Dear Body, WTF?

[lydy]

I got my flu shot yesterday. As always, it hurt, because needles. Ok, then. But it continued to hurt. And then hurt some more. So, I looked at it in the mirror. I have a red spot fully four inches in diameter. It's bigger than a baseball, dammit. And it's incredibly sensitive to any pressure.

I've never had this reaction to a shot before. Fascinating. There aren't any symptoms that worry me. No shortness of breath, red lines, or things like that. I did have some joint and muscle pain earlier today, but that's mostly gone, and is pretty typical with getting a flu shot for me.

So, really, WTF?

Comments

[soon_lee]

Allergies are complicated.

I underwent immunotherapy treatment to try to rid myself of a wasp allergy. It involved getting injected with minute doses of wasp venom, eventually increased over time until I was getting the equivalent of two stings' worth. This was done in an environment where if I developed a severe reaction, they could treat me.

Initially, the smallest dose caused the injection point to swell up like a golf ball, but by the end, two stings' worth caused a barely discernible response. So dosage makes a difference.

With the flu-shot swelling, I would keep an eye on it & if it develops into anaphylaxis get emergency treatment. Otherwise, it should subside over time. Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional.