143 (P)

Mrs P (37 yrs)

1st dose: COVID19 Comirnaty 3rd December 2021

On behalf of Ms P, please find the following information with the attachments being the ACC cover letter, and the ACC internal medical advisor analysis of the medical evidence.

INJURIES COVERED BY ACC: Peripheral Nerve injury; Dysautonomia (POTS)
SUMMARY:
Ms P was well prior to the COVID vaccine the vaccine was administered in hospital on the advice of an immunologist, due to reactions two childhood vaccinations. Shortly after the vaccine she experienced nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and palpitations. She was observed and no further concerns – was discharged home.

Two days later she attended ED with palpitations, chest discomfort, dizziness, and shortness of breath. She was assessed by the medical team, investigations were unremarkable, and immunologist follow-up was recommended for an adverse reaction to the vaccine. Ms P has continued to experience shortness of breath, palpitations triggered by movement, light-headedness, tingling and numbness with associated anxiety at times. She went on to be assessed by several specialists including cardiologists and neurologists.

SYMPTOMS:

Cannot make decisions easily
Slow processing
Severe concussion symptoms
Initially paralysed eyes and still cannot move around without vertigo
All movement requiring concrete and having to tell my body to move
Legs collapsing often without warning
Immediate vomiting and Feelings of impending doom
Chest pain constantly crushing
Severe shortness of breath
High sustained tachycardia
Heart missing beats
Weakness which became all limbs, which they thought might be GBS, right side coming back slowly in strength but left side not recovering as quickly
Numbness in left side andfog, noon issues in limbs especially left hand side and heaviness also
Internal body tremors
Electric shocks
Fasciculations entire body
Feeling like bugs are crawling all over me and digging into my skin
Unable to walk unaided
Severe crippling fatigue
Derealization
Feeling like I might die
Ataxia
Voice changes
Bilateral foot drop and initially no Feeling in feet
Twitching and shaking all over
Poor coordination and confusing left and right
Blurred left eye vision
Tinnitus.
Head pressure and migraine Feeling always
Inability to regulate temperature
Extreme cognitive issues including brain fog, no short-term memory
Unable to structure thoughts

REASON FOR TAKING VACCINE
“
I was mandated due to work and declined exemptions even though I had an allergy to childhood tetanus vaccine. Otherwise, I would not have gotten it. I also spoke to a hospital immunologist that assured me I wouldn’t have a reaction as there were no similar ingredients in tetanus but that they would do it at the hospital to make me feel better. After the reaction the hospital immunologists have declined my referral to see them. My GP was shocked that the referral was declined but they declined us saying the IMAC has suggested AstraZeneca and I should get that.”

Thank you for submitting this evidence on behalf of Ms P.

Heidi

ACC Client Advocate
ACC Help

Informed Consent

From: https://www.healthnavigator.org.nz/health-a-z/i/informed-consent/#Overview

Informed consent is the process of talking about options so you can make an informed decision about your health care. This includes the option of saying no to a treatment or procedure.

Key points:

You have the right to make an informed choice about your health care.

Informed consent is an ongoing process of talking and asking questions between you, your doctor or other healthcare provider and, sometimes, your family/whānau.

To help you decide whether you want a treatment or procedure, your healthcare provider must give you all the information you need to make up your mind.

This includes how the treatment or procedure would help your health condition and what the risks of the treatment are.
There are a few situations where you may be treated without consent, such as in an emergency.

What is informed consent?

Informed consent is the process of talking and asking questions until you have enough information to make a decision about your healthcare options. This includes the option of saying no to having a treatment (such as medicine) or a procedure (such as an operation).

To give informed consent, you must know enough about your condition and the treatment or procedure your doctor or other healthcare provider has suggested. You must have this information given to you in a language and way that you can easily understand. You should have access to an interpreter if you need one.

You also have a right to have someone else with you to provide support while you are talking about your options.

Why is informed consent needed?

You have a right under the law to make an informed choice about your health care. This is one of your rights under the Code of Health and Disability Consumers Rights.

Under the Code, health care may be provided to you only if you make an informed choice and give informed consent. You also have the right to say no to a proposed treatment or procedure, or change your mind about wanting to go ahead with it.

When is informed consent needed?

Your doctor or other healthcare provider must make sure that you have given informed consent for every proposed healthcare service.

When you are going to have a series of similar treatments, eg, dialysis or counselling, your healthcare provider will talk with you before starting the treatment to make sure you agree to it. The consent you give then covers the whole series of treatment.

If the agreed plan changes a lot, a new consent process is needed.

Examples of situations when informed consent is required include:

when you are having surgery (an operation) or other procedure

when you need to have an anaesthetic

if students or observers are going to be there for your treatment

if you take part in research

when any part of your body will be taken out during a procedure

if you will be getting blood or blood products

if you are enrolled in a screening programme

if your doctor wants to prescribe a medicine that has not been approved by Medsafe for use in New Zealand (called unapproved medicines)

if your doctor wants to prescribe a medicine for a different use than that approved of by Medsafe (also called off-label use).

What type of information should I get for informed consent?

Before giving your consent, your doctor or healthcare provider must fully and clearly explain to you:

how this treatment or procedure will help your health condition

what happens during the treatment or procedure

what other options there might be

what you can expect after the treatment or procedure

any risks that may be associated with the treatment or procedure.

You can also ask any questions you want about the treatment or procedure.

What are the different types of consent?

You will need to give either verbal consent or written consent.

Verbal consent means talking about and saying you agree to a particular treatment. This includes when your doctor prescribes an approved medicine for your condition.

Written consent means you need to fill out a form and sign it to show you agree to a particular treatment. This happens for more significant treatments, such as an operation.

How is informed consent gained for children and young people?

For children and young people under the age of 16, consent may be given by a parent, guardian or other person acting in the place of a parent. Depending on the child’s age, they will be involved as much as possible and information will be given to them in a way that they can understand.

A young person aged 16 years and over can consent to their treatment as if they were an adult.

How is informed consent gained for people who are incompetent?

In legal terms, people who cannot decide for themselves whether they want a treatment or not are called ‘incompetent’. This may be because of health conditions such as a brain injury or dementia.

Consent for people who are incompetent may be given by their welfare guardian or a lawyer who has an enduring power of attorney in respect of care and welfare for that person.

What if I didn’t get to give informed consent?

If you have any concerns about not getting a chance to talk about and make an informed decision about a treatment before it was given to you, you can make a complaint. Read more about the Code of Health and Disability Consumers Rights.