Ouch that Hurts: My Adverse Reaction to a Tetanus Shot

I have never experienced an adverse reaction to a vaccine. Sure, I have some food and medication allergies, but I know to stay away from things that are harmful to me.

Since it was almost fifteen years since my last tetanus shot, I received the Tdap (Tetanus, diphtheria, acellular pertussis) vaccine on Wednesday, January 13th, 2010. My doctor explained that there would be some slight discomfort and stiffness, and sent me home.

The shot itself did not hurt, but by late afternoon the pain had intensified. By Thursday morning, I was feverish and the pain was unbearable. My arm was stiff, there was a huge lump at the injection site, and the slightest movement or touch caused me to scream loudly. The pain was unrelenting. Nothing relieved it.

Not wanting to appear weak, I gritted my teeth and sucked up the agony. Though the arm was now swollen, red, and warm to the touch, I knew that the doctors would tell me that they could find nothing wrong. In the past, there were many times when I was quite visibly ill, yet the doctors could not figure out what was wrong. To me, it did not make sense to waste money on a useless office or emergency room visit, especially when money was tight.

Saturday and Sunday came and went with little change in my condition. On Monday, I noticed that the fever and swelling were gone, but the redness, pain, and the lump remained. My family was very concerned that these unusual symptoms had persisted for so long. They finally convinced me to call the doctor.

Upon hearing the symptoms, I was advised to come in the next day for an examination. It was suspected that the arm had become infected, but it could not be confirmed without seeing me.

During the examination, two doctors noted the condition of my arm and informed me that though there was no infection present, I had experienced what is known as an adverse reaction to the tetanus shot. An adverse reaction is simply an unexpected or unwanted reaction to a medication. The severity can range from mild to life threatening.

My doctor told me that adverse reactions to tetanus vaccines are uncommon, so mine would be documented, especially in light of the fact that I had no previous reactions to other vaccines. He explained that mine was not an allergic reaction, nor was it dangerous. He also confirmed my belief that there was nothing that they could do about this particular type of reaction.

It has now been more than two weeks since the vaccination. Most of the pain and redness are gone, but the lump is still there. Hopefully, it will go away soon.