Sep. 27ADRIAN Ashley Johns, a healthy 34 year-old, initially resisted getting a coronavirus vaccine. She finally gave in in April to better protect her son, who was infected by the virus at the Michigan correctional facility she works in.
After an apparent heart attack, myopericarditis and weeks of hospitalizations, she now wishes she hadn’t.
After considering all possible explanations, her doctors determined that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was responsible for her condition.
"My case is likely 1 in a million but it happened to my, so I'm going to stop supporting the J&J vaccine, since I'm having these complications, life changes," Ms. Johns stated.
Her case is actually more unusual than that.
As a possible side effect of the mRNA vaccinations Moderna and Pfizer, myocarditis or pericarditis inflammation in the heart or surrounding sack have been widely reported. Federal officials are currently looking at nearly 800 cases, mainly among young males.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website states that there hasn't been a similar pattern of reporting after receiving the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine.
Ms. Johns stated, "I feel like an experiment rat."
The single-dose jab was given April 12, the day prior to the J&J vaccination. However, she said that complications didn't occur until July 9, three months later.
It started as indigestion or heartburn, and grew to the point that she could no longer breathe through a paper bag. Her body aches kept them awake at night. The amount of troponin found in her blood, which is indicative of a heart attack, was 7.3 nanograms per mileter when she visited the emergency room. Normal ranges are between 0 to 0.04.
She said that they were like, "You need a cardiac catheterization now." They sent her by ambulance to ProMedica Toledo Hospital. "I had my cath done and they found no blockages. It was normal. Normal.
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It was impossible to understand why a woman who is otherwise healthy would have an inflamed heart or a ruptured coronary artery. This can take anywhere from six to eight to eight months to heal.
The next day, she met with an infectious disease team who recommended further testing.
ProMedica's head of emergency medicine and vice president for quality and patient safety, Dr. Brian Kaminski had no knowledge about Ms. Johns' situation but was willing to talk about any side effects of the coronavirus vaccines.
He was not surprised by the possibility that the J&J vaccine could cause myocarditis and pericarditis. This is because, like Moderna and Pfizer, it triggers an increased immune response that can cause inflammation. The conditions are common in normal daily living, particularly among the younger generation.
Dr. Kaminski stated that the COVID vaccine was not new in this sense. This is why it has been so popular. It's a brand new vaccine, and we don't know the true incidence rate.
He said that there are still "very few and far between" side effects from any of the three coronavirus vaccinations, despite 388,000,000 Americans having received at least one dose. The Ohio coronavirus dashboard indicated that more than 224,000 Lucas County residents had received the vaccine, which accounts for 52 percent of the county’s population.
Dr. Kaminski says most side effects he has seen are lightheadedness, dizziness or weakness right after injections. These reactions are not considered allergic reactions as patients heal on their own and would have the same reaction no matter what vaccine they were given.
A few days following injection, other symptoms such as low-grade fever, muscle pains, and fatigue can also be common.
He said that complications lasting longer than 30 days or symptoms such as a shortness of breath or a cough are less common. These could be symptoms of coronavirus. He said that it is four times more likely for myocarditis or pericarditis to develop from this vaccine than from a vaccine.
Dr. Kaminski stated that "we have just been able o witness the occurrences both of the benefit of vaccine and adverse reactions and [adverse reaction] are so low in comparison with the effects of covid."
He said that coronavirus is currently being treated in about one in seven hospital patients. While cases are decreasing again and the disease is less severe now than it was during the peak of the pandemics, some patients still need ventilation.
Dr. Kaminski stated that there are just too many reasons to get the vaccine, despite the risks of covid. It's not even close.
The assurance doesn't do much to alleviate the suffering of Ms. Johns who has never been infected with coronavirus, but was one of those to have complications after receiving a vaccine.
After all she has been through, she wonders if the risk was worth it. She said that she continues to heal and that she has gynecological issues. Her doctors even suggested the possibility of a hysterectomy.
They advise her against ever getting another coronavirus vaccination, or any booster shots. She is now more inclined to pass on this advice to others.
"I've had people approach me and I suggested that they not get J&J shots," Ms. Johns stated, noting that her family was vaccinated by Pfizer without any complications.
She continued, "Now, I have to accept whatever happens, until I finish this medication and pray that it doesn't return again." We'll see.
First published September 27, 2021 at 9:38 AM
