Flu Shot-worsening symptoms- possibly life long

[Hunter123]

I would like to submit this word of caution to anyone who has not gotten a flu shot and is considering getting one. I would weigh my options and think long and hard for anyone with prostatitis before they get a flu shot. Most urologists and physicians will state that it is safe with no long lasting ill effects. However, from my personal experience within a few days of receiving a flu shot I had more than just a flare up. It has been 4.5 months since receiving the flu shot and I still have different and worse prostatitis symptoms which I Did Not Have prior to receiving a flu shot. I left folks talk me into getting the shot because i was uneducated and naive on how the shot works and that flare ups can occur. I have had chronic prostatitis for 7 years and my symptoms over the years have been very mild until I received the flu shot. I now have chronic pain which I Never Had any Prior to Receiving the shot. Of course some medical professionals state that this is not possible or just a coincidence, while others believe that it is possible. Please be cautious. I now have to live with these worse symptoms and this decision for the rest of my life. I now have a disease which was tolerable and now is very intolerable. It has destroyed what joy in life I previously had. There is no cure for this disease and overall most doctors turn their backs when you mention that a flu shot made symptoms worse. I am trying to help others when no good advice was given to me. Now i have to live with this decision. This is no coincidence. There is no doubt that the flu shot caused the worsening of my disease.

[webslave]

I must say that after my most recent flu shot, the one for swine flu, I was sick for months (coughing, feeling below par). It is a virulent strain and the immune system is well taxed in some people. I'm fully recovered now. I think you'll get over it too. Give yourself another few months.

[scotsman]

Thankfully I was lucky - had the swine flu shot in December and only had a sore arm for a couple days.

[webslave]

I may have been coming down with swine flu when I had the shot, so perhaps that's what caused a "double whammy" effect.

[alprost]

Had suspected swine-flu around October last year. My symptoms, which had improved massively, got a lot worse during this bout of flu and took a week or so to completely settle down afterwards. The serotonin circuits in your brain are linked to both temperature regulation and pain, and serotonin levels plummet during an infection. Therefore, it isn't surprising that many people report that their pain gets worse during an infection.

Hunter123 - I’m not sure if the same holds true for an inoculation (I'm thinking it probably does, but will stand corrected by anyone who know better!), but the chances are that this is what happened with you, but when your symptoms got worse you (understandably) started to worry about this, and this is why your symptoms have lingered.

I'm sure they will settle down in time. Let us know how you are getting on.

[Hunter123]

Thanks everyone for your input. It is true that sometimes symptoms get worse when you are sick due to inflammation and your immune system reacting to an illness, but what I have experienced is much more severe. I never had much worse symptoms during an illness and I never had any of the pain or severe symptoms associated with this disease prior to the flu shot. I agree that I could have made the symptoms linger much longer by worrying, but things are not improving and I doubt that they ever will. These symptoms are worse than when chronic prostatitis started 7 years ago. I was very misinformed regarding the vaccine and now it is too late to avoid them because the damage has been done so to speak. I did not fully understand how a vaccine worked and the risks associated. I cannot believe that I am the only person who has had a lingering prostatitis reaction from a flu shot. I used to have optimism with this disease because it did improve after 7 years, but this is more than a set back.

[alprost]

Regardless of how bad your symptoms are now they ARE treatable, and you can recover. The bottom line is that lots of people have flare-ups exactly as you describe in response to numerous different triggers - there is nothing remarkable or unusual about what you are describing, although I know from personal experience what you are going through is distressing. You mention there is no cure. There is a way to recover, although you won't find it in a Urologists Office. The role of Urology in chronic prostatitis / chronic pelvic pain syndrome is to rule out serious Urological conditions which could be giving rise to your symptoms. Things were REALLY bad for me at one point (see my signature) and yet I'm now almost back to normal.

If you haven't done so already:

• Get yourself evaluated for myofascial trigger points and commence treatment (try to get a recommendation from Dr Wise).
• Practice some form of meditation/relaxation each day.
• Make sure you are taking some steps to compensate for our completely unnatural modern lifestyle which plays havoc with our immune, endocrine and Central nervous systems (which can exacerbate symptoms) by:
  • exercising (within the limits your symptoms allow);
  • getting adequate sunlight;
  • eating a reasonably healthy diet;
  • supplementing to ensure adequate vitamin d and omega 3 (especially EPA) levels.
• Try to lead as normal a life as possible but limit undue stress.

