I had my AstraZeneca jab back in March 2021, when it was first rolled out for group 1B. I work in healthcare and wanted to get it to protect my patients and myself. I was completely for the jab and figured that the risks were so rare, that I’d be fine. I have had the flu vaccination every year with no issues, so I wasn’t at all concerned. I’m not a huge fan of needles so I was nervous getting it. The nurse was very kind and let my friend come in to help calm my nerves. We headed home, both feeling fine and grabbed dinner, before heading our separate ways.
I woke up at 2am with horrible flu-like symptoms, which I thought was fine and I had fully expected that following the jab. I took some Panadol and went back to bed. I woke up to a text from my friend, saying that she was feeling the same, so I wasn’t worried. Next day was the same. I had shivering, nausea and felt like I had the flu. I still thought this was normal, so brushed it off.
By day three I had started vomiting. I couldn’t keep anything down, had horrible back and stomach pain, and felt generally awful. By this point my friend’s symptoms had disappeared and I hoped that meant it was nearly over for me. I just thought that I was having the expected symptoms as stated on the fact sheet. My friend had also said that she went to sleep feeling crappy and woke up feeling fine, which is what I was thinking would happen to me.
It wasn’t until day five (Easter Saturday), that I went to my parents’ for Easter weekend and they saw how bad I was. My sister described me as looking like the ‘walking dead’ (charming as always!). We agreed that we’d see how I went overnight and go to the local urgent care centre the next day if needed. I was convinced that it was mostly anxiety at this point and that by worrying about the side effects, I was making it worse.
After another night of vomiting continuously and not even keeping small sips of water down, my mum dragged me to the UCC. They they couldn’t run bloods as it was a public holiday. They’re only a small centre but did take a urine sample. I had told them that I hadn’t passed urine for three or four days. I assumed that I was dehydrated from vomiting, so this hadn’t actually struck me as a concern. They immediately panicked and sent me straight to the ED. The ED rushed me through, took bloods and asked for a urine sample. I told them the same, that I hadn’t peed for about four days. They pulled out an ultrasound machine to scan my kidneys and added more tests to my bloods.
I only remember fragments of here on, as I became so out of it as I got sicker. The doctor said that my kidneys and liver were both failing. My kidneys were functioning at barely 4% and my liver ALT levels were around 3900, when healthy levels should be below 30. I was taken to admissions where they placed a catheter to confirm my kidneys were shut down and not producing urine, which they weren’t and began calling down specialists to see me. The doctor was incredibly calm through it all, explaining what was happening, how long I could expect to be in and where I would go from here. My parents were warned that it wasn’t looking good and I may not make it. I can honestly say that I have never felt so horrific in my life. My blood sugars and ketones were dangerously low and the trauma of laying there, unable to ask for help as I felt myself dying, will probably never fully go away. I was incredibly lucky with the efficiency of the doctors and nurses, who didn’t take any chances and made sure that I got the best care.
From here I ended up in the ICU, having tubes cut into my neck and down into my artery. The pain of that was like nothing I’d ever experienced. I was placed on CRRT (chronic renal replacement therapy) for 20 hours, where I vomited and retched for the first four hours. They then gave me additional ondansetron to stop the retching. It’s basically emergency dialysis, the blood isn’t warmed before re-entering the body, so you lay there with room temperature blood being forced back into your body. You shiver and shake so violently that you end up pulling muscles all over your body, even with a heated blanket over you. This was one of the hardest parts. I was physically unable to stop myself from shaking and shivering until they gave my drugs to make me drowsy and I finally passed out for a few hours (by this point I was running on no sleep for a good 48 hours). Whilst this was happening, I had an arterial line placed. It took four attempts to place it correctly as my arteries were so narrow and hard to access. The doctor was great, but it was just more unbearable pain, as the local anaesthetic wasn’t working and the four attempts were excruciating.
During this time, I was also having hundreds of scans and tests. They had concerns about clots because my D-Dimer levels were elevated. Fortunately, there were no obvious clots that showed up, so they surmised that my body was handling any clots that I may have had. I had doctors in and out asking for more tests and trying to explain what was happening and why things were being down and what they’d show. Every doctor I saw explained that they had to run the tests to rule out the jab as the cause, because when they filed the report to the TGA, they would be asked for the tests to be done. If they hadn’t run them the TGA could reject the report. All of the tests came back showing that I was in perfect health for my age, EXCEPT of course for the organ failure.
