First Time Scare From Flu Shot Reaction
If you’ve been reading my blog, you may have noticed that I’m a proponent of people getting their flu vaccinations. Of course, its that time of year, and we’re actually a little slow about getting our shots. You can read on thoughts for or against the flu vaccine. At any rate, I’m scheduled for next week, along with the kids. However, my wife went for her shot today. For a myriad of reasons, her doctor had actually written an order to get both a pneumococcal and flu vaccinations. In the interest of efficiency, she decided to get them at the same time. I knew she had them scheduled, but didn’t think much about it.
Scary Flu Shot Reactions
She called me after her shot to let me know she was doing O.K., and had just left the doctor’s office about 5 minutes before calling. During our brief conversation, she mentioned that she was itching pretty badly at flu vaccine injection site. As we talked, she complained about it getting worse, so she went to look in the mirror. “Oh my gosh,” she says, “I’ve got a pretty large rash there!” I suggested she call the doctor’s office and ask their advice, which she promptly did, and they asked her to come back in so they could check it.
On her way there, she took some benadryl, just in case she was having an allergic reaction. Almost immediately upon entering the office, two doctors crowded around her to check her. They ended up keeping her at the office for about a half-hour, ostensibly for the purposes of examination. She had a rash that extended from the top of her shoulder to her elbow, and complained about her throat “tightening up.” There were no other adverse effects, but the doctors told her that she should never get a flu vaccination again. That one surprised me, but hey, they’re the experts.
We read up on the subject a little tonight. According to the CDC, some common side effects of flu vaccinations include: soreness/redness, low grade fever, and aches. They also specifically mention that some people should NOT get a flu vaccination, including those who have:
- had a previous “serious reaction” to a flu shot (I don’t know what they classify as a “serious reaction,” but I guess its better to be safe than sorry)
- have a serious allergy to chicken eggs
- suffer from Guillain-Barre syndrome
- children under 6 months of age
- individuals who are currently ill and running a fever
One thing this little encounter does remind me of is that its easy to get complacent about vaccinations. The vast majority of people who take a flu shot have no trouble at all, and this experience isn’t going to change my approach to getting a flu shot, except to make certain I wait around for a bit at the doctor’s office before I take off. Whenever you get a vaccination, there’s a risk of an adverse reaction. However small that risk may be, its important to stay close to a medical professional until you’re confident that the risk of a reaction has passed. You can read more about this subject in the Vaccine Safety Manual
This is the first time I’ve personally known anyone who’s had a reaction significant enough to be told they shouldn’t get the vaccination again. Have any of the readers ever had an experience like this?
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My sister is at the doctor now. She had a reaction to the flu shot this year. Has a rash on both legs below her knees and swelling.
I recieved the flu shot about 2 days ago for the first time, and I will never get it again. I have been getting these weird headaches since then, with body aches. I feel horrible. And my head will not stop hurting.
I have been receiving the flu shot for at least the last fifteen years, but this year, I had a negative reaction. I received the shot on Friday, Nov. 7 and I felt feverish, chilled and had a sensation of motion sickness the day after receiving the vaccine. I also felt extremely tired after a normal night’s sleep. In the evening, I developed a headache and felt like my throat was somewhat constricted and my chest felt heavy. I feel asleep and woke up eleven hours later, still feeling somewhat week. I won’t take the vaccine again.
I’ve had flu shots for years and have never had a negative reaction other than a little lethargy for the first 24 hours.
This year, I had a reaction similar to your wife’s. I took the shot on Friday, and by Saturday, my arm had started itching. I wound up with what I assume was hives on both arms, but worse on the arm where I’d had the shot. It wasn’t visible, but my skin itched and developed the texture of orange peel. And the injection site felt feverish.
I eat eggs frequently and have no history of an egg allergy, which from what I’ve read, is the most common cause of this reaction. I had no throat swelling, however. That is serious…an indication of anaphylaxis, which is probably why the doctors reacted so strongly to your wife’s response.
