Booster side effects 5 weeks later

[lattegirl]

Hi all,

Desparately looking for information of how to handle chronic fatigue caused by booster, now in my 5th week since booster . I have vvs OH. Muscles in legs will suddenly fatigue and I can’t stand up or get off the floor. Start feeling too exhausted by 4pm still have dizziness, nausea severe light headed back aches.Worst is the loss of leg strength then half an hour later it’s ok repeat repeat. Has anyone experienced this and what should I do?

many thanks

[MTRJ75]

I was well below my normal baseline with the 2nd shot for about a month or so. How did you handle the original shots? 

[lattegirl]

Hi,

First and second covid shots gave me symptoms worsening each time 

[MikeO]

Well only issue i have had with the covid shot was a sore arm. But saying that it is not diff from a flu shot. both my daughter and son caught covid just before Christmas. all i can tell you it is worse than not being vaccinated. Both are now wishing they would have gotten the shot.

[Pistol]

Both my elderly In-Laws had all three shots but currently are battling COVID. My M-I-L is immune-suppressed ( lymphoma ) and has autoimmune disease, so she is very much at risk. But they pulled through it, and currently only have fatigue and cough. Whether that is due to the shots or because the current strain is not that severe - who knows? I would like to "blame" it on the shots!

[MTRJ75]

I know several recently vaccinated or boosted people who have been very symptomatic since X-mas. Who knows if it would have been worse w/o vax or it's not as potent for as long as they say. I've read so many conflicting things about booster shots, Omicron and length of effectiveness over the last week, I don't know what to believe. 

[edriscoll]

According to Dr. Blitshetyn, one of the top dysautonomia specialists in the country, and a physician who is a specialist in immune suppressed patients from Dartmouth Medical Center, the vaccine prevents severe illness in most patients who are exposed to COVID.  Keep in mind that although Omicron has less severe symptoms than other variants, that does not necessarily translate to it being milder in high-risk patients (specifically cardiac and pulmonary) and immune suppressed patients.  Without vaccinations and booster, those populations are still at very high risk for severe illness.  Many immune suppressed patients are requiring a 3rd shot, not a booster, because they are not necessarily developing the antibodies necessary to fight severe illness during the 1st and 2nd shots.  Bottom line, regardless of the variant, vaccines protect against severe illness.

The other side of this coin is that without a higher rate of vaccination in this country, we can expect continued variants to emerge.  Omicron, thankfully is milder, but who knows what the next variant will bring.  Not to mention, that the other strains are still out there.  No one should assume that they will get the milder strain.  

For more info and the science behind DINET's position on the vaccine specific to dysautonomia patients, please watch the video by Dr. Blitshetyn - "COVID19 and Dysautonomia"

And @lattegirl  I am so sorry you are experiencing such debilitating symptoms. When having a reaction to the vaccine, it's important to separate the reaction to the vaccine itself vs a possible flare set off because of activity in your immune system.  That severe a reaction to the vaccine with those symptoms for that length of time is extremely unusual. But it is not unusual for flares to be caused by changes in our immune system, and many times we don't know what sets off a flare.  A flare, as we all know, can last a long time. However, regardless of what set off a flare, after this length of time the flare needs to be treated.  Have you consulted the doctor who treats you for dysautonomia or your PCP?    I would not assume that what you are going through now is a reaction to the booster without being told that by a doctor.  You may have something else going on that requires treatment.  And if a doctor told you this is a booster reaction, side effect, they should be following you closely to see why you are still experiencing such a drastic set of symptoms this far out from the shot.

Best wishes that you start feeling better soon. 

[MTRJ75]

Didn't want to quote something without remembering where I read it, so I did a google search and these are the results that came up: 

https://www.google.com/search?q=boosters+only+10+weeks&oq=boo&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j35i39j69i60l3j69i65l3.2254j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

There apparently was a study done that suggests Omicron protection lasts only around 10 weeks with booster shots. 

Considering the vast and diverse number of outlets reporting on the study in that google search, it doesn't seem to be a politically motivated stance, as sites that are considered both "left" and "right" are reporting on it, which would seem to make it slightly more credible in my eyes. 

So my question is now this: If the benefits are only going to last 10 weeks and, like the last shot, my nervous system is lit on fire for about half that time where I won't be able to leave the house anyway??

I really don't know what to do here as my 6 months just came up. 

[MomtoGiuliana]

53 minutes ago, MTRJ75 said:

If the benefits are only going to last 10 weeks and, like the last shot, my nervous system is lit on fire for about half that time where I won't be able to leave the house anyway??

 

 I think they are saying the efficacy wanes after 10 weeks.  Not that the benefit lasts 10 weeks.  So it is still, from what I understand, providing benefit after 10 weeks.  It apparently becomes more likely that a patient will have a symptomatic infection if exposed.  I think the best thing to do is to talk to a dr about your specific concerns to get help weighing the risks and benefits, to the extent they are known.