Became sicker after vaccination: – I just want to be taken seriously

It is estimated that between 10,000 and 20,000 people in Norway live with ME.

41-year-old Heidi Andresen is one of them.

We are told most of her story in video messages, which she sends as and when she has exceeded.

She is not fit to receive visitors, and even short phone calls take what little energy she has from her.

13 stable years – but then…

Andresen says that her form has been fairly stable over the past 13 years. Although everyday life has been greatly affected by the illness, she has been able to work part-time as an accountant in a small company. She has also at times managed to have a social life on the side.

Then came the corona pandemic. Heidi stayed at home, like most of the others. She limited social contact and took the vaccine when the offer came.

– I felt nothing from the first and second dose. I took the third dose on Christmas Eve. After that, the shape began to turn slowly but surely downwards.

In February it said boom stop. Suddenly she couldn’t even lift her hands above the keyboard.

Follow along

TV 2 has been in contact with several ME patients who say that their condition worsened significantly after they took the second and third dose of the corona vaccine.

The Norwegian Medicines Agency tells TV 2 that they are closely monitoring side effects that they suspect are related to the vaccine.

From the time the vaccination started on 27 December 2020 until 22 November, 60,924 reports of suspected side effects following the corona vaccination have been received.

55 of these are reports of ME-like conditions.

The Norwegian Medicines Agency says there is no basis for believing that ME patients experience different side effects than others who are vaccinated.

– In general, it is difficult to determine whether the worsening of an existing disease is caused by a drug or a vaccine, or whether it is due to the development of or variation in the disease state, says Pernille Harg, senior adviser at the Norwegian Medicines Agency.

The gain is greater than the risk

Professor and infectious medicine specialist Nina Langeland at the University of Bergen says it is sad to hear the stories that come out here.

At the same time, she emphasizes that the benefit of the covid vaccine is, on the whole, far greater than the risk of not taking it.

She further points out that the ME symptom of fatigue is one of the most common side effects of the covid disease itself.

– A study shows that more than one in three have fatigue six months after the disease. If some of these are protected against fatigue by being vaccinated, we would avoid a lot of illness, says Langeland.

The study she refers to was carried out at the start of the pandemic, before the 233 participants were protected from the vaccine and tested for the disease.

– Having said that, I think that we in the healthcare system are committed to being open about the fact that side effects exist, even if they are rare, and in some cases very rare.

– Like joker north

It has now been a year since Heidi took the first dose of the corona vaccine.

She says her body is unrecognizable.

In addition to exhaustion, she has menstrual disturbances and feels inexplicable pains in her body. Her doctor has not found an explanation.

– The cycle is like the joker north. June was the worst month. Then I bled for 20 days, says Heidi.

Heidi is not alone in this.

Menstrual disorders

In November last year, TV 2 surveyed the experiences of over 200 women who told about changes in their periods after the corona vaccine.

One year later, 85 of the same women answered that they still have menstrual disturbances.

Since then, the European Medicines Agency has concluded that heavy menstrual bleeding after corona vaccination should be referred to as a side effect of corona vaccines.

Hoping for change

For Heidi, everyday life is still strongly affected by the disease, and she lives as if there is still a pandemic.

She rarely manages to leave the flat, and it is a long time between each time she manages to meet her friends.

Heidi did not use a single self-report or sick report in thirteen years. This year she has used them all.

– I am worried about whether I will get back the life I had, or whether this is a permanent injury. I would really like to get better, says Heidi.

– How can you be so sure that it is the vaccine? Can it not be thought that it is something else?

– I have been stable for 13 years. Nothing else has happened. I have not had any infections, and I have lived as usual. I cannot understand what else it could be.

TV 2 has been in contact with Heidi’s GP, who also believes that the worsening of the symptoms is vaccine-related.

– Many ME patients experience a worsening of symptoms after a viral infection. I think this type of patient has a sensitive immune system, which means that they can react more strongly to a vaccine than expected, says the doctor.

The doctor, who does not want his name in print, says they have not found anything else that could have caused Heidi’s health to worsen.

Hoping for a better 2023

For Heidi, Christmas this year will be quite different from Christmas last year.

This year, the celebration will be at my sister’s home with the family. Her father has set up a camp bed in the living room, so that she can join in the celebration.

Her nephews lend their beds for the times when she needs a proper time-out in the dark with earplugs.

She hopes for a better 2023, and that the health authorities can find some more answers to why more ME patients have become so ill from the vaccine, and what they can possibly do about it.

– I think it is important that this comes to light, and that it has happened to several people. There may be new variants and new viruses, and we must be prepared for the future.

– I just want to be taken seriously.