My Dr Apt Feb 6th (I'll try to keep it short)
Total emotional breakdown.
OK, maybe that was too short. I got there and was asked to fill out new patient paper work; ~10 double-sides pages nearly identical to the three I've filled out at Lahey Clinic. While inthe waiting room doing that, a woman in her late 60s (~68) returned from her apt and declared to her husband in an irritated/scared/frustrated voice, "I have spinal stenosis-- it's a degenerative desease. They want to see me in two weeks and may do surgery". My gut response to this was bizarre. I wanted to look up at her and say, "oh, ya? well I'm 43 with a 6yo and I have spinal stenosis and need surgery, too". I realized I was actually angry at this woman for being "statistically" the "right" age for this desease. I felt horrible and wondered what is happening to me.
In the exam room.
The nurse asked for my MRI which I gave her. I told her Lahey Clinic faxed the MRI report last week as Dr. Baima had requested. She said they received no fax. I had double checked with Lahey to make sure they got my authorization and it was being processed. I was so mad/hurt/drained. I laid on the exam table for 50 minutes before the dr came in. I cried the entire time. I expected this was just going to be another depressing, hopeless apt. I decided I wasn't even going to bring up the Levaquin, by now it feels like beating a dead horse.
When she came in I was still crying. She was very pleasant, introduced herself and asked a few easy questions; totally ignoring my crying. That was a good strategy because I immediately dried up and was able to talk coherently. She asked me when this started and there was no way I could not bring up my Levaquin theory. I've learned a lot from my many dr encounters so I carefully address the MRI in my theory. The reduced form goes something like this:
I understand the degeneration in my spine didnt happen overnight, however, I had no symptoms whatsoever, I caught pneumonia took Levaquin and suffered several serious adverse reactions to the drug including a torn tendon in my left arm that took six weeks to heal
I ran a 5K while still on the drug and the next day I couldnt get out of bed and have been living in h3ll ever since
I speculated that the Levaquin might have caused the facet joint to fail which caused the L4 to slip which caused the nerve impingement. Or, the MRI abnormalies are coincidental to the nerve pain, and the pain is actually a peripheral neuropathy caused by the Levaquin.
She turned to her computer and looked up Levaquin. We talked a bit about it. I told her I wasnt warned that I was endanger of tendon and joint injury and the reason I pushed myself to get back to the gym and workout hard while still on the drug was in hopes of shaking the awful depression (nearly suicidal, something Ive never experienced before and also a rare and serious side effect of Levaquin). She told me they usually warn the elderly because their lack of use of muscles puts them at high risk. I then said, but when all these drug studies are done, does anyone specifically check how these drugs affect endurance athletes? Our bodies are different, we may respond differently to drugs than the average person. She took me totally seriously.
She did her full physical exam; which in my impression revealed no cause of pain. I meant to ask if I passed all the tests (because I think I did) but I forgot. She left the room for a moment to consult with another doctor then returned and asked if I had fallen during the 5K. I said, no, no falls, no trauma, nothing. She went back to the computer and read more on Levaquin. She asked me to get back on the table and she prodded ever inch of me from my lower spine to my calves, over and over.
I got dressed and we discussed treatment options. I wish so badly I remembered her words verbatim, but she started with something like this: when a patient has symptoms and an MRI that backs up those symptoms, usually that is what treatment is based on. But your situation is unique. The reason I did the second exam was to search for possible tears in your glutes or hamstrings that could have resulted from the Levaquin. I found no evidence of that, but we could do a hamstring MRIbut they are difficult due to the length of the hamstring and I dont really see evidence to do that. We also could do an EMG to study the nerve conduction. EMGs are very painful. (I know that from my carpal tunnel experience). She went on, Unless you feel the need to know, I dont feel its necessary to do an EMG, but I would like to treat you for peripheral neuropathies.
The last thing she said to me, with her hand on my arm was "we want to keep you running".
Oh, and she had my feet in her hands for a long time and didn't mention my two missing toe nails. She did ask "how much do you run?". I was crying at that point and wimpered, "a lot".
She put me on Neurontin. She said it may give the nerves a chance to calm down. I go back to see her in 4 weeks. When I went to fill the script my pharmacist told me this stuff is really great, it takes quite a while to feel results and you may need to go to a much higher dose than this, but it sure beats the alternative. I really hope it works out for you. Hes so nice and knows my history.
Theres no guarantee this will be the solution, but at least I have a new hope to go on for now. And I cant put into words how I felt when she put so much effort into researching and examining my Levaquin theory. Somehow I felt vindicated. I was so weak and drained by the time I left I could hardly drive home. That might also be due to the fact that I forgot to eat lunch and it was 6PM by that point! My apt was at 3PM.
So how was that for short?
PS: It was Mel who asked if I had been put on a quinolone anti-biotic and lead me to research the possible affects of Levaquin.
If nothing else I'm thrilled that it seems like you found a DR that gives a darn. You are an athlete and it seems that she understands this. 
You GO girl! 
and 
