My Mother had SEVERE reaction to H1N1!!!

[Mickeyistheman]

Last night I get a phone call that my mother is having a severe allergic reaction to the H1N1 shot and they were rushing her to the hospital.

She didn't want to get it, but because my grandmother is in Rehab/Home and my mother visits her, she had to get it.

Literally not even 2 minutes later, she says am I supposed to be this itchy. Everyone saw that her face blew up like a balloon and she was as red as a tomato.

I get to the ER and when I go in to see her I mean I wash shocked at how she blew up. Even her Dr.'s were shocked b/c she isn't allergic to eggs, but they said she must be allergic to one of the preservatives in the shot.

So all the nurses in her office are not getting it now. After some meds and benedryl she came back to normal and we went home. It was scarey because she was having trouble breathing as well.

They had to report it to the CDC and she is the only one at least in NJ, that had such a severe reaction. She can never have that shot again, the Dr.'s had said.

 

[clovergirl5]

Wow, sorry that happened to her and glad she's alright. Does she ever get the regular flu shot?

 

[C.Ann]

That's scary - so glad she's okay though..

Sounds like a typical allergic reaction - which is why they are making people wait 15 minutes after receiving the shot before they can leave.. Was she at a clinic? If not - and she was at a doctors office - I'm very surprised they weren't equipped with the correct medications to handle it right there.. I had the same reaction to a sulfa drug - after having had no problems with sulfa drugs my entire life.. Within seconds I was itchy, beet red, swollen, and couldn't breathe.. A good dose of benedryl and I was fine..
With my severe sensitivities to medications, it's a bit of a concern - but not enough to prevent me from getting the vaccination..

Hope your mom feels better now.. No reason to think there will be any further issues..

 

[Mickeyistheman]

She has always gotten the regular flu shot and she did get the regular one in September.

She works at a Cardiologists office, for the first time there were not Dr.'s there. The one nurse didn't want to wait till today to give it to her.

My mother is allergic to sulfer but every Dr. that saw her in the ER asked if she was allergic to eggs and she is not. They all were quite baffled by it. They shot her up with Benedryl and then more at the ER and some Prednisone. They were all quite shocked and now are saying it could have been a bad batch, but they really need to know WHY she had such a reaction when she had nothing with the regular flu shot.

 

[C.Ann]

She has always gotten the regular flu shot and she did get the regular one in September.

She works at a Cardiologists office, for the first time there were not Dr.'s there. The one nurse didn't want to wait till today to give it to her.

My mother is allergic to sulfer but every Dr. that saw her in the ER asked if she was allergic to eggs and she is not. They all were quite baffled by it. They shot her up with Benedryl and then more at the ER and some Prednisone. They were all quite shocked and now are saying it could have been a bad batch, but they really need to know WHY she had such a reaction when she had nothing with the regular flu shot.

Did anyone else in that office receive a shot from the same batch today? Any reactions? I hope they kept the indentifying info from the batch she received so it can be tested and reported!

 

[golfgal]

Allergies are developed, they aren't something you are born with. Sometimes you are severely allergic to something the second time you are exposed to them and sometimes it is the 100th time. Most likely that is what happened in her case. You can't have an allergic reaction to something the first time you are exposed to it-not physically possible as you have not histamines in your system to cause the reaction.

 

[*BTMRR*]

I'm glad she's going to be ok! Whenever someone in our family gets shots, the nurse reminds us to stay in the clinic for 20 minutes or so. We always follow that advice, but now I see just WHY that is so important!

 

[taximomfor4]

Did anyone else in that office receive a shot from the same batch today? Any reactions? I hope they kept the indentifying info from the batch she received so it can be tested and reported!

Protocol dictates that the lot number and manufacturer info are written down for each and every shot given, right on that patient's sheet.

OP, that is definitely a textbook case of an allergic reaction. The question is what component is she allergic to. Eggs are generally the most likely.

The big question here is whether she can get seasonal flu shots ever again. My thought is NO, since they are made exactly the same (same components, with only a different strain of virus riding on it).

 

[Normangirls]

So all the nurses in her office are not getting it now.

That seems ridiculously shortsighted and reactionary to me. I'm sure they have seen other people with allergic reactions before -- if someone came in with a reaction to strawberries, did they swear off strawberries?

They are health care professionals. They should be making better, more strategic decisions.

 

[justhat]

That seems ridiculously shortsighted and reactionary to me. I'm sure they have seen other people with allergic reactions before -- if someone came in with a reaction to strawberries, did they swear off strawberries?

They are health care professionals. They should be making better, more strategic decisions.

I agree. Many people have allergic reactions to things, doesn't mean the rest of the world should avoid that allergen.

 

[Carly_Roach]

I agree. Many people have allergic reactions to things, doesn't mean the rest of the world should avoid that allergen.

Unless it's peanuts.





















Sorry! Sorry! I couldn't resist. Guess I'm in a mood today.

 

[justhat]

Unless it's peanuts.

How could I forget peanuts after my peanut free flight 2 weeks ago!?!

 

[Mickeyistheman]

Everything was reported and all of the Dr.'s at her practice said she can never have the H1N1 shot again.

