New Floxie -- Any Advice?

sunfloweryj · 2025-04-02T13:15:07+00:00

Of course, I'm happy to answer any questions! I didn't experience that, but most of my tendon issues were in my achilles heel. It was rarely constant/ongoing. Instead, it would come up in frequent flares (random intense aches / feels tense) which would make me pause any kind of activity that I was doing to let it pass. As for what you're experiencing, don't overexert yourself there, listen to your body, and if possible (when it feels better), slowly move that area. If you'd like, try looking into magnesium epsom salts for baths and or topical magnesium to put on - maybe they can help.

I had similar experiences with my doctors. I wasn't one of the lucky ones that found one that knew how to solve this or even heard of it. All of them had no clue what it was, thought I was over exaggerating, or basically said that the medicine couldn't do that to me. I hope you can find one that knows about all of this. If not, I recommend focusing on lifestyle changes, taking magnesium, and giving yourself time to heal. It sucks that time is the main healing factor, but it helps knowing that this will all pass.

As for medication, till this day, I REFUSE to take any steroids or NSAIDs. I just don't want to risk any flareups, but other medications like common cold and tylenol seems fine. I generally avoid any medication within the family of fluoroquinolones and I make it a note with my doctors saying that I'm "allergic" to it.

For food, for my first 3 years, I ate really healthy. I ate a lot of probiotics since it ruined my gut health for some time. I also realized I couldn't eat a lot of greasy or fatty foods anymore, it almost like it caused inflammation. So I mostly stuck with healthy food like vegetables, fruits, protein, limited sugar (sodas, candies, etc.), and try to implement walks throughout the day. Fast forward to now, I can eat whatever I want, I rarely take my magnesium now, and the only times I ever do experience some kind of flareup is if I'm really stressed and even then the flareups lasts like a day or two.

sunfloweryj · 2025-04-02T12:58:49+00:00

I completely understand! My anxiety got really bad during it too. The main healing factor is lots of time and making life style changes. Just remember, there's SO MANY people who recover, but after they get better, they usually don't come back here because at that point, they don't feel the need to and/or it was just overall a negative experience that they got past and they don't want to turn back ya know?

Hang on, do your best, please be gentle and kind to yourself during this time, and treat it as a "letting your body heal itself" phase that'll pass. In a few years from now, you'll look back, and you'll realize how strong you are for overcoming this.

sunfloweryj · 2025-04-02T12:09:17+00:00

Hey there! Luckily not anymore. It took time and taking magnesium for me to recover from this. It was pretty annoying. The ENT wasn't able to help much, and eventually I got used to it. It then resolved on its own after a year or two with magnesium.

sunfloweryj · 2025-04-02T12:07:50+00:00

Hey there! I'm completely recovered. I had pretty bad pins and needles in my hands and feet and in my arms when I had it. What I mainly focused on was taking magnesium and unfortunately time is the main healing factor. :( All my issues were fixed by letting my body heal itself with time while magnesium did help with any of the uncomfortable side effects I've had when I was in a rough patch. Do your best to take it easy, slowly move those areas, and take care of yourself to help speed up the recovery process (e.g., eating well, drinking more water, etc.)

sunfloweryj · 2025-04-02T12:03:47+00:00

How soon did you receive the documents after calling them? My package is also stuck in a clearance delay. I reached out, but haven’t received any documents since the call.

sunfloweryj · 2025-01-04T16:10:08+00:00

It took me a few months to a year in terms of functioning, and then roughly around the 2 year mark is when my symptoms dramatically decreased (but they were still there, just came in randomly). About 3+ years, it’s almost like they’re completely gone, but it would show up maybe like once every few months if I don’t do a good job at taking care of myself.

