I realize that some people may come to this forum in search of hope, after being blindsided by a condition they never saw coming. I’d like to offer those people a few words of encouragement: Healing is possible. Not everyone suffers the same way, because everyone’s body is different. The tools you need to facilitate healing are here, so you’re on the right track. You just have to be willing to commit to a protocol that works for you, trust your instincts, and stay the course. It takes disciple, mentally and physically. Embrace the small victories, the peaks and the valleys.
I was floxed on February 22nd of this year. I could barely walk. I developed terrible tendinitis in my feet and ankles, neuropathy in my hands, feet and calves, as well as tinnitus in my left ear. It scared the (bleep) out of me. I thought, “How could I be a healthy 30-something year old one day and have the body of an 90-year-old the next?” I walked with a cane for almost a month. I used wheelchairs in airports. I purchased a mobility device to help me get to and from work. I struggled every minute of every day.
Fortunately, I found this forum within days of my floxing. After reading the stories here, I knew exactly what had happened to me. I began a regimine of supplements — magnesium, NAC, mitochondrial supports and others. I paid close attention to how I reacted to each. I changed my diet and went gluten-free. I ate only antibiotic-free meats. I cut down on sugar and increased my intake of organic fruits and vegetables. I also read everything I could to understand my condition.
For weeks, I woke up feeling only slightly better. Some mornings I felt worse. The slightest bit of stress would make my symptoms flare. I longed for the day when I could walk barefoot on my tile floors again. I couldn’t chase my daughter around the playground. I couldn’t even carry in the groceries.
But I was stubborn and disciplined.
I found a good podiatrist, who fit me for shoe inserts and assigned me stretching exercises for my feet; I saw a rheumatologist, who tested me for every kind of disease imaginable; and I found a naturalist who helped me determine which supplements were safe for me to take. It was exhausting, and I was experimenting on my body, which was terrifying.
I’m now only 10 weeks post-flox and nearly symptom free. I’ve actually been that way for nearly a month. Occasionally, I get some stiffness in my ankles and ringing in my ears. But most days it’s undetectable. More of an annoyance than a disability. I no longer need my shoe inserts, and I’m proudly wearing high heels again. I can eat gluten again without a flare up. I can drink alcohol. I can walk for miles up and go up down stairs without pain. I can dance and jump and carry luggage through the airport. Most importantly, I can hold my 2-year-old daughter without the fear of popping a tendon.
Before I was floxed, I was a runner. While I haven’t tried running, I’m confident I’ll be able to. All in due time is my motto now. In time, this will all be something I experienced once. In time, this will all be over.
** 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, affect 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.
Rochelle, wow!!! How lucky you are to have recovered in 10 weeks!! That is pretty amazing!! I am very happy for you and wish you continued wellness!!! A couple of questions for you. How many FQ pills did you take?? What supplements did you take for your mitochondria and is there a supplement that you think had a big impact on your healing so fast? Congratulations on your speedy recovery!
I took 500 mg of Levofloxacin (generic Levaquin) for 10 days. My symptoms set in one day after I finished my script. It hit me hard, but I was otherwise healthy before my poisoning, which I believe was key. Fortunately, I’d taken some magnesium and probiotics (Plexus) while I was on the antibiotic, but only because my sister convinced me to. I never even considered that they might interact with the antibiotic, or that they would ultimately help me to detox. To this day, I credit my sister for saving my legs. Once I figured out what had happened to me, I found a friend on Facebook whose teenage daughter had suffered a similar experience. He pointed me to the Floxie Hope website. Once here, I downloaded the “Fluoroquinolone Toxicity Solution” and followed it to the letter. I couldn’t find much flaw in the advice, so I figured it couldn’t hurt. I ate only organic fruits and veggies, antioxidant-rich berries, antibiotic-free meat, and nothing with gluten or processed sugar for about 6 weeks. I also drank bone broth when I could stomach it. (I really don’t know how people drink that voluntarily. I mean, maybe with some noodles and carrots, but just broth?). I also started taking a multivitamin, chelated magnesium, MitoQ (for mitochondria), B12, NAC, Alpha Lipoic Acid, and a NAD+ booster, among others. I’d honestly never heard of any of these supplements before my floxing, and I failed chemistry in high school, so just learning the names was overwhelming. The dietary changes definitely helped me to control my anxiety and depression. Sugar and caffeine drives a lot of my anxiety naturally, so I knew they had to go. Boy, that was rough. As for which supplements work? I notice that my body aches more if I forget to take magnesium, MitoQ, NAD+ supplement, and my probiotic. I have absolutely no scientific evidence to support my claim that they are helping me, but that’s what my body’s telling me.