Not sure if I’ll take the vaccine again. I know that if I’d had the flu instead, it would have been a whole lot worse, so it’s still a cost-benefit analysis…
Just yesterday, 3 hours after my flu shot, I had hoarseness, throat constricting, light-headedness, general feeling of being unwell. I took Benadryl almost immediately and was monitored for ~3 hours by nurse practitioners (at a health clinic on a university campus). I’ve never had an allergic reaction to anything before; I’ve had many flu shots over the years (I’m 36.) I write this to recommend that everyone carry Benadryl with them, and definitely stay near medical help the DAY that you get your shot. I want to believe the professionals that these reactions are still a small percentage of those that get their shot, and that, overall, it’s more important to protect society at large from the flu. But I think I now fall into the category of “no more flu shots…”?
I had the flu shot on Oct. 28th. I had a reaction (tongue swelling) and was sick for three days afterwards. Until now I wasn’t allergic to anything. Two weeks after the shot I had an adverse reaction at the injection site of my arm. The result was alot of pain shooting up and down my arm and no mobility. The Dr. put me on steriods for three days. All that did was make me look like a blow fish. I am into my third week and still am having alot of pain in my arm. I will never, ever get a flu shot again!
I got my flu shot yesterday and the site will not stop itching. I’m not having any dangerous side effects, but the itching is making me crazy.
I got a flu shot for the first time almost 4 weeks ago. I had immediate shoulder and upper arm pain that subsided over a week or so. Now, lately, it has been acting up again and since Thanksgiving it has flared up bad, makes it tough to sleep and do lateral raise movements (i.e., lift pans out of oven with left arm). I have no visual redness, irritation, or itching and no tingly fingers (yet). I am not going to get another flu shot, and hope this goes away – I’ve never had shoulder problems and this pain is 100% connected to the shot weeks ago?!
My mom got her flu shot well over 2 months ago and experienced arm and shoulder pain right from the start. She returned to the Dr after about 3 weeks and she now has to go to PT. They are going to do an MRI to try and figure out what is going on and make sure the needle did not break off in her muscle. The clinic where she goes to PT said that they just had another woman come in with complaints of the same nature.
I am having the same symptoms as Dyane and
Mary above. Soreness at the site immediately
following the injection. Subsided for a while.
2 months later, I am having serious pain
concentrated at the injection site but radiating
up to the shoulder and down to the elbow.
It has been going on for over a month now
and is getting worse. It makes it hard to sleep
or lift things, but not every movement causes
pain. When there is pain, it is intense. 9 on a
scale of 1 to 10.
My wife had a flu shot about November 2007 and has had arm and shoulder pain since that day. It subsided for a couple of months during the summer but recently has returned again with pain like she experienced starting the day of her shot last year.
I had a flu shot on Nov. 4, 2008. Three hours later I had a fever of 102 and severe muscle aches and chills which lasted into the next day. Within hours my arm started hurting, radiating out from the injection site, enough to wake me up at night. It still hurts – doc said it was likely nerve damage!! and could take a year to heal. No more flu shots for me.
I had a flu shot early November 2008, and like some of you, have had chronic right upper arm pain, most in the “shot” area, but also up into my shoulder. It went away at first, like a typical shot, but a few weeks later I noticed it aching again and then gradually getting worse and not going away. I was attributing it to “poor desk ergonomics”, but started getting suspicious when I modified my desk but my arm still hurt. So I found you all. I’m going to go ahead and get it checked out (might as well start getting my insurance deductable out of the way), but I doubt there is anything to do. No more flu shots for me.
I had my shot four months ago and my arm is still in pain at the injection site (similar to the others). The x-ray showed no bone damage so my doc is figuring it is nerve damage which she said can take months and months to go away. At this point I am wondering if it will ever go away. I cant lift my left arm without using my right (good) arm to hold it up and it is painful and I cant sleep on my left side or the pain gets WAY worse. I have gotten the flu shot for about six yrs and never had any problems until Oct 2008.
