183 Helen

Helen (53 yrs)

1st dose: COVID19 Comirnaty -1 8th November Batch no: FK9414-D00136
2nd dose:COVID19 Comirnaty -2 15th December Batch no: FK9414-D00150

I was mandated in October and reluctant to get the jab however, I ended up going ahead with it as it was causing my husband stress at the thought of me losing my income, I also loved my job as a teacher and didn’t want to lose it.

By the time I went for my first jab I had made peace with the idea and had a friend go with me.

I had my first jab at 9.30am on November 8th. I felt fine during the morning, met with a friend and we spent the morning together and then went out for lunch.

Around 2pm I was starting to feel dizzy, so I drove home.

I arrived home and the dizziness worsened; my throat felt swollen so that I was having difficulty swallowing. I could swallow only when drinking water. I lay down and tried to relax but the symptoms got worse and I began to shake uncontrollably in my arms and legs and face. I also felt very nauseous. I began to feel like I couldn’t get enough air and felt an intense pressure on my chest.
I went to the local medical center around 5pm and was checked by the nurse who took pulse, temperature, oxygen, blood pressure etc. and gave me a cup of tea.
.
These symptoms continued for the next 2 hours, and the shaking would intensify sporadically. They continued to monitor my heart rate, blood pressure and regularly used the oximeter. They continued to reassure me and said that everything was normal, but my heart felt like it was racing. I was in such a state that I didn’t ask what these readings were.

I saw the doctor at around 7.30pm and she told me that everything was normal, and I was having a panic attack and to go home and rest for 2 days. She told me she also worked in Emergency department at the local hospital and had seen many people who were reluctant to have the vaccine with similar symptoms to mine. I had never had a panic attack in my life before and I certainly didn’t feel fine.

The next 7 days I spent with the ongoing shortness of breath, pressure on my chest, dizziness and lightheadedness, weakness and complete exhaustion where I was unable to perform normal everyday tasks.

I went back to work after 7 days but continued to feel lightheaded and dizzy and would be so exhausted that I would get home and sleep for 2 hours. This continued and I would have to sleep during the day, or I would become so exhausted that I would have to take a day off work to recover.
I also experience ongoing leg twitching so that when I came to lift my leg up it didn’t always move.

Since the first vaccine I am unable to tolerate caffeine or alcohol. Caffeine causes me to get the shakes and lightheadedness (I have never experienced this before) and a half glass of wine gives me a full-blown hangover the next day.

On the 15th December after my last day at work I went for my 2nd Jab.

I experienced all the same symptoms as the first time but the pain and pressure on my chest was worse. The following day I called Healthline and they said to go and get an ECG. I went to my local medical center again and they did an ECG and full bloods and said everything was normal. I asked what the pressure on my chest was and the doctor gave me a name, which I don’t remember but described it as an inflammation of the chest caused by stress and anxiety.

Two doctors have now told me my reaction ‘…was probably because I was reluctant to get the jab and that they are seeing many people like myself who were reluctant to get the jab with these symptoms’

In January on holiday, I went hiking for the day and after an hour I felt dizzy, experienced pressure in my chest, breathlessness, exhaustion leading to my legs not always responding. I had to be picked up and could not complete the hike, normally I could easily have walked for 4-5 hours no problem.

On returning home I went back to the doctor and asked about the ongoing fatigue, chest pressure, dizziness and exhaustion and they did further blood tests to rule out EBV and CMV. When the bloods came back negative for these, they put a CARM report in stating fatigue post covid vaccine. When I asked about all the other symptoms, they said there was nothing to prove there was anything wrong with me and what did I want them to do.

I went back at work part time but was so exhausted by the end of each day.

I experienced so much pressure from my place of work who continued to push for me to give a date when I could return to work full time and were still requiring the booster that in November 2022 I resigned.

I continue to have:

* chest pain
* breathlessness
* rapid heart beat
* light headedness, weakness, dizziness
* extreme fatigue

Helen

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.