5 ms·

Anecdote: I had this reaction to the 2nd dose of the Pfizer vaccine, saw a cardiologist and she mentioned that she’s been seeing this quite a bit after the seco

Anecdote: I had this reaction to the 2nd dose of the Pfizer vaccine, saw a cardiologist and she mentioned that she’s been seeing this quite a bit after the second dose. Have had to lay low for a month, but it seems like the symptoms are finally passing.

popotamonga 5y ago
What kind of symptoms makes one go to a cardiologist? Just curious
- mannykannot 5y ago
  Arrhythmias are perhaps the most specific indicators that you should see a cardiologist, but chest pain and/or shortage of breath on mild exercise could well be caused by a heart problem. These are some of the symptoms of myocarditis, among other things.
- thatswrong0 5y ago
  I went to the doctor because of general shortness of breath all the time, heart rate spiking during normal activity like standing up, palpitations out the wazoo, and general fatigue.
- atom_arranger 5y ago
  I'm 27 and experienced a lot of chest pains and skipped heartbeats earlier this year. One night I stood up quickly, walked a bit then lost consciousness (low blood pressure), hit my head on the way down. I had an ambulance to the ER after that, they didn't find anything wrong during that visit. I was referred to a cardiologist, had a holter monitor, ECG, and stress test. None of those turned up any issue. Going by what I've read about this online I suspect I may have had myocarditis from a case of COVID, but I think that would only show up on an MRI, not the tests I got. Luckily the palpitations and chest pain have mostly gone away over the past couple months. In relation to speculation about COVID and myocarditis cases elsewhere on this page: I doubt my case will be reported because the association between COVID and heart problems didn't seem to be on the radar of any of the doctors I saw.
elliekelly 5y ago
If you don’t mind sharing I’d be curious to hear how you knew something was wrong? If I were a man in my teens or early 20s (or even 30s!) I feel like I would chalk any chest pain up to anxiety or heartburn before I ever even considered the possibility of a heart situation. My understanding is myocarditis is usually not a big deal but it does require treatment and isn’t something you should just “wait and see” if it resolves on its own.
- psychlops 5y ago
  I had this as a side effect of covid last year. You are correct, no medication was given and they won't actually do a biopsy of your heart due to the risk so the will simply wait and see. It feels like a big deal. I had never had heart issues and it felt like my whole system was unstable. Hard to describe really. I don't know how serious it is, however. The cardiologists just tested my heart, saw that there was no blockage and the blood flow was strong and told me to rest. edit to add: On the second dose of Pfizer, I felt a minor version of this for about an hour in the middle of the night after a morning shot. No other symptoms beyond a strong immune response.
  - nicoburns 5y ago
    Good to hear this experience. I also had this as a side effect of a covid infection last year (having never previously had any heart issues). I've just had my first Phizer dose, and this article had me questioning the wisdom of getting the second dose. But I feel like an hour won't do me much harm. It lasted for months with the actual infection.
    - psychlops 5y ago
      I call the heart part the bonus round. And same, it took me several months to get better.
- thatswrong0 5y ago
  I went to the doctor because of general shortness of breath all the time, heart rate spiking during normal activity like standing up, palpitations out the wazoo, and general fatigue. If I felt “sick” or fluish that’d be one thing.. this seemed different.
digitaltrees 5y ago
I had this after COVID in April last year right at the beginning. I suspect it is an immune reaction to the virus not the vaccine itself.
- SketchySeaBeast 5y ago
  But the Pfizer vaccine doesn't contain any of the virus, unless it's just the immune reaction to the spike protein that causes the problem?
  - numpad0 5y ago
    Maybe having immune system working hard somehow naturally puts strain on cardiovascular systems?
    - derbOac 5y ago
      Along those lines, I am wondering how this compares to other non-SARS-CoV-2 vaccines.
    - jerf 5y ago
      A theory (far from proved, but certainly also nothing I'd consider "disproved") is that the spike protein itself may be dangerous, in which case injecting something into yourself that causes your body to deliberately produce it may not be an unmitigated good. I don't think we have the data either way to be sure the spike protein is completely harmless, though obviously how dangerous it is is bounded by the fact that many people experience no ill effects. (That is, it obviously can't be super-ultra-deadly, because it's not killing everyone instantly. How dangerous it could possibly be is bounded by the fact that many people have received the vaccine.)
      - nicoburns 5y ago
        Presumably the effect is also bounded by the fact that it can't reproduce.
    - 5y ago
pmccarren 5y ago
Anecdote: I too experienced this reaction, albeit after the first dose. Noticeable but not significant heart pain beginning approximately 4 hours after getting the first vaccine. Speaking with medical professionals, they said symptoms should improve with time, and they have nearly completely across the 1.5 months since. Unsure if worth noting, but I had very strong immune responses to both the first and second doses.
- pmccarren 5y ago
  Pure, unadulterated speculation: It felt like the mRNA took hold in both my arm, _and_ my heart. Which given the proximity and paths between, is not entirely surprising. It felt like the vaccine entered my bloodstream and was taken up, in part, by the heart. Which then started making spike protein and soliciting an immune response. I'd really love to learn more about this, but haven't been able to find any good resources. If anyone can point me in the right direction, I'm all ears!
  - bialpio 5y ago
    This post was interesting to me and would mean that if the shot got into your bloodstream, it could've been mis-administered? https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27464226 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27464226
    - pmccarren 5y ago
      That is very intriguing. The location of injection site was spot on. However, I'm unsure if there are other factors at work beyond specifically location
    - nicoburns 5y ago
      I was also wondering that. There was only the tiniest spot of blood when I got mine.
gabriel9 5y ago
This sounds more scary then covid. At least from the people who told me how was it when they had the infection, four of my friends to be precise. Did you doctor said about any long term issues or it is too early?
- thatswrong0 5y ago
  The thing is that some cases of COVID can result in myocarditis as well, not to mention other kinds of damage (such as permanent taste changes, lung damage, etc.). Still waiting on the echo to confirm no long term damage. I'm feeling MUCH better now, compared to even 4 days ago. Whatever the result, I can't say I really regret taking the vaccine because it _is_ somewhat rare, and the long term side-effects of COVID are just as unknown as these vaccine side-effects. I like knowing that I'm much less likely to be a transmitter of a disease that could be fatal to others.
Black101 5y ago
I wanted to avoid the second dose but ended up getting it anyways... hope they don't rush vaccine approvals again... might be good in the short run, but if issues come up, it might be bad in the long run.
Klonoar 5y ago
Interesting. It's also anecdotal, but I have a existing heart condition and experienced no such side-effects post-dose (on either dose (Moderna)).