Two weeks after the flu shot I started to have
swelling from my elbows to my fingertips and
swelling from my knees down to my feet. My
hands and fingers look inflamed with my knuckles staying white. I was tested for Lyme
Disease and everything came up negative.
Is this coincidence or is this a reaction to the
flu shot? This has been going on since November and it is now March. It is also
painful.
This is a follow-up to my previous post. I have been going to a physical therapist and she has been getting me back my range of motion. The pain is still there, but I think it is not as bad since I started doing the exercises. This next part may be my imagination, but I am curious to know if anyone else has experienced this. The burning pain in my shoulder seems to get worse when I take Alleve, ibuprofen, vitamin C or eat citrus fruit. When I ingest any of the above, the shoulder burns all night and I can not sleep. If I stay away from those things, there is still pain with certain movements, but at least I can sleep.
Several years ago I had an anaphylactic reaction following a flu shot given at the school where I worked as principal’s secretary. I ignored the nurse’s suggestion that I wait ten minutes before leaving the vaccine site (media center). I had received flu shots for many years with no problem. In the middle of a conversation in my office with two other people, I suddenly became extremely dizzy, disoriented, and I began to experience difficulty swallowing. My co-workers notified the nurses giving the vaccine. The end result was an injection of epinephrine and a trip to the emergency room in an ambulance. I am thankful that I was not alone. Following this episode I experienced chronic hives and ended up on high doses of steroids. I missed several days of work, had to be weaned off of the steroids, and developed an anxiety disorder which I take meds for to this day. I also have developed other allergies and take allergy meds on a regular basis. I just completed a course of antibiotics for a sinus infection resulting from allergies.
In addition, I am now reading that the mercury used as a preservative (I think it is no longer used?) can be a contributer to Alzheimer’s, which runs in my family.
Many people do get the vaccine safely and many benefit from it. I am not saying that no one should get the flu shot or any vaccination, but just be aware.
I had flu shot in October at a health fair. Have had flu shots for at least 20 years with no problems. The first week or so I thought was unusual that my arm still hurt when I turned onto that side (right) in bed. It then became obvious that certain movements, i.e. reaching behind me into the back seat of the car, hooking my bra, etc., caused an immediate, grabbing sharp pain, not only at injection site but radiating approximately from elbow to shoulder. Then after doing that it’s more sore for a while.
I was beginning to think that the timing with the flu shot was just a coincidence, until reading about several others with similar experience.
Would love to find out about a medical professional determined to get to the root of the cause. Does anybody know if this has happened with as many people in years prior to 2008?
To answer your question, it’s known that a small percentage of people are injured from taking vaccinations. To that end, a program called the “National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program” was established for people who have taken vaccines after 1988. A link to the program is provided here.
My reactions were the same as Kendra’s – it took about 5-7 days and I just fell apart, but I have little memory of it now. I slept for 24-36 hours at a time, I ached like I had a killer fever, but I was actually sub-par on that. (Less than 98.6) Killer headaches, shortness of breath, memory problems, chest constriction, lethergy, my electrolytes were all wonky, (got an ER doc who was intrigued and pulled a lot of tests – no answer though, an ER visit just wasn’t long enough and insurance said “no admittance”.) And I STIIL get attacks from time to time when I can sleep for hours and hours – I just slept 48 +/- hours about 2 days ago now. Bad headaches, body aches. I’ll never have another one again, that’s for sure. I was alsways a cashier – I handled dirty money, so thereby got a low-level immunity. Housebound this year, so I thought I’d protect my “at- risk’ husband, because he was in the public, but if he brought it home on his hands or what-not, I’d get it and then so would he. Yeah, well, the flu beats the heck outta this! Still not right from this shot, it’s April going on May and I got it in October. VAERS says I have no case. Like heck I don’t! Still, no can do, not w/o a doc’s say-so. Buttmunches.
