Vaccine Sent Me Into Pots Hole

[calypso]

Hi everyone new and those of you I recognize!

I haven't been on for quite some time. I have been doing fairly well for the last couple years after having my second daughter in April '07. However, I seem to get worse the further I get away from pregnancy; I wish I could stay pregnant forever but not have any more children -- or labor pains! My kids are doing great, too.

On Monday of this week, I went into the doctor for a physical. My tetanus expired, and I was told I needed a booster. I got it and later that night developed flu-like symptoms, along with a major worsening of my usual POTS symptoms (shortness of breath, tachycardia, dizziness, exhaustion, dry mouth). I got the chills for about a day, then just the POTS symptoms have remained.

This makes me remember that I got a rubella vaccine a few hours before I developed POTS the first time. I am starting to wonder about vaccines as my trigger, and not my first pregnancy, as I first thought. Or maybe vaccines just exacerbate the condition.

Just wanted to share, in case anyone's thinking of getting a vaccine anytime soon. I do fine with flu shots; go figure. I would like to hear if anyone reacts poorly to vaccines since their diagnosis.

Happy holidays to everyone here!

Amy

[ramakentesh]

It could well be a trigger. I wonder if there are any studies on the onset of autoimmune illnesses or hypermethylation of genes post immunisation?

[delphicdragon]

I trigger VERY badly with Vaccines. When I was very young I had a DTP (Diphtheria, Tetanus and Pertussis) I reacted to the Pertussis portion and actually wound up being paralyzed for a day from the waist down. Thank God I recovered from that! Though I think I still have some neurological deficit from that shot. The POTS is a neuro thing, and that reaction, coupled with the EDS may be why I'm super sensitive to everything.

Had a tetanus shot about 2 years ago and was in bed with a 102 degree fever and chills for 24 hours afterward. I did NOT expect that reaction and have vowed never to have a tetanus shot again.

I think our bodies are super sensitive to vaccines. Vaccines are meant to trigger the immune response, and I think we just react WAY too much to the foreign "invader".

Sara

[MelissaCrystal]

I'm sure it can be a trigger for a person who already has POTS, because it causes a small immune response to teach your body how to fight it if you ever encounter it again. I said small immune response, but for us it's a big one because our immune systems are already somewhat jeopardized. Definitely not a cause of POTS though in healthy people (I say healthy people because anything, even falling on the ground can trigger someone's predisposition to POTS, or a small cold even). Any viral foreign pathogen can technically cause POTS in people if they have the gene or a specific immune response, but vaccines are not "active" pathogens so it isn't supposed to cause a viral infection at all. You may have a sensitive system though just like most of us. Just keep in mind that it is impossible for a vaccine to cause POTS in a regular person unless it was a bad batch or something, but you'd hear about that because there would have been others who got sick. The conspiracy theorists would have definitely used something like that against vaccines but so far they have no real ammunition. Pregnancies always cause some kind of shift in the body with how the nervous system works, and sometimes that doesn't always go back to normal and so it causes dysautonomia. Since pregnancy always develops that shift, sometimes POTS people actually get cured by pregnancies---then again, they could always go back to their dysfunctional selves after the shift, which I guess is your case. It's too bad one can't be pregnant forever! Are you wanting to have more kids? Probably not, eh?

[Rachel]

I had a Tdap (Tetanus, diphtheria, acellular pertussis) booster shot last year, and my body did just fine. I didn't notice any effects from it other than slight soreness at the injection site.

Rachel

[MomtoGiuliana]

I've never had POTS flare-ups after vaccinations. I've had flu shot and Hep A and B in recent years. But I think we are all different in what our triggers are. I've had flare-ups after a thyroid biopsy, several times after going to hair salon, after stressful periods without a lot of sleep...

Hope you feel better now!

[icthus]

I am so sorry this happened to you. We try to do what's "right" and then get nasty ramifications.

My doctor recommended that I not take vaccinations in general. What a surprise, however, to find that my daughter, who is "just fine" had issues as well. When she got her tetanus booster to go on a cruise, she got a mild version of mock lockjaw!!!! Call it what you want, but within 24 hours, she was running a fever, and couldn't open her mouth more than 1/2 inch. She had to see an oral surgeon who was clearly astounded at the reaction. It took about 1 week for her to be able to eat food, and about 6 months before the jaw finally settled down.

As a result of her reaction, and she is "healthy", I decided not to take the vaccine when I had a rather nasty cut that sent me to Urgent Care. It's been over 15 years since I had the booster. Well, I'm still here BUT there were a few anxious weeks while we all waited to see how things would proceed. They were the most difficult weeks of all.

So there you go. Take the vaccine and maybe have reactions. Don't take the vaccine and then when that inevitable cut comes, hope for the best while you wait it out.

I'm so sorry you are dealing with this. I hope you are restored quickly, and...you are now protected for the next 10 years.

[smiles]

I got the flu shot 2 years ago and had no problems. I got it this year and ended up in the hospital, dehydrated, and in full flare up. Sent home and same symptoms a week later. haven't got back to my old regular dysautonomic self yet. Docs say it was that my body responded to the small invasion of a foreign substance (flu shot) and it freaked out.

[jessicaanne010]

It could well be a trigger. I wonder if there are any studies on the onset of autoimmune illnesses or hypermethylation of genes post immunisation?

I don't have any links on hand, but if you do a search I'm sure you will come up with some studies that back that up. The package insert for the MMR vaccine lists Type 1 Diabetes as a possible adverse reaction. Type 1 Diabetes is autoimmune.

Jessica

[MelissaCrystal]

It could well be a trigger. I wonder if there are any studies on the onset of autoimmune illnesses or hypermethylation of genes post immunisation?

I don't have any links on hand, but if you do a search I'm sure you will come up with some studies that back that up. The package insert for the MMR vaccine lists Type 1 Diabetes as a possible adverse reaction. Type 1 Diabetes is autoimmune.

Jessica

Yes, if you have Type 1 Diabetes or any autoimmune disorder, a vaccination or even a seasonal allergen can cause a flare up of the immune system. Autoimmune disorders sure are a handful---there are so many things that can cause an autoimmune response.