COVID vaccines and neuropathy

@mawmaw3 i am 8 months post vaccine with both Pfizers which gave me new onset neuropathy. Interestingly I do also have degenerative joint disease and spinal stenosis in neck and low back. However I never had the leg and feet issues until vaccine. My symptoms aren’t as severe as what you describe, but of long duration unfortunately.

I’ve had peripheral neuropathy in both feet, due to diabetes and spinal stenosis, for several years. With multiple health issues and a history of severe allergic reactions to medications and vaccines, I was very hesitant to be vaccinated. My dr advised me to get the vaccines as any reactions could be treated and are not dangerous, according to him. I received my first Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine on Aug 2. Twelve hours later my PN was worse with sharp stabbing pains in both feet, legs, arms and hands and a headache developed. Staying in touch with my primary care dr and my symptoms improved slightly. My dr advised me to go ahead and get the 2nd dose as scheduled on Aug 23, because my symptoms would go away, but the risk of the virus remains. So, about 6 hours after the 2nd dose, my symptoms worsened and have continued to worsen since. I’ve added B12 to my regimen. Since I’m on Cymbalta for pain management, and several other meds for other medical conditions, I’d rather not add additional prescription medications. Now, we don’t know how long these symptoms will persist, but there are days I can barely walk due to pain and numbness. When I’ve tried increasing my activity, a few hours later, all my joints and muscles hurt. To the point that I moaned with every movement. That subsided after about 6 hours. I’ve been seeing a chiropractor for 6 months for my spinal stenosis. She had me down to seeing her every other week and I was doing quite well. Currently, I’m seeing her twice weekly and getting detox foot treatments, massage, muscle stimulation and adjustments. I do feel better for a day or so following treatments, but am quite discouraged!!!! This has severely changed my quality of life and I hope it improves soon. Has anyone experienced similar symptoms post vaccine? Also, how long did symptoms persist? Thank you!

@amybeau, hello. I got my Pfizers in Dec/Jan. I quickly (within a week) began having burning sensations in my hands and feet (which to a lesser extent might also pop up just about anywhere on my body), weak feeling in right lower leg, and a little later (about 2 weeks) mild intermittent twitching in right leg and foot. I also get other strange sensations in my legs and feet, hard to explain. And I have the feeling that my whole body is pulsating at times. But very little actual pain thankfully. I underwent just about every neuro diagnostic there is, except for LP. The final consensus is that the inflammation from already existing spinal problems and nerve impingement in my lower back were intensified by the vaccine. I knew I had lower back and neck issues because I have degenerative joint disease. However to go from only experiencing localized pain to these other symptoms in my leg and throughout the rest of my body was shocking, to say the least. It has been a very dark time for me and one in which I have at times been convinced that I have some ominous motor neuron disease. Here I am nearly 9 months later, and just in the last couple of months I feel I’ve seen a big improvement in the leg weakness and twitching. The burning and other sensations are still with me for the most part. What I’ve done: tried to become more active. Al my life I’ve been pretty fit and active until about the last 2 years. I have been getting cardio workouts that don’t hurt my back and resumed yoga at least once a week. I don’t eat a special diet just try to basically eat healthy, although at different times throughout this ordeal I have tried cutting out sugar, carbs, gluten and alcohol and nothing had any effect. I take meloxicam (NSAID for my back), multi vitamins, turmeric, magnesium and ALA daily. A few times per week I’ll also take extra B complex and D vitamins. About every other night I take appr .25 mg clonazepam to help sleep & muscle relaxation. I have on 2 different occasions tried to take Cymbalta and I simply cannot tolerate it. I wish I could because it had a really good effect on my back pain! However I am apparently what’s classified as a poor metabolizer and I have lots of trouble with certain meds. My neuro has mentioned gabapentin a few times but I’m just not going there. So overall, I guess I am improved in some respects and unchanged in others. Thankfully I no longer feel I have something that is going to kill or cripple me. I wish this hadn’t happened but if it doesn’t get any worse I can certainly live with it. Hope my story was helpful and best wishes to you.

Wow... Our stories are so very similar. I would love to know more about your story.

Hi SDF, I'll be interested in hearing what you learn in your upcoming appointment at the neuropathy clinic.

In the meantime, I think you might be interested in participating in this group on Mayo Clinic Connect
- LCHF Living & Intermittent Fasting https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/lchf-living-intermittent-fasting/

Update: There has been no resolution of symptoms after 2 months. Actually, the intermittent paresthesia in the arms/hands has progressed to symptoms consistent with CTS. The immune response from the vaccine definitely inflicted damage to the median and peroneal nerves. There is no doubt about it. It feels like the median nerve damage could possibly resolve over time, but I am almost certain the progressed peroneal nerve damage will not. Not on its own. The former is intermittent, the latter is constant.

Extensive lab work returned mixed results. No vitamin deficiencies or toxicities. Standard inflammation markers(CRP, CRP-HS, ESR) are in the optimal range. A1c well below the pre-diabetes threshold. homocysteine levels, however, are elevated. Elevated homocysteine is typically associated with vitamin B deficiencies--but i have none of that--but the literature also suggests it is a reliable marker for PN.

Treatment at this point consists of physician supervised lab work, a scheduled neurological exam in November and medical laser treatment. The medical cold laser therapy might be of some significant therapeutic benefit if you do it done every day for 6 months to a year. So, just shell out about 10K for a used medical laser on eBay and do it yourself. That would be more cost effective than having it done at the doc's office(1K/month, 3 days/wk). Any further aggressive alternate treatments will depend on the neuro exam diagnosis.

Interestingly enough, I was already pretty fit before this happened. But I have since gone on TRT. So apart from problems feeling my feet and the median nerve irritation, I feel pretty good. The damage is sensory, not motor. There is no real impediment to exercise. However, there will be no more shots for me. Ever. Again. For any vaccine. I had all the childhood inoculations, but this is the first vaccine as an adult. And this happens.