I’m a mechanical engineer for a large multinational company. Prior to the COVID-19 vaccine, I walked, cycled, enjoyed yoga and worked out at the gym. I have mild epilepsy, but it is well-controlled with standard medication and a neurologist oversees my care.
My employer of over 20 years is in a vaccine mandated industry. In a series of emails from August, 2021 onwards, management outlined the situation and gave us two choices: get the vaccine or get an official Australian Government vaccine exemption.
The mandates never made any sense to me because they violate people’s bodily autonomy. I respect a person’s right to choose what goes into their body, and I want them to respect my right to choose what goes into mine.
In any case, I knew I would be fine if I caught COVID-19. I was in a low-risk group and knew of an early-treatment protocol devised by a group of US doctors—the Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC). I also had supportive friends with whom I shared my concerns and swapped useful information.
When I asked my GP for a medical exemption, he said he had to toe the government line and could see no reason for me to avoid the vaccine. Despite this, he agreed to write me a temporary exemption. It bought me time, but it was far from ideal. I left my GP’s office feeling unheard, disregarded, and disempowered.
In October, my company clamped down in line with the Victorian mandates. We had to be vaccinated by the 26th of November, 2021 or provide an official government exemption. I was cornered. My temporary exemption had expired and I knew my GP would help me no further.
So, under duress, I got my first and only Pfizer vaccine in my right arm, at a local medical clinic on the 28th of October 2021. I felt slightly giddy at first, and then dizzy. Several hours later, I experienced peripheral pins and needles and the dizziness increased. Over the next few weeks, my muscles twitched, particularly in my thighs and forearms, and I was unable to drive for some time.
My balance declined and I could no longer walk in a straight line. I veered to the left and kept wanting to fall backwards. I was plagued by migraines, and my skin (particularly my torso and arms) burned like fire. My whole body buzzed. I felt like I was on a boat, rocking from side-to-side, when I lay in bed at night.
At about 1am on the 12th of November, I woke up with chest pains. The sensation was odd and concerning, but I drifted back to sleep.
The next day, as I drove home after dropping my daughter off at the train station, my right arm went numb and the right side of my body grew hot and flushed. I was passing my GP clinic, so I pulled into the carpark and headed in the door. They ran an ECG which was normal and took my blood pressure which was high. I was disoriented, confused, and extremely light-headed. I was taken by ambulance to the ED of a large Melbourne public hospital.
Staff took my bloods and monitored my blood pressure and heart rate. Everything looked normal. I received no treatment and was discharged several hours later with instructions to follow-up with my GP.
I sat in my GP’s office a week later, resolute and uncompromising. I said, “No way am I having that second Pfizer vaccine.” My GP supported me this time and I applied for the exemption. To my immense relief, it was accepted, and I had until March, 2022 before I had to think about the second vaccine.
In November, I took considerable time off work. I was extremely lethargic and dizzy. My headaches intensified, my arms were numb, and the pins and needles had spread to my face.
I saw my neurologist in mid-November. He sent me for an MRI and the results of which were considered normal. He attributed my dizziness to the migraines, and the pins and needles to anxiety. He referred me to a vestibular physiotherapist. I felt dismissed because I knew the pins and needles were not anxiety.
The vestibular physiotherapist was understanding and helpful and told me she had seen many others with similar issues to mine since the vaccine rollout. She gave me some exercises that helped a little, but the symptoms continued unabated.
All through December and into 2022, I suffered acute, relentless fatigue. I took time off work when required and worked from home when I could. I caught COVID-19 in March 2022. I started a protocol immediately—including Vitamins D and C, and zinc—and my symptoms were mild. I rested for 5 days and felt fine, except for a lingering cough.
In mid-September, I woke in the middle of the night to pain in my right elbow, knees, legs, and torso.
I was dizzy and my blood pressure was up. I took a painkiller and eventually went back to sleep. I woke up the next morning, exhausted. This happened every few weeks and my family grew increasingly concerned. My wife had some idea of my situation because she’d had problems after her vaccine too.
Our family holidayed briefly at the end of September. One day, we went on a long walk and I felt fine. I went to bed the following night and woke with sharp chest pains soon after falling asleep. The pains persisted all night, together with hot flushes and dizziness. I went to a medical clinic in the morning and was told my blood pressure was high, but I would be fine to travel home.
We arrived home the next day and I went straight to my GP clinic where I was prescribed blood pressure medication and referred for a calcium score and a Holter monitor.
I felt terribly faint the day after I started the blood pressure tablets and the chest pains returned. I was home alone and called an ambulance. In the emergency department at the hospital, staff ran all the standard checks — blood pressure which was elevated, ECG, blood tests. They found nothing of concern. I was discharged after a few hours and told to follow-up with my GP. I had an almost exact repeat of this situation on the 8th October when I was home alone again.
At work on the 12th of October, the chest pains and light-headedness returned. I headed home but did not get far. I stopped at a nearby clinic where staff monitored me for a couple of hours. They released me when my ECG normalised and my blood pressure had dropped.
That evening, I was out to dinner. I’d just sat down when I felt faint, my chest started to hurt, and I knew my blood pressure was high. An ambulance took me to Emergency and all my tests came back normal. I was released after a few hours and told to follow-up with my GP.
On the morning of 18th of October, I was out driving and felt terrible. I went to Emergency and was admitted for two nights. My blood pressure was high and a cardiology team put me on three different blood pressure medications, an antacid, and a cholesterol drug. I also had chest X-rays and CT scans, all of which were normal.
It is now November, 2022 and things have improved slightly. The medications help my blood pressure and I stay as active as possible. I spend as much time as I can outdoors, preferably barefoot for grounding. I do daily breathing exercises to relax and I also meditate and practise vagus nerve stimulation techniques. I find this beneficial.
I see an excellent integrative naturopath who has me on a number of nutritional supplements. She is very understanding and constantly searches for new treatments to help heal my nervous system and improve my wellbeing.
I still have sporadic chest pains, variable blood pressure, hot flushes, pins and needles, and intermittent concentration issues. I take eight pharmaceutical medications and 10 herbal supplements. On a positive note, I am less tired and my energy has mostly improved. I can do limited exercise without worsening my symptoms. My GP reported my adverse reaction and symptoms to the relevant authority in late 2021, and I’ve had some interaction with Victoria Specialist Immunisation Services (VicSIS) regarding the matter.
By sharing my story, I want to give the vaccine injured a much greater voice. I want the medical fraternity and the authorities to stop dismissing us. Most importantly, I want these groups to talk about vaccine injuries openly and to work productively towards well-resourced solutions for everyone.
I want anyone suffering the effects of these vaccines to know they are not alone. I want to support the vaccine injured and to be supported in turn. I would like my story to contribute to positive change and for bodily autonomy to be respected. I want those who coerced people into these vaccines to acknowledge that one size does not fit all. We were created as individuals, and we should be treated as individuals.