Medical dilemma?
Posted: September 12th, 2019, 10:44 pm
I wonder if anyone has any serious experience or knowledge pertaining to this matter.
I've recently received a text message wrt appointments for annual Flu injections at my GP's surgery. For years when I qualified I didn't bother with them. Last year I had my first Flu injection. As usual with me, I had no following reaction or allergic response and felt entirely normal the following day and immediately after.
In the following week (I believe) I also started to develop very minor cold symptoms, without a sore throat. unfortunately this went on to gradually develop into very severe bronchitis with repeating severe coughing, which had not the slightest effect apart from wearing me down. It was so severe I stared to have real difficulty breathing at times. My lungs seemed to be disappearing and I felt I was suffocating.
I went to a hospital for a blood test - an unrelated matter - and started to feel unwell (more unwell) waiting for the test, it felt as if another stroke was imminent. I went to the test room and told them I was feeling unwell but still agreed to have the blood test (later proved to be useless in the circumstances!). Afterwards I said "I think I should see somebody", they told me I could go to their A&E, which I did.
By the time I got to the desk at A&E I could no longer speak, or explain what was wrong. It was all I could do to try hard at keeping on breathing. They whipped me in, I believe they may have thought I had had or might be having a heart attack. Various tests (including another blood test in A&E!) showed this was not so and I had recovered enough by then. I then had a chest X-ray, saw a consultant and was given a course of antibiotics.
I believe I still had no reason to associate all this with the earlier Flu inoculation. Then, one day while sitting in the GP's waiting room, I picked up and read a leaflet which gave a simple explanation, for the general public, of the Flu vaccination for the general public. I was very struck by this: "About ten to fourteen days after you receive the flu injection your body starts to produce antigens to the flu virus"
"ten to fourteen days"! That surprised me as I did not know this. Furthermore, this corresponds pretty well exactly to the delay after I received my first Flu injection and the onset of my very debilitating condition.
So, that's the dilemma - do I dismiss all the above as just a coincidence and go ahead with this years Flu injection?
I really don't want a repeat performance.
I've recently received a text message wrt appointments for annual Flu injections at my GP's surgery. For years when I qualified I didn't bother with them. Last year I had my first Flu injection. As usual with me, I had no following reaction or allergic response and felt entirely normal the following day and immediately after.
In the following week (I believe) I also started to develop very minor cold symptoms, without a sore throat. unfortunately this went on to gradually develop into very severe bronchitis with repeating severe coughing, which had not the slightest effect apart from wearing me down. It was so severe I stared to have real difficulty breathing at times. My lungs seemed to be disappearing and I felt I was suffocating.
I went to a hospital for a blood test - an unrelated matter - and started to feel unwell (more unwell) waiting for the test, it felt as if another stroke was imminent. I went to the test room and told them I was feeling unwell but still agreed to have the blood test (later proved to be useless in the circumstances!). Afterwards I said "I think I should see somebody", they told me I could go to their A&E, which I did.
By the time I got to the desk at A&E I could no longer speak, or explain what was wrong. It was all I could do to try hard at keeping on breathing. They whipped me in, I believe they may have thought I had had or might be having a heart attack. Various tests (including another blood test in A&E!) showed this was not so and I had recovered enough by then. I then had a chest X-ray, saw a consultant and was given a course of antibiotics.
I believe I still had no reason to associate all this with the earlier Flu inoculation. Then, one day while sitting in the GP's waiting room, I picked up and read a leaflet which gave a simple explanation, for the general public, of the Flu vaccination for the general public. I was very struck by this: "About ten to fourteen days after you receive the flu injection your body starts to produce antigens to the flu virus"
"ten to fourteen days"! That surprised me as I did not know this. Furthermore, this corresponds pretty well exactly to the delay after I received my first Flu injection and the onset of my very debilitating condition.
So, that's the dilemma - do I dismiss all the above as just a coincidence and go ahead with this years Flu injection?
I really don't want a repeat performance.