By Daniel Hooker
I have been given permission to share two experiences of COVID vaccine injury. The stories are from an Islander and a former Islander who lived here many years.
Story 1: “A few months after the vaccines came out, I took the vaccine (Moderna) knowing I would soon be required to anyway (since I am a teacher). I was staying with my 90-year-old parents in the summer, so wanted to be cautious.”
This person had some issues after the first shot. “Several months after the vaccines, I manifested a heart murmur and my vision got blurry. It would take half a year or more to get appointments with experts like eye doctors and neurologists. Insurance would not cover the heart ultrasound my doctor ordered, saying it was ‘exploratory.'”
“I think my heart valves are not too bad, so I am not worrying about that, but the visual impairment has nearly ruined my life. Both eyes independently see three images (binocular polyplopia – where headlights look like three-leaf clovers with overlapping leaflets – as if seeing several halos). No eye doctor has an explanation – my eyes are physically fine. Glasses do not fix it. The MRI did not show any issues that explained it (but it would not have been able to capture tiny alterations).
“Neither of the two eye doctors I spoke with admits to having heard of the vaccine impairing vision, though opticians (e.g., at Costco) say that they hear it all the time. The neurologist says, though, that it’s more common with long COVID patients. All sorts of sensory organs are affected (hearing, taste, touch, inner ear/balance etc.).
“One friend lost hearing in one ear and has restless leg syndrome-like feelings all over their body, which started right after the vaccine, Another friend’s bipolar medications got totally messed up after the Omicron booster, as well as severe heart issues that I am not aware were there before. I cannot ask more about it, as they died from the heart issues six months after the booster.”
Story 2: “To begin, I never had any wrist problems leading up to what happened after receiving my COVID vaccines. I got my first vaccine, which was a Pfizer, and within 30 to 45 minutes of receiving it, my left wrist started hurting and it just kept getting worse.
“Then I got my first booster, which also was Pfizer, and that sent my right wrist into pain. I went to the doctors here on-Island, and got a steroid shot to help with the pain, which gave me less than 24 hours of relief. I kept going back to see what could be done, and eventually got a referral for an ultrasound. The ultrasound showed a large amount of inflammation and bony calcifications on both wrists.
“That got me a referral to a hand surgeon. My options were to live with the pain or have surgery to cut the tendons, all while being told it was just a coincidence on timing with the vaccines. I managed to fix my tendon without surgery and have been without pain for a while. I have given up on the vaccines due to not wanting to deal with more pain.”
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From Daniel:
I’m also interested in getting stories from people who have injuries from the COVID virus itself. If you’d like to confidentially share your story about either vaccine injury or long COVID, please contact me on Facebook messenger or phone me at (707) 771-1999.
