Transplant: No or Few Antibodies after COVID Vaccination

Thank you, @jolinda. I just went to the site and did give my information to sign up but I suspect I may not be accepted. When I read the information the first blood test is done two weeks after receiving the first shot. My first shot was January 31, my second shot was February 14. I really hope that I am accepted, I would love to know these results.

At least I do know now where I can get the test if I choose to do so on my own. They have sent out all of their test equipment but you can use LabCorp for it and they will pay. I never heard of LabCorp but it turns out there are two in the town I live in, in Urgent Care places.
JK

After my 3rd COVID Vaccine I still do not have antibodies. Does anyone else have this problem?

Hi @barbtc, welcome. Are you a transplant recipient perhaps? Or do you have a suppressed immune system due to a condition or medication?

Yep! Kidney/Pancreas transplant. They did the tests to see that we might need the third vaccine, but are they studying anything after that?

I thought that might be the case, Barb. Welcome. I invite you to follow the Transplants group here: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/transplants/

You'll find an amazing group of supportive and knowledgeable members to connect with.

To answer your question, I moved your questions to this discussion called "No or Few Antibodies after COVID Vaccination." I suggest reviewing the past comments and joining in these discussions related to the vaccine and antibodies:
- Antibody tests and vaccinations in transplants https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/antibody-tests-and-vaccinations-in-transplants/
- Moderna Vaccine not Creating antibodies for Transplant Patients https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/moderna-vaccine-not-creating-antibodies-for-transplant-patients/
- Transplant: Third dose, no antibodies: How are you staying safe? https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/transplant-third-dose-no-antibodies/

Allow me to bring some fellow transplant recipients to respond to your question regarding what next after the third dose and what further studies are being done. Please meet @loribmt @athenalee @estrada @hello1234 @mollyv @jocko @jennifer0726 to name a few.

Barb, how are you staying safe?

Hi @barbtc Colleen brought me into the discussion regarding a 3rd Covid vaccine. As yet, I’ve not had mine, though my transplant team wants me to make an appointment for my booster. However, a 6 month waiting period is suggested between the booster and the last vaccine date. So it will be in October for me.
My situation is a bit different. With my stem cell transplant I am tapering off my Tacrolimus, the immunosuppressant. If all goes well, I’ll be finished with it by October. If that’s the case, I should have a fully functional immune system and hopefully the booster will indeed boost my immunity to Covid!

My son has IGA DEFICANCY AND CKD (SFGS) HIS BODY IS ATTACKINGBITSELF,THUS THE CKD. IM A loss since IGA is under rare diseases . Hevis onlyv22, we went to the mayo clinic,we drove from long island.This was picked up by a gastric dr running a routine blood.his # is 67,slightly above the 60 marker. Its obvious to me thst this is the reason forvthe ckd,his body sees the kidneys as an attacker.are there any studies going on,that you have heard.im more a nurphrologis that the ones where i live.are they doing antvresearch on this? Ty

Sorry about the spelling errors. Im acwreck over this. He had The J&J vaccine since it was better for his kidneys. Due to the IGA DEFICANCY he is as if he never had the. Vaccine. His body is shedding it at a reccord pace.we cant govout ever.please help him, hes only 22 and on a really strct diet,vegan no meat all plant based no salt, no sugar,he is pre diabetic on a sugar free diet. No nitrates no phosphates, basically 7 foods he can eat.due to the preservatives in our food.. the U.S.A is the ONLY COUNTRY THAT HAS NOT BANNED THEM.DOES ANYONE KNOW OF DRS OR A STUDY THAT IS STARTING.HE HAS PROTUTIA ,HIGH BP CONTROLED WITHE ENELAPRIL.15 MG .PLEASE IF YOU KNOW ANYTHING THAT MIGHT HELP EMAOL ME. WE THANK YOU

Hello @sueatt You sound absolutely frantic about your son and it’s understandable. He’s only 22 years old and in a fight for his life. I want to help find some answers for him and bring your stress level down to a manageable level for both your sakes.

Let me welcome you to Mayo Clinic Connect. We’re a community based forum of members who help each other through our shared experiences. We’re not doctors so we can’t diagnose or offer treatments. But most of us have had some significant health issues in our lives or are caregivers and loved ones of someone who has. So we’re very empathetic and do our best to help each other other out with finding answers, offering suggesting and providing encouragement and hope.

To find you the right group and conversations for your son, I’m going to ask some questions just for clarity. You posted your initial comments in this Covid 19 discussion on booster shots because your son is showing no antibodies after this J&J vaccine. But after reading both of your comments, I think this discussion is better suited to the Kidney & Bladder groups where there have been a few chats on FSGS and many regarding chronic kidney disease.
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/kidney-conditions/
Your son has been diagnosed with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). Was this the result of your trip to the Mayo Clinic? Was this also where he was diagnosed with IgA deficiency? It is a rare disease which can result in autoimmune diseases and in this case it sounds like the target is your son’s kidneys.
As you mentioned he’s also now having to be super cautious to avoid any illnesses as his immunity is impaired. Is this all recent or has he been prone to illness for most of his life?

Was your son provided with a treatment plan and continued follow up care plan with a local primary care provider or kidney specialist? Is he on any medications? Is he working with a dietician to find the best food plan to protect his kidneys from further inflammation and damage besides being on the strict vegan diet?

What were his symptoms leading up to the discovery? You mentioned it was discovered in routine blood test.
Was he having any kidney issues before then? Has his CKD been staged to the severity of his disease?
Does he undergo dialysis treatments?

I found 1 clinical trial result but nothing ongoing at the current time. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00024934?cond=IgA+Deficiency&cntry=US&draw=2&rank=1
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/fsgs/symptoms-causes/syc-20354693
https://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/focal
https://rarediseases.info.nih.gov/diseases/10197/selective-iga-deficiency

@sueatt How is your son coping with all of this?