Three weeks ago I was in Mexico City and took my wife to dinner at one of the world’s Top 50 restaurants. Within 72 hours, I was in the emergency room, barely able to breathe, afraid I was going to die.
Here’s what happened:
After an incredible meal, we went back to the hotel and my stomach started grumbling.
At first, I thought it was food poisoning.
No big deal, right?
But then I couldn’t get out of bed.
I was throwing up uncontrollably, praying for it to pass.
When it didn’t, we contacted the hotel doctor and he gave me an antibiotic called Ciprofloxin.
A fairly common drug, but with some nasty side effects if you’re unlucky…
In 0.00005% of cases, Ciprofloxin can cause what's called paresthesia, complete body numbness and in the most extreme cases severe nerve damage. The official term for the syndrome *fluoroquinolone toxicity*.
Of course, I didn’t learn this until later.
Ultimately, after being bedridden for days, I collapsed on the floor and my wife called an ambulance.
The numbness quickly spread to my chest and neck area before the ambulance could arrive so we called an Uber and forced the driver to run every single red light on the way to the hospital.
By this time, I had full body numbness and felt like I was on my final breath.
I thought I was going to die.
–
It’s been three weeks since that moment.
I’m back in New York now and have severe back and neck pain, numbness in my left arm
I’ve met with dozens of doctors.
And they’ve all told me the same thing:
There’s no cure.
It’s incredibly frustrating.
I feel alone and demoralized. The only support I’ve been able to find is going on forums and Reddit to read about others who got nerve damage from Ciprofloxin.Â
I’ve been trying to take it easy, as easy as you can when you’re running a company.
But all that time in the hospital and especially the zooming ride to the emergency room, has given me a lot of time to think.
Here’s what I realized:
Life moves quickly.
You have no idea what can or will happen.
One second you’re enjoying fine dining in Mexico, the next you’re laid up in a hospital room with your wife emotionally drained by your side.
My point is this…
Enjoy every single moment. Just waking up in the morning is a tremendous win.
You don’t know what might happen next.
For the sake of transparency, and maybe even my own sanity, I’ll be writing more about my recovery, fluoroquinolone toxicity and the struggle of those with chronic health issues, in future posts.
Until then don’t forget to live.Â
Here’s what happened:
After an incredible meal, we went back to the hotel and my stomach started grumbling.
At first, I thought it was food poisoning.
No big deal, right?
But then I couldn’t get out of bed.
I was throwing up uncontrollably, praying for it to pass.
When it didn’t, we contacted the hotel doctor and he gave me an antibiotic called Ciprofloxin.
A fairly common drug, but with some nasty side effects if you’re unlucky…
In 0.00005% of cases, Ciprofloxin can cause what's called paresthesia, complete body numbness and in the most extreme cases severe nerve damage. The official term for the syndrome *fluoroquinolone toxicity*.
Of course, I didn’t learn this until later.
Ultimately, after being bedridden for days, I collapsed on the floor and my wife called an ambulance.
The numbness quickly spread to my chest and neck area before the ambulance could arrive so we called an Uber and forced the driver to run every single red light on the way to the hospital.
By this time, I had full body numbness and felt like I was on my final breath.
I thought I was going to die.
–
It’s been three weeks since that moment.
I’m back in New York now and have severe back and neck pain, numbness in my left arm
I’ve met with dozens of doctors.
And they’ve all told me the same thing:
There’s no cure.
It’s incredibly frustrating.
I feel alone and demoralized. The only support I’ve been able to find is going on forums and Reddit to read about others who got nerve damage from Ciprofloxin.Â
I’ve been trying to take it easy, as easy as you can when you’re running a company.
But all that time in the hospital and especially the zooming ride to the emergency room, has given me a lot of time to think.
Here’s what I realized:
Life moves quickly.
You have no idea what can or will happen.
One second you’re enjoying fine dining in Mexico, the next you’re laid up in a hospital room with your wife emotionally drained by your side.
My point is this…
Enjoy every single moment. Just waking up in the morning is a tremendous win.
You don’t know what might happen next.
For the sake of transparency, and maybe even my own sanity, I’ll be writing more about my recovery, fluoroquinolone toxicity and the struggle of those with chronic health issues, in future posts.
Until then don’t forget to live.Â
