Former Pussycat Dolls member Jessica Sutta has revealed she is battling vaccine-induced lupus, which she claims developed after receiving her second Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in 2021.
The 42-year-old singer, who joined the iconic burlesque group at age 22, told the Daily Mail that her symptoms began just days after vaccination.
“I woke up with a muscle spasm in my right rib that just would not get out,” she recalled. “It felt like a knife inside was burning. It wrapped around my rib cage and up and down my spine, and it felt like I was on the brink of death.”
Sutta, who started experiencing spasms and tremors in her legs, said that she feels like her body has been “completely hijacked.”
The pop star was finally diagnosed with vaccine-induced lupus seven months ago after doctors initially suspected multiple sclerosis.
The autoimmune condition is caused by the body’s response to a vaccine producing cells that attack healthy tissue.
Sutta described how the condition has left her bed-bound and unable to dance for more than a few minutes at a time.
“Any physical activity I pay for the next day, and my body just flares, and it’s very disappointing because I love to dance. It’s who I am,” she said.
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She struggled with chronic fatigue, muscle pain and extreme weight loss, dropping 50lbs after her symptoms began.
“It felt like my body was eating itself,” she explained. The health issues have severely impacted her ability to care for her three-year-old son, MJ, who was just a newborn when her symptoms started.
“There’s times where I can’t lift him. I can’t put him in the car, I need someone to help me,” Sutta shared.
“There’s days that I can’t get out of bed, and I’m on the heating pad, and there’s so much mom guilt that just overflows from my entire being.”
She described experiencing intense post-traumatic stress disorder from the ordeal.
Vaccine-induced lupus is extremely rare, with fewer than 100 reported cases worldwide, according to medical experts.
The condition causes widespread inflammation that explains many of Sutta’s symptoms, including skin rashes, joint pain, fatigue and muscle pain.
“I still get the muscle spasms here and there,” Sutta said. “Things have gotten a little bit better through therapies and steroids, but I don’t want to live my life like that.”
Her treatment now includes steroids to control flare-ups, though she dislikes their side effects.
She also takes hydroxychloroquine, a medication commonly prescribed for lupus.
Monitoring her diet has become crucial, with Sutta avoiding gluten and sugar to manage her symptoms.
Despite some improvement, she remains frustrated: “I just want my body back. I want to be able to dance again.”
Sutta has connected with thousands of others experiencing similar symptoms after Covid vaccination, finding solace in shared experiences.
“As scary as it was to speak out, I kind of just put my career aside and put humanity first,” she said.
She emphasised she is not anti-vaccine but advocates for “informed consent” about potential risks.
Sutta remains hopeful about her recovery and has a message for others with vaccine injuries: “Don’t give up.”