Calm me down re possible blood clot, AstraZeneca

[Buffaloskull]

Hi all.

I'm probably freaking out about nothing but I'd appreciate others telling me so. 😆

I'm 35 and went for my second astrazeneca vaccine yesterday at 3pm.
When I was coming home after picking dd up at about 4.30pm, i was getting something out of the boot of the car and felt a strange sensation down the back of my leg, it sort if felt like a large drop of cold water running down the back of my leg, i even checked to see if it was water but there was nothing there. Very odd.
Then for the rest of the night and still today I have a weird cramping feeling in my calve, like when you get a Charley horse but with no pain, just a tight calve and a sort of flickering sensation.

So of course I'm worried about a blood clot but it's too soon for it to happen even if it was isnt it? They say to look out for clot symptoms 4 days to 4 weeks after the vaccine. Not 1.5 hours!!

Also worth mentioning, the night before I had quite restless/fidgety legs when trying to get to sleep so it could all be a coincidence?

Should I be worried??

No point in asking the doctors as theyll just ask if there's swelling there which there isn't.

Please seek medical help. This happened to me, I ignored it and had a pulmonary embolism in the middle of the night. Rushed to hospital after DH had to call an ambulance. Don’t take the risk.

1. That weird cold feeling could be a pinched nerve releasing
2. The person saying it isn't linked. Women aged 30-50 are generally are higher risk for blood clots IN GENERAL. Just because the AZ vaccine has no links with DVT doesn't mean someone couldn't potentially get DVT regardless, so it's important to be aware of the symptoms and see a GP rather than second guess based on side effects. Same as someone could have a heart attack, stroke, cancer, norovirus etc etc etc. All other illnesses haven't gone away.
3. OP - this is the official advice, but as in point 2, seek medical help if this happens at any time, not only 4 days after vaccination.

If you experience any of the following from around 4 days after vaccination you should seek medical advice urgently:

• a severe headache that is not relieved with simple painkillers or is getting worse or feels worse when you lie down or bend over
• an unusual headache that may be accompanied by blurred vision, confusion, difficulty with speech, weakness, drowsiness or seizures (fits)
• rash that looks like small bruises or bleeding under the skin beyond the injection siteshortness of breath, chest pain, leg swelling or persistent abdominal (tummy) pain.

OP do you have restless leg syndrome? I do and sometimes I get phantom feelings like water on my legs. Hope it's nothing to worry about but it's good to get it checked- you're not wasting their time.

Speak to your doctor to make absolutely sure, but it doesn't sound like clot presentation. I sometimes get little muscle twitches, especially in my face, is that the kind of thing it feels like? Try not to stress OP, managing your anxiety is important but so if ruling out the problem. Hopefully your GP will give guidance.

There has been zero cases of blood clots from az after the second dose. But a call to your doc may put you at ease

@Alyssasbackrolls

Muscle twitches and cramps are a side effect I've certainly heard about. DVT is hot tender skin as opposed to what you describe but worth getting checked out obv.

DH didn't have hot tender skin, pain or any noticeable swelling when he had a DVT. The only reason he knew was because his Mum thought one leg looked very slightly bigger than the other and he thought he'd better get checked out as we'd been on a long haul flight 2 weeks before.

I also had to Google Charles Horse!

I'm in my 40s and after my first AZ thought I had a strange sensation in my right calf. Not sure how much of it was because I knew the clots exist. I didn't act on it, and 8 weeks on and all is well, but if you're worried, call your GP just to be on the safe side.

Charley, not Charles. Bloody auto correct!

I agree it's probably anxiety but am not a doctor and this isn't medical advice. Consulting the internet for medical advice will do nothing other than drive you mad in endless cycles of "looking for reassurance" and "sites like webmd convincing you it's cancer". Go to GP and trust what they say.

