COVID vaccines and neuropathy

Posted by cue @cue, Feb 15, 2021

I am 85 with small fiber neuropathy that is getting worse. My neurologist thought it would be a good idea for me to wait with the covid vaccine and not be first in line to see how it affected other people with neuropathy. Probably because it is a new technology. Has anyone had a problem with neuropathy after receiving the vaccine? If so, which vaccine?

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Neuropathy Support Group.

@avmcbellar

@merpreb thanks for pointing out the importance for getting the vaccination(s). I appreciate your information. In my previous posts I have included how the mRNA works. I am aware it is not a “live” virus or no covid virus is a partial ingredient. Please show me the evidence that it provides immunity. As far as I know there is no proof that it does. I know that someone who receives the 2nd dose 2 weeks later can possibly get the virus and needs to quarantine to not transmit the virus to others. This was brought to my attention about a month ago. Has it changed? I know the vaccine protects an individual from getting severe symptoms. It basically prevents possible hospitalizations. Where is the immunity? We all have to decide whether or not to receive the vaccine. Yes, I will be protected from severe symptoms but I am at a low risk. Do I take the chance from possibly suffering worse neuropathy for who knows how long for a virus there is a slim chance of contracting? These are my considerations. It is different for each individual based on their risks due to exposure and their medical history. If I was a high risk due to my exposure everyday I would be more likely to get vaccinated so I would not suffer severe symptoms from covid. By getting vaccinated I would not worry about getting seriously sick to warrant hospitalization. I could still contract the virus.

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I don't know what proof you want. Statistics comparing the infection rates of vaccinated and non-vaccinated individuals are pretty convincing. The only unknown at this point seems to be how long protection will last.

Just one "snapshot", from Minnesota statistics, there were 39608 positive Covid test in March 2021, or one in every 139 people in the state. Assuming some people were tested more than once, say you had a 1 in 200 chance of getting Covid in March alone (a low-infection period.) That's 1/2% in one month. There were 89 fully vaccinated people who tested positive, or 1 in 9300 of fully-vaccinated people (1 in 61,000 of the general population), or one ten-thousandth of one percent. Further, there were only a couple of hospitalizations and no deaths of the vaccinated people.

I personally like the odds of full vaccination - it makes me feel that as a vulnerable person I can begin to resume a normal life. I did react to the vaccine, as did my daughters, but it was nothing compared to the months-long illness my daughter suffered from Covid in March of 2020.

We all must make our own decisions, but the more vaccinated people around, the fewer the vectors for further infection and further mutation of the virus.

Sue

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@merpreb

@avmcbellar- Thank you. I haven't even been around my sister for a year so I am not exposed hardly at all. But that doesn't mean that I am at low risk. Since I have cancer and other things, as I mentioned, my immune system is still compromised. So I consider myself high risk. I guess that it's all a matter of some words and how you are defining them. I have waited a month for Moderna and I get migraines. So I have chosen to chance those. I had some neuropathy after chemo so I know that it can be horrible. I have friends who have it. I don't envy them, nor do they envy my migraines.

Best of luck

Merry

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@merpreb exactly, we each have to decide what is best for us. There are two risk factors we need to consider. I was referring for me being at a low risk for my exposure to the virus. As far as my medical history I only have neurological disorders which may be a medium-high risk. It is difficult to advise anyone regarding the vaccines because one; we do not know all the facts, and two; we are not in someone’s shoes to know exactly what they are feeling or going through medically. So it is an individual decision.
Sorry you are suffering from migraines. I do as well on a regular basis. My solution now is an herbal tea. It works well for me. In the past I had tried coffee for the caffeine and Tylenol. My doctor prescribed a pain killer but I refused because it wasn’t a pill for a cure. I found a bag of ice over my head offered enough relief so I could sleep. Over time the number of migraines have decreased. Initially I was getting them twice a week. Now it is 1-2 times per month. I am hoping to decrease that number within a year. Thanks, best to you for a safe day. Toni

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@avmcbellar

@merpreb exactly, we each have to decide what is best for us. There are two risk factors we need to consider. I was referring for me being at a low risk for my exposure to the virus. As far as my medical history I only have neurological disorders which may be a medium-high risk. It is difficult to advise anyone regarding the vaccines because one; we do not know all the facts, and two; we are not in someone’s shoes to know exactly what they are feeling or going through medically. So it is an individual decision.
Sorry you are suffering from migraines. I do as well on a regular basis. My solution now is an herbal tea. It works well for me. In the past I had tried coffee for the caffeine and Tylenol. My doctor prescribed a pain killer but I refused because it wasn’t a pill for a cure. I found a bag of ice over my head offered enough relief so I could sleep. Over time the number of migraines have decreased. Initially I was getting them twice a week. Now it is 1-2 times per month. I am hoping to decrease that number within a year. Thanks, best to you for a safe day. Toni

