Covid Vaccine/Heart Health

Personally

by docklock - 2023-08-23 20:29:15

Personally, because I wear a tin foil hat and don't trust our goberment, truly do believe the Covid shot (can't call it a vaccine cause it doesn't fit criteria) did/does cause some heart issues.  
Way too many young athletes keeling over with heart problems.  
Here in the US we are gearing up for more foolish Covid variants.  My local hospital just went to mandated masks for ALL staff, visitors and patients.  
I'm scheduled for hand surgery soon and I'll probably have to take a Covid test to get into hospital.  Just nuts.  

Great question

by PacedNRunning - 2023-08-23 21:05:22

I don't think we will ever know but there are thousands of us that developed heart issues prior to Covid. I think it's easy to blame things on the recent. So what ever happened, it's easier to blame it on that vs what the true answer is.  Many of us never know the cause of our heart issues. I know I tried to make sure not only a cause but if anything else was brewing in my body. 

Docklock

by PacedNRunning - 2023-08-23 21:06:39

Most hospitals never stopped testing for covid prior to surgical procedures. I had my device replaced in June and had to have a Covid test!

Hospitals

by AgentX86 - 2023-08-24 00:05:46

Hospitals were masking but I never had a covid test before surgery.  I had two wrist surgeries at the peak of covid (mid '21 and early '22).  They only asked the normal questions and gave me a mask and "wait over there".

The masks were obviously to placate other patients.  Hospitals knew they did nothing.  Even the CDC had to admit that they did little to nothing and were, in fact, worse than nothing. They're going to try again.  It's not going to work.

Interesting Question

by Penguin - 2023-08-24 05:07:50

My pacemaker was implanted long before Covid so I cannot include my own experiences. I am curious however to see if you receive any answers.

There has been a great deal of ridiculing and accusatory behaviour towards people reporting serious Covid effects unfortunately, and, of course, there are also many people who either treated patients who were at risk of death or whose own lives were saved or improved by vaccination. Both experiences deserve to be treated with respect.

Personally, I am pro vaccination but am sensitive to good quality information from medical sources and I always try to listen to the experiences of peers reflectively. 

I feel very sorry for anyone who has been negatively affected by Covid and is trying to find answers.  It would be helpful if the reporting of serious cardiac reactions could be encouraged, afterall safety, transparency and effective reporting go hand in hand to improve lives and survival rates. 

What has been your own experience TrickpatB ?

Let's cut through the nonsense

by crustyg - 2023-08-24 06:54:50

Docklock - you are correct that many things that we use to preventively prime a patient's immune system are not vaccines, which is why they are called immunisations (e.g. BCG).

mRNA treatments have been successfully and, apparently safely, used in humans for more than 20years.  Probably because you don't work in the field of inborn errors of metabolism or genetic defects means that you won't have heard of these treatments.  Small-scale stuff, and we know from practolol (old beta-blocker) that side effects can be really rare but important and that's why post-marketing (i.e. full clinical licence) surveillance is so important.

The only thing that was unique, and a first-in-humans, was the use of PolyEthylene Glycol (PEG) as a micelle-stabiliser in the mRNA immunisations.  Risky, as PEG is known to cause hypersensitivity reactions in some humans, but a very, very small risk.  One trial subject had exactly this reaction during the clinical trials, and this was why we all had to wait around for 15min after the jabs.  These reactions turned out to be extremely uncommon.

Micelles in human treatments: one of the few treatments that we have for fungal septicaemia is a nasty agent suspended in fat micelles: we used to joke (back in the 1980s) that it was the *equivalent* of intravenous bleach.  It wasn't and I don't imagine DT had ever known that.  Also, fat for total parenteral nutrition - micelles.

Sadly, *all* immunisations come with risks and side effects.  The wonderful Salk vaccine for polio in 1950s gave the disease to scores of patients after some batches weren't correctly heat-treated.  The (arguably) better Sabin vaccine would cause one or two cases of vaccine-related polio every year (I've actually seen one) which is why the UK has gone back to Salk.  But, as ever, diseases causes more sickness and death than any vaccine that's ever received a full clinical licence.

There's an entirely separate debate to be had about the risk/benefit ratio of immunising people under 30 against Covid-19 with the immunisations that we had at that time.  It became clear quite quickly that the immunisations that we had were functionally useless at preventing people from catching and spreading the disease without showing significant symptoms, and since young people had little to fear from Covid-19 it was a futile attempt to stop them giving Covid-19 to their grandparents and parents.  Compare that with Hep-B immunisations: once properly immunised, you can't get the disease and so you can't spread it.  Ditto polio.

