Happy Birthday Grandma!

Today is my Grandma’s birthday. Happy birthday, Gram! I hope you have a wonderful day!

My Grandma is one of my favorite people in the world and I love her very much.

My Grandma was incredibly, wonderfully supportive through my journey through fluoroquinolone toxicity. As soon as I said, “I’m sick,” before I even knew why or how I was sick, she took me seriously. When I realized what was making me sick, she never questioned me. She never downplayed or dismissed my experience with fluoroquinolone toxicity–she just believed me. She was always on my side, and it didn’t seem like it ever occurred to her to believe the medical establishment, or anyone else, over me.

When she broke her hip a few years after I got floxed, my Grandma immediately put Cipro on her list of medications that she was not to be given. She knew that it was dangerous because of what I had gone through, and she didn’t want what happened to me to happen to her. Her refusal to take Cipro meant a lot to me. It signified that she believed me, and that she didn’t believe that my reaction was something rare or dismissible. It meant that she listened. I write about my experience with fluoroquinolone toxicity not to relive what happened, or to wallow in it, but to warn people so that they don’t go through the same thing I did. It means a lot when people listen, and it meant a lot to me that my Grandma listened to me, and that she refused to take the drug that hurt me. I’ve never had to fight with a doctor about a fluoroquinolone prescription for a loved one, but, I’m pretty sure that if I did get into an argument with a doctor about whether or not a fluoroquinolone prescription was appropriate for my Grandma, she would take my side.

I am lucky in that I have a lot of wonderfully supportive people in my life. I always felt like everyone in my family loved me and wanted what was best for me. I have always known that I am loved and cherished. I have always known that all of my loved ones were on my side. They are all appreciated!

Not all “floxies” have supportive loved ones. Some people don’t believe that their floxed loved one is really sick. Some people don’t try to understand what their floxed loved one is going through. Some people have family members who are dismissive of fluoroquinolone toxicity, and who don’t believe that it’s “real.” Some people have family members who believe that fluoroquinolones can’t be dangerous, and that adverse reactions can’t be devastating, even though there is plenty of documented evidence that fluoroquinolones ARE dangerous and adverse reactions ARE devastating. It saddens me when I hear of people who are not supported by their loved ones as they go through the difficulty of fluoroquinolone toxicity.

I appreciate the support of all my family members, and, today, on my Grandma’s birthday, I am especially appreciative of her.

You are loved, Gram. Happy Birthday! xoxo