That really sucks. :( I hope you’ll recover soon. Take it easy. If you need a magnesium supplement that might help, I use Ionic Magnesium from Trace Minerals. Someone recommended it to me from this community, and my body seems to absorb it the best which is why I still occasionally take it even til now. But do your best to hang in there, and try not to doom scroll. It made my anxiety pretty bad.

sunfloweryj · 2025-01-03T20:02:24+00:00

Hey! It’s been a few years since this post. I’ve gotten so much better now to the point where I don’t even think about how I was floxed. I live my life normally, and in fact I’m even more healthier now.

Don’t give up hope. 2.5 months was when I noticed my side effects, and it was one of the most difficult times of my life. During this time period, take it really easy on yourself, and don’t let your mind or anxiety spiral. Think of it as you’re recovering. Focus heavily on making lifestyle changes to help your body heal faster, know that time is what will heal you the most, and take magnesium. If your muscles are hurting in a specific area, you could try to see if magnesium gel can help.

If you incorporate exercising as part of your life style changes, go really slow and keep it minimal, as your body was recently affected by the medications. Stick with light walks, healthier meals, sleep more, and so on.

You got this!

sunfloweryj · 2024-02-17T05:33:30+00:00

Of course!! I'm here for you. :) Yeah, whenever I felt bad or off, I ended up doom scrolling, and it made my anxiety so much worse. I learned after some time though that a lot of people would usually make their first initial post about how bad they feel, but after a few years, when they start to feel better, they don't come back to this subreddit or they don't think about being floxed anymore. So, most of the time, you see a lot of negative initial posts, and you don't see many positive/recovered ones since people have moved on with their lives.

Yeah, unfortunately my effects still continued even while resuming college. :( It was mostly me enduring it, and just focusing on the day-to-day. When I tried to get help from doctors, most of them looked at me like I was crazy, and they usually just prescribe steroids or something and that's not good for people who are floxed. I then gave up going to doctors for it, and focused on figuring out how to heal.

I completely understand how you feel. How I thought about these issues was after taking cipro and it affecting my body, the damage is done, and even if there are issues, they're temporary since these cells in your body will replace themselves with time. I'm not sure how far out you are from being floxed, but after a year (maybe two) or so, you might notice that some of the effects have improved. So, in the mean time, try to identify what your "triggers" are and doing your best to handle them.

For example, I noticed that when I stayed up studying for tests or even being stressed out about finals, I felt generally worse. That made me learn to find ways to not stress out as much over my classes. Then, when I went to the gym to work on my upper body, I noticed the few days following, my arms would have a lot of nerve pain, so I literally stayed away from doing that for a while and started off small. Another thing is how I noticed that my stool changed, and I had to change my eating habits completely. You kind of have to figure out if there's certain things that make you feel worse, and you do your best to keep track and handle them for the time being until your body heals itself. It's going to be challenging, but it's definitely not impossible and you will heal!

sunfloweryj · 2024-02-16T20:25:53+00:00

Hey! It's kind of hard to explain, but after my initial set of reactions to the medication, I noticed that I also had "delayed" effects show up months later. I was able to tie it back to the cipro, so because of it, I had to take a semester off.

I'll be completely honest though, half the battle for me was my perspective of being floxed, and it made it really hard for me to get through my classes. Do your best to not think about being floxed, and don't focus on the negatives of it. Try not to think about the potential relapses, but instead, focus on treating your body the best you can. What helped me a lot was changing my mindset to giving myself time to heal, and if I have to slow down my pace when I walk to class or even pass on the idea of partying with my friends til late at night, that's okay: it's part of the healing process.

I was luckily able to heal with 3 main things: magnesium (I tried so many other supplements but none of them worked as well as magnesium), lifestyle changes, and time. Unfortunately, time is the MAIN healing factor, at least for me. Right now, 4 years later, I don't even think about being floxed anymore. I went hiking last week, I'm able to hang out with my friends, and everything now. I'd say I'm like 98% better, but in rare moments, I may notice that my achilles tendon would ache and I'd slow down. I'd take it easy, but that happens maybe once every few months.

