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I was happy to receive the flu shot this year, as I feel like it's "doing my part" to stop the spread of the influenza virus. Plus, any inoculation that can either prevent, or lessen the symptoms, of flu is motivation to me!
I've received the flu shot annually, for the past 10 years. I have the typical soreness at site, possibly a little tired that evening. But that's it.
This year...my shoulder muscle (at the site of the injection) is still painful, so much that I can't move my arm forward at shoulder-level, or lift my arm up over my head, without a sharp pain in that one muscle. If my arm is still, it does not hurt. It is affecting my sleep, as I am confined to sleeping on only my right side (it is my left arm that hurts).
Are there any other reports of this flu shot symptom? Did I just not move my arm enough after the shot (kind of "favored it"), or is there something else wrong??
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With the numbness yours might have hit a nerve. Which is an older and more accepted injury that is possible. Nerves can make places hurt that are nowhere near the damaged nerve as I learned with a rupture disc in my neck years ago. Really strange pain that shoots and moves around and comes and goes. Surgery corrected my issue BUT it took many many months before the pain almost entirely subsided. I'm told nerves heal slower than almost any other body tissue.
As for some of the other posters whose symptoms mirror mine exactly I'm betting it's SIRVA (shoulder injury as a result of vaccine administration) the "new" injury that they are still talking about and that hasn't really made the news yet. It is much more widespread than even the doctors that have now "published" a medical paper on it for peer review realize.
This link is a transcript of one of the meetings. The info about SIRVA starts around page 35 or 36 I think and goes on for about 20 pages or so.
http://www.hrsa.gov/vaccinecompensation/061011accvtranscript.pdf
This link I found over a year ago with good info that has proven to be accurate (I wasn't sure at first). And notice all the "new" comments below mine from last year when there were only a few.
http://vactruth.com/2010/09/06/shoulder-injury-related-to-vaccine-administration/
It ain't in your mind folks! And I'm getting angry reading how they don't want to "rush" to issue CDC guidance yet until more studies, peer review, etc. In the meantime people are being hurt and I can tell you, while I'm about 90% ok now, the pain was extreme. We got the shot at my office (volutarily) from a local pharmacy and only five females were jabbed. Three of the five had this issue and a fourth complained about how high and painful the shot was. One was in her 30s and recovered faster. The other was my bosses wife close to my age 45-55 and she went through hell as did I and she is still having a lot of problems. Mine flares up a bit I noticed with the cold weather and if I overdo certain movements/excersises. My shot was September 2010.
I have now seen a recently updated chart where they state that the evidence that this Injection-Related Event causes Deltoid bursitis (frozen shoulder, characterized by shoulder pain and loss of motion) Convincingly Supports the cause being the vaccine injection. That's the highest rating of causality (sp?) they give. That was dated August 2011.
Please everyone keep updating. I am going to file a claim as well because I had medical expenses and missed work due to this. If the symptoms last for more than six months I believe you are eligible.
Good luck everyone!
January 5, 2012 - 4:31pmThis Comment
My flu shot hit my bone and caused a chipped bone in my shoulder....revealed from MRI. None of my doctors wanted to believe that the flu shot was actually causing the pain, but now with the MRI confimation, the doctor's are now telling me how "shocked" they were to see the MRI results.....they had all suspected frozen shoulder, but it was more than that in my case.