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I disagree. It's very easy to recommend the vaccines, to one and all. It's the only way that we will stop this virus and its variants and the power that it is collecting each time it changes. There is no other solution and the only thing that is holding up herd immunity are the people not willing to have the vaccines. And we do not need to know more about its efficacy because already there have been over one hundred million people who have been vaccinated. And now I am included as I just got home from my second one. No one has died from it and it is saving lives.

Migraines aside, please re-think your reasons and re-read the facts. You can either help or hinder the spread of this disease and the number of people who die from it. Your choice. Please don't make the wrong one.

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@sueinmn

I don't know what proof you want. Statistics comparing the infection rates of vaccinated and non-vaccinated individuals are pretty convincing. The only unknown at this point seems to be how long protection will last.

Just one "snapshot", from Minnesota statistics, there were 39608 positive Covid test in March 2021, or one in every 139 people in the state. Assuming some people were tested more than once, say you had a 1 in 200 chance of getting Covid in March alone (a low-infection period.) That's 1/2% in one month. There were 89 fully vaccinated people who tested positive, or 1 in 9300 of fully-vaccinated people (1 in 61,000 of the general population), or one ten-thousandth of one percent. Further, there were only a couple of hospitalizations and no deaths of the vaccinated people.

I personally like the odds of full vaccination - it makes me feel that as a vulnerable person I can begin to resume a normal life. I did react to the vaccine, as did my daughters, but it was nothing compared to the months-long illness my daughter suffered from Covid in March of 2020.

We all must make our own decisions, but the more vaccinated people around, the fewer the vectors for further infection and further mutation of the virus.

Sue

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Hi Sue @sueinmn those basic numbers may not be accurate because exposure to the virus has to be considered. If I was someone avoiding public crowds by staying mostly at home then my chances for contracting the virus would be slim. On the other hand, as a healthcare worker being exposed to the covid virus every day I would have a higher chance for contracting the virus. Were tests done in the same risk groups for the comparisons? For the test results to be valid the exposure risks would have to be the same in each group otherwise the comparisons may be skewed. Bottom line, this does show that a vaccinated person can still get the virus. There is no certainty for immunity only for less severe symptoms. That is good for those who are at high risk. I don’t know about returning to a normal life after vaccination. A vaccinated person still has to be cautious for contracting the virus. True, the data does show less health complications may result after vaccination. There is a lot to think about when making the decision. I will wait for more data to be collected. The increase in neuropathy symptoms worries me. It will ultimately be only me that has to tolerate the increased pain. I do not want a life of more pain. I appreciate your input. Thank you. I wish you well with your decision. It is not an easy one to make for some people. Toni

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@johnbishop

Hello @lulu85, Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I'm really sorry to hear how bad the COVID vaccine side effects were for you. It had to be extremely difficult for you to get the second vaccine knowing how the first one affected you. I had both Pfizer vaccine shots with minimum side effects. Which vaccine did you get? Also did you report the side effects to the CDC?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpisaRmzX0U

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I had the Pfizer. I haven't yet, I'm not even sure how to. I've been mostly sleeping since second vaccine. Taking meds and getting fluids best I can.

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@merpreb

@lulu85- Oh, no! If at the writing you are vomiting I would call your doctor for anti-nausea medication, if you can take them. If you can take a pain reliever or anti-inflammatory to help with symptoms, it's ok to do so.

My second shot is tomorrow. I did have a reaction to the first one, Moderna, and am not looking forward to possible side-effects from it But I still think that the benefits outweigh the liabilities. I know that it's easy to say right now as I'm not ill from them/ but I do mean it. So far as we know, no one has died from the side effects of the vaccines.

Have you called your doctor for further suggestions or additional medications to help you?

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I have an appointment to see my doctor soon. I am allergic to all anti-inflammatories but have all other meds needed to hopefully ride this out. I'm sleeping through most of it. Thankfully I have a husband who is able to be home to take care of our children.
I hope your second vaccine went well for you.

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@athenalee

I unfortunately agree with you. I have neuropathy and an autoimmune disease. I’ve posted on this discussion previously. After both vaccine shots my neuropathy symptoms increased significantly. They have leveled off, but at a higher level than previously. I’ve only been having neuropathy symptoms for about five months. Except for tremors, which my be related to medications I take, the numbness, pain, and tingling was very slow to come on until receiving the vaccine.

