*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.
Hello, folks. I’m posting to let you know that there is indeed hope and healing–even after the worst floxing.
I was floxed in July 2013 after taking 2 Cipro pills.
I could barely walk. In fact, I couldn’t walk without a cane or crutches for close to 3 months. There were a few times when I needed a wheelchair to get around the mall, for example.
Side effects were awful, immediate, and ever-changing:
• Neuropathy in hands and feet
• Partial paralysis of my left toes
• Joint popping and crackling
• Severe fatigue
• Vertigo
• Excruciating pain in both Achilles
• Plantar fasciitis
• Dental pain/jaw pain
• TMJ symptoms
• Loss of muscle tone. It felt like my stomach, intestines, and liver were going to fall out if I leaned forward.
• Joint deterioration. It felt like my thumbs were going to fall off.
• Arthritis in both hands
• Severely dry eyes
• Insomnia
• Palpitations
• Waves of anxiety and despair
After I was floxed, I joined this very Facebook group (but mostly just lurked). Someone in this group—and forgive me, I don’t recall who—posted a link to Dr. Terry Wahls’ TED talk about how she treated her MS with intense nutritional therapy.
I figured that if Dr. Wahls was able to reverse her MS symptoms, I might be able to do the same thing.
Long story short: it worked. It took time, but it worked. I followed her diet and supplemented with CoQ10, magnesium, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, and fish oil. I’d been on a strict gluten-free diet for over 10 years—my husband has celiac disease—so adopting her diet was actually quite easy for me. (Going gluten-free might be the biggest challenge for some folks, but it’s essential, I think.)
As of this writing, I’ll say that I’m between 95 and 100 percent better. The only lingering issues are occasional neuropathy in my hands upon waking—it gets better in about 15 minutes—and occasional joint popping.
But! I’m able to run again, able to lift weights again, able to do pretty much everything I did before being floxed. I’m here to say that you can get better. It’ll take some work, but you will get better.
Note from Lisa – If you purchase The Wahls Protocol through THIS LINK, a portion of the proceeds will go to The Quinolone Vigilance Foundation. Thanks!
** 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.
Thanks for sharing Renee. The stories of healing are the only things that pull me out of the downward internet spiral. All the info that I have found online has been incredibly helpful, but I become so hopeless too. So happy to hear that you have healed. If you – or anyone for that matter – has found a magnesium supplement that works, please share what you take. I am overwhelmed with the options and not sure if I’m wasting precious time with the wrong supplements. Of course it would be outstanding to find a doctor who could assist, but as all Floxies know, that’s easier said than done.
Finally, thank you Lisa. Thanks you a million times over. I can’t imagine how difficult it must be to keep up with all these horribly sad stories, but you are so committed and you’ve created a place for us to turn to. I can’t overstate the value of that. Thank you.
I am new to all of this. I still struggle to believe it’s real, how can this be happening and what does it mean for our futures? But I gotta believe we’ll find a way to fix it. And this group will be essential to that.
I was floxed but thank god I realized quickly and stopped after 3 pills. All my symptoms were classic but the muscle pain was the worst for me. Thank god I had a great doctor who came to the same treatment option, Glutathione IV treatments for 6 weeks. 1ml mixed in an IV bag that lasted 20 mins. As far as I can tell I have no residual effects. I believe that most doctors would never bring up treatment with glutiathione because it is an alternative type of treatment or for insurance reasons but u have to insist. It really will help and it certainly can’t hurt.
Three years out this month. In what seems to be the worst flare up yet. Feel so down. I’ll be 62… maybe age will be a problem for healing? Sorry to sound so negative!! Any ideas?
I got floxxed over the summer. I had an infection on my foot that acted like MRSA, but was not MRSA. I was hospitalized 3 times in a month for it, so at least I wasn’t floxxed for something minor. I had 2 rounds of oral Levafloxacin, IV Levofloxacin, and about 4 or 5 other antibiotics. My doctor (a rheumatologist who is also a naturopath), started me on all kinds of oral magnesium supplements, as well as NAC and a few others, as soon as I emailed her about what was going on with me. Vitamin C is big too, and high levels of vitamin D. Seriously, the amount of supplements I take right now is pretty ridiculous. But it’s working. I’m feeling better, and much quicker than some of the stories I’ve heard. But the biggest help has been IV magnesium and IV glutathione once a week. Oh, exogenous ketones helped A LOT with energy. Unfortunately, it also made me go hyperthyroid, especially my T3 levels. So, I can’t take it, but it was super helpful and may help someone else. Apparently mitochondria use ketones as an energy source easier than glucose. I finally have some energy to do stuff. She also has me doing daily gentle yoga to stretch and keep the muscles and tendons from getting too tight. Reading some of these stories, I realize how lucky I am to have a doctor who gets it. The nerve pain is going away, I am out of bed and can engage my muscles to lift a few things if I use good form (I can tell I’m still in the danger zone for tendon rupture). The twitching has stopped, and I’m sleeping pretty well again. My doctor was hoping to send me back to full activities next month, but I may delay it for a bit, considering how long it has taken for some people to recover. Full activities for me includes Jiu Jitsu, so that just seems like something I want to give a little more time for. I feel like my recovery is going a lot quicker than the stories I’ve read. This could have been so much worse.
Dearest Renee, I am Dan Jervis, the last one on the long list. Would you please consider sharing your story to CBS 60 Minutes? 60m@cbs.news.com
OUR STORIES NEED TO BE HEARD, Dan
Hi Renee you probably don’t post on here anymore. The symptom of feeling like your intestines and stomach muscles were going to fall out . I have that. Anyone else have that ? Does this leave ? What is that? Super confusing . Thank .
Are you still able to work? The only doctors I’ve seen that have been of any help are natural paths and functional doctors.. so after 4 years you have only gotten worse? I am almost a year out .
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