I’m 29 years old. Prior to having the vaccine I was working in mental health and doing community work on the side, as well as studying community services. I’ve always been extremely passionate about my community and helping others, especially in mental health and physical recovery.
In 2011, I was diagnosed with mental illnesses, pancreatitis and stage four endometriosis which after seven years I was able to manage through a number of operations and medication, I have been clear since 2018 living my best life and achieving my goals. I was happy with my life, and I never had any issues of the kind that I am dealing with now since the vaccination.
I got the vaccine because my field of work mandated it, they also mandated that I had to wear a mask even though I had an exemption. I went to my GP and I asked him if I would be okay to get the vaccine considering my past health issues and my current mental health issues. The doctor responded that I would be absolutely fine, blowing off any concern that I had. With my doctor, the mandates and my colleagues advocating the benefits of the COVID vaccine, I thought what the worst that could happen?
I got the Pfizer vaccine on the 22nd of September 2021 in my right arm. I felt nothing immediately and life continued as normal for the next three weeks until I started experiencing hand tremors to the point I couldn’t even eat with a fork, I also started having meltdowns where I would be crying uncontrollably for no reason. My symptoms increased over the next week to the point I was feeling suicidal and shaking head to toe and was struggling to walk.
I saw my psychiatrist in the second week of experiencing these symptoms. He said that he couldn’t help me and I needed to go to a psychiatric hospital. One week later I saw another psychiatrist and by then my symptoms had increased to me stuttering my words and slurring my speech. The doctor said to go straight to hospital and that is what I did.
On arrival to the hospital, I was asked if I had been vaccinated, but I still had no idea at the time that this was why I was experiencing these symptoms. They made me take a RAT and it came back clear so they admitted me. I was there for a total of two months where my main doctor and psychiatrist would treat me. He was shocked in disbelief at my state. He said in the whole 10 years that he had been treating me, he had never seen this before and he diagnosed me with bipolar relapse.
In the beginning of my admission they were treating me with a change of meds and TMS (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation). As I wasn’t responding to TMS they said I had to have ECT (Electroconvulsive therapy). This didn’t work either and I ended up with amnesia which I still have to this day. At the time I couldn’t remember where I lived or the streets in my neighbourhood. I can remember those things now but my long-term memory is about a 6 out of 10. They also noticed something was going on with my heart and I was diagnosed with sinus tachycardia. They treated the condition with verapamil and one other heart medication I can’t remember the name of.
Three quarters of the way through my admission I had my work pressuring me about getting my second vaccination and it still didn’t occur to me that I was dealing with a vaccine-related injury, I just went ahead and got the second Pfizer vaccine on the 16th of November 2021, this time in my left arm. I didn’t feel anything other than a sore arm and I was later discharged from the hospital with some medication to manage my health issues.
As my memory is not so good, it’s hard to remember the details, but I know in the end of January I ended up in hospital again due to catatonic paralysis depression along with the same worsening symptoms. I basically couldn’t speak or move my body, if it wasn’t that, I was just crying for hours. I was admitted for another two months and at this point I had three doctors working on me who all said I was treatment resistant.
They offered to do ECT again which I declined, and my only other option was to try different medications and play the waiting game. They tried lithium and antidepressants which they weren’t supposed to as I am bipolar, but they were desperate, so they had to try. Lithium worked in conjunction with my other medications and my mental state improved 65 percent by the end of my stay. I worked through this entire saga whenever I could, but I couldn’t more than I could. Even so, work mandated the booster and I got the Pfizer booster vaccination on the 20th of April 2022 in my right arm.
It was only within a week that the medication I was on for the sinus tachycardia stopped working completely and my symptoms got worse. When I saw a second cardiologist and he ran tests that showed I had tachycardia. I asked if he could put me on new meds but he dismissed the results and told me I needed to focus on psychological therapy.
Straight after my second admission I went straight into a mania-like state where I thought I was born again and euphoric, feeling on top of the world. That lasted a month, then I went into serotonin syndrome caused by the anti-depressants so they quickly took me off it. That lasted three weeks during which I could not walk or function.
I got better finally with my mental health but symptoms kept increasing and the next issue would be chronic physical pain all over my body. It was throbbing pain and extreme physical weakness to the point I couldn’t even get out of bed and when I did I would have to hold on to things to keep me up. Luckily, I had my family looking after me.
I saw multiple doctors and they all told me I had inflammation. A chiropractor and naturopath were the last doctors I saw. They told me I had spinal inflammation just by physical examination. The pain changed quickly to what I thought was similar to my endometriosis, so I went to see my endo specialists who did an ultrasound and found “something” and said we needed to operate as we couldn’t take the risk.
I had a laparoscopy which lasted for three and a half hours the next day and they found no sign of endometriosis. But the whole right side of my organs were all stuck together by adhesions which the doctor said he had never seen in someone my age with this ever before. They separated my organs by burning them apart. I was in excruciating pain for four weeks after this operation. During this time, I started vomiting and fainting and I have since lost 13 kilos.
I went to my gynaecologist surgeon who assured that I was still healing from the operation, but that the vomiting and fainting and not being able to eat was not normal and I needed to go to the ED. They ran tests, bloods, X-rays, and gave me fluids for dehydration. The bloods came back high for my white blood cell count and they said I needed to see a gastroenterologist.
I saw the gastroenterologist; he ran bloods and about three weeks in I had still not heard from him. I called the office and they told me he wasn’t available and that I could email him. When I emailed him, he responded on the day to say that it was his day off but he did find something and diagnosed me with pancreatic exocrine insufficiency. This means my pancreas cannot digest food because the enzymes are not working. I asked him what I should do about it and he responded, “Go and see your GP”.
I called my GP and he had no idea what the condition was and told me I needed to speak to the gastroenterologist. This went back and forth between another two GPs who gave me the exact same response and told me only a specialist could treat me and meanwhile my specialist was dismissing me. I was fuming and I left a complaint. It was better for me to cut my losses and to find a doctor who would do what they are supposed to do, which is to treat me!
This brings us to the current days. I have now found a gastroenterologist who, fingers crossed, is going to treat me. My appointment is tomorrow. From my own Googling I have found that I must go on enzyme replacement therapy, so I am hoping that this specialist will treat me and help me manage my condition.
A few days have passed, and I have now had my appointment. The gastroenterologist wanted to do more tests. He put me on enzyme replacement but that changed nothing. My condition has gotten worse, and I can’t see him for another three weeks. I’m very weak and can barely walk or stand, I can’t wait three weeks, so as we speak I am in emergency and unsure of what is happening to me.
It really hurts that I had to find out through email to ask what my condition was other than my doctor calling me and telling me I had an incurable disease for the rest of my life.