E.L. – New Mexico

"

7/3/21

​I have a degree in pre med. I was I intelligent. We drove three hours to TX from NM for modern a because NM was months away from vaccinating any under 70 because we have so many over that age in this state. I have many underlying medical issues. I did contract covid in June one year ago. I thought I was going to die, people were told to stay home unless you couldn’t breath at that time. EMS was allowed only 10 min to revive anyone. My albuterol for asthma 5 times a day got me through, along without meds we had. In feb I had the first vaccine. 30 minutes later my shot arm, my left arm grew numb. 3 hours later my left arm was paralyzed along with my neck and I had numbness in my right arm. My dr. Only took one of my calls saying she was hearing this with too many patients and I have to just wait it out. I could not move my entire arm down to my fingers, nor my neck in any direction. This was the second time I thought I was going to die. The sensation in my head and arms was like soda pop bubbles popping and never stopping. This lasted for three days. Day four I could move my fingers, day five my wrist, but now my right leg from the knee to the foot was non functional. Day 6 I could move my elbow but now my right leg was swollen and my foot would drop and I still can’t stand on it. Day 7 I could use my left arm but my right knee was red and swollen. I couldn’t think, I couldn’t follow a conversation, or TV. My head felt like a fish bowl sloshing around. I called for an appt with my neurologist, he was leaving for Indiana and would return to start somewhere else. One month, I could not stand on that leg. Then I could and it was time for the second shot. I called my dr to see if I should, she demanded yes and told me she was retiring. My OBG left too. I wanted to see her for strange hot flashes and pain in my left breast. I had menopause 5 years ago. All three left their practice in the same month. Still NM is not giving vaccines under the age of 70 end of March, so I travel again to TX for the second shot. I felt sick for one week. Bed bound. My arm was Just really painful but functional. The right knee was blue behind it and I hopped to urgent care which sent me to the hospital to check for blood clots. I went. No blood clots. I went home and the next day I went to put on my shoe turning my knee to the left over my left knee to put on my shoe and suddenly my right tibia popped out showing me the head of the bone much like a chicken leg bone two inches out. I screamed For five minutes hitting it, slamming it into the doorframe to get it back in. It did, but now I had no use of my leg. Again calls to my dr, no reply. I should mention I had osteoporosis but now osteopenia since I was 37. I think there is a relationship. I asked to be referred to an orthopedic, no reply. Tried to get appts with a new dr, two months out everywhere. But that night my eyes hurt and then they both spun inwardly, stopped but then the floor and the walls were tilted 30 degrees so I could not walk and I stood tilted to the right 30 degrees. The next day I was spinning continuously and could not see details, only blobs of people or the window glow. All lights had rainbows. Kept throwing up, could not see my phone or the laptop or tv, I sat there in the dark because the light hurt. My ears hurt too, load sounds rang and skipped words. My husband dropped me off at urgent care because he was not allowed in and I couldn’t get an appt with a dr. They took my Bp in the entrance and it was 220/110. I have had mild high BP for a year. Never even close to this. They sent me to the hospital. They kept trying different meds which worked but then it went right back up to that again several times. They kept me overnight. Should I mention I was peeing my pants, and I didn’t go for a few hours just to pee 4 cups worth. In the hospital non of the tests showed anything before readings were done. I felt I was dying, and this time I wanted to be allowed to. I made death arrangements just in case. At home I began to see and could read with great difficulty as I was getting my mri readings cat scan X-ray. It was suggested I had ataxia, enlarged liver cerebral small vessel markers all over the brain light Christmas lights, basilar strands, ms, myocarditis, micros vascular and meniers disease. I had never heard if these things, had to look them up. The next day I look up MyChart again to read these again and it’s all gone, erased. Hmmm. One of the things erased was a mass on my left breast. So I went ahead and had a mammo diagnostic done. A two inch by one cyst, like the ones he saw from other people with shots on that arm. There were many men in his office. Three months of my life gone. Like a roller coaster ride to hell. It’s been a month now since then. I am well but occasional blights of weakness, exhaustion, hot flashes up to 100.1 and dizziness occur. I can’t handle the heat, not 65 degrees, yeah. But I feel blessed now to be alive and not incapacitated anymore. I am grateful I did not stay that way but I thought that was it for me. I could not walk or play with my dogs during that time, nor take care of my chickens. I couldn’t work on my garden vegetables. I couldn’t drive or clean house or stand in the shower or hold a cup or a spoon. We canceled our vacation to hike. I was not living. I sat or lay there in the dark for three months. I was not an anti vax person, but I know now I can’t risk it again for myself, nor take my yearly flu or pneumonia shot ever again because I don’t know how they will react to mederna in my blood. Nor can I ever give my B+ blood donation again, because I fear it may kill someone

- E.L. - New Mexico"