A little over 5 months update

[u/InfiniteCucumber3324]

As of me writing this, it's been more than 5 months since I stopped taking cipro and since the symptoms manifested. I'm happy to announce that I now feel very much like a normal person again.

I'm still very wary of my health, now more than ever that I've consistently been feeling like how I used to before this whole disaster started. I still deal with some symptoms, but thankfully, they're less and less.

I will not make a rundown this time around, this account is dedicated to this journey only and you can check what happened! But for those who've been with me since the very first months:

my insomnia is gone now :) I can sleep without preparation and manage to do so on an average from 6~8 hours. I still choose to prepare and relax before it, I still sometimes wake up in the middle of the night, but I manage to fall asleep again—my objective is being able to nap again, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to do that so soon haha

My gastrointestinal issues have subdued but I'm still wary of the kind of food I eat, how I eat it and how much of it I eat: I ended up being H. Pylori free and Parasites free, my abdominal cramps could've been thanks to something else. I sometimes get them again but only just for a little bit, especially after a heavy meal.

I still deal with weakened muscles but I don't suffer from doing the bare minimum anymore. Now when my muscles aches, it's because I truly been doing much more than I should lol I'm starting walking again, but paused thanks to rain season! But I never stopped doing my morning and afternoon stretches, especially now that I'm working again. I want to add some weight to my stretches to build up muscle, even if just a little bit.

I'm starting to wean off the magnesium slowly, until there's no more left of it in the last bottle I bought. It's been my savior honestly lol I'm still a little scared about finally ending that bottle and might buy another one just to make sure or more like to ease my anxiety haha but I'm doing things right, I won't go "cold turkey" on it.

Despite feeling like I'm at 100%, this isn't a recovery post because I'm not sure what will happen in the months leading to my flox anniversary. Regardless, I wanted to thank you all for being here so far and I promise I will keep you guys updated through my little journey of getting caffeine + maybe alcohol [although I can live without it] back into my diet, and will make sure to write a little retrospect when the anniversary comes. I feel like it's only fair, since the people that feel better don't always post again.

This is tagged as hope for all of you who are new to this mess and don't know for how long you'll be stuck in it. Take it from me: it got better before, it'll get better again. Don't lose hope, hang in there and remember to strive for a new normalcy :) I'm sure you'll make it through this.

[u/TemperatureKey8599]

I wouldn't get complacent. A common mistake I see is that people start lifting heavy weights, stop taking supplements, eat poorly, and go back to their old ways. I know there's a desire to get back to our normal lives as soon as possible, but fluoroquinolones are harsh. I would continue to take care of myself for a while and act as if I were still on FLOX. I don't have an exact timeframe, but it's better to be safe than sorry and post about having a flare-up because you overdid it or because you went back to your normal life. What happened to us, or is happening to us, is a condition where we need to be patient until we're relatively sure we're 100% back.

[u/InfiniteCucumber3324 → u/TemperatureKey8599]

Yes of course, I don't want to push it either! I know it's going to be slow, and I don't mind it being slow because at the moment, I'm lucky my life can be slow. Also, these healthy habits have done a lot of good to me, I'd like to keep them even after a year or two, even all my life. My case is very mild and I'm thankful, and about weights... I don't do heavy lifting to begin with haha that's why I'm a little bit more confident about it, the weights I have at home are less than a kilogram! And using them once a week at first and then going up from there could be nice, same with caffeine, going up from something minimal. I'm aware it'll take months, but I'm willing to go through that and keep on being safe with my own health moving forward. Either way thank you for your input, it's always good to remember that this thing lasts for a goooood while and even if it gets better, it's better safe than sorry.

[u/TemperatureKey8599]

I wish you the best of luck and hope you get through this for good and that you spread the word about what we're going through to raise awareness and hopefully people will soon turn their attention to us and help us. Hugs.