u/skittyinthecity

Hey everyone,

I'm just trying to get a sense of how bad caffeine is for people like us. I've read that it can cause flares for some, but others are fine. I really don't want to flare, but I also really, really miss having a nice, hot cup of caffeinated black tea. It's the perfect weather for it now. So I guess I have a few questions for those that did flare up from caffeine:

1. What were your initial symptoms?

2. What symptoms got exacerbated by the caffeine?

3. How long did the flare-up last?

Or, just talk me out of doing something dumb, I guess.

I might have a uti. I was floxed in mid July and have made a lot of progress in recovery, although I'm not back to normal yet. I am terrified of antibiotics setting me back. What have you guys taken and tolerated well? Or am I definitely going back to square one? Help

It has been a day less than one month since I stopped taking Cipro. I took a total of 4 500mg pills. I am mid-30s F. I was never very physically active, but I played a lot of piano and guitar before.

I see a lot of horror stories here, so I wanted to post a semi-hopeful update.

My main symptoms have been tendon pain. I've also had some headaches and dizziness, but those seem to have subsided after the first week or so

It was so bad in my hands and wrists that I couldn't type or unscrew the lids to access my supplement pills. I wore wrist braces pretty much all day at first. I went to see an orthopedist specializing in hands about a week after my symptoms started, and she wanted to give me a powerful NSAID or steroid injection, but I refused, so she referred me to OT instead. I read here that starting too early might be bad, so I was skeptical at first but went anyway to see how it would affect me. I decided I would aim for about one third to one half of what the OT wanted me to do because overexertion is far more dangerous than under-performing.

Now, I have had a couple weeks of OT sessions, and I've improved a lot. My grip strength has tripled since I started, and I have a lot more flexibility in my wrists. I'm about halfway to "normal" in this regard, which is really encouraging to me. I never push that hard, and I always rest when I'm in pain. I think this is important. I can now go full days without the wrist braces, although I still wear them to sleep.

My ankles have gotten worse. I can barely walk, and I've been using my late grandmother's walker to get from my room to the bathroom and back. My knees are also sort of starting to give me trouble. Stairs are ridiculously painful and I try to avoid them as much as possible, but my bedroom is upstairs and I have to go downstairs to leave my house for appointments. I just bought a pair of sneakers with raised heals, which helps a bit. I haven't been able to start PT yet, but I will try soon because my results in OT have been encouraging.

I have insomnia and anxiety, but I also had these pre-Cipro, so idk

Things I have been doing to help:

-bracing at night and while in pain

-ice

-tylenol when I'm in a lot of pain, although I try to avoid it if I can

-heat right before my OT exercises

-epsom salt baths

-supplements (vitamin c, vitamin e, multivitamin supplement, collagen, probiotic, CoQ10, NAC, magnesium glycinate)

-resting a lot

-melatonin gummies to help with sleep

-absolutely no alcohol or caffeine

-eat healthy foods-- lots of veggies and protein

-getting fitted for sneakers suited for Achilles tendonitis

I still have a journey ahead of me, but I know it could definitely be worse. I can sort of see a light at the end of the tunnel, though, which is nice. I will post an update a month from now regardless. I wish everyone the best of luck on their recoveries!

Hi everyone,

I really just want to vent and maybe hear stories that might give me hope. I'm on day 6 of symptoms. This is probably the scariest thing that has ever happened to me. I know this is just the beginning, and i could get way worse over time. I'm hoping this is the worst of it, but that’s probably naive of me.

I took 4 doses of cipro and stopped once I felt tendon pain. I already had tendon issues in my wrists earlier this year that had cleared up, but the cipro seems to have aggravated them again. I play piano and guitar at a high level and often perform live. Or, I guess, I used to play. Now, I can barely type on my phone without severe pain. I am also getting a bit of pain in my Achilles tendon but have managed to stay off it. I really hope I can play my instruments again eventually. I was finally gaining a community through my music, but it seems like that is being ripped away from me.

I've been reading a lot and am taking magnesium, a multivitamin, vitamin c, vitamin e, and coq10. I am also going to start eating better and bathing in Epsom salts. I have braces for my wrists and try to move as little as possible.

How do you all keep yourselves sane when you can't go anywhere or do anything? I am really struggling.

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I just bought a new car and need to figure out what insurance to buy. I have no idea what I'm doing. There are so many options, and i have no idea how to decide which option is best

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One of my friends on staff at work said she was bringing homemade baked mac and cheese to the potluck. I love mac and cheese. I was looking forward to it all week long. I am lactose intolerant but decided to take 3 lactase pills just so I could eat it because I haven't had mac and cheese in forever.

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I loaded a ton of it onto my plate. I took a huge bite, and... crunch. And a pungent sensation took over my mouth. A betrayal. I swallowed it down, miraculously, and then did my best to subtly get rid of the plate when no one was watching.

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Who TF puts onions in mac and cheese? I always thought it would be safe!!! I think this may have officially ruined it for me. Uggfhhhhhh