Testimonial of a Levaquin Victim
15 Oct
Here’s a testimonial from Clay Powell, a retired teacher, kidney transplant recipient, former marathon runner and current advocate for seniors’ rights. After a ruptured tendon left him unable to compete in running, Clay joined a lawsuit against the manufacturers of Levaquin.
I’ve had a very interesting decade; one in which my life has undergone a series of significant changes, accompanied by ups and downs that sometimes left my head spinning as I tried to digest everything that was going on.
Let’s start back when I was 55. I had spent the previous 30 years teaching geography at a small high school and I was considering taking early retirement. I was badly overweight, didn’t really take care of myself and my wife and I had plans to travel and get into shape together. Then disaster struck. Years of neglect and poor diet had apparently caught up to me and before I knew it, I was on a dialysis machine facing kidney failure. I was off work, but on disability instead of early retirement. I got lucky and was selected for a kidney transplant and suddenly everything seemed to be looking up again. Determined to prevent any other breakdowns, I took my medications religiously, adopted a much healthier diet and worked out. I returned to work for one more year, then took that early retirement and progressed into running marathons. I’d never felt better and our golden years were looking healthier and longer-lasting than ever.
One day I started feeling pain in the back of my foot which didn’t go away. My foot was swelling, but didn’t seem to respond to rest. When I went in to see a doctor, she immediately ordered scans and it turned out that I had ruptured my Achilles Tendon. My marathon days were over. I couldn’t figure out how it had happened, though. I was in good shape, I stretched, I never overdid it and I invested in the best running shoes. I was mentioning this to my physiotherapist one day and he asked if I had ever taken Levaquin or Cipro. Well, yes. Levaquin was prescribed as part of my kidney treatment, to protect against bacterial infections. He suggested I call a lawyer and I did.
It turns out that Levaquin has been proven to increase the risk of swollen or ruptured tendons, especially in patients over the age of 60. There was no mention of any risk on the medication and my doctor hadn’t mentioned anything. Recovery from a ruptured tendon is painful and expensive. If you suspect that you may have been affected, I recommend that you contact a levaquin attorney as well, or you’ll be footing a considerable bill by yourself.
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