*The following is an individual’s story of surviving fluoroquinolone toxicity. It is not medical advice. Please see the disclaimer at the bottom of the story. Thank you, and please be cautious with all treatments.
Mark was floxed about 2 years ago. His floxing included insomnia, weight gain, anxiety, crippling exhaustion, brain fog that made doing his job difficult, and tendon and muscle issues that made doing his passion, biking, difficult. I asked Mark to write his recovery story for this blog. I’m sure that he’ll get around to it once he finishes winning bike races. Yup, winning.
Here’s an article in his local paper about the win – http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/yournews/sport/10587784.CYCLING__Jones_bags_A40_time_trial_glory/
That’s a pretty thorough recovery. Go Mark! Congratulations on your recovery and your win!
Per Mark –
“So, how did i get better? Lots of positive mental attitude and ignoring the pain. The depression is a bitch and you need to kick it in the teeth. 6 months in i was walking around the park, barely a 100 yards,it wiped me out. every week i walked further, getting slightly more strength and endurance. Then at Christmas (12 months) i started riding a stationary cycle. 7 minutes a day was all i could manage. By February I rode to work and back – 24 miles, steady though not full belt. Bare in mind, I was an elite cyclist previously and used to pain and hard work on the bike. It felt like a hundred miles at race pace used to. when i was tired i rested, but i had to be really tired to do that. I got on the bike whenever the exhaustion wave first hit to see if i was really tired or just mind tired. Come April I still had extremely painful feet but entered a local race and won by a handful of seconds. This was a massive confidence boost that made me continue to press on. I get stronger and fitter every day now. I ride the 24 miles to work and back every day no problem and may do a mid week race or one on the weekend.
What am i left with out of this ordeal? My feet sting from time to time and my toes are numb. My little finger on my left hand side stings all the time and my shoulders and forearms ache like I have done a good days work. But I am a load better than I was and I hope in time these things will disappear into the background. Anxiety is still there (it was extreme) but not as bad as it was and sleep is still disturbed but I get about 7 hours a night all be it in chunks. The body responds to stress and will repair itself when stimulated – hence why athletes get muscles and fitter when they train. Sitting around for recovery to happen was doing nothing for me and I realized this at 6 months, i was 40 and needed to do all i could to get better. So I basically started to train. Tissue turnover increased and I started to repair at a greater rate than when sedentary. I have moments each day of feeling spaced out but they are getting less and less.”
** 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.
Hi
How did he recover
Please I want to get better
Mark told me that Beta Hydroxy Methylbutyrate, which is a derivative of leucine and is lean muscle promoting, and an amino acid called Beta Alanine (which is an ergonomic aid), taken with Creatine helped him to improve immensely. It helped him to promote muscle growth / tissue turn over and he is now doing well. I don’t know anything about these supplements. I’m just passing on the information. Please do your own research. But if it looks like these supplements will help you, know that they did help someone else.
Mark I wondered if you could drop me an email? I’m in the uk and a cyclist who’s had a recent reaction to cipro, I could do with some advice. Many thanks.
Mark, I too would like to hear more details, I am/was an athlete until Sep 13th, almost six months ago. I am still in heaps on pain and mostly on crutches except around the house and office. Skier, biker, kite surfer, dirt bikes etc. Mainly biking, road and mountain up to 25 hours a week including Transrockies, 300 mile rides etc. I can do about 3-10 min on my trainer with no resistance, 25-30 RPM’s, and almost no watts (15-20). Any advice would be most appreciated, if I can get back on the bike I will be a MUCH happier person.
Thanks for getting back this way. I am on the supplements in the “Levaquain Manual” though I have no idea if anything is helping… plus some things suggested from my acupuncturist. I have a Pilates reformer we go when this first happened, though I am limited with what I can do, it’s amazing how even upper body stuff pulls on the Achilles. Both are equally bad and I still have swelling after nearly 6 months.
I do often have wrist pain, shoulder pain, hip pain and of course leg pain 100% of time. It’s hard not having even a minute a day where it’s not hurting. Being athlete it’s hard finding an outlet and distractions. I never had any pain issues prior to this even with riding dirt bikes, snowmobiles, mtn bikes, road bikes, kite surfing, skate skiing etc etc. Swimming helps once I am in the water but getting to the pool is another story, the hallway seems like miles though I suspect it’s much shorter. I can’t do my job as a real estate broker and I am having some “mild” cognitive issues. I read a book every few days but the brain isn’t wasn’t it used to be. Luckily I can have normal conversations, emails and some work but it still feels off. Some days my brain is great and other days I grope for words, names and details. I can’t sleep which makes things even worse on this end.
Like everyone I have good days and bad days. Just making it through each day is a milestone. I keep hoping the pain will subside.
I have started some meditation and QuiGong but it’s hard since I can’t do much. I can’t sit still or get comfortable for more than a few seconds at a time.
