I feared I might lose legs after reaction to jab but I still think everyone should get vaccinated
Sarah shocked by ordeal after AstraZeneca vaccine
A MUM feared she would lose her legs after suffering a severe reaction to the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine.
Sarah Beuckmann received her first dose of the jag on March 18 and initially developed flu-like symptoms.
But the 34-year-old began to feel a tingling sensation in her legs about seven days later and spotted a rash appearing around her ankles.
The Glasgow mum-of-one took herself to A&E as the painful blisters began to spread across her body.
She spent 16 days having tests at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, with doctors determining she had suffered a reaction to the jab.
Despite her painful ordeal, the retail worker says she is not against vaccines.
She said: “The rash started getting worse so the hospital did tests for HIV, herpes and for any known skin condition, whether viral or bacterial, but they all came back negative.
“They did two biopsies and on the second one, it showed that there was a reaction to the vaccine. They put me on steroids and that seems to be helping my progress.
“I’m currently using a wheelchair because I can’t walk with my legs getting bandaged up every day and the blisters on the soles of my feet.
“For the first eight to nine days, I was on quite a bit of morphine but I started to gradually come off the stronger stuff. They’re looking a lot better than they were but as the blisters started to get worse, they all sort of merged together.
“At one point, I was sitting there thinking ‘Am I going to have my legs amputated?’.”
Sarah praised all staff at the hospital who treated her during her lengthy stay before being allowed home on April 12. She added: “I’m not an anti-vaxxer or anything, even now, but I’m not allowed to get the second dose to be on the safe side.
“I still believe people should be vaccinated and the amount of people that have had it and have been OK shows that it is safe for most.
“I just want people to be aware that there are some reactions that can occur.”
An NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde statement said: “It is normal for vaccines to cause potential side-effects.
“These side-effects need to be continuously balanced against the expected benefits in preventing illness.”