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Feeling so defeated that I feel like giving up. Need encouragement. (Cipro woes)

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Posted 5/18/2013 6:52 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you again, pathogenkiller. Still trying to get over the shock of this non-sense.

I want to take this as a challenge but my body has UC to deal with as well. I guess I have to work to keep my body.

Do you mind if I add you to gmail? You are an inspiration to me :).
Posted 5/19/2013 1:05 AM (GMT 0)
No.. Please dont misunderstand. It sucks and you are totally entitled to kick the dirt at that. I would. I just wanna give you hope. Im a slow starter, strong finisher in life.. or atleast that is what Id like to believe. ;) stabilize your achilles.. try and detox and think positive. Look into the MTHFR stuff.

Sure, my email link should be active. Thanks..
Posted 5/19/2013 2:56 AM (GMT 0)
I'm new to Healingwell but I've had UC for 23 years, j pouch in '95. Occasional flares of pouchitis but control with Alinia. Hang in there, your body needs rest and then it will recover. Rest when the body says rest, get up and do a little when you get a little energy. I'm 58, my health got a bit better from 95-99 but then declined until I began studying tai chi and qigong in 2007. Now I teach qigong classes from time to time.

Realize that your body does not work on the same schedule as others. Once you move into recovery you can begin to do light exercise, walking, swimming, etc.

Give it time, face each day as it comes, some days do more, some days do less. I cycle between periods of flare-ups (which are now shorter and far less painful) and times when I actually feel pretty normal. So I cutback my activity during the flare-ups and make full use of the better days. This disease sure teaches you patience! Remember to enjoy the sunshine and the rain, both are necessary for growth. Peace.
Posted 5/19/2013 2:57 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you qiteacher and pathogenkiller,

I'm not a very unemotional person, but this ordeal makes me want to break down in tears. That such a drug could do this to people is just downright terrifying. I do have a history of depression so this will take a while to sink in.
Posted 5/19/2013 4:07 PM (GMT 0)
StealthGuardian, it's okay to let the tears flow, let the sadness and frustration be expressed, scream, yell, throw something. Yes, it's not fair, few can understand the physical and emotional pain. Within you is a power and strength, you will come through this transformed. Be compassionate to yourself, this will teach you that others have hidden trials as well and they will appreciate your compassion. Some of life's lessons seem too much to bear but from birth you always had within you the depth of character and strength to endure and flourish even in such difficulties. Peace.
Posted 5/20/2013 6:54 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you again qiteacher.

I went to an integrative GI and she believed that I could heal. She immediately mentioned magnesium a key supplement - I have to stay dedicated and focused, keep it moment to moment.

The other thing I came across is a book called the levaquin tendonitis solution, which highlights all the key nutrients that the body needs - similar to what pathogen killer said.
Posted 5/20/2013 7:23 PM (GMT 0)
StealthGuardian,
try Magnesium Malate for fibromyalgia, it is the best form of magnesium for it. I have tried 5 different types of magnesium, Malate is the best form.

http://chronicfatigue.about.com/od/exercisenutrition/p/magnesiummalate.htm
Posted 5/20/2013 7:41 PM (GMT 0)
lookforcure,

How bioavailable is magnesium malate and is it absorbed immediately?

I am wondering since my colon cannot handle citrate or oxide.
Posted 5/20/2013 7:47 PM (GMT 0)
The malate should not be tough on your stomach.
Posted 5/20/2013 8:08 PM (GMT 0)
Pathogen, thanks for responding. I'll check out the brand.

I'm starting to believe 95% of my past episodes of anxiety, insomnia, depression symptoms were the result of poor magnesium levels (even though the blood test showed adequate levels). Unfortunately, prednisone and cipro deplete magnesium even further so it should be avoided at all costs from now on - I can't take anymore corticosteroids. Checking magnesium levels in blood isn't accurate since deficiency is often found in muscles/tendon cells, according to Joshua Tucker, THE guy to go to for cipro tendonitis.
Posted 5/20/2013 8:18 PM (GMT 0)
StealthGuardian,
Magnesium Malate is very bioavailable.
I can not take citrate form of magnesium too, it sends me to the bathroom very fast. As for oxide form , it is useless. When I take Magnesium Malate I feel the difference in a good way within about 20-25 min. It relieves muscle and joint pain very well. I do not have fibromyalgia, but I take it for any muscle pains and it works great for menstrual cramps, just as good as Aleve.
Start with 1 after breakfast and 1 after dinner for 3 days and see how you react to eat, then take 1 after each meal. Give it a week, if it is not enough add 1-2 in between the meals too.
Magnesium Malate does not bother my stomach or intestines but I am in the complete remission for more than 1 year, I can not 100% guarantee you will react the same way, so start slowly.
I learned about Magnesium Malate from the book "The Magnesium Miracle" by Dr. Carolyn Dean M.D., N.D.
I take Source Naturals Magnesium Malate 625 mg.
The best places to buy :
www.puritanpride.com (free shipping)
www.vitacost.com
www.iherb.com
Posted 5/20/2013 8:20 PM (GMT 0)
lookforcure, thank you for that. I'm wondering what you think about magnesium glycinate? I've been on it for 4 days and my colon seems to handle it. Do you think it's actually worth switching to malate? I will probably get it anyways.
Posted 5/20/2013 8:40 PM (GMT 0)
Yes,
Malate is much better. I took magnesium glycinate before and did not see any difference. I also took chloride (pill and oil form), taurate, citrate, oxide and I believe 1 more, forgot which one. Magnesium Malate is the best. I actually can tell the difference when I take it. Just makes me feel better.
Just read reviews about it, this is what I usually do before I buy anything.
Check it out, there are 98 reviews about this specific kind and form I am taking:
http://www.iherb.com/Source-Naturals-Magnesium-Malate-180-Tablets/1444
or
http://www.vitacost.com/source-naturals-magnesium-malate

