A few months ago I received an email from a floxed individual (whom I’ll call “T”) that really succinctly and perfectly summed up what I’m trying to convey with this web site. I asked him if I could share his message and he gave me his blessing. This is what he said:

In your first Floxie Hope Podcast, you said you wanted to change the world. I just wanted to let you know that you changed my world. I suspected that my symptoms were caused by Cipro, but I wasn’t sure until I found your website. All of the stories sounded so similar to mine. So much suffering, and nothing the doctors could do about it.

I read your posts and your e-book eagerly, trying to figure out what I could do and what I could expect. I learned a lot and followed a lot of suggestions, trying to find what worked best for me. Throughout my struggles, several things you wrote or posted stuck with me and helped me get through, including the following.

• Stay alive – This seems obvious, but it’s not. There were times during the dark days, when I was at my worst, that suicide seemed like the most obvious choice. I knew I could not endure the life I was living for very long, and I was a burden on my wife. It was her that kept me going through those times. I wanted to see if I could get better so I could be there for her when she needed me, and do the things she needed me to do.
• Keep going – This was difficult, because every nerve in my body was telling me to stop. It took a lot of effort and will to keep moving, but I knew it was important, so I did what I could.
• Nothing is permanent – It was terrifying to think that the suffering I was experiencing could continue for the rest of my life. When I stopped and thought about my symptoms, I realized that they were very dynamic and were changing all the time. Hopefully, they would change for the better.
• Patience and hope – In reading the recovery stories, the two most common things that helped people were time and a positive mental attitude. I kept telling myself and those around me that I would get better. There were times that I didn’t believe it, but eventually I did improve.

It has been almost 18 months since my last dose of Cipro. I can’t say I’m fully healed because I still have symptoms, but they are not nearly as severe as they were a year ago. My focus has shifted from hoping to coping, and I feel like I have my life back. I believe that if I keep up the healthy lifestyle habits I started, I will continue to improve. Thank you for all your encouragement, and for spreading the word about the perils of Fluoroquinolone antibiotics.

I have received countless lovely emails from people who have been floxed that have written beautiful messages to me. They are all appreciated! There’s something about T’s message that stuck with me though, and I wanted to share the message with you.

When I read T’s message I thought, “Exactly – that’s exactly what I’m trying to get across.” Staying alive, keeping going, realizing that our health status fluctuates, patience, and hope, are all so important in getting through the pain and suffering of fluoroquinolone toxicity. I even think that those things help with healing.

Thank you, T, for your lovely, kind, thoughtful, and generous message! I hope that others are getting those messages of hope from Floxie Hope too.

I also hope that T’s email, and this post, serve as a reminder to those of you who are struggling right now. Stay alive. Keep going. Nothing is permanent. Be patient. Have hope. Those things will get you to tomorrow, and tomorrow is a new, hopefully brighter, day. Continue getting to tomorrow, after tomorrow, after tomorrow – perhaps healing, recovery, coping, acceptance, change, relief, or whatever you seek, is in one of those tomorrows.