Lou Ferrigno was hospitalized this week after a pneumonia vaccination went wrong. The Incredible Hulk actor revealed via social media that he was recovering after what he said was an allegedly incorrectly administered vaccine.
“Went in for a pneumonia shot and landed up here with fluid in my bicep,” he tweeted alongside a photo of himself lying in a hospital gown with IVs in his arm.
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“I’ll be ok but it’s important that you keep an eye on who’s giving the shot and make sure they not only swab the spot correctly but that you watch the needle come out of the package,” he advised.
Went in for a pneumonia shot and landed up here with fluid in my bicep.
I’ll be ok but it’s important that you keep an eye on who’s giving the shot and make sure they not only swab the spot correctly but that you watch the needle come out of the package. pic.twitter.com/ccHiDrY1Po
— Lou Ferrigno (@LouFerrigno) December 13, 2018
He also shared the photo and news to his Instagram account, adding the hashtags #neveradullmoment, #tips, #shots, #hospitalvisit, #louferrigno and #illbeok.
The bodybuilder and actor’s wife, Carla, told Radar Online that Ferrigno noticed the pain after he left the local pharmacy where the vaccine was administered.
“He came back from the pharmacy and his arm was really hurting and it just got worse and worse so he had to go to the hospital,” Carla said. “They hooked him up to all sorts of drips and treated him and it went down. He’s out now, but it wasn’t a great experience.”
She told the news outlet that he recovered in time to be honored at a red carpet event. “He’s much better which is good because he’s going to be honored at a black tie event in Hollywood tonight, we’re walking the red carpet!”
It’s unclear what specific shot he was given, and Carla said she could not remember what the hospital had diagnosed him with. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are two types of vaccines that fight against pneumonia. PCV13 and PPSV23 are both recommended for adults 65 and older in order to avoid contracting infections from pneumococcal diseases like meningitis, bloodstream infections, pneumonia and ear infections.
Both shots have a list of mild side effects that go on their own; only PCV13 has been reported to cause swelling at the injection site.
In addition to playing The Hulk in the TV series from 1977 to 1982, Ferrigno recently appeared in films like The Avengers in 2012, Star Trek Continues in 2014 and Enter the Fire in 2018, with several projects lined up for 2019, his IMDB page says. Thanks to his years dedicated to bodybuilding, he founded his family’s fitness program, Ferrigno Fit, and even trained Michael Jackson ahead of his comeback tour in 2009.
