Tuesday, August 24, 2010

4 1/2 Months Floxed and Dancing!


It is now 4 1/2 months since I was floxed by Cipro for the second time. I am happy to report that after hitting a 2 month plateau on improvement, I have reached a new plateau. I was almost afraid to admit to myself or anyone else, that I felt as though I am experiencing a slight improvement in my feet. A VERY important improvement for me, as my passion is dancing. I passed my true test after a week of dancing every night. 3 nights of classes and 4 days at Palm Springs Summer Dance Camp. Yes, my feet were swollen, but I could still walk and they have since returned to their original shape and size!

My actual daily improvement is: A bit less pain in the balls of my feet and A bit more flexibility in my toes. Two mornings in a row now, I have been able to bend my toes, just a bit, but a great feat considering that they have been locked up for 4 1/2 months. My knees have improved more than my feet, but my pots and pans, and tupperware cabinets are still a disaster as I still cannot bear any weight on them in a squatting position....yet! I can now almost bend them to within 6 inches of my buttocks while lying down, which is miraculous, as when I was first floxed I could not bend them at all. I am also now able to maneuver stairs, both up and down, like a normal person. Slower than most, but still able to go up and down. In the beginning I could barely get up and down the 2 stairs into our living room. I had to use the railing and take them one step at a time, pulling myself up the stairs and holding my weight in my arms while going down them. I remember my chiropractor telling me that I would know when I was getting better when I could go up and down those stairs without having to think about it. Right now I think about it every time, in awe that I can now actually go up and down without the railing! Wow, the simple things in life!

I find that the more I move the better off I am, even if it is painful. The more I sit or lie down, the stiffer I am. I have continued to take the supplements and vitamins listed in another post, but have also increased my vitamin C to 2500 mg per day to increase my collagen. I actually began to notice the improvement 2 weeks after the increase in Vitamin C. I also am continuing to see a chiropractor every 3-4 weeks for therapy. It seems that this whole floxing episode has caused both of my arches to fall, which has led to increased pain. Custom Orthotics have helped tremendously. I am not a medical doctor and am only wishing to share what is working for me.

My best wishes to you all,
Michele

5 comments:

  1. HI There! I love your website, just discovered it. I was floxed in July 2010 and have created my own website with similar goals as yours http://www.survivingcipro.com, I will add a link to your page now that I know about it. I have a question about moving, as in your feet, legs etc. Obviously there is a delicate balance between resting your feet and using them. On the one hand, you don't want to use them too much, in fear of pain, swelling, and rupture, but if you don't use them, you get weaker and weaker, so I am wondering how you determined that you were out of the danger zone for rupture? I have been using my intuition on this, but was curious if you have any info on the topic? Thanks for this wonderful resource! ~ Nicole

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  2. Hi Nicole!
    So nice to hear from you, I have been out of town and am just getting caught up. I will check out your blog and put a link here also.
    As far as knowing when you are out ot the "Danger Zone"...I haven't a clue! I don't know if we ever will be completely safe. Whenever I am dancing, I still tape my feet and wear ankle and knee braces. I also do not know the correlation between over doing it vs under doing it! I know that when I "over do" I have more pain for a few days, but when I "under do" I am stiff and sore also, so beats me!
    Hope you are doing better,
    Michele

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  3. I've only recently realises that I have been floxed a few times over the years, but August 2010 was my last. I already had a bad back, Dr gave me Cipro because I had a stomach upset and then wham overnight I had trouble with all my joints; they were all loose and wouldn't support any of my weight.
    It gradually settled a little, but this last month has flared up worse than ever, have trouble walking, and just getting around the house. I dry my hands and my fingers are all loose, I have to be so careful. Never mind the insomnia, racing heart, ringing ears, eyesight problems and low iron.
    What I’m really concerned about is that I have permanent damage in my feet following CFS with joint pain years ago (in process of requesting my medical notes as I believe this was another floxed period of my life). My major concern is if this left my feet permanently damaged from back then, what permanent damage is this going to do to me this time - because this hit is much worse :O

    Annie

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  4. @ Annie

    For some time after being floxed by cipro, I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and CFS. If you look at the symptoms of these so called 'syndromes', they are identical to flox poisoning. And because symptoms often don't start immediately (could even be a few months later), nobody makes the connection with antibiotics and instead diagnose the patient with 'stress syndromes' (Fibro or CFS)or psychological problems. When you were diagnosed with CFS, I can guarantee you that it was because of being floxed. I feel angry and upset that an ignorant idiot doctor saw fit to flox you when the previous symptoms you had were CLEARY as a result of this poisoning. Surely doctors who prescribe this dangerous drug should be educated to recognize the side effects, most are blissfully unaware. They never ever assume any responsibility for teir actions.

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  5. You surely hit the nail on the head. I have met many people that "have" fibromyalgia. When asked if they had previously taken a floroquinolone, yhe answer is almost always, "Yes." I would love to know the percentage of fibro patients that are actually Cipro, Avelox or Levaquinn victims. I'd be will to bet that the Dr's that treat fibro never even ask the question!

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