Molly Simmons
What was your life like before you received the COVID-19 vaccine?
Before the Covid-19 booster my life was easier than I realized. I was healthy, working full-time and barely needed to go to the doctor. Overall, my life was simple and my health was great.
Describe the symptoms and the timeline of the reaction.
Three weeks followin my Covid-19 booster shot, hives began appearing on my body. At first, there were only a few that would pop up and they would also disappear on their own without needing to take medicine. Gradually, the hives began becoming more severe and they would not go away. Eventually after about 2-3 months my body was covered in itchy, red hives. Two times I experienced swelling of the lip (angiodema) which was quite scary. I was taking a lot of medicine; Benadryl, Zyrtec, Pepcid and Allegra. None of the medicine seemed to work anymore and I reached out for specialty care once my primary care doctor wasn't sure what to do. I was put on a 10 day dose of steroids and prescribed an epipen for any future reactions. Now, 9 months later after the initial breakouts I still take high dosages of Allegra every day but for the most part the hives are managed with medicine. This entire time I have experienced chronic fatigue, stress and anxiety and mild hair loss. I have seen about 6 different doctors, ranging from allergists/immunologists to acupuncturists.
Describe the solutions that helped your symptoms
It helped my symptoms to get on the 10 day dose of steroids. I also found relief when I began taking high dosages of Allegra, Pepcid and Zyrtec. I feel it has helped my to avoid certain foods and to try low histamine diets. For the most part, I think time has been the biggest solution. I have also made to effort to decrease my stress and make sure I am getting plenty of sleep. I can't say for sure that this has helped, but I would like to think so.
Which solutions were not helpful?
When my hives were at their worst it didn't seem like Benadryl or Zyrtec helped. Other times, I felt like they were useful so I am not sure.
What would you like others to know?
I would like others to know that the booster is giving people side effects that are not being talked about openly. I would like people to know that it's possible to have long-term side effects from the vaccine that are extremely stressful, exhausting, and scary. I would like people to know that it is okay to wait to get vaccinated to be sure that the vaccines have actually been tested and studied properly. I would like people to know that the booster seems to be able to affect and potentially create autoimmune disorders or over activation of the immune system. I would like people to know that the financial burden is of this condition has added a lot of stress and worry to life over the past year.