popotamonga 5y ago

What kind of symptoms makes one go to a cardiologist? Just curious

mannykannot 5y ago
Arrhythmias are perhaps the most specific indicators that you should see a cardiologist, but chest pain and/or shortage of breath on mild exercise could well be caused by a heart problem. These are some of the symptoms of myocarditis, among other things.
thatswrong0 5y ago
I went to the doctor because of general shortness of breath all the time, heart rate spiking during normal activity like standing up, palpitations out the wazoo, and general fatigue.
atom_arranger 5y ago
I'm 27 and experienced a lot of chest pains and skipped heartbeats earlier this year. One night I stood up quickly, walked a bit then lost consciousness (low blood pressure), hit my head on the way down. I had an ambulance to the ER after that, they didn't find anything wrong during that visit. I was referred to a cardiologist, had a holter monitor, ECG, and stress test. None of those turned up any issue. Going by what I've read about this online I suspect I may have had myocarditis from a case of COVID, but I think that would only show up on an MRI, not the tests I got. Luckily the palpitations and chest pain have mostly gone away over the past couple months. In relation to speculation about COVID and myocarditis cases elsewhere on this page: I doubt my case will be reported because the association between COVID and heart problems didn't seem to be on the radar of any of the doctors I saw.

elliekelly 5y ago

If you don’t mind sharing I’d be curious to hear how you knew something was wrong? If I were a man in my teens or early 20s (or even 30s!) I feel like I would chalk any chest pain up to anxiety or heartburn before I ever even considered the possibility of a heart situation. My understanding is myocarditis is usually not a big deal but it does require treatment and isn’t something you should just “wait and see” if it resolves on its own.