I recently had my first visit to the neurologist, so the origins of my neuropathy are not yet determined. Although he suspects its related to the autoimmune disease I have. He also was not surprised when I told him of the increased symptoms after the vaccine, as it is designed to build immunity and could potentially have an impact on people with certain types of autoimmune caused neuropathy.

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I've been dealing with my neuropathy for many years and was finally in a pretty good place...until the vaccine. I'm sleeping a lot since my 2nd shot because I just can't handle the pain or fight my exhaustion. I believe the vaccine is messing with more than my neuropathy now. Hopefully my doctor will be able to shed some light on all this and hopefully nothing will be permanent

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@merpreb

I disagree. It's very easy to recommend the vaccines, to one and all. It's the only way that we will stop this virus and its variants and the power that it is collecting each time it changes. There is no other solution and the only thing that is holding up herd immunity are the people not willing to have the vaccines. And we do not need to know more about its efficacy because already there have been over one hundred million people who have been vaccinated. And now I am included as I just got home from my second one. No one has died from it and it is saving lives.

Migraines aside, please re-think your reasons and re-read the facts. You can either help or hinder the spread of this disease and the number of people who die from it. Your choice. Please don't make the wrong one.

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@merpreb I respect your decision because you are doing what you feel is right for you. I do listen to comments before making a decision. I believe it is the younger folks that are more of a threat for your herd immunity. A person from a younger generation may not care about their community or infecting others that may die from the disease. They are the party goers or people that will participate in group events. The spring breakers are more at risk for exposure and spreading the virus not someone who takes precautions by staying at home. How can that person possibly affect herd immunity?
There have been suspicious deaths resulting after vaccinations. I believe deaths and adverse effects such as blood clots may have been dismissed because there have not been many cases compared to the number of people vaccinated. What is considered safe by your definition for a vaccine to be declared safe? To me just one person being affected could possibly mean that there is a slight chance it could happen to me. I guess it doesn’t matter if you get a blood clot from the vaccine or virus but if you quarantine every day would you not increase your chances for a blood clot by getting vaccinated? It would all depend on your medical condition too.
I have not recommended the vaccines to anyone simply because not much is known. We don’t know what lies ahead with the vaccines so I advise people to make their own decision based on their risks for exposure and their health history. With people who ask I do give the facts as they become available and NOT what I think or believe. I am waiting for the right time when more is known before making my decision. I hear the vaccines may possibly last 6 months. Manufacturers are working on boosters. We shall see what happens. It is being reported that the number of cases is on the rise in many states. Usually the numbers decline as the warmer weather comes. I hope when fall comes around the results will be better from now. It is difficult to say because of people’s behavior. Some folks feel they have to go out instead of staying safe in their homes. That is their decision. Will the vaccination prevent these people from contracting the virus?

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@merpreb

I disagree. It's very easy to recommend the vaccines, to one and all. It's the only way that we will stop this virus and its variants and the power that it is collecting each time it changes. There is no other solution and the only thing that is holding up herd immunity are the people not willing to have the vaccines. And we do not need to know more about its efficacy because already there have been over one hundred million people who have been vaccinated. And now I am included as I just got home from my second one. No one has died from it and it is saving lives.

Migraines aside, please re-think your reasons and re-read the facts. You can either help or hinder the spread of this disease and the number of people who die from it. Your choice. Please don't make the wrong one.

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Close to 3,000 deaths have been reported so far from what I understand after vaccines. Claim is that the deaths were not related to the vaccine but how can they know for sure when there are so many unknowns. I have heard experts say the “the deaths probably weren’t related.”
I heard someone in England had a Tonic Clonic seizure about 3 hours after their injection. Of course that could have been a coincidence but no one will ever know for sure.
Jake

Editor's Note:
The information in this post has been fact checked. To date, Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) has not detected patterns in cause of death that would indicate a safety problem with COVID-19 vaccines.

For further information please see this post by @sueinmn https://connect.mayoclinic.org/comment/593745/
Stay up-to-date with information from the CDC https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/safety/adverse-events.html

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I went & had my J&J vaccine today. So far I feel ok & no sore arm.
I have just been resting today & drinking plenty of liquids.
Your not suppose to take Tylenol before your vaccine.
I have heard that I might have side effects tomorrow so I will see.
I will keep you all posted.
Stay safe & God Bless.
Genie
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