As a result of my second Pfizer vaccine, I now have a serious heart condition called myocarditis. I have never had any kind of issue with my heart in the past. I do not have any pre-existing conditions and haven’t had any kind of adverse reaction to any other vaccine in my life. I’ve never used recreational drugs, never smoked or vaped and I consume alcohol, only in moderation.
I had my second vaccine at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital on Thursday 2nd December, at around 4:00pm. This was 22 days after my first vaccine.
Immediately after I felt completely fine, but the next morning I woke up feeling incredibly drowsy. I figured this was normal and a regular side effect.
On Saturday I woke up feeling awful, the worst I’d ever felt. My chest felt like someone had just done intense CPR. My head felt super lightheaded, as if I’d just tried to hold my breath for a minute straight. I was in a complete sweat, but also feverishly cold. I was quite weak overall.
The biggest thing though was shortness of breath. I went to the fridge to get breakfast and I was exhausted and gasping. I managed to drive to the doctor and he said it was signs of myocarditis. I was sent home and told to report to the doctor in 24 hours if my condition hadn’t bettered or had got worse.
Within a few hours, I was literally gasping for air and was admitted to the Mater Emergency Department in South Brisbane. They then conducted a heap of tests on my blood and all the results were raised or showed inflammation. I was put in the coronary ward and informed that had I waited another 24 hours at home, I could’ve gone into cardiac arrest or fainted.
They then analysed my heartbeat and fluid around the heart. This was to determine whether I had myocarditis (inflammation of the heart), or pericarditis (inflammation of the sack that holds the heart). Sunday morning the tests came back positive for both conditions.
Over the next three days, I had 10 wires hooked up to me and had to be checked up on every 30 minutes, by different people. I barely got any sleep. I also had compression bands on my arms and legs to prevent potential blood clots.
On the bright side, I am now feeling much better and can move around moderately, something which I hope will get better with time.
However, I will out of playing cricket for some time, which is devastating. I’m on ibuprofen, pantoprazole and colchicine for the next three months. I am awaiting further MRI scans to see whether or not there is scar tissue damage. This will determine if the condition will affect me long term.
I didn’t share my story at the time because I am just out of a Facebook ban. This was for ‘inciting violence and harassment’ ironically for sharing a Tweet that asked for people to beat me up. So yes, I was banned from Facebook for inciting violence against myself.
I acknowledge that what has happened to me is uncommon, but it is nowhere near as rare as the data suggests. I’m led to believe by the TGA, that this adverse reaction only occurs in 40 per million cases for my demographic. This data includes males under the age of 30, without any pre-existing conditions. However, some nurses and doctors at the Mater Hospital are adamant that there is gross underreporting on the effects of the Pfizer vaccine due to the unreasonably high evidentiary standard needed to prove causation. Despite this, they determined causation in my case and have stated that I am not to take any boosters.
The thing I’ve learnt most from this ordeal is that those who have opted out of the vaccinations should not be demonised and segregated from society. Especially those in younger age groups who are at an incredibly low risk of suffering from the virus itself. It is simply a choice between two paths, both of which have the capacity to do them great harm, as I have experienced.
I am also appalled that there is still no compensation scheme in place for victims of adverse reactions to the vaccines. Many are suffering far worse than me. I am appalled that the government was all too happy to give $1,500 to people who were feeling completely fine and had simply come within 100 metres of another person with the virus.
I do not mean to come across as hysterical or an alarmist, as I have no doubt the vaccine has saved many lives. However, it is incredibly difficult for myself and for my family, watching me go from being an active 21-year-old with no medical history, to now having issues with my heart. This has a very real likelihood of affecting me later in life and it is exclusively due to a government vaccination.
Thank you for all the well wishes and prayers over the past week, my family and I appreciate it.