None of the doctors I have seen have any clue, including the one that administered the drug. 2 hours after the 500 mg IV dose I couldn’t walk and my wife had to carry me to bed. It’s a tiny bit better in that I can move around the home and office without crutches. The pain is still absurd and can’t find anything to help that. I had my tonsils out a 7 months ago at 40 and thought that was painful, turns out that was nothing compared to this. I often have numbness, circulation problems, I am always cold, I often have painful tingling like if one hits their funny bone in my ankles and around my ankle bones.
A friend of the family has a friend that is doing PRP and swears that’s it’s helped him 50 plus percent. I have found just as many that it hasn’t helped and in some cases have made it worse. At $2,500 a pop and the potential of making things work has me not try that.
Anyway, thanks for your site, your kind words and for encouragement. Aside from a few internet sites and this page most people have no understanding of what it’s like. Many think it’s all in my head. Half the doctors I talk to have never heard of this and the other half say they don’t give out fluoroquinolones,
I did know about Cipro and have avoided that. I had Cipro on our honeymoon kite surf trip and chose not to take it based on what I had read. Unfortunately I didn’t know about Levaquain. It was to treat Klebsiella and was told I needed antibiotics asap as this can be life threatening so I took one dose in the doctors office and that was it.
Anyway, thanks again.
Hi Jeremy and Lisa, can you please share the link for the supplements on the Levaquin manual ? Thank you !
I know this is going to sound stupid but we had to buy the publication. It and he seems very keen on his copyright with 9 million warnings… I am not saying it right or wrong, though it’s not how I would do it. Anyway, I am already in enough trouble so can’t afford to get a lawsuit. What I can say I am on Cheleated Magnesium, D, Omega (I recommend flavored). COQ10, Milk Thistle, C, small amounts of Alpha Lip, Zyflomend and Jade Screen.
I can’t say if anything is has helped or is currently helping. It’s very expensive to get good quality of everything. I do like the magnesium gel for my legs, that seems to offer a tiny amount of relief until you take your socks off and it rips the legs hairs off with it!
Jeremy I feel what your going through. I was a heavy weightlifter about 5 weeks ago and after 3 cipro pills I got flexed. I have been doing whatever I can do, but I have to be really careful. I can’t really push anything, just more blood flow type stuff. I get spasms in my calves all the time. I also get spastic muscles all over. After listening to others I too believe that athletic people get slammed hardest. We know our bodies we know when somethings off even a little bit. I suppose I was lucky that I stopped after 3 pills as I felt something was wrong. Time will heal most wounds. The body is a natural healer. best of luck man.
Jeremy: I am 10 months into this journey. I’m 65 years young. I have been a breeder of performance quarter horses and rode and showed cutting horses. When this hit me I did not go up to the barn or take care of my horses for about 4 months. My husband would bring them to the house and I would go out and give them a pat. That was about all I could manage. I have been able to work part time as a cashier in the buffet at a local casino. The brain fog thing makes it challenging, but I think that is good for me. There were many days I really thought I was dying. I know it is very hard, but hang in there. This takes so much time to heal but time is your best friend. I doubt if I will ever ride performance horses again, but I
will ride again. I think even gentle riding will help me mentally and neurologically. So try to find little things right now that make you happy. I love just being outside, it is good for my mental outlook on life.
I just discovered this site and I think it will be very beneficial just being able to share with others going through this Hell. Again, Jeremy, stay positive and baby steps going forward.
Our bodies took a big hit, but it will get better.
Take care,
Lois D
Hey Mark,
From one Mark to another Mark :), and from one athlete to another athlete:
IS there any way that I can get in touch with you?
I’d like to pick your brain regarding sports while on Cipro and specific things you did to recover.
Mark
Hey guys, Its been almost 3 years and i am pretty much all good. no problems with exercise at all. in fact i recently won a national medal for my cycling. My toes are still numb but considering the state i was in this is minor and not worth stressing about. Everything else has resolved and i was seriously messed up. So whats the secret, there isnt one. just get on with life, Regular exercise helps your body and mind recover. Get off the forums. Stop worrying. Enjoy life. It will all fall into place in time. All the best. Mark
So happy you are pretty much better. I just did my first single track in over a year, I am on an electric bike. Still so happy I was crying. It’s been over a year thus far. Pain is slowly getting less and less.
Great to hear Mark. I am around 10 months and slowly some things are improving. It’s a real slow ride, but there are good things happening! 🙂
great news
what and how much did you take mark
cipro 5 days on 1 g per day then 6 days of 500mg per day. It doesn’t really matter. It seriously messed me up half way through and i was encouraged to carry on. But now its resolved. i used to obsess on quantity and all that really matters is the future and getting better. A lot of the symptoms i am sure are down to people worrying so much and the side affects of the anxiety you create. A lot are also due to being smashed to pieces by an allergic reaction but you will soldier on and enjoy life again. stay focussed about other things, not the state your in.
😉
sdid you lose foot padding?
You lose foot padding?