Crippling H1N1 Flu Vaccine Reaction

Reported by: Ron Rosseau

Thursday, Nov 12, 2009 @11:35pm CST

The swine flu scare takes on a new meaning for one West Texas nurse. A potential side effect of the H1N1 vaccine could be the blame for her sudden paralysis.

Katie Robinson received the shot in the morning on Friday, October 30th. She had a fine day at work, came home, and everything went fine.

When Robinson woke up Saturday morning, she was sore and had aches in both sides. Being a nurse, she knew those were the effects of getting the injection.

By Sunday morning, she woke up to blurred and double vision.

And by Monday, the otherwise healthy Robinson began to worry. She got up to go to work, but her face and lips were numb. She was also experiencing numbness and tingling trouble with her hand and arm.

As her health continued to deteriorate, Robinson visited her doctor. The doctor said it was a reaction to the H1N1 vaccine and sent her to an emergency room.

Robinson spent the next six days at a Lubbock hospital undergoing a series of tests.

Her tests came back normal.

The doctor's diagnosis: her paralysis was a result of the H1N1 vaccine she had received just days before.

"Since I've been a nurse six years, I've always taken a flu shot," Robinson said. "I thought I was doing best for myself and my family, trying to keep all of us well, instead it backfired on me."

Robinson's condition is so rare that her doctors tell her she is one of every 100,000 people given the vaccine to experience this paralyzing side effect.

One doctor said he would still recommend the H1N1 vaccine to his patients because of the deaths the swine flu has caused.

"I would absolutely agree that we think that the benefits far outweigh the risk of any potential side effect of the vaccine," Dr. Ron Cook said.

Robinson disagrees. She said she would rather have the flu than the debilitating disorder she is now faced with.

She is now hoping for a full recovery, but has no idea what her future holds.