In May, 2012, I took 2 Ciprofloxacin for a sinus infection. I expressed concerns to my doctor regarding the musculoskeletal side effects as I was very active, running 3 or more days per week. He assured me that there wasn’t any recommendation to stop exercise while taking Cipro so I followed his advice and continued my normal exercise routine. Unfortunately, the doctor had not done his research despite providing the recommendation and I was injured while running. MRI confirmed damage to the achilles tendons and bone marrow edema. My life came to a screeching halt as I could no longer stand for prolonged periods, walk more than 100 M or perform functional tasks with my R arm. Over 3 years has passed and the limitations remain. I have chronic pain in my ankles, feet and shoulder and have been unable to return to work despite numerous attempts at PT which just exacerbated and worsened my symptoms. I’m also unable to perform many of the activities required to fulfill my role as wife and mother. My daughters have to push me in a wheelchair if we are to shop for longer than 20 minutes, my supportive husband grocery shops, does the laundry and frequently takes the children (14 and 10) to activities such as fieldtrips, outdoor activities such as biking/hiking which we used to enjoy as a family. Gone is the mother that led a very active and joyful life. The emotional toll my disability has had on myself and family is too great to explain. Even 3 years later, I still yearn for my old life and am starting to lose hope that I can heal from these injuries.
My doctors have diagnosed me with fluoroquinolone induced chronic tendinosis and other systemic issues listed on the fluoroquinolone ADR list. Two Ciprofloxacin irrecoverably changed me from a confident, happy, active mother and wife to a dependent, unemployable woman that physically and emotionally struggles to get through each day.