My name is Alex. I’m 28 years old and had no physical health issues prior to the vaccination except for injuries sustained through sport. I have a history of anxiety (unmedicated) and use sport as my outlet for my mental health. I’ve been into soccer for 21 years. Eight years ago I decided to start a sporting business training kids aged 18 months to seven years old. I’m passionate about getting kids fit and healthy and also battling obesity. It’s also a great way for the kids to socialise, make new friends and for parents to meet other parents.
I never wanted the COVID jab as I wasn’t in the risk category. I was willing to take my chances catching COVID. I’m not an anti-vaxxer. I just thought there was not enough research into this particular vaccine. My business was mandated, due to my working in childcare centres. I also felt like I was going to be ostracised by family and friends if I wasn’t vaccinated.
The cut-off date in Queensland for the first vaccination was 17th December 2021. I held out as long as I could, but had my first Moderna jab, in my left arm, on 16th December 2021. I had a couple of stinging sensations in my heart afterwards and felt a bit of anxiety, but just thought I’d talked myself into it, due to the research I’d done prior to having it. I chose Moderna as I didn’t trust the massive push through the media for Pfizer. I wanted to get the Novavax, but it wasn’t available at the time.
In December, I started the training to become a real estate agent, as I’d decided to have a change of career. By then my business was essentially running itself and I had employees. I had the second Moderna jab on 11th January 2022, once again in my left arm. I had no side effects until four days later. On 15th January, I felt a tightness in my chest, like someone was standing on it. I noticed the symptoms more when I was resting, or lying down on my back. I could also feel my heartbeat was erratic for about 20 minutes on the first night.
These symptoms continued, along with a constant stinging sensation, on the left side of my chest. I knew I fell into the category of pericarditis, due to being a young fit male. I began to take ibuprofen until I could get in to see a GP. I got an appointment with a GP at the clinic I normally go to on 19th January 2022. My symptoms had worsened and I had constant diarrhoea and hot and cold sweats. I felt like my throat was closing over, had constant shortness of breath and my left arm and up around my shoulder was tight, along with stinging sensations in my ribs. I also began having a tingling sensation in my legs, like restless leg syndrome. It felt like lightening going up my legs and a static pins and needles feeling.
The doctor asked about stress in my life. At the time I was just about to start my new real estate job. My sports business was starting up again for the year and I was also moving house. There was a lot going on. The doctor tried to tell me it was anxiety, but I knew it was different to anxiety. I requested an ECG, but the results came back normal.
After this my health then deteriorated. I was bedridden with fatigue. I hadn’t slept properly in a week over fear I wouldn’t wake up. I didn’t want to fall asleep knowing I might have a heart attack and there would be no one to help me. I lived alone at the time and became quite distressed. My breathing had become so bad that I could barely walk up a flight of stairs, before clutching at my chest. I had to sit down to stabilise myself.
I knew GPs were booked out, so on 24th January 2022, I took myself to the hospital, due to the pain and symptoms I was having. They gave me an ECG and advised my symptoms and ECG results were consistent with pericarditis. I was sent for chest X-rays and an ultrasound. There were no issues detected. I was prescribed prednisone before being discharged and advised that I should book a cardiologist appointment.
I went back to my normal GP on 3rd February 2022 as I was still having heart pain and difficulty breathing. I was only able to sleep four to five hours a night. I had a go at him about the other doctor telling me my symptoms were anxiety and the hospital confirming, a few days later, that I had heart issues. He arranged a spirometer test. This is a pulmonary function test which tests for lung capacity. This showed my lung age to be 38 years, working at about 72%. The GP prescribed me Symbicort, a steroid puffer, made by AstraZeneca. This did help.
On 10th February I went back to my GP. I was still having the chest pain and so he prescribed me colchicine. He mentioned it might be costochondritis, inflammation of the ribs, but even if it was they couldn’t give me anything but ibuprofen for it. He gave me a second spirometer test. This showed a marked improvement, with my lung age at 25 years this time. I was working at my real estate job and it was flexible, but I wasn’t able to work a full week. I also had to seek extra employees to operate my business, as I just couldn’t do it. I was trying to focus on my new career.
By March 2022, my breathing issues improved, but I was getting stinging sensations on the right-hand side of my chest and didn’t understand why. It seemed that if I was tending to something, a different issue would pop up.
I had the cardiologist appointment on 17th March.
My doctor had queried on my referral whether I might have costochondritis or pneumonitis. However, the cardiologist never confirmed this and I was never given an official diagnosis.
In May 2022, I went on holiday to the Philippines. After I came back, I was feeling good. I felt ready to kick start my career. I was still having ibuprofen, using the inhaler (both three to four times per day) and taking colchicine. My fatigue levels still hadn’t changed, but I’d associated it with being unfit, as I hadn’t yet been able to get back to doing sport. After going to my GP and asking if I could start weaning off the medication, he said yes. I still had feelings of anxiety but thought it was something that would pass over time.