When you buy it make sure it is Source Naturals Magnesium Malate -- 1250 mg
I have checked again the Puritan Pride, they only have a weaker kind. 3 tablets should provide 425 mg of magnesium and 2.5g of Malic acid. I highly recommend Source Naturals brand.
Posted 5/21/2013 5:07 AM (GMT 0)
Ok now you are all scaring me because if the prednizone does not work this week then I have to go into IV therapy in the hospital. Can I just run away to Alaska and take a chance to get eaten by a Grizzly bear?

My Cipro is done and I am feeling better a bit. My friend who does not have UC stopped the Cipro and switched to another antibiotic she is still having tendon pain but is healing. Hope there is no nueropathy.

Don't let the little boogers win I tell you! I am going to have to wip out a Jedi mind trick on my illness now.

I agree with earlier post that people who don't experience chronic illness have no idea, and as soon as something happens to them it is so terrible. I had someone say to me "Yeah but you are always sick so I guess I am descensitized to your illness over someone that got injured and will feel better uh that doesn't usually get sick all the time.". I said Thanks? I guess we just have to be patient with them and move on. I am glad I have you guys to talk to.
Posted 5/28/2013 2:07 PM (GMT 0)
Are you feeling any better? I came across this and thought it might be interesting? http://www.blogtalkradio.com/mthfrsupport/2013/04/25/fluoroquinolone-toxicty
Posted 7/15/2013 9:21 AM (GMT 0)
I'm a couple of months late for this one, but being a pharmacist, I thought I have some insight on this one. Cipro and the other quinolones get a bad rap, but when taken correctly, the incidence of severe adverse reaction isn't that bad. I clicked on the Facebook link for Fluroquinolone Survivors and read two of the stories. In both of the ones I read, the people had taken the medication inappropriately. You can thank our wonderful Federal Government for allowing the inappropriate use of these medications. For many years, the quinolones were contraindicated for anyone under 18 years of age. Now, they are not. After the Anthrax scare a few years ago, Bayer got the contraindication dropped because Cipro can be used for Anthrax poisoning in children. How often does that happen? Your doctor and pharmacist should know better than give a quinolone to someone still growing.

As for adults, each of the quinolones is different but their use for a strep infection shows a lack of knowledge from the prescriber. Adequate hydration is the key and I would recommend Mg++ supplementation prior to taking them. Mg++ supplementation will greatly decrease the bactericidal effects of Cipro, but not Levaquin if they aren't taken within a few hours of each other. Caffeine use also increases side effects of the quinolones, some more than others. The quinolones are over prescribed and have a large spectrum of activity. I would highly recommend probotics several times a day if using them and a low protein diet avoiding sugar would benefit you as well.

An interesting theory of the fibromyalgia issue, it is possible that the quinolones kill a pathogen that is suppressing the individual's immune response. With more immune functioning, the fibromyalgia is expressed as more inflammation occurs. I just know when I use artemisia, my left foot hurts. It only happens when I'm pulsing artemisia and it's one plausible explanation I've come up with. Another possibility is since the quinolones chelate poly-valent cations, they bind with heavy metals accumulated in the body and cause herxes as the immune response increases.
Posted 7/19/2013 5:42 PM (GMT 0)
Wow, tons of misinformation on this thread. To the person who said things should clear up in two weeks (as soon as the medication leaves the body): Cipro does NOT work that way! The damage is often long-lasting and it is not uncommon for new symptoms to continue surfacing for up to a YEAR after stopping the medication. Anyone who bounces back from this nightmare in a mere two weeks time better thank their lucky stars.

And for the pharmacist to say that this is rare, or that only people who take the drug incorrectly become crippled by it--that is blatantly false. I wouldn't expect much different from someone working in the drug industry, though. These reactions are not rare. They are simply underreported. Underreported because A) Doctors refuse to acknowledge these reactions exist in the first place and therefore don't report them to the FDA on behalf of their patients and B) Patients themselves never make the connection between the antibiotic they took days, weeks or months prior and their sudden slew of 'puzzling' health problems. More quinolone antibiotics have been pulled from the market because of their horrific and often permanent side effects than remain on the market--and I'm here to tell you that the ones remaining are NO safer.

