I’m a 29 year old female. I got my first dose of Pfizer on the 9th of April and second dose on the 17th of may. After the first dose I got a feeling of something being dispersed around my body I don’t really know how to explain it but almost like being drugged or drunk I felt nauseous and dizzy I couldn’t see properly and got really hot began sweating out my palms and my heart began racing then would slow down then race again. Nurse said I looked really pale and I admitted to her that I felt really unwell. Was kept for an extra hour to monitor. Was told this was normal and maybe I didn’t eat enough that day/ maybe I almost fainted due to needle. I don’t have a problem with needles or vaccines and had eaten plenty that day. I was fine after this and went home.
After the second dose I was fine at the time didn’t get a reaction like the first just the typical flu like symptoms that night however… on the 21st of may (4 days later) I woke in the night my body was shaking and I could feel my heart pounding in my chest quite fast. It was at 147bpm and was rapidly increasing going up to 168bpm which was the last time I checked it. I woke my flatmate who called an ambulance after not being able to count my pulse due to it being too fast. My heart rate had slowed by the time the ambulance arrived to 130bpm. ECG appeared fine other than being tachycardic. I was asked if I were on drugs, on my period, if I have mental health issues or maybe I just had a nightmare. They said the ED was busy tonight and put me off the idea of going. I felt stupid for even calling yet they couldn’t leave because their policy’s state bpm has to be under 100 before they can leave a call out. I was so embarrassed that I just signed a waiver to say they could leave. My heart rate was still 130bpm by the time they left.
After they left my body was shaking rhythmically uncontrollably. I just put this down to “anxiety” like they said but now I dont think it was. My heart rate eventually dropped under 100 an hour later. For reference my normal resting heart rate at sleep is 48-52bpm so I knew something was wrong to be waking up with it at 147bpm. A couple days after this I was in bed and experienced sudden and severe chest pain under my left ribs. I couldn’t move the pain was so bad. I didn’t call an ambulance after my last experience. I stayed up most of the night in pain although it subsided, the chest pain lasted for weeks after this as a dull aching pain felt under my left ribs and shoulder blade.
I continued to have episodes of tachycardia after this. I didn’t follow up with my gp until June 1st because I thought I was being stupid and maybe it was just anxiety like the paramedic suggested. I had developed shortness of breath and my body was trying to yawn constantly all day but couldn’t. At this point I hadn’t considered all of this could be vaccine related. ECG and blood tests came back normal so she wasn’t concerned. Again told me it was anxiety. The shortness of breath got worse by the 9th of June I rang my dr quite worried and she said she’s already listened to my breathing and my bloods and ecg are normal so she wasn’t worried and she’s sure I just have anxiety. I decided I needed to accept this diagnosis of anxiety and try things to keep my mind off of it.
It got more and more challenging for me to breath by the 10th of June my partner took me to afterhours. Again they did bloods and ecg an X-ray and all of these appear normal. It was at this stage I clicked and thought this will be a reaction from the vaccine as it all started 4 days after my second dose and after the first dose something weird happened with my heart then too. I asked the dr at the ED about this being the reason and she wasn’t convinced saying it would show up in my bloods or ecg and she wasn’t aware of myocarditis caused by the vaccine. They Tried an inhaler incase maybe it’s asthma. This made my heart rate and blood pressure worse and didn’t help the breathing. I was sent home with antibiotics and anti inflammatories with suspected pleurisy although they couldn’t prove it. I felt huge improvement after a day of taking the medications but I suspect it was the anti inflammatories as I didn’t have any other signs of infection.
I continued to have episodes of tachycardia and shortness of breath with chest pain I went back to a different gp this time saying I think this is a reaction to the vaccine. He didn’t agree as “only young men under 20 are having heart related reactions to the vaccine” again I got told its probably just anxiety and was given breathing exercises to do. The first dr I had been seeing had referred me to a cardiologist so I was still waiting for the appointment which didn’t happen until the 5th of July which is almost 7 weeks after the ambulance call out. He couldn’t see anything unusual from the halter monitor other that periods of tachycardia. He thought it could be panic attacks, anxiety or SVT. I pushed the idea that this has to be related to the vaccine and he didn’t agree. He said it’s unlikely that I have myocarditis as it’s only happening in men but he could do an echocardiogram if I wanted.
I had an echo on the 20th of July (9weeks after ambulance call out) and the results of that were supposedly normal. 4 months later although I have improved, I continue to have episodes of tachycardia and chest pain with shortness of breath. Ive given up seeing doctors because I’m sick of being told it’s anxiety. I know it’s not, I know my body and I know something is wrong. The episodes usually happen now during the night in my sleep. I’m too scared to sleep alone and I’m at the point I don’t care if I die or not from it because I’d just rather not have to deal with it anymore! I’m also sure if they had been faster with the cardiologist or if the paramedics had taken me to the Ed that night that something would have been picked up and I would have an answer to this problem. The whole process took far too long. I’m seeing more and more people’s stories of being diagnosed with myocarditis and my symptoms seem almost identical to theirs as well as others like me having normal test results and no answers.
Is This NZ Based or Overseas? : Nz