I’m glad I found this and am not going crazy! I have had about 10 flu vaccines in the past with no reactions at all. I just had this one late in the season as I am traveling and thought I should get one. 48 hours after the vaccine I started aching in my shoulder blades and got a sudden fever of 102. I also felt like I was drunk and would go from laughing-crying. Clinic said it was from vaccine and to take tylenol. I am now better after 48 hours but wondering if the leg cramps I’m now having are also from the vaccine.
I can’t believe I found this – I have had an annual flu vaccine for the past six or seven years with no problems, but on Nov 1, 2008, that changed. Within a couple of hours of having the shot, I felt bad – nauseous mostly, and my arm was sore. The soreness increased, and soon, I too, couldn’t move my arm like I used to without a great deal of pain. By January, the doctor thought I had “frozen shoulder” and referred me to an orthopedist. Both doctors poohed poohed the idea that it was related to my flu shot, but I told them both about it becuase that was exactly when the pain started. I received 2 cortisone shots that gave me temporary pain relief (the shots were 6 weeks apart, the pain relief lasted about a week each time), and I have had 6 weeks of physical therapy that give me some range of motion back, but the pain still persists and I still can’t move the arm like I want to. Is there anything that we can do? I really do think we should be “counted” as having adverse vaccine reactions – even if the doctors don’t believe us.
I had the 1st and only flu shot I will ever get in November 2006. Immediately after the shot my arm and shoulder had pain. A week later I got the flu, which I rarely, rarely get. The pain subsided for a little about 6 months later, but soon returned with a vengeance. I complained to several of my doctors about the pain, but of course they all pooh poohed it. After 2 years of complaining about the pain my husband told me I needed to see a shoulder specialist. The Orthopedic Specialist told me I had a “frozen shoulder” and said that was not an uncommon reaction to a flu shot. She gave me two cortisone shots which gave me some immediate relief and some more gradually over the next month. I also had physical therapy. The mobility of my arm is about back to normal but I am still experiencing some pain. I have also had some numbness in my hand since the shot.
I think I will go back to the specialist and get one more cortisone shot. This has been going on for 2 1/2 years. I am tired of being in pain all the time, JUST BECAUSE OF SOME FLU SHOT SOME DOCTOR CONVINCED ME I NEEDED THAT I NEVER ASKED FOR SINCE I NEVER GET THE FLU.
I took my first ever flu shot yesterday at 10:30 am (I’m 36 years old). At 6 pm my heart started to accelerate to 135 beats/minute (my normal heart rate is 75). Then I had chills, muscle aches, sore throat, headache. At 9 pm I had a fever of 101 degree. I took 2 Ibuprofen pills. Now the fever is gone, but I still have muscle aches, sore throat, light headache, and a heart rate of 105. I am concerned about my heart rate. It should be down to normal since the fever is gone. Anyway, I hope my reactions to the flu shot will disappear soon. Thank you all for sharing your experience. I would not take another flu shot again! Better go alternative medicine!
I had had two flu shots before. AS a teacher I was signed up and signed the form.
Got the shot on Friday. By 5pm the site had a 1 inch red welt.
By Saturday it was 5 inches long and raised an inch and I ran a fever of over 102.
Ice packs and benadryl. It didn;t completely subside for two weeks.
arm was sore for a year.
Now swine flu……not getting shot thatnk God not required too. Rather get flu then go through that again.
I had an allergic reaction years ago. My arm swelled up like a balloon. It was hot, red , itchy and I couldn’t move it at all. I had to hold my arm with my other hand. I was in so much pain that I couldn’t think straight. I stayed home for a week. I remember sitting on my sofa and crying becauase of the pain. I finally went back to the doctor and I was told I could have an allergy to eggs or chickens. I eat eggs and sometimes I notice that I get a headache but not all the time. I vowed that I would never ever get a flu shot again.