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View Full Version : Tetanus Vaccine Reaction?


Shar
09-26-2007, 21:19
Last Friday (5 days ago), I got a routine Tetanus booster at a routine checkup at my doctor's office. I'm about a year late getting this booster as my last Td, according to my shot records, was in August of 1996. I have no recollection of that shot or any reactions I did or didn't have at the time.

The day I got the shot I had no problems at all. That night was fine - the next day was fine. By Saturday evening though in the space of about an hour things got funny fast. I had a low-grade fever (never higher then 101), my arm at the injection site was very red, hot and swollen and painful to the touch and I generally felt like crap. It got worse through the night and I took Tylenol for the next 24 hours to keep the fever and pain to a minimum. I read online that reactions at the site and fevers are sometimes common. By Monday the fever was gone, but my arm still felt like it had a golf ball inside of it and it was very painful to the touch. Today the swelling and knot have gone down some, I'm at about a 1/3rd of a golf ball now. It is still painful to the touch and this evening I'm also getting very sore up through my shoulder. This could be because of tension though - I have been babying my arm and compensating strangely around the house and with the kids.

Here are my questions:
1. Is this normal? I don't really want to go in and see anyone but today at the bus stop the other moms thought I'd lost my mind for not going in. The redness and swelling is visible on my arm so they could see it was still an issue. But mom-mob mentality is never reliable.
2. If it is normal - what should I look for that would signal things getting funky and abnormal meaning I should go in?

I am allergic to Cipro, not massively, it just gives me hives. I don't know if that matters, but I figured I'd throw it out there.

Thanks!! Shar