psychlops 5y ago
I had this as a side effect of covid last year. You are correct, no medication was given and they won't actually do a biopsy of your heart due to the risk so the will simply wait and see. It feels like a big deal. I had never had heart issues and it felt like my whole system was unstable. Hard to describe really. I don't know how serious it is, however. The cardiologists just tested my heart, saw that there was no blockage and the blood flow was strong and told me to rest. edit to add: On the second dose of Pfizer, I felt a minor version of this for about an hour in the middle of the night after a morning shot. No other symptoms beyond a strong immune response.
- nicoburns 5y ago
  Good to hear this experience. I also had this as a side effect of a covid infection last year (having never previously had any heart issues). I've just had my first Phizer dose, and this article had me questioning the wisdom of getting the second dose. But I feel like an hour won't do me much harm. It lasted for months with the actual infection.
  - psychlops 5y ago
    I call the heart part the bonus round. And same, it took me several months to get better.
thatswrong0 5y ago
I went to the doctor because of general shortness of breath all the time, heart rate spiking during normal activity like standing up, palpitations out the wazoo, and general fatigue. If I felt “sick” or fluish that’d be one thing.. this seemed different.

digitaltrees 5y ago

I had this after COVID in April last year right at the beginning. I suspect it is an immune reaction to the virus not the vaccine itself.

SketchySeaBeast 5y ago
But the Pfizer vaccine doesn't contain any of the virus, unless it's just the immune reaction to the spike protein that causes the problem?
- numpad0 5y ago
  Maybe having immune system working hard somehow naturally puts strain on cardiovascular systems?
  - derbOac 5y ago
    Along those lines, I am wondering how this compares to other non-SARS-CoV-2 vaccines.
  - jerf 5y ago
    A theory (far from proved, but certainly also nothing I'd consider "disproved") is that the spike protein itself may be dangerous, in which case injecting something into yourself that causes your body to deliberately produce it may not be an unmitigated good. I don't think we have the data either way to be sure the spike protein is completely harmless, though obviously how dangerous it is is bounded by the fact that many people experience no ill effects. (That is, it obviously can't be super-ultra-deadly, because it's not killing everyone instantly. How dangerous it could possibly be is bounded by the fact that many people have received the vaccine.)
    - nicoburns 5y ago
      Presumably the effect is also bounded by the fact that it can't reproduce.
  - 5y ago

pmccarren 5y ago

Anecdote: I too experienced this reaction, albeit after the first dose. Noticeable but not significant heart pain beginning approximately 4 hours after getting the first vaccine. Speaking with medical professionals, they said symptoms should improve with time, and they have nearly completely across the 1.5 months since. Unsure if worth noting, but I had very strong immune responses to both the first and second doses.

pmccarren 5y ago
Pure, unadulterated speculation: It felt like the mRNA took hold in both my arm, _and_ my heart. Which given the proximity and paths between, is not entirely surprising. It felt like the vaccine entered my bloodstream and was taken up, in part, by the heart. Which then started making spike protein and soliciting an immune response. I'd really love to learn more about this, but haven't been able to find any good resources. If anyone can point me in the right direction, I'm all ears!
- bialpio 5y ago
  This post was interesting to me and would mean that if the shot got into your bloodstream, it could've been mis-administered? https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27464226 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27464226
  - pmccarren 5y ago
    That is very intriguing. The location of injection site was spot on. However, I'm unsure if there are other factors at work beyond specifically location
  - nicoburns 5y ago
    I was also wondering that. There was only the tiniest spot of blood when I got mine.

gabriel9 5y ago

This sounds more scary then covid. At least from the people who told me how was it when they had the infection, four of my friends to be precise. Did you doctor said about any long term issues or it is too early?

thatswrong0 5y ago
The thing is that some cases of COVID can result in myocarditis as well, not to mention other kinds of damage (such as permanent taste changes, lung damage, etc.). Still waiting on the echo to confirm no long term damage. I'm feeling MUCH better now, compared to even 4 days ago. Whatever the result, I can't say I really regret taking the vaccine because it _is_ somewhat rare, and the long term side-effects of COVID are just as unknown as these vaccine side-effects. I like knowing that I'm much less likely to be a transmitter of a disease that could be fatal to others.

Black101 5y ago

I wanted to avoid the second dose but ended up getting it anyways... hope they don't rush vaccine approvals again... might be good in the short run, but if issues come up, it might be bad in the long run.

Klonoar 5y ago

Interesting. It's also anecdotal, but I have a existing heart condition and experienced no such side-effects post-dose (on either dose (Moderna)).