I was initially discharged after 12 days, sent home to my parents for care and ongoing dialysis as an outpatient. When I came in for my first dialysis, two days after discharge, I collapsed during it and had a code blue called. I was readmitted immediately and stayed in until I no longer needed dialysis. I spent a month in the hospital all up, receiving dialysis and being monitored before being discharged home, with strict instructions. I was fortunate that after five months my kidneys and liver bounced back to normal levels. There is scarring on my kidneys, but it’s minimal and they’re hopeful the levels won’t fail again.
To add to all of this, I also ended up with severe hearing loss in my left ear, which others have reported is a side effect of the AstraZeneca COVID vaccine. Whilst I can manage most days, I do have hearing aids for when I’m in busier environments so I can hear what people are saying to me. I hate wearing them though as the noise becomes overwhelming. My ability to manage sensory input has drastically diminished. I’m told this isn’t uncommon post a medical trauma like I have suffered. I didn’t actually mention the hearing loss whilst in hospital, as I thought that in the scheme of things, it wasn’t a big deal and thought it could have been stress related. I’ve since been told that there is a high chance it was actually an ear stroke and should have been immediately assessed.
Following the vaccination I also developed two chronic conditions which became apparent once I was home and tried to return to normal life. I’ve been diagnosed with POTS/ Dysautonomia and Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS). I have been in and out of hospital looking for answers and this has led to further admissions. I end up with tachycardia everyday. On a good day it doesn’t go above 155bpm, but on a bad day it can hit 200bpm. I’m constantly dizzy, off balance, nauseous and chest pains have become a daily occurrence. There have been multiple episodes where my body couldn’t tolerate the HR and I’ve fainted. The MCAS had me reacting everyday to my cats, foods, and other allergens would set me off. It’s only in the last month, since starting Xolair injections, that the symptoms are under control and I finally feel like I’m not spending my days waiting for a reaction to occur.
I wasn’t given an exemption for the second shot and was told to get Pfizer instead as I could safely have it. This has worsened my POTS symptoms to the point that I can’t manage to work. Because of the dysautonomia my proprioception is now incredibly poor and I often fall. I am waiting on a referral to see a rheumatologist as my right leg often loses colour. I get pins and needles, my ankle will suddenly roll and my foot will drag as I can’t lift it high enough. My physio noted that the capillary refill in my right foot, was drastically slower than in my left foot. So far no one can explain why this is happening and we are hoping a rheumatologist may have answers. Now I use an ankle brace, or strap my ankle to keep my foot in the correct position. This helps to prevent me tripping and falling. I use a walking stick and walker to get around to assist with my balance, poor proprioception, and POTS.
And of course all of this has taken a huge toll on my overall health. I’ve gained weight as I can’t exercise like I used to. I’ve been diagnosed with C-PTSD related to medical trauma and I have anxiety and panic attacks. I’m struggling to manage day to day. The CPTSD has made blood tests and admissions incredibly hard and I can’t get through a blood test anymore without a panic attack. Sometimes something small will trigger a panic attack. For example, drinking tap water makes me feel I’m back in the hospital on fluid restrictions and the panic returns. Sometimes I can’t even figure out what it is that triggers my panic attacks.
My family and friends have been incredible through this. At the start of the year I was close to having a house deposit saved up. I’ve now depleted it this year paying for medical expenses, medications, specialists and mobility aids. I’m devastated that I have to start all over with my house deposit, whilst juggling medical expenses that are out of my reach. I have little room to even consider saving. I don’t even qualify for a health care card to help lower costs, as I still receive part of my income.
I am not against the jabs in any way, but the mandate is NOT okay and is forcing the hand of those with poor health, who know that they can’t safely get the jabs. Having a first-generation jab like this should never be forced on anyone and we should be free to choose. I understand the importance of those of us on the frontline getting it, but not everyone is working on the front line and not everyone can safely have the jab. I am no longer working on the front line, so am hoping to avoid the third jab. I know that what happened to me is incredibly rare (so far there are no other reports made to the TGA of a reaction the same as mine), but there is no way I am the only person who has had these reactions. I want people to be better informed of the risks before they make the choice for themselves and not have the decision made for them.
My GP has put in an application for an exemption for the third jab, but I am still waiting for the government to approve it. I honestly don’t think I’d survive another jab and another hit to my body. However, if they mandate it I will need to get it to return to my job, or make the decision to lose my job. This is something that I cannot financially afford when I am already unable to keep up with my medical costs.
Contact: https://www.instagram.com/elle.a.w/