Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion Helpful Tips Rare autoimmune disease linked to H1N1 vaccine

Perhaps I should copy these instructions into its own thread because many people won't necessarily read them posted under "rare autoimmune disease linked to..."

What do you think?

Sounds like a plan to me!!

I second that.... thanks for posting.

I'm going to start following this, and email it to my choir. We've a concert coming up, and everyone seems to be coming down with bad colds. I seem to be picking up whatever the latest one is!

I took both flu vaccines. My dr. really encouraged me because of my being compromised. I just decided if I was going to take it I wasn't going to worry about it.

Good list Wendy.

I use my Neti Pot every day.
I gargle every day.
I wash my hands A LOT
And carry hand cleaner every where I go.
I drink a lot of hot tea (but just because I like it...didn't know about those benefits; have heard of many others)

We have visited family in the hospital every day this week and we have been so careful about hand cleaning. Thankfully she is better and is out. She has been very sick with autoimmune hepatitis. :o(

Blessings.
Possi

Possi - your post reminded me that I was going to copy my list into its own thread but forgot all about it! I'm going to do that right now.

Hi all, I have asthma as well as my AS, since I work as a pediatric respiratory therapist the hospitals really encourage all vaccines esp flu and swine flu. I have has the flu vaccine for years and never had issues but when I took the H1N1 this past Oct had some pretty significant reactions. It was in no way GBS. I had facial numbness and the most severe headache I have ever had for 24 hours after the shot and for the first 4 hours or so I had right sided (the shot side)arm weakness and muscle strength I had trouble making a fist for a good while.

In respiratory school we learned alot about GBS and it's sister disease myasthenia gravis since these patients require very close respiratory monitoring and sometime ventilation and breathing tubes. The trick they taught us to tell them apart was that the symptoms moved in different directions . . . GBS is Ground (feet) to Brain (head)and myasthenia gravis was Mind (head) to Ground (feet)

So aside from the rapid onset of my side effects (about 2 hours post shot) it was more of a myasthenia gravis pic. after about 24 hours it was gone but it was enough for me to swear off the shot from now on. I had no side effect 2 months later to the flu shot but my md kept me in the office for 2 hours to make sure he could watch me. But I think that I am just going to go vaccine free from now on when it comes to flu and flu like things.

I am not suggestion this is a common reaction or correlation. Just my exprience.
-Maggie