Thursday, December 25, 2014

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Sunday, November 2, 2014

Just For Fun...

Can you guess these Halloween outfits?



Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Sunday, August 17, 2014

A Visual Illustration


For those who can't take time to read, here's an excellent visual illustration of Fluoroquinolone Toxicity, by artist Billiam James.   Thank you, Bill!!!





Sunday, August 3, 2014

Meet Lisa Bloomquist


Fluoroquinolones 101


This is an introduction to Lisa, who has worked tirelessly to educate the public to the danger of fluoroquinolone antibiotics, after she suffered the devastating effects of being "Floxed".


***Note from Ms. A***
This is what I have been battling for the past 9 months.
Please educate yourself to the danger.  Don't become a victim!



antibioFluoroquinolone antibiotics, Cipro, Levaquin, Avelox, etc. are broad-spectrum antibiotics used to treat a variety of infections, from urinary tract infections to anthrax and everything in between.  The first quinolone created was Nalidixic Acid which was discovered by George Lesher in 1962.  (Nalidixic Acid was added to the OEHHA prop 65 list of carcinogens in 1998.) Cipro (ciprofloxacin) is a second generation fluoroquinolone patented in 1983 by Bayer, Levaquin (levofloxacin) is a third generation fluroquinolone  patented in 1987 by Ortho-McNeil-Janssen (a division of Johnson & Johnson), and Avelox (moxifloxacin) is a fourth generation fluoroquinolone patented in 1991 by Bayer.

Fluoroquinolone Antibiotics – Still on the Market

Of the 30 quinolones that have made it to market since the 1980s, all but 6 have either been removed from the US market or have severely restricted use.
The fluoroquinolone antibiotics that are still on the market are some of the most commonly prescribed antibiotics. Per the FDA, “Approximately 23.1 million unique patients received a dispensed prescription for an oral fluoroquinolone product from outpatient retail pharmacies during 2011,” and “Within the hospital setting, there were approximately 3.8 million unique patients billed for an injectable fluoroquinolone product during 2011.”
When used properly, such as in cases of life-threatening hospital acquired pneumonia, fluroquinolone antibiotics can save lives.

Fluoroquinolone Antibiotic Side-Effects and Adverse Reactions

When used improperly, fluoroquinolone antibiotics can needlessly cause devastating side-effects.  Devastating side-effects can also occur when fluoroquinolone antibiotics are used properly, but the devastation can be justified by weighing it against the alternative – death.  In 2001, Dr. Jay S. Cohen published an article on the severe and often disabling reactions some people sustained  as a result of taking a fluoroquinolone antibiotic.  Dr. Cohen says,
It is difficult to describe the severity of these reactions. They are devastating. Many of the people in my study were healthy before their reactions. Some were high intensity athletes. Suddenly they were disabled, in terrible pain, unable to work, walk, or sleep
Dr. Cohen’s study of 45 subjects suffering from Fluoroquinolone Toxicity Syndrome, a name that I’m pushing for, (without an official name, it is difficult get the word out) showed that they had the following symptoms:
  • Peripheral Nervous System: Tingling, numbness, prickling, burning pain, pins/needles sensation, electrical or shooting pain, skin crawling, sensation, hyperesthesia, hypoesthesia, allodynia (sensitivity to touch) numbness, weakness, twitching, tremors, spasms.
  • Central Nervous System: Dizziness, malaise, weakness, impaired coordination, nightmares, insomnia, headaches, agitation, anxiety, panic attacks, disorientation, impaired concentration or memory, confusion, depersonalization, hallucinations, psychoses.
  • Musculoskeletal: Muscle pain, weakness, soreness, joint swelling, pain, tendon pain, ruptures.
  • Special Senses: Diminished or altered visual, olfactory, auditory functioning, tinnitus (ringing in the ears).
  • Cardiovascular: Tachycardia, shortness of breath, hypertension, palpitations, chest pain.
  • Skin: Rash, swellinghair loss, sweating, intolerance to heat and\or cold.
  • Gastrointestinal: Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain.
When a fluoroquinolone antibiotic triggers a toxic reaction in a person, multiple symptoms are often experienced.

Fluoroquinolone Antibiotic Damage – Technical Aspects

Fluoroquinolones are eukaryotic DNA gyrase and topoisomerase inhibitors very similar to many antineoplastic agents (source).  What this means in plain English is that these drugs work the same way as chemotherapeutic drugs; they disrupt DNA and lead to destruction of cells.  A recent (2013) study conducted by a team of scientists at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University Studies showed that Ciprofloxacin, along with a couple of other non-fluoroquinolone antibiotics, causes oxidative stress and mitochondrial malfunction. A 2011 study published in the Journal of Young Pharmacists found that, “There is significant and gradual elevation of lipid peroxide levels in patients on ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin.”  They also found that “There was substantial depletion in both SOD (superoxide dismutase, “a free radical scavenging enzyme”) and glutathione levels” and that “On the 5th day of treatment, plasma antioxidant status decreased by 77.6%, 50.5% (and) 7.56% for ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin and gatifloxacin respectively.” The study also notes that administration of fluoroquinolones leads to a marked increase in the formation of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) and that “reactive free radicals overwhelms the antioxidant defence, lipid peroxidation of the cell membrane occurs. This causes disturbances in cell integrity leading to cell damage/death.”

How Many People are at Risk?

