in the same spot with a spiky plastic stick...

Also, I find the way that other people pressurise / criticise the unvaccinated in day to day life to be really intrusive. An exemption would address the unwanted debate.

@Temp023, would you expect someone with a phobia of snakes to get a pet snake to make their neighbours happy? Or someone with agrophobia to walk to the shops everyday because you say it’s not a big deal? Or is it only health related anxiety that deserves to be treated with such contempt? Funny how fear of the vaccine is not allowed but excessive fear of Covid is almost congratulated.

@YouCanCallMeBob - For foreign travel a UK exemption would be worthless, you have to follow the laws of the country you are going to. You'll just have to accept that one too. Lateral flow tests are going to be necessary in some other situations until cases are low enough, and I'm not aware of them being stopped for vaccinated people either yet. They won't be forever, however annoying try to remind yourself it's short-term (and avoid activities requiring them where you can).

As for friends and family, again no piece of paper will alter their opinions nor how they choose to express them. It's early days and they may just be trying to reassure you (or not, obviously you will know best what their attitude is). Have a fixed phrase and repeat it on autopilot e.g. "I've heard your opinion and I'm not interested in discussing this further, let's move on." If they still don't stop then consider evaluating who you hang out with.

@MRex, you’re absolutely correct about foreign travel. How silly of me! I do agree with most of what you say.

The people who I’d like to be able to shut down, so to speak with the endless vaccine chat are acquaintances and colleagues, not friends and family. I’d just like a one line conversation stopper, I suppose.

For acquaintances, try "Great you see you but I must rush to meet someone, take care!" or "Let's not have any covid or vaccine conversation, that's all anyone talks about these days. Have you seen the azaleas are flowering at last / boat trips are running on the river again / did you watch The Queen's Gambit / ..."

I had my first dose of AZ on Wednesday. Had chills and sweats Wednesday night, felt a bit drained Thursday, pretty much normal yesterday daytime. Then had a terrible night last night, mind racing, completely catastrophising over something trivial that has happened. Short of breath (anxiety) and only managed about 2 hours sleep. Feel shocking this morning like I'm barely holding it together. I'm normally pretty level and haven't had anxiety for years, so this has come right out of the blue. If it's the vaccine, and I suspect it it, I hope it passed quickly.

I’m due to have my second dose later this month. Like you, I had flu symptoms for two days after the first dose, so I’m not looking forward to the second dose. But in my case, this is probably connected to the fact that I have Long Covid.

It’s a lot less bad than Long Covid, though, so I will go through with it on balance.

Hi again - just thought I'd post a little update.

Sorry for not being back sooner but it's been a hell of a week.

111 sent me into the hospital for an out of hours appointment. And then I had to go back in for further tests. And then back again.

The stomach injury from my son was just internal bruising, nothing more severe.

However, the collection of other symptoms - unusual anxiety, breathlessness, chest discomfort, dizziness, arm heaviness etc caused the doctors some concern.

To cut a very long story short, I've had lots of blood tests, ECGs and also a contrast CT scan.

ECG was normal, CT scan (done on Friday) was also more or less normal. However, my blood tests are abnormal and showing an inflammatory and raised clotting response to the vaccine. I've been given blood thinners - but as CT scan was OK, I don't need any more. I've basically been told that the vaccine has caused an unusual inflammatory - but not dangerous - response in my body, hence the collection of symptoms and feeling so utterly weird and shit.

I'm starting to feel a bit more human again today but it's been a thoroughly stressful week that's poked my usual anxiety (I'm claustrophobic and I had to wander around a dark, locked hospital at night to find the scanning department and got lost).

Short answer is that the AZ vaccine has caused some deeply unpleasant issues for me and has temporarily altered my blood chemistry but it's not going to actually do any harm.

I have reported all my symptoms using the Yellow Card system.

I'm not trying to deter anyone from having the jab, when I posted I was absolutely desperate and didn't know what to do. I'm sorry to hear so many other people have had a rough time.

Thanks OP. I hope you feel better soon.

What I wish had happened in trials is a blood test of all recipients at one week intervals. I have head so many people say they haven’t felt right for weeks after my that I wonder how many have had a similar reaction and just not known.