I am having horrible writer’s block, and I haven’t thought of a thing to write for floxiehope.com in a while. I apologize for the neglect, but I’m really struggling with finding the time, energy, and motivation to write about this very important topic.

This post consists of the few FQ-related thoughts that have been running through my brain lately, but it’s not a very fluid or comprehensive post, and I apologize for that.

If you are interested in helping me to keep this site active and relevant by writing a guest-post, I would greatly appreciate your help! Here is a link with info about writing for Floxie Hope:

https://floxiehope.com/2017/12/07/write-for-floxie-hope/

If you have topic requests that you would like me to write about, I am open to suggestions. Please don’t hesitate to contact me.

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I have been meaning to write a post about the recent finding that most of the planet’s rivers are polluted with antibiotics. This is a topic that deserves its own post, but I haven’t gotten around to it yet. Anyhow, here are some articles about this awful travesty:

  1. The Guardian, “World’s rivers ‘awash with dangerous levels of antibiotics: Largest global study finds the drugs in two-thirds of test sites in 72 countries“
  2. CNN, “The world’s rivers are contaminated with antibiotics, new study shows“
  3. National Geographic, “First global look finds most rivers awash with antibiotics: Almost two-thirds of the rivers studied contained enough antibiotics to contribute to the growing problem of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.“

Nothing about this is okay. Rivers have microbial communities that need to be alive for the health of the river and all the life within it. Killing bacteria throughout a river ecosystem is wrongheaded and likely horribly consequential for all the life in the river. As people ingest the water from the river, they are getting dosed with antibiotics, some of which are fluoroquinolones, and thus increasing their risk of suffering from fluoroquinolone toxicity and other adverse-reactions to antibiotics. Constant low-level ingestion of antibiotics is horrible for the human microbiome too, and microbiome destruction and imbalance is linked to many diseases. And, of course, low-level constant dosing of antibiotics leads to antibiotic resistance (the main problem that these articles focused on). It’s awful and tragic and depressing.

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On a happier note:

I went on a hike this weekend with my Dad and a couple of his friends. One of his friends mentioned that her 90-year-old father was saved from getting floxed because she was aware of the dangers of fluoroquinolones and told the doctors in no uncertain terms that they were not to give her elderly father these dangerous drugs. She was aware of the dangers of fluoroquinolones because of my advocacy efforts, and it felt really good to hear that from her. We know each other through my dad, not through any of my patient-advocacy work. Still, she heard and she listened, and she kept her father away from these dangerous drugs. One person at a time – the word is getting out and people are listening. Keep posting about the dangers of fluoroquinolones. Keep screaming about the damage these drugs have done to you or your loved ones. People are listening.

Here are some posts on both spreading the word about fluoroquinolone toxicity, and people listening:

  1. Friends Don’t Let Friends Take Fluoroquinolones: Four Stories
  2. Keep Banging That Drum

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I have been hiking a lot lately. Though I have been on dozens of hikes post-flox, something has shifted recently. I am strong again, and I’m capable of getting stronger quickly. Strong and capable of building muscle easily and quickly was how I described myself before I got floxed. Cipro made me feel weak and incapable, and I certainly didn’t describe myself as strong post-flox. After I recovered from the acute phase, I could move and exercise moderately, but I never felt like I was increasing my capacity or getting stronger. Lately, I have returned to feeling strong. I went on two pretty intense hikes this weekend (both about 5 miles, with a significant amount of elevation gain), and I felt strong during and after both of them. I have been doing after-work 50-minute hikes lately that have been getting easier and easier. It feels really good to not only be capable, but to be strong and fit. I didn’t feel that way for a very long time.

As always, I mention these gains not to brag or to make light of the horror of fluoroquinolone toxicity, but in hope that my recovery gives you hope for your recovery.

Love and hope for recovery for all of you!

Hugs,

Lisa

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