Anyone had a problem with neuropathy after receiving the vaccine?

Have you tried a course of prednisone yet? Our symptoms sound so similar that I'm now wondering if we're both experiencing a blasted immune response that just needs to calm the frack down. I feel like the only thing that really helped was the prednisone; however, it could have been the slower working other stuff I've been taking all along.

I agree that this has been no walk in the park, but it hasn't hampered my ability to work, or been a severe illness of any sort. Just irritating which makes me irritable with everyone around me.

I've noticed that I opt to go through a drive through rather than walk into a store. So it's been small changes in my life, nothing earth shattering.

I did actually go to a plant nursery, plant some seedlings, and start some tomato plants last weekend. I also had my brother come over to assist with some two person chores recently, so I must be on the mend. I've let some things just slide in the past 6 months simply because I didn't want to be on my feet, even though not being on my feet did not improve anything. My "get up and go do" was just broken.

Hope you're doing well and hope to get an update from you soon.

Hello @kzee64, Welcome to Connect. I'm sorry to hear that you had such a bad reaction from your first Moderna vaccine but it is really good news that you are back to your normal with you 2015 diagnosis of small fiber neuropathy and autonomic dysfunction. It's also good to hear after reporting the symptoms from the first shot that the doctor called you back and you reported your symptoms to VAERS.

Now that you have made a decision to stay with family after your second Moderna shot, can you let us know if you have the same or similar symptoms after you receive the second shot?

So, here I am again. I'm wondering how the excess inflammation issue is/was diagnosed.

While my main concern was my tingling/cold/burning feet, I also had swollen fingers and excessive arthritis in my knees (I've always had arthritis in my knees that comes and goes, but is usually controlled with Aleve and Fish Oil). Now I'm wondering if the more intense flares are linked to other vaccines I've had in the past 5 years (both pneumonia shots, shingles, flu, etc.), but not as intense as the Covid, which pushed me into the neuropathy. Seems plausible, but am wondering how the theory can be proved.

After my second course of prednisone (10 mg, 3/3/3/2/2/1/1), my symptoms again went away on Day 3, but returned (but not as severely) by Day 5.

Now, 4 days after my last dose, everything is milder. My feet and calves feel like I'm wearing socks when I'm not. There's very light tingling and they sometimes feel cold ,even though it's 90+ degrees here and rarely lower than 80 degrees in my house), but the burning pain has not returned. I can now put my rings on, so my finger joint swelling has gone down significantly. I've also noticed that I can squat down at work without having to use a hand to pull myself back up... my legs/knees can propell me back upright on their own.

I think I'm officially on the mend from whatever the hell was going on.

I'm still taking the gabapentin, so maybe that's the miracle that is making me feel better, or maybe it's some combination of anti inflammatory, magnesium, fish oil, vitamin d, and b-6 supplement doing the trick. I'll eventually start alleviating these things one by one to see if I can quit taking a meal full of pills every night.

My podiatrist has recommended PT, but I'll probably avoid the expense of that as I continue to improve. If I have a setback, I'll definitely be ringing them to set up an appointment.

For now, I'd really like to know if there's some test that can pinpoint the excessive inflammatory. I'll be due for the booster in a few months (recommendation is 8 months after 2nd dose unless immunocompromised). Unless this can be diagnosed and treated, I'll be waiting as long as possible to opt in. Working in a pharmacy, and being on the frontline for testing and vaccinating, I know I'll have to protect myself eventually. I just don't want to go though this again . If there's some way to prove that's what I've experienced, maybe it can be resolved quicker with future vaccines.

Flu shot season has also arrived. I'll be getting that as soon as I dispense the first flu medication this year.

Hi Sue, wow, that's awful to get a reaction like this to every vaccine you receive. I'm glad to hear that a two week course of prednisone calms it down for you. My doctor gave me a Medrol pack which was I think 6 days. It didn't help at all but I wonder if a regimen similar to yours might have helped more. I'll ask my doctor about it. That's wonderful that your daughter only experienced a mild reaction to her booster shot. Hopefully that third dose will give her plenty of protective antibodies. Many thanks again for your reply!

So, here I am again. I'm wondering how the excess inflammation issue is/was diagnosed.

While my main concern was my tingling/cold/burning feet, I also had swollen fingers and excessive arthritis in my knees (I've always had arthritis in my knees that comes and goes, but is usually controlled with Aleve and Fish Oil). Now I'm wondering if the more intense flares are linked to other vaccines I've had in the past 5 years (both pneumonia shots, shingles, flu, etc.), but not as intense as the Covid, which pushed me into the neuropathy. Seems plausible, but am wondering how the theory can be proved.

After my second course of prednisone (10 mg, 3/3/3/2/2/1/1), my symptoms again went away on Day 3, but returned (but not as severely) by Day 5.

Now, 4 days after my last dose, everything is milder. My feet and calves feel like I'm wearing socks when I'm not. There's very light tingling and they sometimes feel cold ,even though it's 90+ degrees here and rarely lower than 80 degrees in my house), but the burning pain has not returned. I can now put my rings on, so my finger joint swelling has gone down significantly. I've also noticed that I can squat down at work without having to use a hand to pull myself back up... my legs/knees can propell me back upright on their own.

I think I'm officially on the mend from whatever the hell was going on.

I'm still taking the gabapentin, so maybe that's the miracle that is making me feel better, or maybe it's some combination of anti inflammatory, magnesium, fish oil, vitamin d, and b-6 supplement doing the trick. I'll eventually start alleviating these things one by one to see if I can quit taking a meal full of pills every night.

My podiatrist has recommended PT, but I'll probably avoid the expense of that as I continue to improve. If I have a setback, I'll definitely be ringing them to set up an appointment.

For now, I'd really like to know if there's some test that can pinpoint the excessive inflammatory. I'll be due for the booster in a few months (recommendation is 8 months after 2nd dose unless immunocompromised). Unless this can be diagnosed and treated, I'll be waiting as long as possible to opt in. Working in a pharmacy, and being on the frontline for testing and vaccinating, I know I'll have to protect myself eventually. I just don't want to go though this again . If there's some way to prove that's what I've experienced, maybe it can be resolved quicker with future vaccines.

Flu shot season has also arrived. I'll be getting that as soon as I dispense the first flu medication this year.

Hmm...interesting question. I'm by no means an expert in neuropathies, but it seems most people don't know the exact cause of theirs. Here is what Mayo Clinic has to say https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/peripheral-neuropathy/symptoms-causes/syc-20352061
I don't know which is worse after vaccine - pain or neuropathy, but they are both telling us our immune system is capable of revving up!
Sue

@littlenoise and @mcd2021 My doc used 40 mg for 7 days, then 20 mg for 7 days of prednisone. This has been my pattern for years, except minor asthma flares, which are 20 mg for 7 days. According to both primary and pain doc, no "taper" is required for short courses of prednisone (less than a month).

I will take quite a bit of vaccine discomfort over Covid or flu - I have compromised lungs (asthma & bronchiectasis) and inflammatory arthritis - last bout of flu landed me with pneumonia, then a year of bronchitis followed by several other long infections, 18 months of antibiotic therapy which made me very ill, all of which morphed into chronic pain that took another year to get under control...
Sue

There's a C-Reactive Protein (CRP) test that you can get from Lab Corp or Quest. There are two versions, regular and High Sensitivity(HS). Regular is more for general inflammation whereas the latter is used more for cardiac inflammation assessment.

There's a C-Reactive Protein (CRP) test that you can get from Lab Corp or Quest. There are two versions, regular and High Sensitivity(HS). Regular is more for general inflammation whereas the latter is used more for cardiac inflammation assessment.