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Rheumatic disease from flu shot

Posted , 6 users are following.

brayn
brayn

I am required to get a yearly flu shot (or wear a mask from December  through April) at my place of employment. I have been at this job 3 years. Four days after this years flu shot my right eye turned red. Two days after that I woke up to not being able to move my right arm due to extreme shoulder pain. Then my left eye turned red. Over the next few weeks more sore swollen joints and fiinally being diagnsed with nodular sclerits associated with rheumatic autoimmune disease. I am waiting to see a rheumatologist. The doctor said something triggered the autoimmune disease in me. They say they cannot prove it was the flu shot but it appears to be too bg of a coincidence to dismiss as coincidence. I am very sad and have pain and swelling in both knees, both shoulders, both elbows, right foot, both hips. It has just moved in to both index fingers and thumbs. Please educate yourselves and loved ones about the real risks of the flu shot before getting one. There are documented cases of this happening since the seventies and probably many more undocumented. No one informed me of these kinds of risks. sad

1 like, 30 replies

30 Replies

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  • Jan999
    Jan999 brayn

    Posted

    Hello brayn. This must have been really awful for you and you have my every sympathy. I think you can't be living in the UK because I dont think any employer would be able to make those demands on an employee. I have Rheumatoid Arthritis as well as asthma so I am eligible for the Flu jab on the NHS but I always refuse because of the complications I've read about. I hope you get to see a rheumatologist very soon. Take care.
    • brayn
      brayn Jan999

      Posted

      I live in Canada. The agency I work for is non-profit and funded by the health authority. All employees under the funding of the health authority are faced with this same policy. I am a counsellor but the nurses unions here in Canada have been trying to fight this policy for years as thay are under the same health authority. I am going through phases of anger, disbelief and sadness. The disease is progressing so fast. New sore joints each morning. It has only been a month since symptoms onset after the flu shot. If I had only chosen to wear the mask. But how does a counsellor do their job with a mask on???
    • brayn
      brayn Jan999

      Posted

      Thanks for the support and the reply.  I wish you the best.
    • Jan999
      Jan999 brayn

      Posted

      brayan I am a nurse and I totally agree with you regarding the face masks. Patients/clients need to be able to see you face. It's a crazy policy. You must be in so much pain. I have about 4 joints affected and need regular pain relief so I cant imagine what you must be going through. Has your doctor prescribed analgesics in the interim before you see the rheumatologist?
    • brayn
      brayn Jan999

      Posted

      I am on 1500mg of Naproxen per day. Prednisolone 1% eye drops for the scleritis and a gel steroid(dexametasone 0.1%) for my eyes. They also gave me diclofenac 10% cream but I don't notice the cream working.

      I am getting very concerned because each morning a new joint is affected. It has only been not even 5 weeks since the flu shot and symptoms onset! My feet metacarphal joints just started on a few toes. And my finger & thumbs are just recently affected in last few days. What is going on. How can it be so many joints so fast? I am having trouble walking at times. I used to run 2-3 times per week and am a guitar player. My life is going downhill fast in 5 weeks.

    • brayn
      brayn Jan999

      Posted

      Thanks for the correspondence. To be honest I am scared.

      B.

    • Jan999
      Jan999 brayn

      Posted

      Hello again brayn. I was scared and if I'm honest I still am because there's no cure for this awful disease. But with the right treatment it can be put on hold. I'm mot seeing a rheumatologist until February when it will be exactly 3 years when I first started to have problems with my joints. I found the analogy creams totally useless. I could start a pharmacy with the creams and different medications I have been prescribed! Until you see the rheumatologist you won't know exactly what you are dealing with. Just to add I find Naproxen on it's own not enough. I also take Codeine with the option of adding Paracetamol and Nefopam (Acupan). The Nefopam is quite effective which surprised me.
    • Jan999
      Jan999

      Posted

      sorry should read analgesic creams (stupid predictive text) 
    • leslie02225
      leslie02225 brayn

      Posted

      Brayn, it is a frightening time when you first discover that you have this disease and I was exactly the same. I used to love hiking and climbing on the hills and mountains in Scotland, Wales and the Peak District and my retirement hobby was silversmithing, making rings, bracelets etc in silver and gold. The work is so intricate and I honestly thought that I would have to give up the things that I love to do. I lost a lot of weight and strength as well as the pain in my joints and things really seemed black. Nine months after seeing the Rheumatologist I have begun hill walking again and am gradually building up my stregth. Most important of all, I have just made a ring for my daughter with a claw-set Marquise, Chrome Diopside stone - entirely hand made including the setting. it is allways blackest just before the dawn. Take care, chin up , Les
  • Light
    Light brayn

    Posted

    I am so sorry to hear of your after-effects of the flu shot. I imagine anyone experiencing a 'preventable' disease like this must feel even more frustrated than the rest of us.

    As far as I know (which isnlt much, to be honest) rheumatic disease is not the same as rheumatoid arthritis, though many symptoms are the same. And even though it is very painful, unlike RA, it does go away.

    Check this one out for yourself. For your sake, I hope it is true.

    • brayn
      brayn Light

      Posted

      I was told I may have one of a few rheumatic diseases of which RA is in that list. There are a number of different ones associated with nodular scleritis. It is looking like it is RA but I am not a doctor so I do not want to self diagnose. The ophthalmologist also do not want to diagnose but informed me it is one of the rheumatic diseases. RA is a rheumatic disease.
  • sandy67
    sandy67 brayn

    Posted

    How dreadful for you to get it like this so suddenly. I have had 20 odd years to get used to my illness, since my mid 20's-cant imagine how awful it must feel to just wake up one day after being so fit and healthy to suddenly feel like this. I really hope this is a short lived illness for you! X
  • cindy52759
    cindy52759 brayn

    Posted

    How aweful for you!  I have never taken a flu shot.  Never found the need for it but after reading about what could be the cause of your illness, I am never going to have one!  Good luck and let us know the prognosis.
  • Jan999
    Jan999 brayn

    Posted

    When do you see the rheumatologist brayn?
    • brayn
      brayn Jan999

      Posted

      I don't know. I haven't heard anything yet. The ophthalmoogist said they fast tracked me but with Christmas in the mix I doubt it will be in December. Woke up this morning with worse pain in hands. 

      A waiitng game for the time being. I am concerned about joint damage. I don't know when that begins.

    • Jan999
      Jan999 brayn

      Posted

      I'm not sure about the damage to the joints. It's something I often wonder as it's almost 3 years since my shoulder pain started. Someone in this forum is sure to give us some idea.
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