My name is Meredith and I’m an (almost) 42-year-old mom of two school-age boys. In the summer of 2021 the province of Saskatchewan started a serious vaccination campaign and based re-opening on our vaccination rates. My husband was nervous but I have extended family with serious conditions and work for the provincial government in an area where I encounter vulnerable people (not health), so I rolled up my sleeve.
The first vaccination was on May 7 2021. I don’t notice more than a sore arm right away.
On June 1, 2021 I had a phone conversation with my doctor about weird hormonal things. Sweating, moods, acne. Neither of us connected this to the vaccine at the time and some suggestion was made that it may be time for a new IUD. I’d had a Kyleena hormonal IUD since 2017 with zero side effects, symptoms or periods at all leading up to the time of this conversation.
On June 21, 2021 I went to a walk-in doctor due to vertigo symptoms. I’d stumbled at home more than once and was having trouble with vision and was concerned about driving. He gave me medication, said it was probably stress and maybe Meniere’s Disease and wrote me off work for a week. I took two of the pills then stopped as they were hard on my stomach. Again, no mention of the vaccine.
Since no medical professional mentioned the vaccine as being related to what I was experiencing and the Premier was promising a return to “normal” if we got rates up, I impulsively pulled into the local drive-through for another vaccination on July 7, 2021. This one was a different brand to the first. Well, shortly after that I began experiencing what I call “heart flutters”. They come, last 10 seconds and disappear. They make no sense, come at random times of day and night and just when I think I haven’t had one in a few days, they happen again. I talked to my doctor and this time I asked if it could be related to the vaccine. I got a hard NO. Keep in mind I’m generally healthy walking daily and working out most mornings. The doctor did order a Holter monitor. Almost a year later and they still haven’t called.
I also began tracking symptoms of hormones and began having spotting later in July. I kept tracking and found I was having cycles. With an IUD I was experiencing breast pain, spotting, acne and mood fluctuations. I’ve spoken to my doctor who maintains there is no clinical causation or correlation between the vaccine and women’s health issues. I have a prescription for a new IUD but I know I don’t like feeling pregnant 10 to 12 days a month with the breast pain and bloating!
I know these symptoms are less significant than the traumas others are experiencing and I’m writing this in the hope that others will consider their health and any changes that have happened in the last year. For me it’s easy to add all of these things up to peri-menopause or an older IUD. But I’m believing that anymore.
I’m never getting another vaccination. As a public servant here in SK, I HATED showing proof to my supervisor. But I didn’t feel brave enough not to and I am also afraid of speaking up too loudly for the same reason.