second vaccine if still unwell (ear ringing) after first?

[ThatsnotMyNameAgain]

i ve had my first AZ about 6 weeks ago and got my appointment for the second early next week.

i ve also had 6 weeks of on/off headaches, had a weird rash with tiny tiny prick like red dots but my worst symptom is non-stop ringing in my left ear. It s constant.

I got checked for D dimers and platelets and this was ok, so was told to just monitor and it could get better. I may get an ENT referal some time in next 3 to 6 months. It s not so far getting better, is stopping me sleeping well, and is very irritating during the day.

I m not sure i can have the 2nd jab now - the anxiety is breaking me and the idea of making symptoms worst is terrifying.

Has anyone got ear ringing or hissing? has it improved over time?

[quote shewalkslikerihanna]@ThatsnotMyNameAgain
Goodness knows why it happens but dds friend is now medically retired after she tried to take her own life as she could not cope with deafness/ tinnitus after 1st jab[/quote]
Was that AZ or Pfeizer?

an update: no change or improvement in ringing, but GP advised to delay jab 2 by 6 to 8 extra weeks to allow referal to ENT.

i find the whole delta + partial vax status + continued symptoms super stressful. It also mean i will not be able to travel as i was supposed to for work in late august (out of UK, key link with stakeholder in EU).

Can't you travel but with a negative PCR test? Guess it depends on the country, Malta seems to be very strict.

It's good that your GP took you seriously though and made that recommendation. I agree about the stressful situation - there is no easy answer and it is mentally exhausting trying to decide what to do for best.

you can travel (with negative PCR), but need to isolate 7 days on arrival before being able to meet people. Then quarantine on return.

Yes - GP is being sympathetic, which is appreciated. He said he s not too sure how to advise just now though based on the evidence available.

I feel pressured into vax 2 by colleagues, especially when there will be things i can t do like others who have 2 jabs - but will be on my own to deal with the consequences if it makes things worst.

I had a bad reaction to my first. I've delayed mine, after talking to my GP. Booked in for for 12weeks after the first. Tbh I'm unlikely to go for it as the first made me extremely unwell for a long time and I'd rather not make myself ill again. Speak to your GP.

@MRex could I ask you to explain more about the relationship between hypothyroidism and vaccine side effects? My thyroid levels are a bit low but not medicated and I've had really difficult side effects from the vaccine. I have given up on having the second dose. I have a lot of physical symptoms but they're a real hotch potch and fit more closely with hyperthyroidism than hypothyroidism. Thanks!

I'm in the same situation as you OP, not with tinnitus, but with other side effects.

The route I've chosen is to have a covid antibody test to see if I have a decent lot of antibodies and to wait and see if my side effects get better.

I don't feel at all enthusiastic about having a second jab as I've had a really scary series of side effects with the first and they're not really getting better, even after 10 weeks.

Having said that, I have also had long covid. I'm slightly hoping that long covid + one vaccine might count the same as no covid + two vaccines but I think it's very hard to know just now.

I'm crossing my fingers, but totally understand your anxiety. It's a very worrying situation. Take care there, and keep talking to people about it.

I've no idea medically @StrongLegs. I have hypothyroidism, as do some family members, none of whom had significant effects from AZ / Pfizer. The one with hyperthyroidism had more flu like symptoms, but fine after a day or so. I couldn't say if there's a link. Covid itself causes some kind of thyroiditis, but it isn't thought that those with thyroid disorders already are particularly at risk of Covid. Some people with other conditions have reported autoimmune flares after vaccination though, so if you have thyroid antibodies then they could have got over-excited. I had a few auto immune issues some weeks after vaccination, though that happens enough that I couldn't say there's a definitive link and DM had none at all, in fact she was better than ever.

What is your TSH level and why isn't it medicated if it's out of range? As general advice from having the condition; I had a brief hyperthyroid stage before becoming severely hypothyroid, so be alert to that and demand regular blood tests.

Do you have anxiety? It can cause ENT symptoms speaking from experience

I've just seen you've had Covid. It might be best to ask for a referral to an endocrinologist in case you have thyroiditis.
This is pretty much all I know about it: www.btf-thyroid.org/subacute-thyroiditis.

I had no issue with my ears after either vaccination.

I contracted Covid at the end of..June and have had tinnitus ever since. I've never had it before and it's driving me mad!!

@MRex I'm in the process of being referred to the long covid clinic so hopefully they will figure it out. I have blood tests booked for August to check progress too. Thanks so much for explaining.

@Roonerspismed
Me too