Wow… how often can you turn off the heat and open the windows in January in Maryland? Weatherbug and *my* open windows are telling me that it’s 70 degrees outside right now. I would be outside savoring the beautiful weather, but I told myself I was going to lay low this weekend. Remember that nasty case of the Avian flu/Ebola virus I had for what seems like 6 months last year? Well, it came back again in mid-December, and as usual, I’m having a hard time getting rid of it.
I went to the doctor’s for the second time this past Tuesday, and since Amoxicillin hadn’t worked, she decided to try me on Levaquin. By the time I went to bed that night, I had gotten worse! What had started out as an annoying cough and alot of…um…drainage…in the back of my throat had blossomed into constant coughing, a headache, and major sinus congestion. I went to work Wednesday morning, but left around 10:30am, and haven’t been back yet. I was starting to feel a little better yesterday (Friday), but then noticed around lunchtime that my left wrist was hurting. By the end of the day the pain had expanded to include my left elbow and shoulder. The pain was not excrutiating by any means, but it was odd. How do you manage to hurt your arm when all you’ve done is lie in bed and watch tv for 2 1/2 days?
I did a little research and found that one of the “serious” side effects of Levaquin – one where they say to stop taking the medication immediately and call your doctor – is joint pain or swelling. I did a little *more* research and found a message board where person after person has posted about the awful side effects they had while on Levaquin. For many of these people, the joint and tendon problems that it caused have continued long after they have stopped taking the medicine. So….needless to say, I am no longer taking Levaquin.
Ugh…I didn’t intend for this post to turn into a “poor, pitiful, sick me” rant! On a happy note, I must be feeling better, because I am bored out of my mind. 🙂 I think my appetite is coming back too, because I would kill for a steak on the grill right about now…
Anyway, I hope that everyone else is outside enjoying the beautiful January weather!