In October of 2009, just days after my 30th birthday I was prescribed Cipro for a 'suspected' UTI, even though no bacteria had been found. Trusting my doctor, the FDA, and all involved, I stupidly took 500mg of Cipro twice per day--every 12 hours EXACTLY AS PRESCRIBED--for six days. I did not take it with steroids, I did not take it with NSAIDS. All seemed fine while actually on the drug. One week later: The bomb went off. I have been completely crippled, essentially bedridden and on disability ever since. Your tax dollars now pay my bills and medical expenses. Words cannot even describe what that poison has done to me. And the more I talk about this, the more people I find who also had severe reactions to Cipro--many of whom never connected the dots until they met me! This is not rare. And this does not 'just go away' for many victims. These are not your run of the mill drugs we're talking about here, these drugs are literally poisonous.

OH--and it never even cured my bladder pain! So I'm crippled for absolutely no reason.
Posted 8/23/2013 6:34 PM (GMT 0)
Just a slight update -

Bone broth has helped my pains to the point where I can walk a couple miles without distress. I assume it's because it's a natural source of glucosamine, chondroitin, magnesium, etc -- all precursors to bone health. Unfortunately, I am experiencing optical neuropathy that causes blurry vision on occasion. I'm going to continue looking into the paleo approach and see if it helps out.

The drug causes some real mitochondrial dysfunction - my wounds don't heal as fast as they used to and my colitis is in the worst shape it's been in. I'm going to supplement with coQ10.

Ciproispoison - I read your story on your website and it's just devastating that a person can go from being COMPLETELY normal with no health problems to disabled in the span of a couple weeks. Just wanted to say sorry for all of that. I am experiencing something similar so you are not alone in your struggles. I made the same mistake in trusting my doctor and taking the drug for something that didn't even exist (she assumed I had cellulitis in my throat when it turned out to be strep throat).

Hang tough man.

Post Edited (StealthGuardian) : 8/23/2013 12:41:24 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 8/24/2013 1:36 AM (GMT 0)
Dont give up until you tried :

- RS diet ( thicken the mucosal layer )
- Wheatgrass ( stop bleeding, increase iron )
- P-seed powder, lots of fish oil, salmon and olive oil

I am on no meds and eating anything I want. If I get into trouble of course I will tighten it up but RS diet has done the most to make my UC forgettable.

Go Navy Beans !!!
Posted 8/24/2013 6:18 AM (GMT 0)
Glad you are doing better StealthGuardian....Oh my this drug really does sound like poison...These drugs should be pulled off the market, Period!
Posted 8/24/2013 4:10 PM (GMT 0)
I'm back on Cipro at the moment. Probably been on it 5 times at least with no issues. They need to figure out why it causes major problems for some and others not.
Posted 8/24/2013 5:06 PM (GMT 0)

scum1 said...
I'm back on Cipro at the moment. Probably been on it 5 times at least with no issues. They need to figure out why it causes major problems for some and others not.

There's no way of knowing until you are off the prednisone. Doctors (the stupid ones) often treat tendonitis with corticosteroids.

Post Edited (StealthGuardian) : 8/24/2013 11:10:08 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 8/24/2013 5:07 PM (GMT 0)

aguywithuc said...
Dont give up until you tried :

- RS diet ( thicken the mucosal layer )
- Wheatgrass ( stop bleeding, increase iron )
- P-seed powder, lots of fish oil, salmon and olive oil

I am on no meds and eating anything I want. If I get into trouble of course I will tighten it up but RS diet has done the most to make my UC forgettable.

Go Navy Beans !!!

I'm working on it. There is definitely some magic in resistant starches from what I've seen.

I want to make very clear that I won't be going down without a fight. If anything, my anger is what is getting me through this. What happened with this changed my entire opinion on western medicine. Doctors are basically just middlemen for the pharmaceutical companies. They aren't any more educated than the general population on the side effects of most drugs. Most of them just don't have a clue on nutrition and how deficiencies leads to disease. They are very scourge that's perpetuating the diseases, which by the way are easily preventable.

Instead of suggesting simple remedies for colds and flus, they hand out vicious drugs used to treat anthrax that have long lasting ramifications. When a patient is stressed, they hand out sleeping pills and anti-depressants instead of suggesting meditation and diet modications. It's safe to say that you never want to put your hand in the life of a doctor - studies show that they will most likely end up hurting you.

Just by looking at the threads here and kids as young as 18 getting their colons pulled and being put on antibiotics for no bacterial diagnosis is sickening and saddening.

I want to be a beacon of hope for the other people who went through this nonsense.

Post Edited (StealthGuardian) : 8/24/2013 2:35:49 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 8/25/2013 1:03 AM (GMT 0)
To support your mitochondria, add ubiquinol 200-400 mg daily
L carnitine 1000-200 mg daily
B-2
B5
Posted 8/25/2013 7:48 AM (GMT 0)

PathogenKiller said...
To support your mitochondria, add ubiquinol 200-400 mg daily
L carnitine 1000-200 mg daily
B-2
B5

Would you say this is a good supplement: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0036V4LJQ/ref=oh_details_o04_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Has 3 things in one. And I know from Dr.Berkson's practice that ALA depletes B vitamins, so taking a good b-complex is crucial.
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