Omagh man says he’s ‘still not myself’ after taking Covid vaccine

BEFORE the Covid-19 pandemic, Brian McCrea was the picture of health – a fitness fanatic who trained six days a week and rarely drank.

But nearly four years on from his second Covid-19 vaccine dose, the former personal trainer says his life has changed dramatically, alleging the jab left him with debilitating symptoms that he’s still battling today.

Mr McCrea said, “Before Covid, I used to be very fit – working out six days a week, sometimes even twice a day,” he said.

“I never smoked, barely drank and I kept myself well fit.”

Despite being hesitant about the vaccine roll-out and concerned about the speed at which the jabs were developed, the Omagh man said he eventually gave in to social pressure and mounting restrictions.

“I was sceptical. The vaccines were rushed out so quickly, and I wasn’t sure. But people around me kept saying things like, ‘Stop listening to conspiracy theories,’” he recalled.

“After I had a few asthma attacks, people warned me, ‘Imagine if you had Covid on top of this,’ and that fear started to get to me.”

Brian says he had no issues following the first vaccine dose. But everything changed, he claims, after receiving his second jab 12 weeks later.

“The day I got it I started feeling horrible.

“It started as just flu-like systems; aches, pains, really bad fatigue. That went on for ten days but I was finding it really hard to breathe and my heart started to hurt.”

Alarmed, he contacted his GP.

“I told him what was happening. His reply was, ‘Don’t tell me you’re one of those.’

“He said that there was nothing wrong with the vaccine and they’re fine, but I never said I thought my symptoms was linked to the vaccine,” Brian said.

As the weeks turned into months, Brian said his symptoms worsened. He found himself sleeping up to 21 hours a day and was forced to cancel all his personal training clients before eventually going on extended sick leave.

“I spent three months bedbound. I’d only get up to see my wife and kids for a little while. I was shattered all the time.”

When he returned to work, things took an unexpected turn.

“During the return-to-work process, they kept asking if I was okay stomach-wise. I was confused — I never had any stomach issues. That’s when I found out my GP had written down that I had ‘gastrointestinal problems’. I couldn’t believe it.”

Brian is keen to point out that, while the most acute symptoms like chest pain have subsided, he still experiences daily chronic fatigue and pain.

“I’m still not myself, even now I can only do one hour of training a week and I’m in agony. It has only really been this last six months where the chest pains have subsided and the breathing has gotten better.

“Never did I have chronic pain in my life and now I’m riddled with it every day,” he said.