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Sooooo Scared!!!


sj75

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Hi guys,

Im really hoping you guys can help me with this. Im currently undergoing post exposure rabies vaccines after contact with a bat (precautionary). Ive had the immunioglobulin injections and have had 3 of the 5 vaccines. The first vaccine i was fine, had a momentary 'odd' feeling with a wierd sensation in my lower stomach, throat and heavy legs just after the injection and flu type symptoms the next day. 3 days later i had the second jab, again a momentary 'odd' lightheaded feeling (with heavy legs again). Within a few hours i had the chills and flu symptoms again and my skin felt like it was really hot (but only to me as it wasnt red or hot from the outside) i then developed just about every symptom on the list of known symptoms which subsided over 3/4 days just in time for my third jab yesterday.

Admittedly i have been quite anxious over the whole thing and have been particularly anxious about reacting to the jabs so have been taking loratidine 2 hours before hand. Within minutes of yestedays jab i had a horrid hot feeling in the back of my throat/nose and a funny smell, then felt like i was going to pass out. I was assisted onto the bed and had my bp checked, it was an astounding 169/143!!!!! after a few minutes i felt a bit better and went to sit in the waiting room for the obligatory half hour only to start feeliing odd again. My legs felt really odd and heavy and hubby who was with me said i looked really pale, they took me into another room so i could lie down where i stayed for a good half hour. I was very pale and lightheaded and had a whole body tremor. My bp came down quickly and i was told it was probably anxiety and i should go home to rest. By the time i had walked the 5 minutes home my bp had shot up again and for a good 4 hours i had to lie down as upright was not an option. Since then my bp has been up and down like mad and this morning its lower then ive seen it for a long time (im hyper so dont tend to get the low bp many potsies do)but i feel ok (no flu symptoms).

Although i was anxious im not entirely convinced that my symptoms were down to just this alhough it would probably be my preferred option?? has anyone had anything similar? and can anyone explain the strange internal smell i had and such high bp? ive got a week before my next jab and there is no getting out of it. Im petrified as each time the symptoms at the time of the jab have got worse and yesterday was pretty hideous for me.

People on here often talk about mast cell problems and i know these are linked to reactions and sensitivities, can anyone give me anymore details??

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I have no information to offer. Just wanted to say I had to take rabies shots(5) 38 years ago. I lived in Thailand at the time and a dog "grazed" my finger. Being that it was in a non-industrialized country where rabies might have been a real issue, I had to take the shots. Of course, that was 35 years before my POTS surfaced!

Just one more shot to go for you! I know it's bad, but like you said, no way to avoid it. <_<

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So sorry you are having to deal with this!!! Here is a CDC link for more information:

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/vis/downloads/vis-rabies.pdf

Seems to me that you've had a moderate to severe reaction to the shot per their description. I would guess that you probably should pre-medicate before your last one. I would think that a benadryl or atarax/hydroxizine and something for anxiety, like ativan, might be a good idea. The H-1 will help prevent any true allergic reaction and the anti-anxiety meds will help with your justifiable nervousness. I'd see your doc before the next shot and ask about pre-medications. That's a high BP & needs to be addressed BEFORE your next shot.

Let us know how it goes-

Julie

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thanks guys.

Unfortunately i have 2 more jabs to have but more spaced out than the last ones. I did take a clarityn 2 hours before but wonder if i can add in another antihistamine or if there is a better one??

Im in 2 minds about the anti anxiety meds as although that bp was hideous, i was thinking maybe the adrenaline it caused may help reduce any problems with allergy??

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thanks guys.

Unfortunately i have 2 more jabs to have but more spaced out than the last ones. I did take a clarityn 2 hours before but wonder if i can add in another antihistamine or if there is a better one??

Im in 2 minds about the anti anxiety meds as although that bp was hideous, i was thinking maybe the adrenaline it caused may help reduce any problems with allergy??

I really think you need to talk with a doctor about this BEFORE the next shot. I re-read your post & really think there is evidence that you may have had an allergic reaction. There's a good case to be made that you had a vaso-vagal reaction OR that you suffered from extreme anxiety resulting from the shot OR some combination of the three possibilities. All of these conditions can have similar symptoms.

I think it's OK to pre-medicate for all of these possibilities. This is commonly done before chemotherapy infusions, for instance. Patients are routinely given antihistamines to prevent an allergic reaction AND anti-anxiety meds to address any possible jitters.

I pulled out my pre-medication list from my mast cell doctor. Because I am prone to idiopathic anaphylaxis, 1-2 hours before any procedure I am supposed to take the following meds to prevent anaphylaxis:

-Prednisone 50 mg

-Benadryl 25-50mg OR atarx 25mg

-Ranitidine 150mg

-Singulair 10mg

My guess is that it would be fine to also take an ativan or some other anti-anxiety medication. After the injection, I hope they routinely keep you for a period of time to observe you. They will have epinepherine ready at that point should it become necessary. (With all of those meds- I doubt it :blink: ) Talk to your doctor now (before the next shot) about your bad reaction. These meds are a relatively simple and benign pre-caution to make you feel more comfortable & safe.

Hugs-

Julie

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Hi Julie,

Thankyou for that, im going to discuss this with someone this week. I made the huge mistake of going to a pharmacy and speaking to a pharmacist about it yesteday. How frightening is it to have a supposed medication'expert' know so little!! she told me nothing stops anaphylaxis and it immediately attacks the heart and stops it??? and that i should just take one over counter antihistamine but it wouldnt do anything anyway. Then she started talking about the rabies vaccine which she thought was given intravenously!!!

