Pfizer # 1: FF2382
I am a 45yo farmer, I don’t drink or smoke and am fit and lean. Apart from having occasional skin psoriasis, I don’t take any medications or have any other health issues. I am responsible for 500 cattle over a few hundred hectares and usually work 7 days per week. Snowboarding, dirt-bikes, sailing and the beach, etc are a big part of my life.
Because I’d had Bronchitis and Pneumonia in the past (more prone to respiratory sickness), I didn’t have any reservations about getting the vaccine and had my first Pfizer vaccine on the 30th of September 2021. I had no reactions at the time, until 15 days later when I started having chest pains. I had a phone consult with a GP (as they weren’t taking physical appointments) and was recommended to take painkillers.
On the 18th of October 2021, I had pains in the left hand side of my chest that continued to get worse. Most of the pain was concentrated around the heart. I had a baseline of constant pain, with sometimes a sharp grabbing type of pain as well, along with irregular heartbeats and increased heart rate. I went to my GP. She did an ECG and tested my Troponin levels (which were low). She told me I was fine, and that it was probably stress related (though I was not stressed during this period). They introduced the conversation of myocarditis related to the vaccine, but said it was impossible that I could have that as I was not young enough, and the pains had started 15 days after the vaccine.
On the 27th of October 2022, I was called in for a ‘Cardio-Vascular Disease’ risk check for over 40yo’s (they said it was a standard heath check that they do with everyone). My blood pressure, bpm, etc were all good and I was told that I was in the <1% risk category for heart problems (bp was 122/80 and heart rate 75bpm). The pain that I had was still there. It was a nurse/technician that conducted the tests. The timing of this ‘health check’ seemed bizarre, since I’d had a few interactions with them in the weeks prior that were heart related. On the 23rd of November, I had a phone consult with NZDSOS, and was prescribed Ivermectin (1 dose per day over 3 days). The pain then disappeared for 5 days, which gave me a desperately needed break, which I felt was a bit of a life saver at the time. It also stopped the erratic heart thumping for months after. On Friday the 12th of November, the pains in my chest became too intense to sleep, so I rang health-line. They said they were ordering an ambulance, but as we are an hour from town, I asked my partner if he could drive me to Hamilton. I spent the night in hospital, troponins, and bloods still ok, chest x-ray good, and the doctor told me multiple times at about 3am that I should get the second Pfizer vaccine. I then got a basic smart watch off Trade me for $50 which could monitor my blood pressure and heart rate, which I found that really reassuring. On the 22nd of December 2021, I had a doctor’s appointment with a locum who referred me to a Cardiologist, who I went to on the 1st of February 2022. I did an exercise and stress test. I asked him how long he thought the pain would continue for, and what possible mechanisms as a consequence of the vaccine could be causing the problems I was having. He didn’t answer my questions and replied that he didn’t read about any of these theories and that in his “professional opinion”, because he got a sore arm from the vaccine and his colleague had felt tired, I should get the next two vaccines immediately. (it seemed to me an anecdote, rather than a medical opinion).
Between February and April, the pain still continued, and I wondered whether this was ever going to change. I researched, and read medical journals, I tried supplements, acupuncture, went to an osteopath and on the 12th of April I had an Ozone therapy treatment, which quite radically reduced the pain. It dropped it down to about 20% of what it had been. On a scale of 1-10, I had been experiencing a constant level 5-7 of pain, and after the ozone, it had reduced to a 2-3.
On the 30th of April I had a big weekend in Auckland and was basically an idiot – I’d felt so good for the 2 weeks since the ozone treatment, then I went to Rainbows End and rode rides that say you shouldn’t if you have a heart condition. I drank alcohol and then went clubbing until 5am. A few days later the pain came back, I was having weird vibrations in the left hand side of my chest, and twitches and spasms in different parts of my body which made it really difficult to sleep. Over the next couple of weeks, it got pretty bad.
On the 16th of May my symptoms got bad through the night. Health-line said to call an ambulance again, but I drove myself to ED and arrived at 2am. They were busy, then did an ECG. I’d been waiting 7 hrs when they told me they thought it might be another 8hrs, so I went home and did the farm work. I was uncertain whether I was meant to rest, or whether I was to push through it, I kept working through anyway. I went to GP days afterwards and started a health diary.
On the 21st of June I had an appointment with a woman who hooked me up to Russian contraption for a few hours (with bands around ankles, wrists and head) and my symptoms had improved radically since then; the pain down to about 10% of what it was – the vibrations have gone, and most of the twitches and spasms, I’m beginning to feel like normal again but have had a couple of surges in heart rate with the pain coming back up again regularly.
I’ve seen more doctors and had more medical contact since having the vaccine, than I have had in my life, by a long shot. I’ve had very little support from the mainstream system, and mostly those contacts were laughably useless, if not dismissive, and in some cases bordering on aggressively pushing the vaccine rather than talking about my symptoms. I work just-about entirely alone and out of phone reception over hundreds of acres, so I took the ‘Personal Locator Beacon’ out of the boat to carry with me in my backpack in case I have a heart attack out there for someone to find me. There were many times I wondered if my symptoms were telling me this could be the end.
I contacted my lawyer about cleaning up my will, I ensured my partner had my favourite music and playlists in case needed for a funeral, and I had to wind back my business as much as possible during this time. I had no clear messaging on activity and exercise, some say zero exercise for myocarditis/pericarditis.
Additionally, one of my best friends from University started having seizures after the first vaccine, and increasingly after the second vaccine. She then had a severe stroke and is now partially paralysed and can’t speak. One of my cousins had multiple hospitalizations during their first, second and third vaccines, then died of a heart attack, and I have another 14 friends and ex work mates locally who have had heart problems, Bell’s palsy, reactive arthritis, etc.
When I have felt good, I am optimistic, but when the symptoms, pain, and spasms etc are bad then I get quite demoralised and feel uncertain about my future in a way I have not had to contend with before. Having the vaccine has absolutely been the worst thing I have ever done