Mast cell disease and the Covid vaccine (my experience)

Doctors have been treating me for “suspicion of mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS)” since 2016, and I recently got my first Covid vaccination shot. Here’s a quick summary of the experience.

Before the shot I took one Allegra pill, as usual, and then two Xyzal pills (where I normally take one a day, but as many as four).

I got the Pfizer vaccine shot, and quickly developed these symptoms:

  • Itching
  • Very running nose (just like being around a cat)
  • More itching
  • Hives
  • Feet burning like Ben-Gay or Icy Hot was rubbed all over them
  • Nausea

Once my feet started burning I took two more Xyzal pills and Benadryl. I stayed at the vaccination center for 45 minutes because the nausea started at just before the 30-minute mark.

After the vaccine I developed flu-like symptoms for almost exactly 96 hours (four days), and as I write this about ten days later I’m dealing with congestion in my throat and chest. For almost half of these days I’ve had the home temperature set at 75-78 degrees, where I usually have it at 71. Yesterday I had something of a flu flashback, as I got sick again and went to bed at 6:30pm.

Such is life with mast cell disease, and the Covid vaccine.