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Tingling after Swine Flu Vaccine Chapter 2
Here is the continuation of surfnsand247's original Tingling after Swine Flu Vaccine.
Timeline and Current Symptoms 21/06/2015
Took a booster shot of anti-rabies (Rabipur 2 shots) after playing with a pet dog (the dog did not attack or bite me but there was a cut with some bleeding). Last shot was on 26th April.
Nine days later, on 5th May, just after midnight, I had a tonic-clonic convulsion just after falling asleep. I have no personal or family history of seizures (febrile or epileptic)
I had venous brain MRI done the next morning which was normal. In the evening I had a lot of bloodwork and an EEG done and both were normal. Neuro said that Rabipur could lead to ADEM but since MRI was clear that didn’t seem to be the case. He asked me to start with KEPPRA 750 mg and continue on it for 3 yrs.
I went for a second opinion to the neuro who conducted my EEG. He said that since I had no family history and no prior seizures, I should wait for a second episode before actually starting the medicine. He asked me to rest and avoid driving for 3 months. So I decided to wait.
The very next day following the seizure, I started experiencing humming/buzzing sound and slight giddiness whenever I would get up. I also noticed that this would happen whenever I would get up after lying down any time of the day. After a week, the throbbing went away on its own but the humming has since become permanent.
I went to my ENT when the humming and giddiness started and he diagnosed it as Tinnitus. He also did an Audiometry test which showed mild hearing loss, especially in the right ear. The ENT said that Tinnitus + giddiness could be either because of an infection, or because of DAMAGE TO THE CRANIAL NERVE or idiopathic.
Around 8-10 days after the seizure (about 17-19 days after the vaccine), I started to have extreme back pain out of nowhere. The neuro asked me to get an X-ray of the dorsal spine which was normal. I did a 5 day course of tramadol when the back pain went away but it came back in full force after I finished the course. It too has become permanent (it varies in intensity from day to day).
A week after the seizure, I also started having pins and needles sensations in my legs. Initially, I would experience only this when I was sitting. I also started having muscle twitches randomly a few times a day. One fine day (not very sure when), I woke up to find my left hand fully asleep. Since then the tingling/pins and needles/numbness increased a lot. I also started getting A LOT muscle twitching all over my body.
In the last 1-2 weeks, the numbness/tingling in my hands and legs has increased a lot. I also get shooting pains in my hand/leg that come and go away. Whenever, I pick something up, my hands start to pain immediately. Climbing stairs (only 2-3 stories) leads to a lot of leg cramping, tingling, discomfort and shooting pain. The rigidity in my hands causes difficulty in typing (for example) and makes it very difficult for me to lift anything for an extended period of time. I have also rarely experienced tingling on the right side of my forehead. I also wake up with a lot of numbness in my hands everyday. In the last 2 days, I have noticed a lot of numbness in my right leg and it moves in an “irregular” fashion when I walk.
Since then, I have tried to find whether the vaccine had anything to do with the seizure and the symptoms that I have suddenly started experiencing. I scoured the VAERS database which records adverse events after vaccine use in the United States. These are reported by public health authorities and physicians. I found 63 cases of tonic clonic seizures in adults (25-44) who had no history of epilepsy or seizures and had their first seizure 0-20 days following RABIPUR. The number of first time convulsions after ALL Rabies vaccines was over 300. Some of those 63 cases also listed tingling in the arms and legs and muscle twitching as symptoms.
My Neuro agrees that I had some sort of autoimmune/hyper immune reaction to the vaccine. He also told me that muscle twitching is a common feature of motor neuron disease but he also clarified that it doesn’t mean that I have it and he wants me to wait and see what happens. However this has scared me a lot. I have also read that tingling, muscle weakness and muscle twitching can be due to CIDP. My family doctor feels I have developed peripheral neuropathy as part of the vaccine reaction and it will take a few months to a year to go away.
I havent done a NCS/EMG and lumbar puncture yet
Can anyone let me know what this sounds like?
Took a booster shot of anti-rabies (Rabipur 2 shots) after playing with a pet dog (the dog did not attack or bite me but there was a cut with some bleeding). Last shot was on 26th April.
Nine days later, on 5th May, just after midnight, I had a tonic-clonic convulsion just after falling asleep. I have no personal or family history of seizures (febrile or epileptic)
I had venous brain MRI done the next morning which was normal. In the evening I had a lot of bloodwork and an EEG done and both were normal. Neuro said that Rabipur could lead to ADEM but since MRI was clear that didn’t seem to be the case. He asked me to start with KEPPRA 750 mg and continue on it for 3 yrs.
