I'll add to the list of victims, but would sure love to see some posts or info with answers and treatment!
I got a flu shot on "shot day" at my doc's office (they only gave shots one day a week, I guess to be more efficient, but from the start it felt too impersonal and lacking in care for patient well-being).
When it was my turn I walked into the room where a lone nurse (or who-knows-what she was) stood and was already drawing a syringe. I think I may have had time to just say hello and pull up the t-shirt on my left arm... before I knew what hit me. She basically swung around and stabbed me (hard!) with the needle, and it was out again in half a second. There was no feeling of liquid going in my arm and hurting (or anything like that, as someone else here tried to explain), what I felt was instant pain from being stabbed! There was both pain at the injection site of being "hit" at that spot, that felt like the needle hit the bone, and there was instant pain lower in my arm around my elbow. Looking back, there was no doubt whatsoever that I had been stabbed, causing physical injury, instead of getting an injection. I say "looking back", because at the time I guess I thought that it was such an unusual experience, and nothing I would ever expect, that I must have been in shock a bit... and I didn't complain about it. There was the instant pain, but a few seconds later it was down to a lingering discomfort, so I guess my mind was trying to rationalize what just happened as "normal", and that it was quickly go away, and that there was no way I could be injured, much less crippled, by a shot... so I didn't say anything other than ask her to give me something to document that I got the shot. (I'm in the Navy Reserve, and have to get the vaccine every year, so need proof to give the military if I get it at my civilian provider.)
And for what it's worth, as a Naval Flight Officer with 26 years of service, I've had more than my share of shots, and I've never had any reaction or problem, and I can tell you with great confidence that my pain then, and still, was caused by the careless and improper injection technique, that tore or damaged some tissue, bone, nerve, muscle, etc.
I got the shot back in Oct 2009, so it's been about 5 months now. The discomfort and pain is about the same as it's always been. It really doesn't bother me much if I don't use my left arm, but if I move my arm certain ways (reaching out to the side, lifting overhead, rolling/twisting arm to the left, etc.) then I'll get pain, sometimes quite sharp, in 3 general areas - around elbow, area of the shot in mid upper arm, and upper arm near shoulder (not top of shoulder or around the back). I can't carry any weight now with my left arm. (I've never been one to lift weights much, running is more of my thing, but I'd like to, but feel like I can't now.) I do still try to use the arm, and will do occasional push-ups, etc. now. Another symptom that seems a bit odd is that when I do use my arm, the pain is most intense when I first use it, but will subside as I continue that activity. For example the first push-up is almost impossible to get back to the up position, but after a few it's more of just a discomfort that I can work through.
The fact that I can "work through" the pain, is one reason that I didn't complain more initially, and that it's taken me this long to really start to worry about it.
I did go back to the doc where I got the shot (in Dec 2009), and at first there was an incredulous attitude, and essentially a response of "you can't get hurt from a shot". I pressed the issue with him, and he went off to do some research... He came back and said that a small percentage of people do have issues (he didn't tell me what), but they usually resolve themselves. So, take some Naproxin and call me in the morning... Well, since I was about to deploy to Iraq, he said to follow up with someone out here.
So, when the supply of meds ran out last month, and it seemed to be getting worse (I think the meds did help reduce the pain), I went to the doc here. This is not exactly Johns Hopkins Hospital that we have here in Iraq, so he said he couldn't do much, except give me more meds. He did say that it sounded like the needle did some damage to muscle and/or nerve, maybe tearing something, and that it "might" get better. Or it might not. And "fixing" it might not be possible since surgery to try to repair possible scar tissue could just leave more scar tissue. Bottom line, if it doesn't get better then I need to see specialists when I get back home (late this year).
For more background... several years ago I had radiculopathy pain and numbness from slight disk bulge around C-2 or 3 (forgot now), so I know what that feels like - and this arm pain is completely different.
So, here I am, in pain every day, not able to fully use my left arm, waiting and hoping that it just gets better. It's been 5 months, and counting.
I'm only (a young) 48 years old, and I just can't imagine being crippled like this the rest of my life - just from a damn flu shot.
I'm considering some kind of legal action, if for no other reason than to help make sure that the obviously untrained and/or uncaring practitioner doesn't do this to anyone else...
