I feel your pain. This is my story-

Hello ! I am Mary and am 76 years old. This is the part of my story that focuses on the possibility of fluoroquinolone-associated disability (FQAD) and my chronic pain.

Prior to a medical event in August of 2019, I lived an active life that included traveling, hiking, gardening, attending outdoor music festivals, hosting events, and extensively interacting with my husband, children & grandchildren.

Today, I am lucky to walk 50 yards to the mailbox and back. I suffer from body wide pain in muscles & tendons & trigger points. The debilitating pain moves around depending on what simple activity I might have engaged in but there is a general focus in my intercostal nerve network, neck, lower back, legs and feet. I have gastrointestinal discomfort. I have swollen and aching sinuses. I am dizzy. I am profoundly fatigued.

I no longer shop, drive, or participate in any trips and planned activities. I mostly turn out the lights and sit on the sofa.

I have spent 4 years on the “medical merry-go-round” visiting specialist after specialist with no clear-cut diagnosis much less a successful treatment plan. I could list the medical focus areas if that helps the dialog.

This is the short version of an extensive medical history and treatments as I want to start a dialog about the possibility that all my un-diagnosed medical issues over the last 4 years are associated with fluoroquinolone-associated disability (FQAD)

In August of 2019, I was hospitalized with a gastrointestinal bleed following a routine colonoscopy.
During the hospital stay I received :

• ciprofloxacin (generic for CIPRO) IVPB 400 mg [36899745]
o from 7/31/2019 – 8/3/2019
o 400 mg delivered every 12 hours for 60 minutes

• metroNIDAZOLE in NaCl (generic for FLAGYL) premix IVPB 500 mg [36899746]
o from 7/31/2019 – 8/3/2019
o 500 mg delivered every 6 hours for 60 minutes.

After discharge I received:

• ciprofloxacin 500mg tablet
o Commonly known as: generic for CIPRO
o 1 tablet (500 mg total) by mouth 2 (two) times a day for 7 days.

• metroNIDAZOLE 250mg tablet Commonly known as: generic for FLAGYL
o 1 tablet (250 mg total) by mouth 3 (three) times a day for 7 days.

I never really recovered from that trip to the hospital. The symptoms just get more varied and more intense. There are no flares & remissions just ongoing chronic distress. I stumbled upon the findings of FQAD and am interested in what others have to say,

Could FQAD be the “behind the curtain” root-cause of my torment and just have not surfaced in my search for help?

Thanks for reading my story and I look forward to your responses.