HELP! DH is having a reaction to the Tetanus vax

[AprilM]

Hi ladies. I need some sound advice pronto. DH stepped on a nail the other day and had to go to the ER to have it removed. They gave him a tetanus shot before releasing him and he has been getting progressively more sick since. It started out with chills and slight fever on and off, now his arm where he got the shot is not only swelling up, but his muscle spasming in the shot spot and he says it hurts very bad. He is lethargic, has been sleeping all day, has a headache and looks aweful. The doc said to take some benadryl.
ANyone have any experience with this?
Thanks

[KimberlyD0]

if he's that bad take him to the ER

[greenbeanmama]

My 18-year-old sister just reacted to a tetanus vaccine last month. She had fever and chills, general soreness and achiness, and difficulty breathing. It wasn't bad enough to warrant a visit to the hospital, but at least her doctor admitted that it was a reaction to the vaccine, and told her to let him know if things got worse.


(As a side note, she also had a reaction to the pertussis vaccine when she was about a year old, so this wasn't her first reaction - my mother is very pro-doctor/mainstream, so not vaxing doesn't occur to her.)

[AprilM]

Originally Posted by KimberlyD0

if he's that bad take him to the ER

We called his doctor, described the symptoms, and like I said, they told him to take some benadryl. They said his symptoms didn't sound like they warranted a trip to the ER.

greenbeanmama, how is your sister now? How long did her symptoms last? This is pretty scary.

[bookwormommy]

I had a similar reaction when I was in my 20's. I had a high fever, arm so sore and swollen I couldn't lift it, random strange hallucinations, etc. Like a terrible flu. The worst of the symptoms for me lasted a couple days, but my arm was sore for weeks. I only used ibuprofen at the time.

I've been told that the bacterial vaccines can cause a more severe reaction each time you get them. That one was the third tetanus I'd had (and the last one!), so that may have contributed to the severity of my reaction.

Healing wishes to your DH.

[ma2two]

Hopefully someone will give you some good advice on how to help him recover. Perhaps you should also post this on the Health and Healing forum.

Once you know the full extent of his reaction, you should file a report with VAERS. http://vaers.hhs.gov/resources/VAERS_Brochure.pdf

You can read VAERS reports here http://www.medalerts.org

[aiea]

I wish I had advice. I'm sending healing thoughts your way.

[Marnica]

Thuja.

It's a homeopathic remedy often given for vaccine reactions. You really need a 200c dose, but you can't get that without a homeopath. Get 30c and give 2 pellets 3 times/day for a few days.

[heathergirl67]

How is your DH feeling today? Any better/worse?

[AprilM]

Thanks ladies. He is feeling a bit better today. I loaded him up with about 8000 mg of sodium ascorbate....he literally was in the bathroom all day long going #2 from the vitamin C....poor guy. Tomorrow we r going to the hfs and getting the homeopathic remedy Marnica mentioned, thanks all for your concern and healing thoughts. This has been a very eye opening experience.


His doctor told him to take benedryl and tylenol by the way.....

[heathergirl67]

Glad he's beginning to feel better. I hope he's as good as new in no time.

[Marnica]

Originally Posted by AprilM

Thanks ladies. He is feeling a bit better today. I loaded him up with about 8000 mg of sodium ascorbate....he literally was in the bathroom all day long going #2 from the vitamin C....poor guy. Tomorrow we r going to the hfs and getting the homeopathic remedy Marnica mentioned, thanks all for your concern and healing thoughts. This has been a very eye opening experience.


His doctor told him to take benedryl and tylenol by the way.....

I would avoid both of those personally

[laohaire]

Just curious. Did they give him the tetanus VACCINE? Or the TiG?

And if vaccine... I assume TD right?

I'm asking because there is a big mystery, and that is WHY doctors give tetanus vaccines AFTER potential exposure (hence, useless). I wondered if it was possible that they simply called it the "tetanus shot" and people assumed it was the vaccine and not the TiG? Because the TiG would be the sensible treatment if they had reason to suspect tetanus exposure.

[Asiago]

Be sure to report it:
http://vaers.hhs.gov/esub/index

Well wishes to your husband.

[Magali]

Originally Posted by laohaire

Just curious. Did they give him the tetanus VACCINE? Or the TiG?

And if vaccine... I assume TD right?

I'm asking because there is a big mystery, and that is WHY doctors give tetanus vaccines AFTER potential exposure (hence, useless). I wondered if it was possible that they simply called it the "tetanus shot" and people assumed it was the vaccine and not the TiG? Because the TiG would be the sensible treatment if they had reason to suspect tetanus exposure.

This. And I hope your hubby feels better soon.

[mnnice]

Originally Posted by bookwormommy

I had a similar reaction when I was in my 20's. I had a high fever, arm so sore and swollen I couldn't lift it, random strange hallucinations, etc. Like a terrible flu. The worst of the symptoms for me lasted a couple days, but my arm was sore for weeks. I only used ibuprofen at the time.

I've been told that the bacterial vaccines can cause a more severe reaction each time you get them. That one was the third tetanus I'd had (and the last one!), so that may have contributed to the severity of my reaction.

Healing wishes to your DH.

Interesting I had bad reactions in grade school, middle school and as a 20 something and have avoided getting another for a very long time (20+ years). I never hallucinated, but all the rest.

[springbabes]

I've had similar reactions to the tetanus vax. I was given the shot on my 5th birthday and was too sick to open presents and have cake. I spent the rest of the day in bed, sleeping. When I was 16 I felt immediately dizzy and nearly passed out, which the nurse attributed to being afraid of needles. And again, felt awful and spent the rest of the day in bed. I've never had another tetanus vax and that was 20 years ago.

[milkybean]

Just posted this in another thread.

My mom had a spider bite and her doctor told her that she had to have a tetanus shot. She went back and forth, and the doctor said it would JUST be the tetanus (I assume the TIG?), not the d, and p parts.

She was sicker than ever before for 2 months.

Once she got better she went back to them...looked at her records...they'd given her the dtap (or however it's abbreviated). Ugh.

[Andreas]

homeopathic treatment

if you want to treat the reaction to the vaccine it is not wise just to take Thuja. Thuja is a "general" anti-vaccine remedy that has no effect in most of the cases.
I am treating vaccine reactions first with the homeopathic remedy of this exact vaccine ( I do not know, whether you have a company in the US, that prepares these remedies out of vaccines, here in Switzerland and Austria we have severals). If this does not help, you have to treat constitutionally with a remedy, which matches all the symptoms.
Hope that helps
Andreas

[nia82]

@ milkybean: Did she sign a consent form for the Tetanus shot? If it just said T, and they gave her the Tdap, she can make a stink. I would.

@ Andreas: I don't think those remedies are available here. I know of homeopathic "vaccines", but that's not the same stuff I'm pretty sure. It's harder in general to come by a homeopath here (I'm German living here) - especially in a state like Wyoming that has barely any inhabitants to begin with.