My Experience with the Johnson and Johnson Vaccine

I received by Johnson and Johnson vaccine on Wednesday, April 7th through a drive through mass vaccination site. The process was easy and painless, and I was extremely glad to be vaccinated! Five days after my vaccination, the FDA recommended that the J & J vaccine be put on hold due to some rare cases of blood clotting in women of my age group. A few days after that, I started to get sharp neck pains. My university panicked and sent me to the emergency room to get examined for fear that it was related to the rare blood clots, known as thrombosis-thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS). At the ER, the PA did a quick exam and concluded that it was unrelated to the J & J vaccine. He said that the TTS would likely present as pain in the front of the face, around the forehead and eyes, in a severe headache. While this was scary for a few hours, it was nice to have the reassurance. So if you or a patient has gotten the J & J vaccine, feel free to share this story. The chance of TTS is very very low and if you have any concerns, please talk to your healthcare provider!

-Submitted by MobilizeHealth Volunteer, Renee Hua