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I'll add to the list of victims, but would sure love to see some posts or info with answers and treatment!
I got a flu shot on "shot day" at my doc's office (they only gave shots one day a week, I guess to be more efficient, but from the start it felt too impersonal and lacking in care for patient well-being).
When it was my turn I walked into the room where a lone nurse (or who-knows-what she was) stood and was already drawing a syringe. I think I may have had time to just say hello and pull up the t-shirt on my left arm... before I knew what hit me. She basically swung around and stabbed me (hard!) with the needle, and it was out again in half a second. There was no feeling of liquid going in my arm and hurting (or anything like that, as someone else here tried to explain), what I felt was instant pain from being stabbed! There was both pain at the injection site of being "hit" at that spot, that felt like the needle hit the bone, and there was instant pain lower in my arm around my elbow. Looking back, there was no doubt whatsoever that I had been stabbed, causing physical injury, instead of getting an injection. I say "looking back", because at the time I guess I thought that it was such an unusual experience, and nothing I would ever expect, that I must have been in shock a bit... and I didn't complain about it. There was the instant pain, but a few seconds later it was down to a lingering discomfort, so I guess my mind was trying to rationalize what just happened as "normal", and that it was quickly go away, and that there was no way I could be injured, much less crippled, by a shot... so I didn't say anything other than ask her to give me something to document that I got the shot. (I'm in the Navy Reserve, and have to get the vaccine every year, so need proof to give the military if I get it at my civilian provider.)
And for what it's worth, as a Naval Flight Officer with 26 years of service, I've had more than my share of shots, and I've never had any reaction or problem, and I can tell you with great confidence that my pain then, and still, was caused by the careless and improper injection technique, that tore or damaged some tissue, bone, nerve, muscle, etc.
I got the shot back in Oct 2009, so it's been about 5 months now. The discomfort and pain is about the same as it's always been. It really doesn't bother me much if I don't use my left arm, but if I move my arm certain ways (reaching out to the side, lifting overhead, rolling/twisting arm to the left, etc.) then I'll get pain, sometimes quite sharp, in 3 general areas - around elbow, area of the shot in mid upper arm, and upper arm near shoulder (not top of shoulder or around the back). I can't carry any weight now with my left arm. (I've never been one to lift weights much, running is more of my thing, but I'd like to, but feel like I can't now.) I do still try to use the arm, and will do occasional push-ups, etc. now. Another symptom that seems a bit odd is that when I do use my arm, the pain is most intense when I first use it, but will subside as I continue that activity. For example the first push-up is almost impossible to get back to the up position, but after a few it's more of just a discomfort that I can work through.
The fact that I can "work through" the pain, is one reason that I didn't complain more initially, and that it's taken me this long to really start to worry about it.
I did go back to the doc where I got the shot (in Dec 2009), and at first there was an incredulous attitude, and essentially a response of "you can't get hurt from a shot". I pressed the issue with him, and he went off to do some research... He came back and said that a small percentage of people do have issues (he didn't tell me what), but they usually resolve themselves. So, take some Naproxin and call me in the morning... Well, since I was about to deploy to Iraq, he said to follow up with someone out here.
So, when the supply of meds ran out last month, and it seemed to be getting worse (I think the meds did help reduce the pain), I went to the doc here. This is not exactly Johns Hopkins Hospital that we have here in Iraq, so he said he couldn't do much, except give me more meds. He did say that it sounded like the needle did some damage to muscle and/or nerve, maybe tearing something, and that it "might" get better. Or it might not. And "fixing" it might not be possible since surgery to try to repair possible scar tissue could just leave more scar tissue. Bottom line, if it doesn't get better then I need to see specialists when I get back home (late this year).
For more background... several years ago I had radiculopathy pain and numbness from slight disk bulge around C-2 or 3 (forgot now), so I know what that feels like - and this arm pain is completely different.
So, here I am, in pain every day, not able to fully use my left arm, waiting and hoping that it just gets better. It's been 5 months, and counting.
I'm only (a young) 48 years old, and I just can't imagine being crippled like this the rest of my life - just from a damn flu shot.
I'm considering some kind of legal action, if for no other reason than to help make sure that the obviously untrained and/or uncaring practitioner doesn't do this to anyone else...
Bryan
March 10, 2010 - 4:16amThis Comment
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