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Dianne Spaulding: AstraZeneca Bleed, Rash and Platelet Drop

Day 4 · 6:16:44 · Myriam Bohémier · Dianne Spaulding

  • 💉 Healthy 56-year-old lab tech took AstraZeneca 23 Apr 2021 after pharmacist dismissed thrombocytopenia fears.
  • 🩹 Flu-like illness then arm bleed; platelets fell from her usual 500–600 to ~400 with swollen red rash.
  • 🏥 ER called it a “good reaction,” refused IVIG, and sent her home despite her lab background.

First ER visit dismissed clear bleeding and platelet drop after AstraZeneca.

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Transcript

Myriam Bohémier · 6:16:44

So our next witness is Dianne Spaulding Spaulding. Dianne Spaulding, will you take the Bible in your right hand, please? Dianne Spaulding Spaulding, do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God? I do. Then I want to introduce you to the inquiry. You're 61 now, which means you were 56 at the time of these events. And, um, you, you've got two children. You now have to live with one of your sons, your oldest son.

Dianne Spaulding · 6:17:27

I do live with my eldest son at the moment, yes.

Myriam Bohémier · 6:17:30

Um, you were a lab technician in healthcare. You were very healthy. You did biking, hiking, going for walks. You like to travel. You love to spend time with the grandkids.

Dianne Spaulding · 6:17:41

Good health. Apparently good health, yeah.

Myriam Bohémier · 6:17:44

And then on April 23rd, 2021, you took your first and only COVID-19 vaccine, which was AstraZeneca. That's correct. Can you share with us what happened?

Dianne Spaulding · 6:17:56

Yeah, so I decided I would, um, you do the right thing and, you know, get my shot. So I headed off to the Rexall pharmacy inside Mount Sinai Hospital, and I decided to take the AstraZeneca. That was the one that was available at the rollout at that time for my age category. So I actually, actually was a little bit nervous because I had actually heard on the news about the vaccine and thrombocytopenia that was happening. But when I got to the pharmacy and I talked to the pharmacist, she said— when I mentioned it, she said, no, that's extremely, extremely rare. No worries. It's safe and effective. You have no issue. You have no— nothing to worry about. So yeah, so that's what I did. I took it.

Myriam Bohémier · 6:18:48

So. And, and what happened?

Dianne Spaulding · 6:18:52

So the next day I woke up and I was— I was pretty sick. Like, just, you know, like the flu, you know. I had a fever, chills, body aches, pains, just like you would with the flu. And that lasted for about 3 days. I was in bed about 3 days. Um, but on the 5th day, I developed a bleed on my lower arm, and that was alarming, especially after hearing about the thrombocytopenia. I was like, uh-oh. So I thought, oh boy. I said, okay, this isn't normal. I better, you know, I'll go to— I'll go to Emerg. I'll get my blood work done. I'll see what my platelet count is because, you know, my platelet count actually has always been a little bit elevated. No reason, just always a little bit elevated. So it always had around 500 to 600. Okay. So when I got there and I told them about it, it, and they looked at it, and they did blood work, and it came back that my platelet count was just, just around 4.

Dianne Spaulding · 6:20:01

So, and I had my blood work done about a month before that, and my platelet count was at 600, and now it was at 400. Now, 400 is actually, uh, within normal range. So no, no red flags, no alarms went off. But I said to them, look, I normally have high platelets, you know, or elevated platelets. So now they're being pulled down by 200. So that would make sense that I have this bleed on my lower arm.

Myriam Bohémier · 6:20:38

But isn't, isn't 400 still like, maybe it's in the normal range?

Dianne Spaulding · 6:20:43

Well, I mean, it's in within normal range. But for me, I don't know because I naturally have elevated platelet counts. So it was definitely pulled down. It definitely— in 2 weeks or whatever it was, or 3 weeks that I had my last blood work done by the doctor, that was just a routine checkup. But it got pulled down by 200. I don't know if that's normal. But seeing the bleed made me a little bit apprehensive. It made me worry a little bit that, oh no, maybe my platelet count is dropping. So anyway, they did the blood work. I said to them, I said, I think— oh, and I had my arm was— I had a really bad rash on my arm. It was, I think you pictures, but my arm was really swollen and red.

Dianne Spaulding · 6:21:43

And, and, um, anyway, they just said, oh, you've definitely had a really good reaction to the vaccine. Uh, a good reaction, they called it. Um, and I said, well, I said, you know, I don't really feel, you know, I mean, I've got this lower— I've got this bleed on my arm. Like, do you want to give me some, like, intravenous immunoglobulin or something to tamper down the response. And they looked at me like I had 4 heads. Like, they just looked at me like, like, what are you talking about? What's, what's this IVIG you're talking about? No idea. And, uh, anyway, they said, well, you know, nothing we can do. Sorry about your luck. Sent me home.

Myriam Bohémier · 6:22:25

Now, my understanding is you're also developing in your, um, your hands and—.