My name is Tony and here is my story.

I have been “floxed” twice not knowing what “floxed” was until the second time. The first time was about 8 years ago. I was 20 years old and took Cipro for an infection. I had a bad reaction after finishing the prescription but never pin pointed or would have figured it was the Cipro. I had joint pain and severe insomnia for a while and ever since then I was never the same. l would get recurring throat and sinus infections , fatigue, memory problems and more for the next 8 years. Since then I have been taking antibiotics for the recurring infections. I believe what kept me going was my active lifestyle and age. Always going to the gym, working, school, and tried to eat as healthy as possible for physical goal purposes. What probably helped then was all the supplements I would take for the gym.

8 years later, December 2016. I was having sharp abdominal pains that would come and go. I couldn’t take it anymore so I went to a doctor that suspected ulcers and prescribed me Cipro for ten days. On the second day of taking it a flare of symptoms manifested at once. Extreme Joint pain, digestion problems, hallucinations, mood swings, mental state changes, strong heart palpitations, insomnia, and a strong sense of fear, anxiety. For a few months I had trouble walking as my legs felt as they were jelly. I looked up Cipro side effects and there it was. WARNING CIPRO. An article explaining how dangerous this type of antibiotic can be and should only be given in life threatening situations such as anthrax. Reading that did not help at all and added to the anxiety I was getting. I had to be hospitalized and they found nothing through blood work, endoscopy and colonoscopy. The doctors only said it was an allergic reaction to Cipro and symptoms would subside. I DIDN’T EVEN HAVE ULCERS!!! I had to drop out from college and was absent or late to work quite a bit. Thankfully my employer is flexible and worked with me during the hard times. I am extremely grateful for having loving parents as they let me move in with them since I couldn’t really take care of my self. I was going through all these symptoms for about 5 months until I found an acupuncture that started changing my life around. When he treated me Joint pain subsided and my digestion improved. I forgot to mention that I lost 35lbs in the first month after taking Cipro. So yes I am finally gaining some weight. I also found floxie hope that helped immensely with supplement suggestions from fellow floxies. Through floxie hope i was able to gain an understanding of what was really going on with my body.

I was getting blood work done occasionally and some things would come out abnormal such as liver enzymes, high bilirubin, low vitamin d levels, and thyroid. One doctor diagnosed me with Gilbert’s syndrome and that its something I shouldn’t worry about. Another doctor diagnosed me with hypothyroid and prescribed me a hormone medication which I did not take and healed my thyroid through diet change with some help of another naturopath doctor that I found here in my home town. I started to trust more the naturopath doctors than the MDs and decided to use them just for blood work. Now the only symptoms I get are brain fog, memory problems, extreme fatigue, fear that comes and goes, abdominal pains that come and go, and some anxiety but a very low level of anxiety. Also forgot to mention ringing of the years but that has subsided just recently with nourish essence supplement.

I have seen two acupuncture doctors and one naturopath doctor. They all diagnosed me with parasites, fungus, bacterial overgrowth, especially candida, and weak organs, especially my liver and gallbladder. Every time they would treat me for that I would get a sense of being normal again for a short time then the symptoms would come back. Fatigue, memory problems, abdominal pain, ect. So I believe I do suffer from what they diagnosed me with due to all the years of taking antibiotics. What is making it hard for me to recover from this is, I believe, the Cipro due to causing damage to many organs. Maybe it affected my mitochondria like some articles I found said. I am not sure exactly how the Cipro affected me unless I get tested for mitochondria dysfunction or other delicate test that I really don’t have the money for. All I know is that I am not the same after taking Cipro and it changed my life. So that’s why I am glad I found this website that lets me try what others did that helped. Hearing other people’s testimonials convinces me that Cipro does damage a whole lot more than just gut flora. Also a big thanks to Lisa for her extensive research.

So now let me get to what helped me in detail.

Diet: Right after being floxed the second time I was on a no sugar and plenty of healthy fats diet, also known as the ketogenic diet, for about 10 months. I believe that is what caused my hypothyroid apart from the Cipro. I read from a source that having no sugars in your diet can put a lot of stress to your adrenals. Apart from that my acupuncture said YOU NEED SUGARS! So he put me on a low glycemic diet. So now my diet is based off non starchy vegetables, proteins such as eggs, lean meats like chicken and beef, and 1 to 2 servings of low glycemic fruits a day. I try to go for organic as much as I can afford. He said this is his method of controlling candida. Usually he would put his clients on a no sugar diet for a while until the candida is controlled but in my case he said I need the sugars especially because I work out. so the best bet would be low glycemic. Compared to just veggies and proteins, my current diet works better for me. My latest blood work shows my thyroid levels are normal so I will take that my diet helped with that. Ginger and turmeric teas are also part of my diet. Yes once in a while I do “Pig out” but I do suffer afterwards lol. So I try to keep it at a minimal.

Exercise: This helps a great amount. Before I got floxed for the second time I used to hit the gym for 2 hours. I was a boxer so I had great stamina and could run 5 miles or more like nothing. Now my body cant handle stress like it used to so I keep it moderate. I am glad that I can go to the gym now. Il hit the gym 5 to 6 times a week for only 30 to 45 minutes. I balance it with cardio and weight lifting. Some days I focus on stretching yoga style. I believe this also helped my hypothyroid. Sometimes I will go to the gym in the mornings to do cardio for 20 minutes and then lift weights for about 30 minutes in the afternoon. This way I find it to be a big help for my fatigue. Some days my fatigue is horrible where I go in to work late because I cant get up. It feels like I had a crazy night and woke up with a hangover. But there is some days where I have small fatigue and I could shake it off with just brushing my teeth.

Supplements: Currently I am taking Floracor GI which contains probiotics, enzymes for digestions, and helps control candida. Nourish essence from Golden Flower Chinese herbs which helps me with energy and revive my liver and kidneys. I just started a supplement called clear mind and is said to help my brain fog and anxiety. I will give an update on this one later. All of these supplements were given to me by my acupuncture and they are helping a lot. These are Chinese herbs supplements and had my acupuncture look after me while taking these supps. I recommend people to have a doctor to look over them while taking these types of supplements. I am also taking Calm Magnesium at night to help me sleep. Vitamin D 5,000 I.U and Vitamin K.

Other supplements that I believe have helped are milk thistle for support and healing of the liver. Antifungals. Tissue salts. Vitamin B complex. I did take Iodine for a while but it made me feel ill at times. So I just passed on it.

Acupuncture: I get at least 2 sessions of acupuncture a month. It helps me relax and relieve stress. I believe a good acupuncture doctor can help with calming the nerves.

Its been a little over a year since the second time I got floxed and I have learned a lot. I am not the same as I was before but I am in a state where I can work, help out around the house, and be more active overall compared to a year ago. I believe in the power of prayer and I believe God has helped me. I hope my healing continues and hope I get to help others in the future. Not just the people who got floxed but others that are ill and MDs have no clue on what is going on with them.

** The story above is truthful, accurate and told to the best of the ability of the writer. It is not intended as medical advice. No person who submits his or her story, nor the people associated with Floxie Hope, diagnoses or treats any illness. The story above should not be substituted for professionally provided medical advice. Please consult your doctor before trying anything that has been mentioned in this story, or in any other story on this site. Please also note that people have varying responses to the treatments mentioned in each story. What helps one person may not help, and may even hurt, another person. It is important that you understand that supplements, IVs, essential oils, and all other treatments, effect people differently depending on the millions of variables that make each of us unique. Please use appropriate caution and prudence, and get professional medical advice.