Cipro Destroyed My Life

by Cynthia P.
(Wichita Falls,Tx)

My name is Cynthia P. and this is my story. In May of 2008,one week before Mother's day,I developed a kidney infection. I went to my doctor and was prescribed Cipro 500mg,twice daily for 5 days. I took it and started feeling better, as far as flank pain and fever, but just felt a little different.

I finished the last pill on Saturday and the next day was Mother's day. My daughter had come to spend the week end with me. On Saturday night I made the remark to my daughter that I felt a burning sensation from my left knee up to my hip. My thigh hurt.

The next morning we were going to get up and go to church. I got up and as soon as my left foot hit the floor I sat back down on the bed. I told my husband and daughter that I could not go because each time I would try to stand on my left foot I had pain in my entire left thigh.

I spent most of the day sitting in a chair with the heating pad on my thigh. My husband left the following morning to work. He drove a truck and would be gone all week. I seemed to get a little better and was able to hobble around some but around 9 or 10 every night I began to have horrible muscle spasms in my left thigh. I mean bad enough I would double over in pain. I had never had pain like that in my entire life.

I was 58 years old. The next week on Monday morning I went to my doctor and he x-rayed my left hip and knee. He told me I had osteoporosis. This was his opinion. He gave me hydrocodone 5mg. and flexeril (a muscle relaxant) to take. I did that all week with no relief. Following week on Monday morning I went right back. The pain was intense in my left knee, up my thigh to my hip.

Next we did a full body bone scan which showed NO osteoporosis at all and report came back as mild arthritis in my low lumbar spine. Fast forward to 2 months later, I had went from 144 lbs down to 125 lbs. That's 19 lbs lost in 8 weeks time. To make a long, long story short, from that time until now,Sept.7,2012, I have had several cat scans, tons of blood work, x-rays, the bone scan, an MRI, brain scan, 3 cases of the Shingles and now have wide spread neuropathy. The neuropathy started first in my left thigh and after the Shingles is now all around my trunk area. I have seen several doctors and every single one of them said, No, the Cipro wouldn't cause all of that. I now take Hydrocodone and Neurontin 300mg daily.

I take these meds and still have left leg pain and low back pain. The MRI showed that I had spinal stenosis in my cervical spine. My left thigh and left calf is atrophied and the right side stomach muscles are atrophied. I have a mis-shaped stomach now. I go to bed in pain and I awaken with pain. Not one doctor can tell me why I have all of this but all say that Cipro would not cause that. Well, what did? Before I took Cipro I was just fine. I had energy and was able to jump up and go at a moments notice. I sometimes have to use a cane when walking due to my entire left leg going totally numb several times a week. I attended church 3 times weekly and was involved in a ladies ministry visiting our elderly and ill members. I had to stop that and I feel like I lost my former life when I took that drug.

My days are spent staying inside and I only leave the house for doctor appointments,etc. I do not see my life improving at all because it hasn't since May 2008. It is very sad and I spend a lot of my days crying and asking why this happened to me.