Does the flu shot aggravate multiple sclerosis? This question seems to come up perennially.
Plenty of MS experts (like the folks at the Cleveland Clinic) contend that a flu shot is unlikely to exacerbate MS. And that was my experience for several years. I had annual shots to prevent influenza, and I experienced no measurable side effects. OK, sometimes I had some mild soreness in the arm receiving the shot. But that was it.
Until this year.
Curiously, I had very little reaction to the COVID-19 shots (#1 and #2), except for some fairly significant fatigue and overall achiness after the second round. And I had those vaccines about six months ago.
But the flu shot was another story this time.
Sure, the influenza shot is different each year, as scientists try to target those flu variants that seem likely to be the most problematic at the time. But generally, we might expect the actual science to be similar.
Go figure.
Almost exactly one month ago, I had this year’s flu shot. It seemed pretty routine.
One day later, MS vertigo (one of my weaker links) rose up with a vengeance. I also experienced extra tingling in my hands and feet. My vision blurred in one eye (which happened to be the one where optic neuritis had led to my MS diagnosis in the first place).
Within a couple weeks, the symptoms lessened a bit, but they are still with me. The vertigo comes and goes in waves and seems to be the last complaint to quit.
MS gets worse when we’re sick.
Ask any MSer. When our immune systems go into overdrive, our MS symptoms tend to come alive. And what does a vaccine do? It alerts our bodies to gear up to fight illness. The problem is, if we have MS, our bodies begin fighting themselves. It’s complex, but also quite simple.
So when I hear medical experts calling out that flu shots won’t affect MSers, I beg to differ. I’ll have to think twice about having one next year.
Anyone else have a similar experience?
Related items:
- Are flu shots safe for people with multiple sclerosis?
- Got MS? Should you get the COVID-19 vaccine?
- Is MS gonna make me a germophobe?
- MS means I might have the flu for DAYS without knowing it.
- MS symptoms fire when we’re sick.
Image/s: Adapted from USAF/public domain image.
Feel free to follow on Twitter. Please visit my Amazon author page as well.
You are invited to join the Kicking MS to the Curb page on Facebook and the Making the Most of MS board on Pinterest.