Editor’s Note: While the COVID-19 vaccine has been politicized, this post will not be in any way, but rather objective in why I decided to get the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine and how I responded to it to help others with chronic Lyme Disease make an informed decision. Also, for the record, I’ve never tested positive for COVID-19, nor have I ever had symptoms suggestive of contracting COVID-19.
On August 22, 2021, I received my first Pfizer shot for COVID-19 and on September 12, 2021, I received my second Pfizer shot for COVID-19.
How Did I Respond to the First Pfizer Shot?
Not bad at all. No fever, chills, vomiting, etc, but a day or so after getting the shot, I did become slightly lethargic for about a couple of days with a sore arm, which was to entirely be expected as my immune system worked to create antibodies against the spike protein.
On the day of my first shot, I did get some neuropathy, particularly in my lower extremeties. I’d get a sharp, jolting pain in the bottom of my feet moreso, but occasionally in my leg, and even less in my arms.
On a scale of 1 to 10, the neuropathy pain was maybe a 2 at most, but it wasn’t constant and occurred every so often. It was presented in waves.
About 2 weeks after my first shot, the neuropathy went away completely, as I had read in Dr. Marty Ross MD’s appropriately timed article, “The Covid Vaccine & Lyme Disease”.
How Did I Respond to the Second Pfizer Shot?
Better than the first shot. I didn’t really have any reaction at all, which surprised me. I was told that it was the second vaccine shot that people tend to react badly too, but this wasn’t the case for me.
I did have just a little fatigue, a sore arm, and some neuropathy, but it was a much milder version of my reaction to the first shot, which was already plenty mild and completely tolerable. The fatigue lasted less than a day and the neuropathy was gone even before the fatigue.
Why Did I Wait So Long to Get the COVID-19 Vaccine?
As someone who is dealing with chronic Lyme disease, I was very much concerned that I wouldn’t react to the vaccine the same way as a person without chronic Lyme would.
I have been doing so well for so long that the idea of intentionally putting myself back in a state of debilitating symptoms was something I wouldn’t wish on even my worst enemy.
There also wasn’t much data or information available -- at least I never stumbled upon any -- as to how people with chronic Lyme would react to the vaccines. Once that information did become available though, and the results were good, I was ready and willing to take the jab.
What Convinced Me to Get the COVID-19 Vaccine?
Not “what” but “who” convinced me: Dr. Richard Horowitz MD. If you have chronic Lyme disease, then you likely know who Dr. Richard Horowitz is, but if you don’t, check out his book, “How Can I Get Better?: An Action Plan for Treating Resistant Lyme & Chronic Disease”.
In an almost hour long video, Dr. Richard Horowitz MD and Dr. Daniel Cameron MD converse the topic of, “Evaluating the Risks and Benefits of the COVID-19 Vaccine in Lyme Disease Patients”.
While I’ll admit I didn’t watch the hour long video, it took less than the first 20 minutes to convince me to get the COVID-19 vaccine, as Dr. Richard Horowitz wasted no time in explaining why he recommended people with chronic Lyme get the COVID-19 vaccine.
If you’d rather not watch the video, I’ve summarized how Dr. Richard Horowitz was so persuasive below:
- He notes the side effect profile statistics of the vaccine with acquiring Thrombosis and Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (TTS) being a 3 out of a 1,000,000 risk, Myocarditis as a younger person from the mRNA being a 3.5 out of a 1,000,000 risk, and Guillain-Barre syndrome being a 7.8 out of a 1,000,000 risk, but only a 1 out of a 100 chance of dying from COVID-19.
- If you do get COVID-19 and are lucky enough to survive, you might develop long-hauler syndrome, with chronic congestive heart failure, lung damage, strokes, organ damage, blood clots, and an increased dementia and Parkinson’s risk.
- Prior vaccines contain aluminum, thimerosal (mercury), which the COVID-19 vaccine does not, but instead has polyethylene glycol (PEG). PEG can be removed from the body with glutathione because it’s a fat soluble molecule.
- The delta variant is 10,000 more infectious, with much higher viral loads.
- Current data shows that 97-99.9% of the people in hospitals are unvaccinated.
- 50% of his patients have a flare up of symptoms from the vaccine, with maybe 2 or 3 of his patients having long term symptoms, but these are the patients with very active Lyme and co-infections (Babesia and Bartonella).
- “I can get you better from Lyme, but you have to be alive.”
- Chronic Lyme is a condition of excessive inflammatory cytokines, which cause the symptoms a person with chronic Lyme experiences. To lower the inflammatory response from the vaccine, consider taking glutathione, nac, curcumin, broccoli seed, melatonin, zinc, and/or vitamin c.
Additional COVID-19 Vaccination Resources for Those with Chronic Lyme Disease
While I didn’t consider this data at the time, lymedisease.org took -- and is still taking -- a survey of people with chronic Lyme who received either the Moderna or Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine and asked about their side effects from the vaccines.
“MyLymeData participants reported slightly lower rates of COVID vaccination side effects than those reported by the general population.”
Also, check out Dr. Marty Ross MD’s article, “The Covid Vaccine & Lyme Disease” for what to expect after you get the vaccine and ways to reduce your body’s inflammatory response to it.
For those with COVID-19 long hauler syndrome, Dr. Richard Horowitz MD has information on his website cangetbetter.com regarding the randomized controlled trial at the University of California Irvine proposing glutathione deficiency and MSIDS abnormalities playing a part in COVID long hauler syndrome.
