First published: Dec 2021
To say that I’m a bit upset writing this page would be a huge understatement. In early 2021 I was in remission and 95%+ recovered from this ridiculous illness. Suddenly a whole new symptom-free world of opportunities was reopening too me and I was beyond excited. This page was supposed to be an illustration of the myriad of ways CFS/ME can affect someone and what overcoming all those symptoms can mean. But then it came time for me to have my first Vaxzevria (AstraZeneca) COVID-19 “vaccination”…
The Setback
Within days of my first jab everything was relapsing, plus I had some extra new symptoms to add to the list. The second dose made things even worse (yes I was coercerced into having a second!!!). Now, 6 months later, I’m miles away from where I was in my recovery and really feel like remission is nowhere on the horizon. I am having moments of feeling almost human, but any exertion or stress usually sends me into a tailspin which can take hours or days to recover from.
I live in Western Australia where the unvaccinated are excluded from various sections of society by government mandate, so I’m hoping to obtain an exemption from receiving any further vaccinations to allow me to get back on my previous path to recovery. Without this I will have to accept whatever restrictions are imposed on my civil liberties. Consciously taking something again that has so clearly made my CFS/ME so much worse is utterly unthinkable.
My Symptoms
| Symptom | Pre Remission | Remission | Post Vaccine |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abdominal Pain | 0 | 0 | 5 (0-7) |
| Lung Pain | 0 | 0 | 1 (0-5) |
| Costochondritis | 4 | 0 | 6 |
| Post Exertional Malaise | 6 | 1 | 8 | Fatigue | 6 | 1 | 6 |
| Headache | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Joint Pain & Stiffness |
3 | 0 | 4 |
| Muscular Pain | 4 | 1 | 4 |
| Bone Pain | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| All over body pressure/heaviness |
4 | 0 | 4 |
| Weakness | 5 | 1 | 6 |
| Heart Pain | 4 | 0 | 5 |
| Tinnitus | 6 | 3 | 7 |
| Brain Fog | 5 | 2 | 6 |
| Tooth/Gum Ache | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Viral Feeling | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| Calf Fasiculation | 2 | 0 | 6 |
| Achilles Tendon Pain |
4 | 0 | 7 |
| Exercise Intolerance |
6 | 1 | 8 |
| Alcohol Intolerance | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| Sarcoidosis-like rash on shins |
1 | 0 | 2 |
| Hairy Leukoplakia | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Malar Rash | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Temperature intolerance | 4 | 2 | 4 |
| Diarrhoea | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| Depression | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Anxiety | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Hours/day feeling good | 4 | 16 | 3 |
0 = No symptoms, 10 = 100% of the time or most excruciating imaginable.