Pfizer # 1: FK0115
I’m 55, live in Nelson, am a mother of 4 and grandmother of 2. I am still (until September) a registered nurse and have been for 37 years. I’d worked in Palmerston North both in public and private areas of Nursing, including infection control and most recently working in a surgical area and teaching Emergency Care and CPR in-house here in Nelson.
From a pre-existing condition perspective, My family has the physical markers for Marfans Syndrome – a connective tissue disorder. We have been investigated and monitored for heart valve changes and Aorta changes due to four immediate family members whose died in their 50’s from AAA (Abdominal Aortic Aneurism) – it appears as a heart attack, but your aorta ruptures and you bleed out. I have regular heart scans to monitor this with a Cardiologist and have a slightly enlarged aorta. The cardiologist referred me to a Genetic specialist, who took my pre-vaccine blood and sent it overseas for DNA analysis. All my children will be screened also.
I’d had a rection to a flu vaccine 3 years ago resulting in a body wide rash and fatigue for 3 days which I believe was from an egg white base. I’d researched the original Pfizer documentation online back in 2020 and had seen that it mentioned egg white base, but when I went searching for it at the time healthcare workers were mandated, I could no longer find the document. The Pfizer information on MedSafe website had not been updated in 8 months, so I wrote to them questioning why, they responded telling me they hadn’t updated their website information because all updated information can be found on the World Health Organisation website. After searching there, I couldn’t find anything on the W.H.O website pertaining to the information I was specifically looking for.
I believe I had covid in early 2020, along with my daughter and grandson, but antibody testing is not available in New Zealand for covid.
We’d had communications from our professional body that we should not do or say anything against uptake of the vaccine. We had to support the drive for people to have it. I’d had concerns about getting the vaccine because I didn’t have all the information I wanted and was mandated as a health professional. I went to a local pharmacist on the 15th of October 2021 to have it. I asked why there was no consent form or more information, the pharmacist said I knew I was there for vaccination, and that WAS the consent, which was very strange to me given the usual standard protocols for informed consent. I told the pharmacist about my previous reaction to the flu vaccine, and he agreed I should stay and be watched for 20 minutes afterwards (even though the rule had changed where it was no longer required to remain in case of reaction).
Within 48 hours my Left eye was flickering (this only lasted about 15 minutes) and I developed swollen lymph nodes under my left arm, and outer aspect of left breast (It had also been administered in my left arm), which persisted for weeks – It was constant. It felt really full and noticeable, but not painful. 10 days later I had chest pain and palpitations at work, I’d never had palpitations before. It happened at night just after everything quietened down, so I ended up doing my own obs (BP, pulse, and oxygen saturation), I determined that I was Tachycardic. One of the other nurses came and asked me if I was ok. My BP was 170/90, which was high for me, and my heart rate was irregular. The chest pain resolved but I could still feel the palpitations, and I’ve had intermittent palpitations since.
I registered my adverse reaction on CARM website a few days later. I was on a work computer, logged in as a health professional and was kicked off the site 3 times. There was no way it could have known for whom I was lodging the event. I could see that it would be difficult and time consuming for busy doctors and would be a barrier to any events being recorded by them. Many people don’t know they can lodge a CARM report themselves.
Within a week of the reaction, I had a family member share information of a protocol to support me through what I was experiencing. The protocol was for multivitamins and nigella sativa (black cumin oil), so have been taking them. My body craved tonic water which I normally hate, which was odd, but I listened to it. I also noticed I wasn’t bleeding for tiny cuts or scratches (I do gardening and had noticed after cutting my palm that I wasn’t bleeding) so I started taking a low dose of aspirin for clotting reasons.
I was supposed to have the second vaccine on 8th of November, but I made a decision not to have it, I was worried about my health and knew I’d have to leave my job if I didn’t meet the mandate requirement. I booked an appointment to see my GP on 12th of November because the exemption rules had since changed and they might be approved for anaphylaxis, myocarditis, or pericarditis, and that all applications would be reviewed by the Health Minister. My normal GP had left the practise and a new American Doctor was in her place. I explained my situation to her and had gone to see if I was eligible for an exemption but said “I don’t think you can help me”. She listened to my heart and said, ‘you don’t have any audible (pericarditis) rub’. She didn’t do any inflammatory bloods or anything and just told me that she’d lost count of how many people died from covid where she was from and confirmed that she didn’t think she could help me. She then told me there are a group that travel around giving high risk patients their covid vaccine, and next time they came to Nelson she’d make an appt for me and it would be given to me in ED, but I wasn’t about to do that.
The minister of health said they were bringing in the Astra Zeneca shot, saying it was slightly different – As it was known as the clot shot – this wasn’t an option for me.
My last week of work was the end of December and the 1st of January was the last day that any of us who hadn’t had 2 vaccines were allowed to work. My boss ended up having the conversation with my colleagues around asking me if I was getting the second vaccine – Something that is supposed to be a private conversation. It really challenged others around me, some other nurses were really triggered.
I finished up on 1st of January and left to go and grow flowers commercially. Transitioning to my own business was always my plan, it just happened earlier than expected.