Thursday, November 5, 2009

Flu Shot causes Dystonia in a rare case

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A redskins cheerleader Desiree Jennings went in for her seasonal flu shot which she had received before. However, this time was different. Ten days after the shot she began to experience flu-like symptoms that only seemed to worsen. Her speech and movement was impaired greatly and she would black out for periods of time. As it turns out, Desiree became afflicted with Dystonia, a rare neurological condition.
Desiree cannot walk a single step without convulsing violently as a result of muscle spasms. Strangely enough however, when Desiree runs or walks backwards, she can talk normally and doesn't stumble at all. Doctors have no idea why this is, but it may be connected that she was an avid runner before she was diagnosed with Dystonia.
Desiree's case was literally one in a million, but I'm not sure I will go in for a flu shot, It's a scary risk to take.

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