Orthopedic surgeons symptoms and conditions

About 4 months ago I took 7 days worth of Levaquin after my sinus surgery. It was a preventative measure, I never had an infection. A few days into the prescription I started having tendon pain in my knees & ankles. I couldn't sleep, I was having nightmares, I was emotional, anxious and drained. My doctor told me to stop taking the Levaquin immediately. 4 months later and I am still suffering from entire body tendonapathy, neuropathic pain, joint pain, skin sensitivity, severe migraines, temperature sensitivity, twitching (muscles convulsing), basically my entire body hurts. Some days are a little better than others but not by much.

I have been to rhuemetologists, neurologists, pm & r doctors, physical therapists, acupunture, orthopedic surgeons, & allergists (in Chico Ca, & @ UC Davis in Sacramento Ca). NONE OF THE DOCTORS KNEW WHAT TO DO. My general physician actually told me to "go home and wait it out" because there was "no hope of finding help" (I'm not kidding). I've had tons of blood tests with fairly normal results. Thankfully I have a wonderful neurologist who has taken some interest in my situation. All of the other doctors told me that my case was very rare & that they had heard of such side effects but had never seen any patients with them! After some research on the internet I seriously doubt that my condition is as "rare" as they claim.

I am only 28 years old, I can't walk, I can't work, and my life has been turned upside down. I was very healthy before, I don't have a family history of health problems, nothing like that...it was the Levaquin.

Here is what I am currently taking: Lyrica for neuropathic pain, twitching, not being able to sleep etc., and oral morphine for the severe pain, Milk Thistle to promote glutathione (important because it helps your liver detox), Magnesium Malate (also helps detox), a multivitamin, vitamin c, and fish oil pills. I also attend acupuncture 2x per week (honestly feel some relief from it). Also, I heard that glutathione infusions are helpful but I haven't tried them yet. At this point I will try anything.

IF YOU HAVE HEARD OF ANYTHING OR ANYONE WHO CAN HELP WITH THESE DEVASTATING SIDE EFFECTS PLEASE LET ME KNOW.

~J.

EVERYONE PLEASE READ!!!! GARDASIL HAS DESTROYED MY LIFE! I am 24 years old and a year and a half ago I was graduating college and planning to be a professional dancer and go to law school...I was perfectly healthy and energetic! In February of 2007 I received my first Gardasil shot. After a few days I started to feel as though I had a Urinary Tract Infection and was also feeling more tired than usual. The doctor gave me an antibiotic and sent me on my way.

In May of 2007 I received my second Gardasil shot and yet again, a few days later I started to feel like I was getting another Urinary Tract Infection. I went to the doctor numerous times between the second and third shot...all for bladder and urinary tract pain. For months I was on different antibiotics and they were not making the pain go away. After visiting a number of urologists, I found out that the urine cultures had all been coming back negative - showing no sign of an infection, so the antibiotics were pointless. All tests that I had run, both blood and urine came back normal. It is not standard procedure for a doctor to call you if your test results come back normal, but there was clearly something wrong, so I searched for a urologist who would believe me that I wasn't making up the pain I was in.

In August 2007, I had a cystoscopy done (they took a scope and went into the bladder to look in the bladder wall) and they concluded that I have an incurable bladder disease called Interstitial Cystitis. This is a condition where there becomes a defect in the bladder wall causing it not to have the protective mucus layer inside of it. The pictures of inside my bladder show red, raw skin, obviously showing the severity of my case of it.

There is no evidence as to what causes Interstitial Cystitis, and there is no proven successful way of treating it. The initial signs are exactly the same as a Urinary Tract Infection (painful bladder spasms, painful urination, body aches and back pain). The main difference is the fact that it is not an infection. There are thousands of people with Interstitial Cystitis who are misdiagnosed as having chronic Urinary Tract Infections.

I received my third Gardasil shot in October of 2007 and that is when EVERYTHING fell apart. The bladder pain became constant and there has not been one minute in a day since that shot I have not been in unbearable pain. This is when everything else in my body began to crash down as well. The other health problems and side effects from the Gardasil that I am having are constant sore throat, vicious migraines, vision changes, back pain, body aches, joint pain, sinus problems, vomiting, constipation, dizziness...I could keep going on forever!

I have tried all of the conventional treatment for Interstitial Cystitis and have gotten NO relief from the pain and other side effects. The doctors didn't know what to do, so they put me on OxyContin and a diet consisting of no acidic foods. That has now posed its own set of problems seeing as now my body is addicted to the narcotic, and I have gone from 5'6'' 125lbs to 100lbs over the course of a year due to the diet. I am extremely malnourished and have to take B12 vitamin shots once a week due to the severe anemia. I am 24 years old, and feel like I am 100. I can not live a normal life, I am going to lose my job from numerous absences, I lost my fiancé and am not able to have an intimate relationship anymore, I am extremely depressed, I have to have my family clean my apartment because I am too sick to do it, I can not do social activities because I am too tired and in pain. This vaccine has DESTROYED my life! I am desperately seeking out someone else who is having bladder problems due to the Gardasil so that I can contact an attorney. This needs to be OFF the market a soon as possible so that it does not run any other lives! Gardasil has caused some deaths, but in my mind, I'd rather die than live with the pain I am having. I did notice there are some posts regarding girls getting urinary tract infections... PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE have your urine cultured because there is a good chance it may be Interstitial Cystitis!

I am desperately looking for someone who is having some of these symptoms so that I can go to a lawyer and get something going before things like this happen: Numerous states are pushing to make it mandatory that girls receive the vaccine before they enter the 6th grade. We can not let this happen! We all need to stick together and somehow fight this and get out lives back!

Let me know if you are IN - and also what you thought about my post!

You can email me at ******

Bless All of You!

*~Amber~*

I have just finished taking Levaquin for a 10day treatment for pneumonia. In the last 5 days or so I have noticed stiffness in my achilles tendon (no pain) until I get moving. I have also notice a tremor in my hands and no muscle weakness and shaking in my triceps and quads. Of course I hadn't read the precautions to this drug before noticing these symptoms. I contacted both my pharmacist and physician and neither seemed concerned and told me if I was really worried to go to the emergency room. I am wondering if these symptoms will disappear since I am no longer on the drug, how long it will take, and how long I should worry about tendon damage----is the possibility of rupture forever???

A nightmare drug. Very good at bringing my cholesterol down to 145, which for me was a record low since my first test BUT.........

From right shoulder pain to major tennis elbow pain, to cramped feet to tingling knees, to swelling ankles and cramped two fingers on my right hand it was a virtual nightmare. And, when I think back to the 1980's and my 'fun' with Zocor, it now becomes apparent that it was my reaction to statins that created all the problems.

1. DON'T DO WHAT I DID!!!! I didn't call my general practioner, who prescribed the Vytorin to me, and let her now. I went through neurologists, orthopedic surgeons and lots of physical therapy, $10,000s worth of special tests and they couldn't figure out what was wrong with me. My GP said she should always be contacted first no matter what the problem is. Mistake #1.

2. I didn't read any of the prescription printouts that comes with medication. I was lazy, I guess. It screams about the muscular side affects.

3. All the specialists/doctors I went to knew what medications I was on. Yet none of them 'got it.' Scary.

Getting up in the morning was the most difficult time. The more exercise I did, the better. Walk eight miles, great. Bike 27 miles, great. But fly five hours, bad. Obviously not sports injury types of muscle pain.

After three weeks off Vytorin about 92.67% fixed. Been tested for the enzyme side effects; no problems.

Good luck!