Sarah FQhope

*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. 

Sarah posted the following on facebook and gave me permission to share it.  It’s in the format of a facebook post, so if it feels a bit disjointed, that’s why.  Thank you so much for sharing your story of hope, Sarah!

Sarah’s Story –

Hi floxies! Well…here I am…two and half years later! Life is…..GREAT! I wanted to send my love, encouragement and hope. Has everything been perfect?…..no. But…I am an advocate for my health and my family’s health (nobody bullies me into unnecessary meds); and I try to appreciate the good days and hug myself thru the bad days (which I don’t think are cipro related anymore). Sometimes I wonder if it was even real (it was). My parents now think I had shingles...I wonder if I didn’t also. But I also think cipro might have caused it. My symptoms : Horrible neuropathy, insomnia, anxiety, photosensitivity, palpitations, vertigo, etc, etc, etc….. I don’t know how to give hope other than to say…believe that the body is amazing and can heal; reach out to people; keep contributing to the world in some capacity; love yourself; understand that most doctors are at least 10 years behind the research (and are brainwashed by big pharma) so work to heal yourself; remember that nobody feels 100% everyday, no matter how healthy; accept that bad things happen to good people (this is a biggie); believe in a god; have sex (even when you don’t want to); get a pet (my doggie has been amazing for my health); stop blaming it all on FQs..sometimes it isn’t related; and just move forward, however you can. I am actually grateful for cipro….YES I AM! It has helped me become more cognitive of the importance of living life. Does everyone heal…no. BUT….MOST PEOPLE DO GET SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER if not completely healed (I believe I am completely healed). Stay away from most prescriptions…they all have side effects.

Hugs and peace to you all!

In comments Sarah said the following –

Good morning everyone! I didn’t have tendon tears, but I had terrible body pains. My biggest issue was neuropathy….absolutely terrible. I only took cipro one time and actually only five pills. The vertigo I had lasted on and off for about six months. I had it straight for one month. To heal I concentrated on my gut health (started making kefir), took loads of magnesium, a really good multi, lots of vit c, daily lemon water, tried vit d3, but made my hands tingle. I tried to exercise daily (usually just walking), ate only pure, whole foods…if your grandma wouldn’t recognize it as a food, I wouldn’t eat it. I have researched natural antibiotics and try to use those (about 75% of time I can forego rx)…when I have needed to use antibiotics (2x since being floxed), I have been ok using amoxicillin and zpak. I am a kindergarten teacher, so being exposed to germs is in my job description. I wish everyone the best. I guess mostly…I just tried to live my life despite my many ailments. My thought was…what if I didn’t heal? Was I going to live this one life locked in my house? I just got busy living the best life I could. I know I wasn’t as badly floxed as many, but my personal nightmare was hell. Hugs to you all!

SAM-e has helped me tremendously for the mentally crap! Expensive, but worth it!

My neuropathy was intense, painful and widespread! After the initial floxing period (I took the cipro in March ’12), my neuropathy settled around my right eye, cheekbone, forehead, ear, neck, shoulder, back and arm. I also had numbness in both arms at times, as well as lower legs and feet. I did not have mouth or throat neuropathy. The pain in my face was crazy!! I checked myself a lot in the mirror because I swore I was deformed. I also had on and off body twitching…great fun. The facial neuropathy lasted around a year. I occasionally get a very light, funky feeling in that area on my face which leads me to believe I might have had shingles on top of being floxed. I can not stress enough the importance of magnesium! I also believe doing some good sun therapy (can’t take vitamin d due to wool allergy), and eating a diet rich in organic foods, including meats and dairy was vital! I never thought I would heal….because healing is slow and tedious. It was like riding a roller coaster. That first hill is the biggest bitch! You never think you’ll reach the top…and then you do. But unfortunately, there’s more hills to climb….however, they’re not as bad as that first hill…but they still piss you off!

Mine (neuropathy) didn’t tingle, feel numb until the end. Mine was extremely painful….it felt like my face was being twisted and it burned like you can’t imagine. I can’t even describe the pain….absolutely horrific.

my life changed when I was floxed. I eat differently, think differently and react differently than I did before in my health. I still eat extremely good, but I am not so hypersensitive about the foods all the time. If I go out to eat…I enjoy myself. I do still use magnesium, good multi, dim plus, vit c, b complex and sam-e. Occassionally I have issues with sleep, but I always did. I also still make and drink daily kefir.

 

** 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.