While I’m not completely healed, and may never be, my symptoms no longer affect my quality of life. My first steps in the morning are still stiff, and I still take them with trepidation, fearing that the pain will come rushing back. But so far, it hasn’t, and once I’m up, I’m out the door and on with my day. The neuropathy comes and goes, but it’s so minimal now, I don’t really notice it. I’ve found that I can lessen it when I relax my neck and shoulders. My husband bought me one of those massage devices from Costco that rubs your back when you sit it against a chair, and it’s been a godsend. I use it every day. And while the tinnitus is annoying, I don’t really notice it unless I stop to focus on it. While I’m not the person I was before, I’m okay with who I am now. I know it could be much worse, and I’m thankful this happened to me and not my daughter. At this point, I’m confident that, as long as I avoid a re-floxing, I’ll be alright.
TruNiagen is the NAD+ booster that I take. I’m not sure that it’s helping — it’s hard to pinpoint when I’m taking so many supplements — but it certainly isn’t hurting. I had blood work done 10 days ago to see how the supplements were affecting me, and my rheumatologist said my test results look good. My tinnitus came on after my initial symptoms, which included tendon pain and neuropathy in my legs, feet and ankles. At least, I think it was a few days after. I was given Levofloxacin for a bad sinus infection, so my ears were already in pretty bad shape to begin with. Ironically, I only have ringing in my left year, which I haven’t had hearing in for over 20 years due to a botched surgery when I was a kid. My doctor couldn’t explain why it’s only in that ear. His best guess was that the drug “reactivated a nerve” that had long been dormant. So for all I know, the ringing is much louder than I perceive it to be… I just can’t hear it 🙂 I do notice that my eyes have trouble focusing some days, which is a new symptom. I have a prescription for reading glasses, but I rarely use them, even with the fuzziness I now experience. And as for anxiety and insomnia…. I was a pretty anxious person to begin with and have always battled insomnia, so I don’t know that the antibiotic made it worse. If anything, I’m much less anxious now, because I’ve had to force myself to slow down. Both my husband and employer have worked hard to accommodate my condition, which has been a huge help. If I were a single mom, or had a less understanding boss, I suspect my anxiety would be through the roof!
10 weeks? Holy hell. It took me four and a half months to feel about 85% better overall, and I thought that was fast! Good for you and good luck on your continued healing!
I’m also curious about what has worked for Neuropathy for anyone, I’ve been floxed for 3 months and have multitude of different symptoms. Alpha Lipoic Acid worked for awhile and actually made the Neuropathy go away completely for a little while but recently it has come back. This time it is more of a constant burning sensation in my thighs and lower back, versus a pins and needles feeling that comes and goes all over the body, which I also still get. Any suggestions would be very helpful.
What magnesium did u take and where did u get the nac?
Dear Rochelle, Please consider sending your story to 60 Minutes. 60m@cbs.news.com
Our stories need to be heard, Dan
Congrats!! 10 weeks is amazing! May you have continued healing. I myself am almost 2 yrs. and still dealing with the aftermath of taking Cipro for a UTI. I’m better then I was and the flare ups are passing quicker. I’ve got you by 30 yrs in age, so I think my healing process is a bit slower. It’s been a battle, but I’m a pretty determined person. It has really made me very reluctant to go to a doctor though.
Rochelle,
When you ate gluten, what happened? That’s literally the last of my symptoms is this gluten and dairy sensitivity, which I’m doing great at getting better but I was just curious what happened when you ate it.
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