CrustyG

by Penguin - 2023-08-24 08:39:56

Thank you for the information above. 

You mention post marketing surveillance. I agree that this is very important. 

 My concern is about ADR (Adverse Drug Reaction) reporting and the barriers that doctors  face when reporting reactions to drugs, vaccines and medical devices. This doesn't just apply to Covid19 vaccinations, although that is the subject of this thread. 

The number of reports being filed - not just for Covid - needs to be adressed.  Under reporting and lengthy feedback loops diminish the quality of research. You clearly have a medical background, but as a patient I resent being faced with raised eyebrows when I report a side effect which is rare or which research stats suggest is unlikely and when I am all too aware that important reporting of ADRs is not taking place.  I am sure that my frustration is similar to that felt by doctors and researchers who rely on effective, up to date research data when deciding on treatments and the withdrawal of treatments. 

Relative to Covid, an excellent app was launched in the UK (from Kings College I think? - Zoe App? ) which encouraged patients to report their experiences of Covid directly to the researcher.  Vaccination status was part of the feedback loop. I thought that this was an excellent innovation because it positively engaged patients whilst maintaining a contact point with the innovator / research team for follow up.  In a pandemic situation and when dealing with a vaccine that undeniably raised doubts due to the speed at which it was developed and rolled out, the direct patient communication provided reassurance to many that they were being listened to.  

Involving people is always more effective than shutting them down. 

mRNA

by AgentX86 - 2023-08-25 00:34:36

I can't find any articles on mRNA technologies used widely on humans prior to covid. mRNA has been around since at least 2013 but I can't find any human uses.

The thing that bothers me is the lack of published data, secrecy, and sensorship.  It tells me that there is indeed something to hide.  If it were as safe an effective as promised, these numbers would be readily available and medical professionals would be allowed to discuss it freely, like they do with all other medical and scientific research.

I don't have a problem with vaccines (I'm not an anti-vaxer) but I insist on uncensored information. I did take the first two shots but nothing since.  IMO, the potential risks exceeded the rewards (diminshed risk of infection and known but unquantified risk of shot).

BTW, I did get covid last summer.  I had a fever of 98.7F (I normally run 77.5F, give or take) and it felt no worse than a decent cold.  The symptoms lasted less than 48hrs and the "fever" 24hrs.  My wife had it a little worse (101F fever and three or four days of cold-like symptoms and headache). Her reaction to the shot was almost as bad as the disease itself (covid syndrome).

Take everything that is offered

by Aristocat - 2023-08-26 22:15:19

Not in the slightest! I spent over 26 years in the US Air Force and received all kinds of vaccinations that were suppose to harm you. One of those big ones was anthrax. I received 5 doses before the military stopped giving them. Other than an extremely sore arm I had no ill effects. 

I've taken both primary covid vaccinations (Moderna) as well as two additional boosters. No ill effects. I had the afib problem long before the vaccinations. Did get covid but was an extremely mild case.

I take every vaccination that is offered. That includes the annual flu (quadvalent), tetanus (as required), pnuemonia and most recently the shingles dual vaccination. I'm just waiting for the RSV vaccination to be available.

I don't live in fear of the government. Hell, I work for the government after I retired from the military. Besides, I have too much else to worry about. I just now recovering from a brain bleed and craniotomy to remove the clot. The bleed was caused by the Eliquis I've been taking because of the pacemaker. That will be an interesting conversation I will have with my new (as in never met) cardiologist next month when it is time to start the medication again.

I try not to worry about things I can not control. Just live my life as it comes. I beat cancer once and plan on beating it again since it has come back. I attack with a positive attitude to the point I even convinced the doctor that implanted my pacemaker to let me drive the 6 1/2 hours to get home the next morning....in a snow storm. Made it just fine with no ill side effects. Shoulder didn't even hurt.

Finally, while it has been said before I will say it again...growing old is not for sissies.

COVID vaccination

by coach6 - 2023-09-09 15:19:56

I had pacemaker installed in 2015 for exercise induced heart block from an old heart attack in 1995. Had been doing really well and able to exercise at a high level. In October 2022 I had a COVID booster and 4 days later my heart went into Arrythmia that progressed to severe heart failure. My EF was 25%. It is now at 30% but my cardiologist has recommended an upgrade to a CRT-D pacemaker.

So yes the COVID booster can cause arrhythmias. I am also looking for more information on experiences with CRT-D pacemakers. I am a little nervous to get it implanted.