pneumonia vaccination help!!

07-10-2003, 09:30 PM

Last thurs. my mother went in for her usual checkup to her primary physician. It was recommended that she go ahead and take a pneumonia vaccination. She questioned whether it had side effects and was told no.

Friday she started getting a fever and her arm was hurting on the injection site.
Saturday, the fever kept coming and going, the arm got redder, and her head started hurting.
Sunday her arm looked horrible so I took her to the ER the stated that it was a skin infection on the injection site and to take cephelexin for the infection.
if not better to follow up with physician.
Monday she felt a little better and went to work. her employer is a physician and he looked at it. he stated it looked like the person that gave the injection may have used an unsterile needle or didnt clean the injection site.
Tues. she was sicker but she worked anyway.
Wednesday she took off early and went to her doctor that gave the shot. he agreed it looked like when his nurse gave the shot she didnt clean the site properly and infection set up. The only thing that puzzles everyone is the fever is still high & infection is now in her chest. her breathing is raspy. I cant get her to eat.
My mother isnt one to lay on the couch or let someone take care of her. She's really scaring us.
and her arm looks like there is a baseball under the skin. Its huge, painful and feverish. she cant use it.

has anyone ever heard of this as a side effect for this vaccine?

07-11-2003, 01:55 PM

I have never heard of this but I would get her to a doc or the ER very soon, she most likely has an infection as you stated and it could get more serious especially since the fever won't stop and she really isn't getting any better.
Good luck to you.

07-12-2003, 12:24 PM

I am afraid to say that a high fever and rasping breathing sounds very much like the symptoms of pneumonia to me and this is perfectly possible and more likely especially as she has had the vaccine. Sometimes, you can get a dose of what the vaccine is meant to protect you against and it sounds very much as though she has a dose of the pneumonia that she was vaccinated for, especialy if this was a live vaccine? This is the immune system responding to the vaccine in the way that it was meant too.

This is why you need to think very carefully about having these vaccines, as events like this can happen and you can end up sicker sometimes following a vaccine than not.

Good luck

07-13-2003, 06:55 AM

Hi veggiegarden!
Welcome!

I agree with Sarah. My mom had the pneumonia vaccine a few years ago and ended up getting pneumonia. She didn't have a reaction at the shot site, though.

I hope that by now she has been to the doctor and is doing better. Let us know how things are going.

Wishing her well!

pneumonia vaccination help!!

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