Walk away symptoms and conditions

I have just been told by my primary care doctor that he cannot continue to okay any more time for me on my state disability.

He asked if I was going back to work ( I've been out 6 months ) and I told him my legs are still so weak and sore so often I cannot be on them for more than one to two hours without them feeling like they are going to go out from under me, as well as my arms to a lesser ( 50% ) degree and often the rest of my body if I do anything physical for more than 1/2 hour to one hour. And that I was also still totally depressed and feeling I could have an anxiety attack at any time which I do maybe every 3rd, or 4th day....so that no, I could not work at this time. I was still feeling about as totally disabled as I ever have been in my 54 years.

I also told him my feelings about Levaquin perhaps being the cause of all this. He got very agitated and ended the visit and said it was not the Levaquin but I would not be able to understand his explanation as to why it could not be the Levaquin because of my lack of education in the medical science field.

When I said that every symptom I have had since the second day of taking Levaquin were symptoms that I have never experienced in my entire 54 year life and I wasn't having "any" of these during the 4 or 5 days previous to being prescribed Levaquin when I had the flu and beginning bronchitis, he just wouldn't even comment.

He just stood up and turned to walk away. Then he stopped and said, "look...one thing we are sure of...is that you have serious mental health issues, and that's all we can find outside of some maybe beginning Crohns Disease with the results not coming in until later next month from the U.C.S.F. Med Center tests.

My last comments that I "tried" to say to this doctor as he was walking away were that " Why would I have myself taken to our local ER 3 times in one week as soon as I started taking Levaquin with terrifying symptoms like all the ones you all are describing here on this board from incredible insomnia to massive weakness and panic attacks, etc., when even with the flu I wasn't feeing that concerned and my 54 year long local resident history does not show a pattern of ever having to rush to an ER that often? And why....WHY would he nor any of the ER doctors ever once give one seconds thought to the "possibility" that I was having a sever reaction to Levaquin...especially when the symptoms I was experiencing are ones that are listed as those that may occur to certain people taking this powerful antibiotic? Can't we even consider this "levaquin reaction" a "remote" possibility?

His answer..."no." " I'll see you in 2 months."

If this doctors comments and behavior towards me isn't the most obvious and disheartening conveyance of dismissal, what is? This doctor would love to have me just never call him back. And sadly, so many doctors are acting exactly like him in my case.

And I've never had a problem like this before in my entire life! BOy, if a doctor doesn't see something on a test...there minds shut down on any other possibilites. I think also they are constantly thinking about the insurance companies questioning them about care provided when they aren't finding anything. So the whole system is geared toward dumping you when normal testing can't find your problem...and doctors are so insurance comapny minded...much more so than patient minded. OR, there is something else in these doctors training or mind set , that makes them very quickly dump their patients into the "psychiatric" area when they hit a dead end. And to do this to someone who has never had to see a psychiatrist in their life before...is what I would call a complete breaching of medical ethics.

When your primary care doctor gives you the "psychiatric brush off" after 6 months of torturous suffering, it's a pretty tough place to be as far as encouragement and knowing where to go from here. You have to take a deep breath and muster up even more courage and you realize that every month with this Levaquin problem...you are more and more on your own to just suffer with it. What a sad weight to add to this already horrible nightmare.

To guest 12068
I'm so very sorry u r going thru this. That is way too long to be on pred. Is there any way your fiance' can go thru therapy with u? No one understands this demon drug and we r not ever told of the long term dangers of taking this. It will be 1 yr. or longer to be rid of the side effects from being on it for 4 yrs. I understand the anger problem. Mine lasts about 10 minutes then I get really quiet and then I'm ok. My husband is great about it. He just says calm down and waits it out with me and then I feel stupid and everything is ok again.(until the next time) It comes on so fast and leaves just as fast. I'm trying to talk to myself before I let anyone else see my mood. Sometimes I just walk away and settle down and then I'll be ok. I've got two wonderful friends who know what is going on and they understand and hug me when I get like that. I still have insomnia. I've been off of pred. for 6 weeks. Fatigue happens real sudden like rigor mortis is coming on. Ha It does feel weird. U r in my prayers even if we don't the names on this website. It will get better. Since u have been on this so long hang in there with the therapy and keep us all posted and ask all of us anything u want. Thant's why we r here. U don't know until u go thru prednisone hell. : )

Jessica, I am the one that wrote the despearate boyfriend story.

I really feel for you as I am in the same situation. You know that was not the real you but nobody else does. I strongly recommend if you have not done so already is give this website to your boyfriend and let him read it. If he cares enough about you and if he man enough he will read it.

For me it really opened my eyes to how damaging these pills can be to a person and end up affecting your whole life.

Don't despair and don't give up either. But a word of advice from someone who has learnt some hard lessons from the past, don't beg for him back, give him the website and ask him to read it, if he willing and does read it he surely will forgive you if he doesn't then he is a coward and be prepared to walk away and don't contact him again.

Hope this helps