A Word to the Wise Regarding the Pneumovax Vaccine

At my annual checkup in January I was asked by my doctor if I'd like a flu shot or pneumonia vaccine. I had a really horrendous bout with the flu in 2006 but have generally shrugged them off. To aid my decisions, if I was considering one or the other, he noted that 8 times as many people die from pneumonia as flu. 

(EdNote: This year, because of social distancing, I am not sure whether people are passing the flu around at all. If you have stats, please post in the comments.)

I proceeded to say yes to getting a pneumonia poke.

What happened next surprised me. The first night my upper arm got stiff and was quite sore. I have had enough shots to expect a little of that. The second night I could hardly sleep from the "tenderness" and stiffness. Third night was more of the same and while lying awake on the fourth night I decided to ask Google if this were normal or should I go to the walk in clinic the next day.

The query directed me to a page at WebMD. You've probably been there yourself at one time or another. Here is what I read:

Pneumovax 23 injection Reviews and User Ratings:
Effectiveness, Ease of Use, and Satisfaction

The purpose of the vaccine is to address Condition: Prevention of Streptococcus Pneumoniae Infection

Next, there were user reviews. What follows are the first five of many.
Fortunately I did not have all these symptoms. 

1. Received Thursday. 9am, by 2pm couldn't lift arm without quite a bit of pain. Thursday night barely slept body pain throughout. Sleep 60 min, up 90 min thru entire night. Extreme nausea and fever started by 4am. Fully medicated with both acetaminophen and ibuprofen piggyback I still ran a 102.6 fever majority of Friday. Thought of going to ER, heart palpitations too. Increase in pain in arm. Up and down thru Friday night. Vomiting. Sat only low grade to no fever. Arm is now beyond painful. Even my shirt touching is torture, it is hot, red, swollen. Pain radiating all the way to fingertips. Had to draw a line on arm of redness outer boundary to see if it'd increase in size. Still nauseous almost all day had some dinner and living on freezer pops to keep food down. Headache and migraines for two days now. Took a benedryl before bed in case it's any allergic reaction. Praying since they placed the shot so high it's not into bursa sack. I have rheumatoid arthritis and had shoulder bursitis in past. If they know giving too high is a problem then why on Earth do they? Woke up Sunday morning after another fitful pained night. Fever seems to be gone, stomach feeling a bit better, arm same if not worse. No spread of red swollen area, extreme pain and radiating down into elbow and fingers. The list of side effects is missing a lot of information especially as far as the extreme of all of it and a fever that nearly put me in hospital.

2. Sore arm, shoulder & back. Upset stomach, malaise & headache. Now on the 4th day after the shot & still having these symptoms.   >>>> EdNote: I had been taking Rolaids and Tums for my stomach that week but never thought to connect it with the shot! <<<

3. This is the sickest I've been in 15 years, following this shot. Woke up at 2am with a hugely swollen arm and fever of 102. Couldn't sleep all night, chills, nausea, dizziness. My arm was still red and swollen from shoulder to elbow 48 hours after shot, and 4 days later it's still painful. 

>>>EdNote: My arm felt swollen but was not red. I don't feel like I have had a fever<<<<

4. Very painful arm after injection..barely could sleep...pain if touched bed..flu shot other arm was mildly sore.  

5. Received shot in left arm thursday at 2 pm at CVS. My choice. By 10 pm i could not move my arm. It came on sudden. The pain was so severe in both arm and shoulder, i didnt sleep. Couldnt touch arm or shoulder without severe pain. Couldnt move without crying in pain. Fever of 100.1 stayed in bed all day Friday. It is Saturday now and still limited mobility but less painful. I will NEVER again get this vaccine. Thank goodness for this message board and reading others had the same experience, it kept me from going to the ER at 2am. This reaction is not on the paperwork, only soreness and stiffness. This was WAY beyond soreness. WAY beyond stiffness.

>>>EdNote: At 4 a.m. on fourth day I lay awake wondering if this was normal. After reading these reviews, I realized it is. <<<

THE NEXT DAY I finally began to feel better.

Here is the URL for your consideration. 

https://www.webmd.com/drugs/drugreview-5546-Pneumovax