I went for a second opinion to the neuro who conducted my EEG. He said that since I had no family history and no prior seizures, I should wait for a second episode before actually starting the medicine. He asked me to rest and avoid driving for 3 months. So I decided to wait.
The very next day following the seizure, I started experiencing humming/buzzing sound and slight giddiness whenever I would get up. I also noticed that this would happen whenever I would get up after lying down any time of the day. After a week, the throbbing went away on its own but the humming has since become permanent.
I went to my ENT when the humming and giddiness started and he diagnosed it as Tinnitus. He also did an Audiometry test which showed mild hearing loss, especially in the right ear. The ENT said that Tinnitus + giddiness could be either because of an infection, or because of DAMAGE TO THE CRANIAL NERVE or idiopathic.
Around 8-10 days after the seizure (about 17-19 days after the vaccine), I started to have extreme back pain out of nowhere. The neuro asked me to get an X-ray of the dorsal spine which was normal. I did a 5 day course of tramadol when the back pain went away but it came back in full force after I finished the course. It too has become permanent (it varies in intensity from day to day).
A week after the seizure, I also started having pins and needles sensations in my legs. Initially, I would experience only this when I was sitting. I also started having muscle twitches randomly a few times a day. One fine day (not very sure when), I woke up to find my left hand fully asleep. Since then the tingling/pins and needles/numbness increased a lot. I also started getting A LOT muscle twitching all over my body.
In the last 1-2 weeks, the numbness/tingling in my hands and legs has increased a lot. I also get shooting pains in my hand/leg that come and go away. Whenever, I pick something up, my hands start to pain immediately. Climbing stairs (only 2-3 stories) leads to a lot of leg cramping, tingling, discomfort and shooting pain. The rigidity in my hands causes difficulty in typing (for example) and makes it very difficult for me to lift anything for an extended period of time. I have also rarely experienced tingling on the right side of my forehead. I also wake up with a lot of numbness in my hands everyday. In the last 2 days, I have noticed a lot of numbness in my right leg and it moves in an “irregular” fashion when I walk.
Since then, I have tried to find whether the vaccine had anything to do with the seizure and the symptoms that I have suddenly started experiencing. I scoured the VAERS database which records adverse events after vaccine use in the United States. These are reported by public health authorities and physicians. I found 63 cases of tonic clonic seizures in adults (25-44) who had no history of epilepsy or seizures and had their first seizure 0-20 days following RABIPUR. The number of first time convulsions after ALL Rabies vaccines was over 300. Some of those 63 cases also listed tingling in the arms and legs and muscle twitching as symptoms.
My Neuro agrees that I had some sort of autoimmune/hyper immune reaction to the vaccine. He also told me that muscle twitching is a common feature of motor neuron disease but he also clarified that it doesn’t mean that I have it and he wants me to wait and see what happens. However this has scared me a lot. I have also read that tingling, muscle weakness and muscle twitching can be due to CIDP. My family doctor feels I have developed peripheral neuropathy as part of the vaccine reaction and it will take a few months to a year to go away.
I havent done a NCS/EMG and lumbar puncture yet
Can anyone let me know what this sounds like?
Hello elizabethm17, Any improvement in your symptoms. I got the shot on 10th october and It all started with a headache and chills a week after following which tingling started in my arms mostly. Ocassionally in the legs. The hands feel very weak and now the tingling is right behind the shoulder blades and I am very exahausted and feel tired after doing basic tasks. I am also a very anxious person. Brain MRI is normal and also the EMG/NCS and all blood work is normal. I am going to another neurologist today. I have been taking Klonopin for anxiety and Ambien sometimes to sleep. I get only 3-4 hours of sleep average per night for the last 6 weeks. Life has been terrible and I am scared I might be going into depression too.
Can anyone else relate to all this.
Can anyone else relate to all this.
Hi Steph. It's been a few months, so not sure if you're still on here. I hope you're feeling better!!! I got my flu shot on October 11th this year. I've had the tingling, but not the other symptoms. It started in my left arm/hand (where I received the shot) and moves around to my face/neck, right hand/arm, both feet (though mostly right for some reason), occasionally my calves, and rarely my thighs. It's been really frustrating. It actually went away about two weeks after the shot for about two weeks, then it came back and has been around for the past 3 weeks. It's definitely scary and frustrating! I saw my GP and passed neuro exam about a week after the shot, so he suggested it might be inflammation of the nerves from the shot and possibly anxiety. Did you get any answers?/Have you found anything that helps?
Not sure if anyone still checks this forum who had bad reactions to the H1 N1 vaccine, but I'd love to hear outcomes--for better or worse!
Not sure if anyone still checks this forum who had bad reactions to the H1 N1 vaccine, but I'd love to hear outcomes--for better or worse!
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