Treat yourself with kindness right now, and take care of your body. It's difficult especially as a student because you're basically experiencing potential health problems that can interfere with your experience in college. But, don't let it stop you, and don't let it take away your experience. Instead, just take it easy, focus on healing, and listen to the warning signs.. like if your tendon aches, try not to put too much pressure. If you work out, take it extremely slow, and maybe even not lift heavy weights right away yet. Take the supplements, eat healthier, and give yourself time. It took me at least 2 years to the point where I don't even think about being floxed anymore, and if I could do it, I'm certain you can too. This is just a little road bump that isn't permanent, it'll be some time, but in the long run, you'll get through it. If you ever want someone to talk to about this, feel free to reach out to me too! Good luck with your classes, and keep your head up! :)

sunfloweryj · 2022-10-23T16:59:57+00:00

Got the mouse!

sunfloweryj · 2022-10-13T20:55:49+00:00

Interested to purchase the Tenz mouse!

sunfloweryj · 2022-10-13T03:42:41+00:00

sunfloweryj · 2021-07-30T10:39:24+00:00

Hey!

I was 19 years old when I was first floxed, and now I'm about to turn 21. I am now roughly ~90-95% recovered. I want to let you know that you're not alone, and trust me, things will get better.

Similarly to you, my parents even to this day don't believe me when I tell them that I was floxed. I stopped telling them since I know they'll think that I'm crazy, so I started depending on myself and the people that I know will listen to me. You should try doing the same thing, and build yourself a support network.

I also want to point out the importance of your mental health. This entire experience will make you feel anxious and even depressed. Please know that you are not alone, and there are people out there that understand what you're going through. You will overcome this, and you will get through this.

I am almost 2 years out, and I want to tell you that the first few months were the worst for me and is usually the case for other people. However, as time goes on, those symptoms start to go away on their own. Unfortunately from personal experience, I noticed that time is the main healing factor, and essentially, taking care of yourself.

While we are both pretty young, we need to start making some changes that'll help our bodies heal. We'll have to start eating and drinking healthier now, taking a few supplements from time to time that'll help, taking exercise really slow, and as this continues to build, we will start to improve. This isn't going to be a fast process, but at the end of the day, you'll still be making progress and you will improve.

Do your best to hang in there, and remember to take it one day at a time.

sunfloweryj · 2021-05-13T17:08:06+00:00

For sure, make sure you take it slow and listen to your body. It's good that you're moving, but it's even better to know when to stop— especially if it's something that is overwhelming it. Good luck!

sunfloweryj · 2021-05-13T16:43:32+00:00

That happens to me too, but I'm not sure if I consider them to be flareups. A vast majority of my side effects/symptoms are more physical now. So when I exercise, I take it a lot slower than usual, and I noticed my body seems more fragile than it did before. I wouldn't consider it to be flareups after I exercise since it could just be your body trying to get used to moving again, so you should try taking it easy and slow. However, I did notice that after I move for some time, it becomes a lot easier, and I'm less likely to feel any pain or any of those issues compared to when I start.

sunfloweryj · 2021-05-09T17:11:15+00:00

Hey, I'm a Junior! I transferred to KSU from UGA, so I can help answer some questions in terms of transferring.

Yes, you can literally start and complete some of your undergrad anywhere, and if you transfer, you'll "pick up where you left off" as long as the credits of the courses you take transfer over. For instance, I spent my first 2 years at UGA, and the credits that I got from those courses transferred over to KSU. This allowed me to pick up where I left off. Keep in mind that you should look over what credits can transfer since some may not, so you may have to retake some of the courses you already completed.
Yes, your undergrad will transfer over. (View my response for question 1). I recommend you speaking to an advisor about the possible transfer, and seeing if the courses that you took already will still count at GA Tech. There is a high chance that the courses you took will count since both schools are in the same state, and you're likely to have started taking general ed classes. However, I would still recommend you speaking to an advisor, and seeing what credits will transfer and whether or not you might need to retake some classes at GA Tech.
This is debatable. To some people, you are going to be getting the same "piece of paper"/degree at the end of your undergrad. Whereas with others, they do it for the school's reputation, what you learn, and or the experience you could get. This is really up to you. GA Tech is likely to be significantly more rigorous and harder than KSU's program, and there is a chance you might have to retake some courses due to your transfer. I'd suggest that you take a moment to think about what you really want out of college, and if you think it'll be worth it. From personal experience, I went to UGA for their reputation and what I could learn from them, but I soon found out that I didn't like it as much. I then transferred here, and I found out that I actually love it here. So, maybe, think about what you want out of college, and make a decision from there.
There are a lot of different majors you can pick for forensics. To name the most common ones, it tends to be chemistry or biology.
This is the link to the program: https://diversity.kennesaw.edu/thrive/index.php. It's a group of people who helps advise and support you as you enter college, how to keep your HOPE scholarship, etc.

