Had A Bad Reaction To A Booster Shot Yesterday

I was at the Dr. yesterday for an annual(ish) wellness check. Fit as a fiddle. Anyway, she said I was overdue for a tDap booster (tetanus, dyphtheria, pertussis). It was optional of course, but I figured I might as well get it. Things were fine for a few hours, but I started feeling really tired and my neck started getting really stiff/sore.

An hour after those symptoms hit, I was shivering uncontrollably and had a fever of 103. It pretty much lasted all night, except for a couple stretches where the fever would dip and I would be hot and sweaty. Aside from a slamming headache and a mild fever this morning, I'm pretty much better now.

Has anyone else ever had a bad reaction to an immunization before?

 

Nothing that severe.

Typhoid shots always made my arm hurt like hell for a few days though.

 

Wow, thats scary, glad you're ok

I haven't been to the doctors in over 10 years but even when I was going, I dont ever recall getting booster shots. The last Tetanus I got was over 20 years when I stepped on a rusty nail.

 

Thanks guys. I'm probably going to have to go back to the Dr. It was better yesterday, but overnight it got worse. Woke up with a 104 fever, the shakes, and a migraine. I've got some other weird symptoms too like swollen lymph nodes and yellow vision.

I almost never get sick, so to be laid flat out from a frickin' booster shot is a little hard to accept. :x

 

I thought it was a one night thing and went away. Yes. Do see the doctor.

Could just be a coincidence and you caught a bug. But better safe than sorry.

 

My wife spoke with the Dr. and she said the reaction was "normal". Apparently 1 out of 250 adults get those types of symptoms from it. She said basically to just keep doing what I was already doing, and to come see her Monday if things didn't get better.

 

Huh, thats how I feel after a Steelers loss

 

Glad to hear it was something more or less "normal."

Hope the bouts of fever are done.

 

Thanks guys. I think I'm finally starting to get over this thing.

Yeah, I think most places will give the triple combo booster now if you're not up to date on them all.

 

Just to update this, I still haven't gotten over this thing yet. Fevers and migraines everyday since the shot. Granted, the fevers aren't higher than 101 when they're high, but they still do their thing.

I could have seen the Dr. the other day, but the nurse who I called said that it was probably just a coincidence, and that I was already getting sick before I had the shot. After she said that I couldn't take her seriously. I ended up telling her I'd just keep an eye on it for a couple days.

Since I still have symptoms and that big hot red spot is still on my leg, I called and scheduled an appointment for tomorrow morning.

 

Yikes! A full week. That can't be normal.

 

Big Red Hot spot? ??

That's new info. Is this new since the last time you saw the doctor?

 

Ahh, I thought I had mentioned that. Sorry. This red circle appeared on my thigh on Saturday. It's the same leg that had the slightly swollen/tender lymph node. That went away, and a day later, this appeared about 8" lower. It's red, hot, slightly raised, and about the size of a folded dollar bill. It hasn't bothered me at all (not painful or irritating), but obviously something that should be checked out. I haven't seen the Dr. since I was given the shot last Wednesday. I told the nurse about my symptoms over the phone and she said they were basically just a coincidence, and that I was most likely getting sick with this before I got the shot. I told her I wasn't buying that, and she got annoyed. I was born at night, but it wasn't last night.

Looking at it now, it does look a little better than it did earlier. I'll see what the Dr. says in the morning. She'll probably want some blood before giving me antibiotics and sending me on my merry way.

 

Anytime I hear "hot" and lump on a leg, my mind immediately goes to a blood clot. Doesn't mean it is (most often they develop behind or below the knee first), but it's always a concern.

Could be an abscess (which could also explain the fever and swollen lymph node). Or even a reaction to a bug/spider/tick bite.

I'll be curious what the doctor thinks.

 

OK, the Dr. said I had a "normal", yet rather extreme response to the Dyptheria bacteria. She said the fever and headaches are going to run their course, as the bacteria is still in my system. She doesn't think the red spot on my thigh is related. She thinks I was bitten by something and didn't realize it. Personally, I know that's not right...but she's the expert.

Coincidentally, I noticed a bunch of red spots on my tricep and back when I got in the shower this morning that weren't there yesterday. They're more like blotches that aren't raised and don't itch. The Dr. thinks that they are eczema or something similar. She said that since I have seasonal allergies, I'm probably having an allergic response to something in the environment, and that I need to switch allergy meds. She gave me a script for Zertec, which she thinks will clear up the big red spot and the new little ones, and said to give them a call in a couple days if things don't improve.

 

The works.

 

I'm doing great! No headache this morning and no real fever to speak of. Got some red spots here and there, but I really don't care because I've been feeling great today. Went for a run earlier and got caught up on some work. Life is good. Thanks for asking.

-I forgot to add this yesterday. The Dr's. office called just before dinner last night and wanted to know if I had eaten any peaches, plums, or nectarines recently. She was saying that she had remembered about a big recall on those fruits at some stores, and my symptoms matched the listeriosis symptoms that people were getting infected with. I hadn't had any of those fruits recently, so I declined coming back down for a blood panel.

 

Thank you!