Reactive arthritis after flu shot in 2015

Posted , 5 users are following.

2nd time getting flu shot. 5 days later woke up feeling like hit by truck. Did not know what was wrong. Symptoms continued to worsen. All joints very painful. Wrists shoulders knees hips ankles. Significant swelling in ankles warranted stat venous doppler to rule out blood clots which was negative. All lab tests negative. RA negative. Ruled out Rickettsial etc lyme disease etc. Went on steroids and had major improvement until about 36 hours off. Symptoms all came back and were significantly worse. Cant walk in mornings. Major pain. Ran low grade fever around 100 each day. More lab tests. Sedrate was 63. Went about 10 days in major pain. Dr put me back on steroids for 2nd time. Felt much better.When steroids were done about 24 hours later the symptoms came back so bad i literally wanted to die. Never had pain this bad. In the mornings felt like i was walking with all bones crushed in my feet with concrete blocks on them. It took all i had to get to the bathroom or move. The pain was so bad my body trembled uncontrollably. My ankles were so swollen i could not get any shoes on. Doctor put me on 3rd round of steroids. This was the week of Christmas 2015. When this round of steroids was done the symptoms were gone. I saw an orthopedist who specializes in joints and a rheumatologist who both concluded i had an antibody antigen reaction that caused all my synovial tissue in the joints to be attacked by a virus. For 3 years i was exempted from receiving flu shot. No issues. Now they are denying my exemption saying it was an adverse reaction not a contradiction. I am scared to death to have to go thru this again. If i dont get the shot i will lose my job and i have been an employee there for 30 years. I work in an off site office and am not around patients.

0 likes, 5 replies

5 Replies

  • Posted

    Hi I am sorry for what you are going through. Is there a form you can sign to refuse the shot? I used to work for a hospital and worked in the Dr office and I signed a refusal and had to wear a mask around patients?

  • Posted

    Same thing happened to me after a flu shot two years ago. Doctor thought I was crazy. I avoid the flu shots now and take my chances. Fortunately, I'm not required by my employer to get one.

    • Posted

      Hello,

      I hope you are well. Following my covid vaccine in March 2021, I developed pain in all my joints and muscle. My rheumatologist now is thinking i m doing a kind of Reactive Arthritis following vaccine.

      Do you know what test you had to see your issue was coming from flu jab?

      Furthermore, how long yours symptoms have been there? 3 months in for me, and still not recover.

      Thanks

    • Posted

      There is no real test to tell if it is from the flu shot. Sedrate and CRP are helpful to indicate and verify inflammation in the body. Years later I saw an asthma and allergy specialist in St. Louis who diagnosed the incident as classic serum sickness which is much more serious than reactive arthritis.

  • Posted

    Hello,

    I hope you are well. Following my covid vaccine in March 2021, I developed pain in all my joints and muscle. My rheumatologist now is thinking i m doing a kind of Reactive Arthritis following vaccine.

    Do you know what test you had to see your issue was coming from flu jab?

    Furthermore, how long yours symptoms have been there? 3 months in for me, and still not recover.

    Thanks

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