Floxed Timeline - Month 12

It's my hope that publishing my notes from my time recovering from Cipro Toxicity may help others who have been floxed, or medical professionals learning about it.

These are my experiences, which I wrote - offline - as they happened. Everyone's experiences are different though.

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2/22/2021

I’ve been slacking on updates because there’s not much to report.

I’ve been at that “Thought it was full range of motion, but it’s actually just short of it” level of movement for 2 and a half weeks now.

Some days, I have a bit of stiffness in front of my right ankle, or tightness in the right shin... but overall, things have been pretty decent.

I’ve been doing at least 30 minutes of cardio a few times per week, with no real fallout.

Today I started on the AIP diet.

I’m curious to see what - if any - impact that the anti-inflammatory nature of it has on my tendons.

2/24/2021

Did 45 minutes of cardio today, on the gazelle.

I’ve been fairly stiff in my right shin lately, so I was surprised I went so long. Glad I did, though/

2/26/2021

Started my period yesterday.

Was a bit worried that a flare was coming on the day before that, but a full flare has not materialized of yet.

My ankles have been a LOT stiffer the past couple days, but I did do a fair amount of time on the gazelle 2 days ago, so it could just be that.

Last night and today the two toes closest to the big toe on my LEFT foot have been pulled back slightly, though.

The right achilles has been making loud popping noises for a couple days, also. My feet have been swollen for 2 days, also.

That said, this evening I found doing 2 foot calf raises to be a little easier, so I tried one foot, on each foot.

I was able to get my heel about an inch off the ground on each foot.

The right foot was a FIGHT to get up, but it’s the first time I’ve gotten the heel off the ground by itself, in recent memory.

3/1/2021

Woke up with a bit of a tendon flare in the left foot.

The two middle toes on the left foot were pulled back enough to cause minor pain, and the tendon going to the big toe hurts a bit.

It’s minor enough that I still have almost full range of motion in the foot and toes, and I am walking without a limp.

As-is, this is far more mild of a flare than last month was, but we’ll see if it progresses.

There were no known triggers applying, though, beyond speculation about my period being a trigger.

3/3/2021

The tendon flare from the other day didn’t progress, and I’ve been walking almost normally for most of the day today.

I have been doing sets of 10 2-foot calf raises a couple times a day.

It’s difficult, but I can do it.

This afternoon I tried one foot again, and was able to do 2 on each foot this time. Still only 1-1.5" off the ground, but still.

After that, I had the idea to try walking on my toes once I got up there, and that didn’t go so well.

Was able to take 5 steps, and it was super awkward.

I had to bend my knees kind of severely, and felt like I was pretending to be a T-rex or something.

As I head to bed, it feels like I may have another flare coming on - I guess my feet weren’t happy about the toe walking?

Pointing my left foot causes a lot of pain in behind my ankle, the right achilles is unhappy, the tendons on both sides of each ankle are unhappy, and the tops of my feet are sore.

Nothing catastrophic, it’s definitely on the mild end of the pain scale, I just hope it doesn’t progress.

3/4/2021

Woke up with the right achilles feeling slightly wonky, but otherwise ok.

I think I’ll take it easy today and give it a chance to calm down, and go back to calf raises and cardio tomorrow.

Last night, I emailed my old chiropractor in Minneapolis to see about getting a phone consult about foot exercises.

I’m wondering if some of the foot/arch pain that seems to be coming as a result of the lack of strength might be helped by taping, and he was big on that.

3/12/2021

Over a week since I updated, whoops.

The call with my old chiro went well, but he basically just ended up saying I’m on the right path, and continue with building up strength in the feet.

He also suggested taping my arches, so I’m going to give that a try.

Lately I’ve been wondering if I’m out of the woods for the actual damage / ongoing cipro nonsense, and if maybe it means no more actual flares.

Something feels *different*, and I’ve been wondering if it means the mitochondria have regenerated, or my collagen is coming back, or whatever.

I guess I spoke too soon though, as it looks like I may be going through another flare.

Hopefully it’ll be like the recent ones and not really progress, though.

The last few nights I’ve been back to not really getting any sleep, waking up all through the night for no real reason at all.

It was really bad last night, and when I got out of bed this morning, the two toes nearest the big one on my right foot are VERY unhappy.

They hurt when I walk, and they’re pulled back more than “normal”. (The new normal, since cipro anyway. They never went back completely to normal, and have been slightly pulled back this whole time.

Now they’re MORE pulled back.

In other news, I started a PQQ supplement 2 days ago, but forgot yesterday’s dose.

3/18/2021

Today has been one year since this happened.

I’m pretty upset that I’m not better yet. I’d kind of assumed this would be over before the 1 year mark.

Instead, this morning started the worst flare I’ve had in a while.

It started with my right big toe - wasn’t sure if it was gout or tendon - but as the day progressed, it was definitely tendon.

It spread across the top of my foot and locked my ankle again.

Tonight, I started my period a week early, out of nowhere.

No warning, heavy blood that’s lighter/brighter (fresher??) Than normal.

WTAF?? I have to wonder if it’s connected to this morning’s flare.

My last period ended up really long, I feel like it only ended a week and a half ago.

I have been eating gluten the past few days, so I guess that could have triggered the flare?

Apparently it’s a common trigger.

I eliminated it by going on the anti-inflammatory diet, hoping that would help symptoms.. But it didn’t seem to be doing much.

3/19/2021

Woke up after only 4.5 hours sleep, feeling like someone was trying to crack my right big toe and the toe next to it like a wishbone.

Decided that enough is enough, finally drafted up an email explaining the situation.

Sent it to a local malpractice lawyer.

Today has been absolutely miserable.

The big toe and the 2 toes nearest it - right foot - have been super flared up.

Slightly swollen, can’t bend the toes.

The weird thing is, it VERY MUCH ends at the foot. I can bend the toes from the foot itself, it’s just that the toes themselves won’t bend at all.

The pain has not spread into the foot at all, it’s very isolated to the toes themselves.

I can’t remember it having happened like this before, and this is the worst it’s been in recent memory, as well.

3/20/2021

Woke up with the same 3 toes screwed up.

Still no spread to the pain, it’s very much localized to those 3 toes themselves.

The only exception is that the large toe joint in the big toe is affected as well as the joint in the toe itself... but I can still bend the large joint.

By 11 am, I was able to put a bit of weight forward on my foot / those toes.

It’s been horrible for pain these past 2 days, but I’m hopeful it’ll just be a short flare.

My heart rate was elevated yesterday and today, and the floaters seem a bit worse than normal, this morning.

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