I can also understand why the rest don't want to get this shot again. My mother still today does not feel well and has been given pres. Meds by the hospital. My fear now is that she is going to GET H1N1 b/c she had such a severe reaction to the shot. Her Dr.'s warned of this as well.

We really don't have enough information about this H1N1 and it has not been clinically tested enough for me to run out and get this shot. Several of my friends are nurses and have been for many years and they are outright refusing to get this shot BECAUSE there is not enough information on it.

My mother is not allergic to eggs and that is what the Dr.'s kept asking her. I had said in an earlier post she is allergic to sulfer and the Go Lightly ( she must take the pill form ) So they need to find out what exactly was in that particular batch that caused this severe of a reaction.

 

[justhat]

Everything was reported and all of the Dr.'s at her practice said she can never have the H1N1 shot again.

What about seasonal flu shot? They are made exactly the same so she would likely react the same way.

I can also understand why the rest don't want to get this shot again. My mother still today does not feel well and has been given pres. Meds by the hospital. My fear now is that she is going to GET H1N1 b/c she had such a severe reaction to the shot. Her Dr.'s warned of this as well.

Why would this be the case? How would reacting to an allergen in the shot cause you to contract the H1N1 virus?

We really don't have enough information about this H1N1 and it has not been clinically tested enough for me to run out and get this shot. Several of my friends are nurses and have been for many years and they are outright refusing to get this shot BECAUSE there is not enough information on it.

The H1N1 shot is exactly the same as seasonal flu shots so this doesn't make any sense. The seasonal flu shot contains 3 possible strains of the flu. H1N1 is one of those strains. Unfortunately, the seasonal flu shots were in production before they knew that H1N1 would be so prevalent or deadly. Had H1N1 become what it is now just a little earlier in the year it would be one of the 3 strains in the seasonal flu shot.

My mother is not allergic to eggs and that is what the Dr.'s kept asking her. I had said in an earlier post she is allergic to sulfer and the Go Lightly ( she must take the pill form ) So they need to find out what exactly was in that particular batch that caused this severe of a reaction.

.

 

[lsyorke]

The H1N1 shot is exactly the same as seasonal flu shots so this doesn't make any sense.

Obviously it's not "exactly" the same, since this person had a severe allergic reaction.

 

[familyS]

" The H1N1 shot is exactly the same as seasonal flu shots so this doesn't make any sense. The seasonal flu shot contains 3 possible strains of the flu. H1N1 is one of those strains. Unfortunately, the seasonal flu shots were in production before they knew that H1N1 would be so prevalent or deadly. Had H1N1 become what it is now just a little earlier in the year it would be one of the 3 strains in the seasonal flu shot."

The problem is that is is not exactly the same. From what I understand it was created with a different process and uses different preservatives. Therefore, it also could not have been added to the seasonal vaccine.

The information reported by the news media about H1N1 and the vaccine is inconsistent. I blame the media for the inaccurate reporting.

 

[C.Ann]

Obviously it's not "exactly" the same, since this person had a severe allergic reaction.

Not necessarily.. The allergic reaction could have been to something that was in the regular flu shot she received prior to this.. I was not allergic to sulfa drugs prior to the severe allergic reaction I had when it was prescribed for me again about a month or so later.. You can be non-allergic one day and allergic the next.. Doesn't mean there was some deadly, unusual ingredient in the H1N1 vaccine that wasn't also in the regular seasonal flu shot..

And for the nurses to all suddenly decide they aren't going to get this vaccine now because "one" person had an allergic reaction? That's not rational thinking at all..

 

[Mickeyistheman]

The Regular Flu shot is NOT the same as the H1N1 otherwise why all the hub bub about it then?

They are 2 different types of shots and yes they added different preservatives to the H1N1 and that is why she had this reaction. The ER docs and even her own Dr.'s were quite baffled by this and when the CDC contacted our office they were highly concerned because this was the first case that was so severe and my mother's office has given out hundreds of this H1N1 vaccine and she was the first severe reaction.

The batch may have been bad, but that is not a good thing either. They need to figure out what was in it that made her react that way.

She has been getting the regular flu shot for over 15 years now, if not longer so she will be able to have that shot again its this H1N1 that she can't have again.

 

[wdwfan16]

Obviously it's not "exactly" the same, since this person had a severe allergic reaction.

It is very possible that if she had not gotten the H1N1 and got next years season flu shot that she would have had the exact same allergic reaction. She did not have an allergic reaction to the H1N1 but to what is was made with. The H1N1 is made the same as all other flu shots. H1N1 is just a different stain of the season flu. I happens to be one that is causing deaths in the population who does not normally die. That is what makes this stain so different than the others in the seasonal flu.

 

[C.Ann]

The batch may have been bad, but that is not a good thing either. They need to figure out what was in it that made her react that way.

She has been getting the regular flu shot for over 15 years now, if not longer so she will be able to have that shot again its this H1N1 that she can't have again.

Well hopefully she won't ever need this particular vaccine again..

I'm assuming that when she feels better she'll be seeing an allergist to determine just what it is that she's so allergic to? Without that information she's at risk of having a severe allergic reaction again (all shots aside)because you don't know what the actual allergen is.. A blanket statement of the "H1N1 vaccination" doesn't really tell you anything.. That "one" component needs to be identified because it could be present in numerous drugs..

Good luck unraveling this mystery!