I am writing this letter in response to your request for information from persons such as myself, in which I had an extreme adverse reaction to the first (I only had one) Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
Under the conditions of the New Zealand Government, New Zealand people were mandated to have the vaccine to be able to continue working within their employment as well as socialising and having the general freedom of day-to-day life that we now have.
In my being an Australian permanent resident in New Zealand with my New Zealand fiancée, house and job, I was also mandated to have a vaccine if I wished to travel back to Australia to see my family.
I was injected on the 2nd of November 2021; on the 3rd of November I began to have mild chest pains. The 4th of November my knee began swelling to quite a large size and the strong chest pains worsened. I was admitted to Dunstan Hospital where I was advised I had possible inflammation within my chest. I was prescribed Naproxen.
I then had a second visit to Dunstan Hospital again on the 5th of November, with my symptoms worsening, I was prescribed Colchicine due to altering T waves in an ECG. This was confirmed by my General Practitioner, Dr Greg White. Dr Greg completed an ACC application for Acute Pericarditis.
The next week, my pain progressed and the swelling of the knee remained prominent. I was bed written and couldn’t work. I struggled to walk short distances within my home with the pain I was enduring in my chest and knee.
On the 11th of November, deep vein Thrombosis began to show behind my left knee – the pain was unbearable. The ambulance was called. Upon arrival of the paramedics, the swelling in the vein had dissipated. The Paramedics called Dunstan Hospital for a 24hr monitor but I was denied. The paramedic personally advised that I should go to an Emergency Department with a request to perform a D-Dimer test. The closest hospital was in Dunedin, 2.5 hours from my home.
My fiancée’s family drove me to Dunedin hospital, in which again I was in extreme discomfort. I waited 3+ hours and was met by Dr Susan Creighton after Xray’s and blood works were taken. She disregarded my pitting oedema, and concerns. Dr Susan began to explain that all the chest pain and other issues were “all in my head” and that I was frustrated and anxious.
IF this was to be true, Dr Susan should have helped me with her theory of me being anxious and explain why she thought I was, but instead told me to stop all medication and to leave the Dunedin hospital. Because I had no vaccine Certificate and no exemption, this left me unable to get any accommodation in Dunedin (due to Government Mandates) this left me scared, upset and worried as I was really unwell and travelling another 2.5 hours back home to Alexandra where there is no Emergency Department within the area, I just felt terrible and no one to turn to.
The following day an appointment with Dr Greg White was made and I was told to continue medication after showing results of my ECGs. I had explained to him that ACC had not accepted my claim in that the diagnosis had to be confirmed by a cardiologist. The public referral was denied due to no inflammatory markers in my blood work. I then paid privately and booked an appointment with Dr Belinda Green, Cardiologist at the Southern Heart Practice in Dunedin.
On the 12th of January 2022, an echocardiogram was performed and blood work taken, followed by a consultation with Dr Green.
Dr Green had stated in the consultation that I was the first in medical literature to have an inflamed pericardium with no inflammatory markers. This being confirmed, ACC accepted my claim shortly after for “Vaccine Injury Pericarditis”.
The slow road to recovery continued. With extra hospital visits and specialist appointments due to the endless strong chest pain.
I went from an extremely healthy, fit and energetic 25-year-old to the unhealthiest, pain ridden “old man” within days of the vaccine. Many nights and days of lack of sleep and immense pain in my chest, I couldn’t even lie down to sleep as the pain was excruciating. After a period of time, I had to go back to work to support our living costs due to the fact of lack of support from the government to become accepted by ACC. I had to pay for all my own medical expenses and the extra financial stress it caused, I cannot explain.
My road to recovery is still on going. The 6 to 8 months post vaccine was the most traumatic experience myself and my partner have ever faced. Discrimination, absolutely no one listening to me, lied to and gaslighted is only the start of how I would describe my situation. If it wasn’t for the continued support of my fiancée and endless phone calls day and night to my parents in Australia, I am not sure where I would have ended up.
I am still on medications to date and still experiencing chest pain from over exertion.
I hope you find my story compelling because those 6-8 months of my life, I will never get back and the trauma of how I was treated will always be wedged in my mind forever. I often wonder what the future will bring for my health from this vaccine induced medical condition.
The one thing that needs to be said is that I did the right thing by the Government and when it went wrong no one would listen to me. I am forever grateful for Dr Green the Cardiologist who finally took the time to listen to my story and carry out all necessary tests.
We were told on a daily basis by the government, that’s it’s safe and effective, when it truly was neither.
Please contact me for further information, if required, on the findings from the Doctors and Cardiologist.
Regards
Ben