Best vaccination

[Chookiehen]

Best vaccination for polymyalgia rheumatica and giant cell arteritis

[Coffeebeans]

Please could you explain what you mean? Do you mean recommended vaccinations to have?

[Chookiehen in reply to Coffeebeans]

Thank you for replying. I am in Australia and the advice regarding AstraZenica and Pfizer has been so varied and changed multiple times as our Covid crisis has developed and now out of control. People under 50 recommended NOT to have astrazenica because of clotting problems, then people under 60. Older than that only allowed astazenica. So I am 76 and now developed PMR and GCA, on high doses of cortisone. I am also on anti coagulants. Have read that pfizer is better if person on cortisone at getting an immune result.

Also worried re Astrazenica's side effect of myelitis of spine. I have arachoiditis and cauda equina syndrome due to an injection going wrong and could not cope with more pain. I know it is a rare complication but.... I am also allergic to so many additives preservatives etc that I do not know what to do. Rheumatologist no help yesterday but seeing immunologist in 2 weeks time for opinion as now developed PMR. I was only seeing him for allergy symptoms. I have now read many past posts on site but do you have anything else to add or could point me in the direction of please. I am very frightened and alone.

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer in reply to Chookiehen]

Don’t think we can answer regarding additives etc, you need to seek advice from your medical team for your particular issues. But you do need a vaccine…full stop.

Have you looked at this -

health.gov.au/initiatives-a...

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

Whichever one is offered……all are much of a muchness…obviously you will not get as much protection as someone without an autoimmune illness …but enough to to stop you being hospitalised with covid.

There are plenty of posts on here - just start with related posts, and carry on to search facility.

[Coffeebeans]

Agree with DL. You need the vaccine if your medical team advises it. And get whichever one they advise. If they just say get jabbed, go for it.

The UK has mainly been given either pzifer and AZ. I really think they are much of a muchness and getting protected early from one or the other is key.

There are papers out there on longer term antibodies for each but honestly the time it takes to research may be better just utilised getting a first jab.

Good luck on your decision.

[Chookiehen in reply to Coffeebeans]

Thank you all for your help. It really appears that Pfizer gives better immunity and the 2 week interval between injections is better. Shortening the interval between the Astrazenica jabs is Not advised in the video link I watched (thank you) but here people are being told to get it after 4 weeks.Many many people under 50 are getting AZ despite clot risks as that is all many states have available. I will talk to immunologist and go by him.

A new variant has just been announced so thank you all again and I wish you and your family members all the very best wishes that you are not affected and stay safe.

[Longtimer in reply to Chookiehen]

If you do see someone for answers make notes before you go, we can sometimes forget...good luck...

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer in reply to Chookiehen]

Is that the Delta variant?

Been in UK for some time, both major vaccines here are dealing with it, although it is more transmittable.

[Chookiehen in reply to DorsetLady]

No it is not the Delta strain It is one called C.1.2.. The article was in the Guardian yesterday. It originated in South Africa but has been detected in Britain.

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer in reply to Chookiehen]

Ok, but the original South African variant in UK didn’t seem to be very prevalent here…it was B.1.621 - so maybe a different one.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Chookiehen]

The official line is that it does not appear to be spreading:

reuters.com/business/health...

Only time will show, but in the meantime something far worse could be hatching - so non-pharmaceutical precautions make sense.

[Chookiehen in reply to PMRpro]

Well that is good news. Thank goodness I found your site.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Chookiehen]

There isn't a 2 week interval with any - do you mean 12 weeks? That has been settled back to 8 weeks as optimum I think.

Actually , I don't think any results yet are conclusive as to one being better than another. And in general, all of them are preferable to Covid without any vaccine.

[Chookiehen in reply to PMRpro]

Hello, the latest from ATAGI this morning is that there is a possibility that Astrazenica is less effective in immunocompromised people and it was important to continue with other preventative measures. Astrazenica was always 12 weeks gap but they are bringing it back to 4-6 weeks. Pfizer was 2-3 weeks in Australia but now supplies are limited and people are having to wait up to 6 weeks so more people can get their first dose

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Chookiehen]

From what I can find, this seems to be a rather Australia-centric problem for a couple of reasons, the availability of the various vaccines and the resistance of older adults to the AZ vaccine due to misinformation peddled in the spring amongst them.

I have said all along - and posted repeatedly - that even with the vaccines, the non-pharmaceutical measures are critical for protection of everyone, especially anyone with any potential level of immunosuppression and response to vaccination. Not least because when the virus mutates there will eventually be a variant that escapes any or all of the vaccines - and you only find out when it escapes and so you are permanently playing catch-up. That isn't an IF, it is a WHEN, especially when there are large numbers of cases allowing such a mutation to occur.

It has been commented that a 6 week interval for the Pfizer vaccine is probably preferable to the 3 week gap that the Pfizer trials used. But all along, the first vaccine doesn't confer 100% protection, it was talked about but never pushed hard enough in my opinion. Too many people latched on to their jab as their get-out-of-goal card ad the media ran with it. It's like putting a life jacket on without inflating it ...

[Chookiehen in reply to PMRpro]

Yes I agree totally with what you say. Our leaders were far too complacent regarding vaccination and were successful with their hard lockdowns. And everyone waited to see what would happen and even advised their older relatives to wait for the pfizer vaccine. Now we are doing exactly what you say about thinking that one jab of whatever is reason to open up NSW, not even giving the vaccine time to work! People are very upset with the NSW premier and the prime minister. Other states are more circumpspect but under pressure to do same. Yet again the Guardian states that research warns that there could be 10 times the number of deaths referenced in the Doherty Report which underpins the 4 phase stage opening plan.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Chookiehen]

We may have had a hellish time last year and there are a lot of very silly people here nevertheless. but I do feel a bit more confidence in the Italian government's approach than that of a lot of others!!