In late June, I started playing soccer again socially and one Friday night I hurt my ankle. I didn’t think much of it at the time, as I’d not played for a while and it’s normal to be a bit sore after. It was still sore a week later, which was unusual, so I went to the GP. I had an X-ray and MRI which confirmed I had ruptured all the ligaments in my ankle and bone fragments could also be seen floating around.
By early July, I felt like I was getting back to my normal self but then I caught COVID. I didn’t think it was going to be any drama, but it rocked me. All the heart issues started again with stinging and tightness. I’d been on a reduced dose of colchicine and ibuprofen at the time and was off prednisone. About a week after COVID I was fatigued again and was back taking my leftover medication. I felt like it would be a waste of time to go to hospital.
Just after COVID and before I had my ankle results, I’d played a couple of short games over a four-day period. My legs have been sore ever since. It originally started off like pins and needles and was uncomfortable. Then it went to sharp shooting pains up my calf muscles. This felt much like what I’d had in January. Now my legs feel like they’re cement and weigh 120kg each. It’s worse in the shower and generally standing in the same spot.
My GP left after 10 years of service, so I was left to find another one. I went about my leg issues and had a doctor tell me my heart and leg issues were related to my ankle injury. I went to the specialist a few weeks later about my ankle. He said it wasn’t possible for the ankle injury to cause the symptoms with my legs, which was validating.
He thought it might be nerve damage, so I got a referral to a neurologist. In the meantime, I thought perhaps it was a lack of magnesium, so I started taking magnesium and other vitamins. I also changed my diet to more energy boosting foods and started having physiotherapy. However, no matter what I did, nothing changed.
I went to hospital again on 30th August 2022. I’d been driving to work and had a sharp shooting pain down my left arm. I instantly thought ‘heart attack’, so drove straight to hospital. They did an ECG immediately. My symptoms were very much the same as what I’d experienced in January. I was advised I had a ‘recurrence of pericarditis’, which they said was ‘induced by a second episode of COVID and partial compliance of NSAIDs (ibuprofen). I wondered WHY it was happening and WHY I was advised to come off the medication if this was a possibility. I had also only had COVID once in July, so didn’t know why they said this.
I explained my leg issues and they prescribed aspirin. I had to take it every hour, over an eight-hour period daily. They didn’t specify why, but I’m still taking it. My experience with the hospital has been much better than with the GP. They have spent more time explaining things to me and gave me a brochure and information sheet about pericarditis. It has tips like, if you have a stinging sensation in your chest, take a hot shower. This worked. I had no idea about this previously. I asked to be discharged after about six hours, when I knew there was nothing else they could do. I was given a medical certificate for a week off work. Nothing has changed since I was in hospital. My legs have even worsened and are now feeling stiff.
I ended my employment at the real estate about a month ago. This was mostly due to fatigue, both physical and mental. On 26th September 2022, I had a Holter monitor for 24 hours. The results came back normal. I hadn’t had any episodes whilst wearing it, but did a couple of days later. When I picked it up, the lady said I could only have it for 24 hours, as they were in high need at the time. I’ve tried LifeWave anti-inflammatory patches that someone recommended for my heart pain. When I remember to put them on my heart in the morning, they work a bit to ease the pain. I’m not sure whether it’s the placebo effect, but at least they’ve helped.
I had a neurologist appointment a couple of weeks ago. They did reflex testing all over my body. Then I was given electroshock therapy. This involves wrapping a strap around my leg in certain spots and giving me electric shocks. It was SO painful, made my whole body jolt and scared the s*** out of me. The results from the tests came back normal, which was a good thing, but I still have no answers. I’m starting to feel like it could be arthritis, as I’ve felt a tightness in my joints and a feeling I want to crack them. I can’t ever crack them and this feeling is constant. I also feel like my legs can’t support my own body weight, so I am constantly stretching. The only relief I get, is putting my knees to my chest, in a foetal like position.
Over the last few months, I have tried everything to get relief for my legs. This includes light energy, bars therapy (energy healing treatment with the brain), both hot stone and deep tissue massages. I bought some pneumatic compression boots, which massage your legs and I have had acupuncture and more physiotherapy. I am trying anything to find a level of comfort, but all that has done nothing. The only thing I find, that gives me some relief, is standing in cold water at the beach.
Yesterday I went to a chiropractor. My left hip flexors and right hamstring were out of place. He’ll work on these problems over the coming weeks. I have a GP appointment booked for Thursday. I need a referral for a spinal MRI. We are checking whether it could be referred pain from something spinal and I will also ask whether it could possibly be arthritis. I just want my quality of life back. I’m not angry at anyone and I’m not looking for vengeance, money or anything, I just want to get back to sport, have the ability to go backpacking and get back to my happy healthy self.