You need to give all of the above your sincerest efforts for an extended period of time before even starting to think that you can't get significantly better.

[webslave]

I would add the supplement MAGNESIUM GLYCINATE to Alprost's excellent post above.

[alprost]

I would add the supplement MAGNESIUM GLYCINATE to Alprost's excellent post above.

I'll have to add this to my own regime. Thanks for sorting out my bullet points by the way - I still haven't worked out how to do it!

[carld]

Fantastic post Alprost...

[webslave]

Thanks for sorting out my bullet points by the way - I still haven't worked out how to do it!

Use Firefox and add the addon called BBCodeXtra

[robertpagen]

Wonderfully composed post Alprost

[Hunter123]

Thanks again, everyone for their input. I was sharing my recent experience and providing everyone with a bit of caution with vaccinations. What I am experiencing is very traumatic. If it took you 6 or 7 years to get to a certain point of recovery and then it was basically all gone and symptoms were much worse, it would be difficult to handle for anyone. It is more than starting over because symptoms are worse than when this is started. More than a setback. This all changed in a matter of days from receiving the vaccination, not just gradually. When you have a family it affects their lives as well. Marriage, kids, etc. This disease/condition is nothing to take risks which I have learned the hard way. I do try and take good care of myself, but very little medications have ever worked for me which is not unusual and taking painkillers is not the answer long term. I am not familiar with Dr. Wise and I have no idea how his recommendations work or how to contact him or to do any trigger points, not sure what that means either.

[alprost]

What I am experiencing is very traumatic. If it took you 6 or 7 years to get to a certain point of recovery and then it was basically all gone and symptoms were much worse, it would be difficult to handle for anyone. It is more than starting over because symptoms are worse than when this is started. More than a setback. This all changed in a matter of days from receiving the vaccination, not just gradually. When you have a family it affects their lives as well. Marriage, kids, etc.

I also have a family and have actually been through similar/worse - It would have been a bit arrogant for me to dish out advice to you otherwise. Again, what you are describing is not unusual. You need to change your focus from your flare-up and what caused it to what you need to do to get better. Again, I've been where you are now, and am talking from experience. You can recover!

I am not familiar with Dr. Wise and I have no idea how his recommendations work or how to contact him or to do any trigger points, not sure what that means either.

Start by reading this: https://ucpps.men/chronic-prostatitis-is-a-psychoneuromuscular-condition

Then check out Dr Wise's website, watch the YouTube videos of Dr's Wise and Anderson, and order his book: http://www.pelvicpainhelp.com/

Also, go back and have a read of my above post - you need to do ALL of these things IMHO (but only add in one at a time) to give yourself the best possible chance. You will probably start to feel more positive very quickly when you realise there are things you can do to help.

Good luck.

[bethree5]

Hey Hunter 123 I get what you're going through. I am a complete utter newbie & this is my first post. Your post called out to me. Warning you in advance: take this input strictly as 'you're not alone'. Cuz long & short seems to be as another poster said, it doesn't really matter so much what triggered the condition, what matters is going forward to find a treatment that helps. At least so far, all kinds of fancy diagnostics have gotten my family exactly nowhere.

My son was diagnosed with Reiters Syndrome at age 10 (had it since age 3; he's now almost 23). My sister received the same diagnosis yrs in her mid-40's. Hers was in fact triggered by a flu shot. Urethritis/cervicitis was never a big part of her illness, which has responded well to humira. She had a huge relapse 16 mos ago after you guessed it another flu shot. (This is a very rarely doc't'd trigger for Reiters BTW). Her dr did some research & found it was the same flu strain that had triggered her 10 yrs prior.

My son's Reiter's was triggered by a bout with food poisoning when a toddler. Main symptom was synovitis of one hip or the other for the 1st 10 yrs, but urethritis started causing occasional trouble at age 10, worsening in late teens. He had to leave college 2 yrs ago & is bedridden now, under care of rheumatologist and pain mgt dr. We are at wits end after a sharp worsening of symptoms in late Jan, precipitated by a nocturnal emission/ masturbation incident (he tries to never do none of that).

So. Bottom line: autoimmune conditions can be triggered by flu shots, rare tho that is. But as a nurse friend of mine says, imagine how much worse if your sister had actually caught that strain of flu instead of just being inoculated for it. Chronic inflammation can be an autoimmune condition, in fact is so, by definition.

I am sorry to be so discouraging but so far, understanding that and treating for it has gotten us nowhere (I guess we needed a subway token).

bethree5