Ive decided im going to try and speak to some kind of allergy expert and to someone who knows more about my rabies risk as i collapsed yesterday (doesnt normally happen with me and im fairly well controlled pots wise). The jabs are making me so so ill and im getting numb limbs and all sorts. Im wondering wether now i have had 3 plus immunoglobulins if they can just do blood tests to monitor my immunity level rather than just keep jabbing me??

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Hi Julie,

Thankyou for that, im going to discuss this with someone this week. I made the huge mistake of going to a pharmacy and speaking to a pharmacist about it yesteday. How frightening is it to have a supposed medication'expert' know so little!! she told me nothing stops anaphylaxis and it immediately attacks the heart and stops it??? and that i should just take one over counter antihistamine but it wouldnt do anything anyway. Then she started talking about the rabies vaccine which she thought was given intravenously!!!

Ive decided im going to try and speak to some kind of allergy expert and to someone who knows more about my rabies risk as i collapsed yesterday (doesnt normally happen with me and im fairly well controlled pots wise). The jabs are making me so so ill and im getting numb limbs and all sorts. Im wondering wether now i have had 3 plus immunoglobulins if they can just do blood tests to monitor my immunity level rather than just keep jabbing me??

Oh Dear-

Sounds like you are having a weird reaction to the shots beyond anaphylaxis. Find a good allergist/immunologist & get some good sound advice right away before the next shot is due.

I'm sending prayers & good wishes.

Julie

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sorry lots of questions.......

well i nearly collapsed again this morning so hubby has rung the drs and we are waiting for the nurse to get back to us. I am hoping they can do blood tests to check my immunity rather than just going ahead with the injections (which they had previously wanted to do). If i have to have the injections im going to ask to be preloaded with the above list of meds.

Ive been reading about mast cell issues and have a surprising amount of symptoms of this so am thinking about getting tested. Can anyone tell me more about which sort of speacialist i should be referred to and what sort of tests i should request?? do mast cell issues affect the way your body reacts to immunisations? interestingly another thread on here has got me thinking about connective tissue issues. Can anyone give me more info on this and the sorts of effects it has on the body and possible symptoms??

Also, could anything other than anxiety have made my bp shoot up so high? as i know with allergies the bp goes down.

Is it me or does having pots seem to open a whole other can of worms???

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sorry lots of questions.......

well i nearly collapsed again this morning so hubby has rung the drs and we are waiting for the nurse to get back to us. I am hoping they can do blood tests to check my immunity rather than just going ahead with the injections (which they had previously wanted to do). If i have to have the injections im going to ask to be preloaded with the above list of meds.

Ive been reading about mast cell issues and have a surprising amount of symptoms of this so am thinking about getting tested. Can anyone tell me more about which sort of speacialist i should be referred to and what sort of tests i should request?? do mast cell issues affect the way your body reacts to immunisations? interestingly another thread on here has got me thinking about connective tissue issues. Can anyone give me more info on this and the sorts of effects it has on the body and possible symptoms??

Also, could anything other than anxiety have made my bp shoot up so high? as i know with allergies the bp goes down.

Is it me or does having pots seem to open a whole other can of worms???

I'm guessing that you'll have to finish the series of injections, but I'm certain the pre-medications will help. In anaphylaxis, the BP will often RISE dramatically before it drops...so the high BP could be a result of an allergic reaction OR anxiety To confuse things, anaphylaxis itself causes feelings of anxiety as well. BP irregularities (not just drops) are associated with mast cell disorders.

To find a doctor to help you DX a possible mast cell disorder, check out this Mast Cell Disorders Forum: http://mastcelldisorders.lefora.com/ I'd recommend joining and asking questions of those who are DXed or seeking a DX.

Keep us posted on how you fare with your next injection....if there is one????

Julie

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Thankyou, i really hope they dont make me have the last 2 but think its unlikely. For 4/5 hours after the last jab my bp went up and down like a yo yo. The highest ive ever seen it and then lower than ive seen it since i was a teenager. Have no idea whats with the collapsing and numbness as these are not listed as side effects anywhere.

Thankyou for the link i will have a look there. Unfortunately the nurse cant get back to us until tommorow afternoon so no further forward on that front.Really really scared.x

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Well my gp was really good. He is going to contact the people in London to try and find out if we have any alternative to the last 2 jabs. He has said that if we go ahead he will prescribe steroids, clarityn and ranitadine.

Fingers crossed there is an alternative as i feel soooo ill and am really stressed out by the whole thing.x

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well the good news is i dont have to have the final 2 jabs. It was decided that as i have developed systemic neurological symptoms that it was a definite no no.

I have been told that 3 plus immunoglobulins is enough to protect me anyway?? so my next question is in that case why do they give 5?? think im just being paranoid that im actually not covered but dont think they would risk leaving me exposed to rabies neuro symptoms or not so probably need to just relax and stop stressing about the whole thing now.x

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Bless your heart and bless your GP who had sense to get help and stop the madness. You've been through the wringer literally - but now it's time to step back and let it all settle in and settle down. You are being protected by having the series stopped from the most dangerous thing that could harm you - neurological issues of a rather serious nature commencing after the injections and worsening each time. Amen to that. The risk of problems from the bat is now truly down, down, down - for all the shots you had... really down. The docs 'know' this - and favor this course because they are taking it seriously and care about your health very much. They would not have made this decision without carefully weighing things and I highly doubt they would tell you any 'untruths'. So as best you can take a deep breath and count your blessings if you can - no more shots, you are protected from rabies....and healing each day the last shot is further behind you. Take care and thanks for sharing this - I always learn here! Feel better!

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