PMR and AstraZeneca Vaccination

[NursePeggy]

I had my AZ/Oxford vaccination 3 days ago in the early afternoon. By bedtime I had no side effects and thought 'this is a doddle' ! Silly me ! I woke up at 1.30 am with a searing headache and pain in my upper right back towards shoulder where the injection site was. Since then I have been very dizzy, very nauseous, had the same back pain, abdominal pain and other pains in different areas of my body, but no temperature. I have felt generally unwell the whole time and spent a lot of time in bed. But I feel that this has to be better than getting Covid and paracetamol does seem to help a bit. I almost forgot, the vaccination site didnt get red and hot until the second day.

I wonder if having a Histamine Intolerance has also contributed to my symptoms ?

I am not looking forward to the second jab in twelve weeks. The side effects of both the Pfizer and the AZ/O seem to be very similar.

[jaycee444]

Had Pfizer on Friday but apart from slight pain at vaccination site have had no other side effects. I think its probably a minority of people that really suffer so I hope people dont get put off having the vaccine because they are afraid of side effects.

[NursePeggy in reply to jaycee444]

Nearly 24 hours later and just slight nausea and the sore arm remain. One very odd thing. Over 20 years ago I lost most of my sense of smell after a virus. I noticed last night that I seem to have regained it ! I cant tell if it is fully back, but it has certainly improved !!

[Hildalew in reply to NursePeggy]

How wonderful. I am so happy for you that your sense of smell has come back. I lost mine for a while in late December 2019 when I had a mild infection (?mild Covid 19) It came back after a short while, so I can imagine that your life will have an extra zing now after the 20 years of absence.

[NursePeggy in reply to Hildalew]

How interesting, it could well have been a mild case of the covid. I realised mine was coming back when I put on my hand cream and thought 'what a lovely smell' ! I had always thought it was scent free ! A sense of smell also makes things taste better. I hope it doesnt slip away again - it is certainly brightening up my days.

[Maisiek]

I had the Pfizer- no side effects at all not even a sore arm 👍

[NursePeggy in reply to Maisiek]

My emojis have disappeared - I was going to put a smiling face !

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to NursePeggy]

You can type one too: colon : followed by close bracket ) with no spaces

[NursePeggy in reply to PMRpro]

I had forgotten that - thanks PMRpro

[Smokygirl]

Our son aged 53 a type 1 diabetic who had a heart bypass two years ago was given the Astra Zeneca vaccine last week. The next day he was very ill with a very very high temperature that only came down to 101 with Paracetamol and pain all over, especially in his lymph nodes. This lasted 48 hours. He says he was still very grateful to have been given the vaccine.

His Dad and I had the Pfizer three weeks ago and only had the sore arm.

I am the only one on steroids

[NursePeggy in reply to Smokygirl]

Hi Smokeygirl, I am sorry your son has had to go through such a rotten time.I, too, am very grateful for the vaccine. A few days discomfort is nothing compared to what we would have to cope with if we caught the dreaded virus. Good luck to you son for the future.

[SheffieldJane]

EEK! Did you tell your doctor about this reaction? I wonder if it is to do with your Histamine intolerance? I guess it shows that it’s doing something. Our worry is getting a milder dose isn’t it? Because of suppressed immunity. Do painkillers ease it? They might have a more suitable vaccine for the next shot. Let us know.

[NursePeggy in reply to SheffieldJane]

I replied but think I must have forgotten to press 'Reply'. I am speaking to my doc today as he is interested in the Histamine tolerance aspect. I also am on the Zoe research trial, so fill in their form every day. Paracetamol was very helpful and lots of rest. Another good thing came out of it - i seem to have regained some sense of smell - read my reply to Jaycee. Very odd !

[SheffieldJane]

How interesting re the sense of smell. I hope you are feeling much better. Strange unchartered territory.I did the Zoe research trial on symptoms. Did you just reactivate it when you got the vaccine?

[NursePeggy in reply to SheffieldJane]

I forgot to press reply again and lost my reply. I fill in the Zoe form every day and they now have included questions about which vaccine and the side effects experienced etc. It only takes a minute. Prof Spector also has a blog once a week and there are statistics to follow.I am feeling a lot better thank you