January 21, 2012 - 5:29pmThis Comment
Thank you so much for your reply. Wonderful info. The doctor made me feel like I was crazy even mentioning that I thought the flu shot caused this pain - but now I am certain - Thanks again
January 5, 2012 - 6:00pmThis Comment
I had the flu shot at the end of Nov. It was given to me at the side of my left arm almost near my armpit. An hour after I got it my arm was very numb - the next day my arm, shoulder, back and chest were in pain. I thought that I was having a heart attach so I went to the hospital. They did an EKG, xrays and blood test. No heart attach. He told me that it might be muscle related so I told him that I thought it was from the flu shot and he shook his head and smiled like I was crazy. I have had this pain every day since. It comes and goes. If I walk fast it is the worst. The pain is a very numb, weakening feeling. I am going to a heart specialist on Jan. 31 to have a stress test which I know I will fail. I am happy to have found this board because I never had this pain before and it started right after the shot. Does anyone have pain in the middle of the chest like I do? Thanks - Janice
January 4, 2012 - 6:35pmThis Comment
Are you people serious. Do you have any idea what these meds do to you? Flu shot, what? If you had the flu it be over within 36 hours. You guys are soar for more than a week. Think about it all.
December 20, 2011 - 2:18pmThis Comment
You and many others need to educate yourselves. If you had full blown Influenza you could DIE--this isn't the 3 day stomach flu or ache for a few days crap. Look up the Influenza Epidemic of 1918. THAT'S the 'Flu' the shots are trying to avoid and keep at bay. BTW--it's sore not soar.
October 6, 2012 - 8:59pmThis Comment
Never AGAIN..and people can refuse to take a shot. It IS their right.
October 8, 2012 - 7:06pmThis Comment
Well, My flu shot was mid Oct. 2011. It's now Jan 4th 2012. My left arm and shoulder is still very painfull. I have half the strength and my left arm is half the size of my right arm. I'm currently seeing 4 different doctors and am on 5 medications. Nothing is helping. Perhaps in 3 years I'll be one of the lucky ones that gets 90% use back of my arm. I will never get another flu shot as long as I'm alive. I will likely be fired from my job as the hospital I work at has made the flu shot mandatory. I lost my left arm because of a stupid policy. Once all my tests come back positive for Brachial Plexus Neuropathy, which is medically documented to be caused by vaccinations, I'll be contacting my attourney.
January 4, 2012 - 6:08amThis Comment
I am a health care worker in a major area hospital. I was forced by this hospital to get the flu shot this year as they made it ''mandatory''. It's been over two months since the shot and my left shoulder and arm is still extremelly painful and I can't sleep more than two hours at a time as the pain wakes me up. I am seeing a doctor and have been put on Prednisone, and pain killers. The pain does not subside and I have lost a great deal of strength in my entire left arm and the pain seems to get worse with each passing day. I did not injur my arm yet everyone thinks I did. It's very frustrating. I'm sure a c.t., x-ray, M.R.I, or ultrasound would be negative. It appears that I have nerve damage as my symptoms mimic this type of condition. Shortly after my shoulder pain started I ended up in the emergency room covered it massive hives. I am currently seeing an allurgist for this thus all the Prednisone I'm on. My immune system is compromised now, my liver enzymes are high as well as white blood count. Very scary. My allurgist is convinced it was from the flu shot as I have never had allergies to anything. Plus he is currently treating four other people from this same hospital for similar complaints related to the flu shot. Even on Prednisone and Ultram I still have incredible shoulder pain that radiates partially up my neck and all the way down my arm and my thumb and index finger are partially numb. I was shocked to discover so many posts regarding this topic not only on this web site but on many others. Everyone seems to be going through the same thing. Many long weeks of extreme pain, lack of sleep, countless visits to different doctors and specialists, all with no relief or answers. Seems the duration of this condition could last up to a year or possibly more. I have been studying nerve damage and it sure points to that as the time to heal a nerve is quite long. What are we all gonna do? What can we do? HELP?
December 17, 2011 - 4:07amThis Comment
This is a follow up to my last post above. After 2 1/2 months of research I have come to discover that the problem we likely all have is called Brachial Plexus Neuropathy. The symptoms often mimic other shoulder conditions thus the misdiagnosis and mistreatment of this horrible condition. 15% of all patients presenting with BPN have this due to a vaccination. It's in all the medical journals. I strongly urge all on this forum to research this further and good luck to all!!
December 19, 2011 - 9:55pmThis Comment