The exact rate of adverse reactions to fluoroquinolones is difficult to determine.  Studies of adverse reactions to fluoroquinolones have noted that, “During clinical trials, the overall frequencies of adverse effects associated with (fluoroquinolones) to vary between 4.4 and 20%.”  Just the fact that the spread is so large, a 15.6% spread in frequency of adverse reactions is a HUGE difference, it implies that the actual occurrence of adverse reactions is difficult to establish or unknown.
With the FDA figures above noting that 26.9 million unique patients were given fluoroquinolones in 2011, if you just take the conservative adverse reaction figure of 4.4%, you’ll get a horrifying number of people with adverse reactions in 2011 alone – 1,183,600 people.  20% of 26.9 million is 5,380,000 people adversely effected.  That is scary.  Those numbers are truly frightening given the severity of the adverse effects described above.

Fluoroquinolone Toxicity Syndrome

I see fluoroquinolone toxicity everywhere, and even I think that those numbers are high for severe, disabling reactions like mine where multiple symptoms develop simultaneously.  Not everyone who has an adverse reaction to a fluoroquinolone has a reaction like mine, or even develops Fluoroquinolone Toxicity Syndrome. Many people have milder reactions.  Milder symptoms include any one of the symptoms listed above as well as  diarrhea, vomiting, mild tendinitis, decreased energy, painless muscle twitches, memory loss, urgency of urination, or any number of reactions that the body may have to a massive depletion of antioxidants and increases in lipid peroxide levels and reactive oxygen species production.
Even though severe adverse reactions to fluoroquinolones antibiotics can be painful and disabling for years, many (possibly most, but certainly not all) people recover from Fluoroquinolone Toxicity Syndrome with time.  I anticipate that I will be fully recovered 2 years after my reaction started. Sadly, there are some people who don’t recover.  They suffer from chronic pain, disability, impaired cognitive abilities, etc. permanently.
It is absurd, to say the least, that an acute problem, an infection, that can easily be taken care of with administration of an antibiotic that is not a fluoroquinolone, is converted into a chronic problem, a  syndrome that can disable a person for years, by a prescription ANTIBIOTIC, used as prescribed. In my case, a urinary tract infection that could have likely been taken care of with macrobid or even cranberry juice and d-mannos, was treated with Cipro which left me unable to do many physical and mental tasks that I had previously been able to do with ease. It’s a crazy, absurd situation.  It’s absurd and it’s wrong.

Some Antibiotics are More Dangerous than Others

The bottom line is that these popularly prescribed antibiotics are dangerous drugs that have caused thousands of people to suffer with a myriad of maladies. Undeniably, they have their place, in treating life-threatening infections.  Unfortunately, they are not being reserved for use in life-threatening situations and people are being hurt after taking them for simple sinus, urinary tract, bronchial and prostate infections. A strict and rigorous protocol needs to be established to limit the damage that they cause; because it’s not right to maim and disable people to treat their sinus infections.
Sources are highlighted throughout the article.

Printed with permission from Lisa Bloomquist.  
Thank you, Lisa!

Saturday, April 19, 2014

A Time To Mourn

I will be taking some time away from blogging to mourn the unexpected passing of my Granddaughter's Daddy.

He was working out of the country, in Cameroon, Africa and died on his 35th birthday.

Please send good thoughts and prayers, if you are so inclined.  He will be truly missed.

God bless you John.  You will always be in our hearts.

April 18, 1979 - April 18, 2014





Sunday, April 13, 2014

They Say...

... a picture is worth a thousand words.  Good thing, since I don't have a thousand words in me.

Several of you have asked about Michael and how he is doing.  I haven't had many answers, other than what I hear from my Daughter, since Michael is a lousy communicator. (Yes, Michael, I said that and it's the truth)  When he isn't being held captive in the hospital, he rarely carries on conversations of any length and only messages on occasion, usually when I pester him.  As long as he is doing okay, I'll take that to him being sick any day!  It is what it is, we try to deal with it the best we can.

April is a month of several birthdays in our family.  My Daughter turned 32 on April 9th and my Grandson, the baby turned 3 on April 7th.  Saturday, we got together to celebrate and I was able to see, firsthand, how Michael is doing and I'll have to admit I was impressed.  I think he looks pretty darn good, what do you think?



I can't believe this little guy is 3 years old... already!

April 14th is my Son's fiancee's birthday.  Happy Birthday, A! 

Saturday, April 5, 2014

Time To Vent

Blogger, you are getting on my last nerve!  Some time back you changed everything and left us no options but to accept it.  Some of us don't adapt well to changes, especially if what we have is working for us, even with the occasional glitches.

We used to have a "Manage" button we could click and make adjustments to the blogs we follow.  It became nonfunctional, even before the drastic change.  Since the change, there is a little gear icon you are supposed to be able to click and manage your reading list.  Click that and what do you get?  Something else nonfunctional.

 

I follow a lot of blogs and I read them from my dashboard.  I start at the bottom, where I left off and read up, oldest to newest.  As soon as I finish, I hit the refresh button and read what has been added throughout the day.  Some blogs that post daily don't even show up, I have to go looking for them.  Once I have found them on my list and clicked them, then when I hit refresh, they magically appear... but not without tracking them down first.








Now, about that refresh button.  When I click refresh and expect to see the updated reading list, what I don't expect to happen is for Blogger Buzz to show up over and over again.  When it comes up new, the first time, I read it.  However, I don't like to have it foisted on me EVERY TIME I HIT THE REFRESH BUTTON, OVER AND OVER AGAIN, FOR WEEKS AT A TIME!  (the current one has been showing for over 5 weeks, that's old news now)  Sometimes I hit the refresh button 5, 7, 9, 10 times, before my reading list will show up again.  Each time I finish reading, multiple time a day.






It's no wonder people just give up and disappear!

Anyone else having issues?  Take time to comment and tell me I'm not the only one... PLEASE!