Love your sentiments, dear Zoe (peace to you, dear sister!) and VERY glad all worked out with you and dear John's vaccination experiences. Many that I know, including my staff, dear HUBS, and my son had a sore arm, so I asked about it when I went for my 2nd dose. It was explained that it was because, unlike other vaccines and shots, this one had to be administered into the muscle (hence, the longer needles; I'm on the smaller size, body wise, so I didn't have to get the longer needle. And assure you, I was glad of that!
Some years ago I injured myself while driving a transit but (I drove for about 10 months until the injury). It was pretty bad: right-side arm, shoulder, hand, back, and neck all manifested various degrees of swelling (I had torn my rhomboid and cracked 2 ribs!). I had 3 years of physical therapy which actually worsened the problem and swelling such that when I went for a final determination, the Medical Examiner pronounced me 26% disabled due to a 1/4 upper body compromise (I was actually quite swollen on the day she examined me; my right rhomboid almost resembles a back "boob" - Her term - LOLOLOL!)
Things got worse after that and because of it I assumed it was related; it wasn't (I will explain in a sec). I had constant and almost unbearable pain and then bouts of numbness in my neck and shoulder but most especially in my back and hand. So... a whole battery of tests were begun to try and remedy the problem (they had thought the soft tissue rhomboid injury had caused scar tissue to "heal" over a nerve bundle - it was not, as I will explain later). One such test was an EMG, a procedure to test for muscle diseases, neuropathy, pinched nerves, and other conditions that cause muscle pain and/or numbness. There are 2 types/phases of EMG testing:
Quote:
Nerve conduction study – The nerves are stimulated at different points with small electric shocks, artificially activating them so their function can be measured
and the
[b]Needle exam for muscle testing – Very fine needles are inserted into several muscles. Each needle has a microscopic electrode that picks up both the normal and abnormal electrical signals given off by a muscle.[/b]
I had both. And the second, where "very fine needles were inserted into several [of my] muscles," well, let me tell you: while the process itself didn't hurt pretty much at all, the next day I felt as if I had been run over by a truck. And it was SO "weird" an experience because my LEFT side felt absolutely fine. But my RIGHT side... O... M... G. VERY sore!
I since tried acupuncture and while that did leave me slightly sore in spots, the fact that those needles are placed at points just below the skin made a HUGE difference. Didn't help, though. NOTHING helped. And then, I couldn't raise my arm at all. Couldn't brush my teeth, couldn't comb my hair, couldn't put on anything that had to be pulled over my head - anything that required me to raise my right arm became out of the question.
After 2 MRIs revealed nothing, I finally had exploratory surgery on my shoulder; my surgeon thought perhaps I had an undetectable torn rotator cuff. I did not. What my surgeon found once inside was that I had a pretty large bone spur and over time it had severed my right bicep tendon. I had what Brett Favre had. Unfortunately, his was reparable (sever was clean and so they could and did reattach the tendon to his bicep muscle and after physical therapy he was able to throw again. My tear was not reparable. Not only had the spur severed the tendon but had done not so cleanly but such that it left the tendon in shreds. "Strings" my surgeon said, because of how long it had been "sawing" at my tendon.
I'm good (very!), now, but you couldn't pay me to have another one of those tests... NOR do acupuncture.
And I really hesitated when I went for that 2nd vaccine dose and was told it HAD to go into my muscle. Now, I puncture myself a few times a week (to change my CGM and pump cannula) so I'm not afraid of needles, per se. But a needle in the muscle - I KNOW that pain and will avoid it any time I can.
I know, I know... TMI... overshare... etc. I shared, though, because I don't want anyone to think there's something "wrong" with the vaccines because they cause soreness in the arm. Has nothing to do with the vaccine itself but how it has to be administered (into the muscle). So, I hope that helps.
Peace to you, dear John, the daughters, and grandkids!
Your servant, sister, and slave of Christ,
Shel
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