Also you should have received a leaflet with your jab that explains what to look out for but if not it's here (gov.uk NHS document)

Likelihood is very slim. The leaflet says 1 in 50,000 for our age range but as far as I can see elsewhere that's a pessimistic figure. Various dubious comparisons tend to be made with lightning strikes etc that are of little help because they're plucked out of the air or a 2 second Google search - comparisons can be reassuring though but you must verify them with FullFact for them to have any merit - and there it will tell you that you are more likely to die from a car crash this year than an AZ blood clot.

And once about 4 weeks have passed you can breathe easy :) But in all likelihood you will be fine.

Likely hood isn’t just slim she’d be the first human being to develop a blood clot immediately in nearly a billion people globally.

I missed the part about it being immediate - yeah they develop after at least 4 days far as I'm aware. So no worries here.

Hi all thanks for all the replys!

So I spoke to the doctor and he said he's almost certain that it isnt a clot because they take days to form and it wouldnt have had the chance to form within 1.5 hours (see bluntness last post ) possibly some sort of muscle reaction to the vaccine but most likely just a coincidence.
He said to keep an eye on it getting worse, pain or swelling.
But pretty sure it'll amount to nothing.
Phew

I knew I'd be worrying about this after I got the vaccine but I'd already got my first jab before they learned about the clotting risk so I felt like I needed to go for my second when I was called in whilst also knowing I'd be worrying for 4 weeks about a possible clot. Gah 🙄

Oh well all seems fine, weird leg thing is still there but not sore or swollen so that's good.

Also plus side, I felt bloody AWFUL after my first jab, worse than I've ever felt in living memory (no exaggeration) so had sort of geared myself up to feel crap today and tomorrow too but apart from feeling tired (had a very early night last night) and a little bit achy I feel fine! Even my arm isnt that sore, i couldnt move it after the first one. 😵

So I'm going to try and relax now and not worry about it.

I get that weird water sensation thing in my back which is, to use a medical term, fucked I’ve been told it’s a nerve thing and I’m probably noticing it because I’m more alert to my back in general. Have you recently changed your working environment/chair or anything? I’m wondering if it’s linked to a bad sitting posture in your knee/leg?

That said, do give your GP a call and let them reassure you.

Apparently with the Astra Zeneca vaccine the side effects are worse with the first than the second so it’s to be expected you’d have limited to no impact from this one.

I went for my first AZ jab and had heavy dead legs (like lactic acid legs when you’ve run too far) for the rest of the afternoon. Fine the next day.

Ps that was my only symptom. I think it can affect the legs

@everythingthelighttouches

The type if clot seen after AZ or J&J vaccine is not in your leg and not seen until after 5 days.

If you did have a clot from vaccine, this is the woman who would review YOUR case. Listen to her.

Hi I just have a question. It is advised to call 111 if you have leg swelling between 4 days to 4 weeks. Why is that so if the blood clot has nothing to do with your legs?

I’m happy to be corrected but I believe that leg swelling is a sign that you do have a problem (not necessarily a clot but it can be) and if it is a clot they can investigate further for other clots and treat appropriately. Some clots don’t develop where they end up causing the most problems because they can break apart and travel to other parts of the body.

Oh come on people, let's be sensible for a minute, it isn't that hard. If your leg swells up for no known reason, then that's a sign of a possible clot. It doesn't matter when you had a jab, nor even if you haven't had a jab, you need to urgently get medical advice. You don't need medical help for.a mild tingly feeling, but you do for severe pain or swelling.
Same advice if you think you broke your leg, if your face suddenly goes slack etc. See a doctor for medical emergencies and let them figure out what matters.

“ Hi I just have a question. It is advised to call 111 if you have leg swelling between 4 days to 4 weeks. Why is that so if the blood clot has nothing to do with your legs?”

If you have unexplained leg swelling, you should be getting seen by a medical professional regardless of whether you had a jab or not.

Perhaps they don’t want people to dismiss a leg swelling as “just a normal side effect of the jab”