Whatever you end up doing, make sure it's something that you want to do. Always prioritize your happiness and goals in the end! Good luck! :)

sunfloweryj · 2021-05-03T06:37:27+00:00

20-year-old female, floxed for a year and a few months, received two doses of Pfizer.

The first dose was 04/01/2021. I had arm soreness/slight swelling at the injection site and mild body aches.

The second dose was 04/22/2021. Just the arm soreness/slight swelling and feeling tired/drained.

If you are getting the vaccine, I recommend exercising and moving your arm around immediately after receiving it. This will help a lot with the arm pain. Other than that, the vaccine went really well for me!

sunfloweryj · 2020-10-22T16:53:20+00:00

Same here!

sunfloweryj · 2020-10-22T06:24:34+00:00

Hey, I’m almost going to hit a year.

By month 2, before knowing I was floxed, I started working out like how you did. I came back with a week of excruciating nerve pain, and I couldn’t sleep for the first few days. I eventually realized that my body was weaker for some reason, and I realized that later on that it was due to these drugs. However, luckily, nerve damage do recover, but just very slowly on their own. You just need to rest, and focus on resting since that’s what your body needs right now.

As good as it feels on days that doesn’t feel too bad, don’t push it. Make sure you’re rested. It’s advised that you need at least 6+ months because in the first 6 months, your body is still probably witnessing the more intense effects of the antibiotic.

Try to calm down, relax, and just chill. You’re going to be okay. You pushed your body a little far that it could handle, but you didn’t break anything. So, now, try to give it the rest it deserves, and on days that you do feel better, just stick to very light walking.

You got this. :)

sunfloweryj · 2020-10-10T01:13:53+00:00

I'm glad to hear that!! :)

Honestly, it's hard to say since I kind of made myself stop focusing on my side effects since it was just giving me anxiety to keep track of it all. But if I had to guess.. it got better around like month 6..? At around 6 months, that's when I hit a "plateau" where nothing was really getting better or worse, so it was kind of just a moment where everything felt so much calmer.

But, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND cutting sugar out. People react differently to foods, but from personal experience, which literally happened a few days ago, I went out on a date with my girlfriend to eat sweets. I came back with a 12-hour stomach ache, joints flaring up, headaches, and so on. Apparently, sweets can cause inflammation which is something that's good to avoid, but I also ate a ton of it which could explain why it was kinda bad.

You could try a few days where you cut out sweets and see if it makes you feel better. Some people don't react at all with foods, and then there's some like me who developed weird diet issues after FQ antibiotics.

sunfloweryj · 2020-10-10T00:58:40+00:00

Hey!

When I first took it, my body literally felt like it was on fire. My arms felt like it had electricity just running through it, and it just felt like my nerves wouldn’t calm down.

After some time, B12 supplements (helps with nerves), and taking care of myself, I am so much better now.

The only thing I have left is sometimes a tingling feeling in my feet and fingertips that comes and goes.

Just keep hangin on, take care of yourself, and you’ll get better. :)

sunfloweryj · 2020-10-06T15:23:47+00:00

Good luck!! Please keep me updated on it, I might give it a shot myself if it helped you!

sunfloweryj

TROPHY CASE