Has Ciprofloxacin Attacked My Tendon?
After my gallstone operation, the hospital gave me a week’s Ciprofloxacin, which is an antibiotic, to take.
I took one tablet on Thursday evening and another on Friday morning. But as I returned from shopping at the Angel, it felt like I had a splinter in the heel of my left foot.
The pain was so bad I could hardly walk this morning.
I have had plantar fasciitis in the past in my left foot, and as someone, who has spent a working life looking for connections in databases, I wondered if the Ciprofloxacin had anything to do with it.
So I looked up the data sheet on MedLinePlus, which is a trusted site, from the US Library of Medicine.
The data sheet starts with this Important Warning.
This is the first paragraph of the warning.
Taking ciprofloxacin increases the risk that you will develop tendinitis (swelling of a fibrous tissue that connects a bone to a muscle) or have a tendon rupture (tearing of a fibrous tissue that connects a bone to a muscle) during your treatment or for up to several months afterward. These problems may affect tendons in your shoulder, your hand, the back of your ankle, or in other parts of your body. Tendinitis or tendon rupture may happen to people of any age, but the risk is highest in people over 60 years of age. Tell your doctor if you have or have ever had a kidney, heart, or lung transplant; kidney disease; a joint or tendon disorder such as rheumatoid arthritis (a condition in which the body attacks its own joints, causing pain, swelling, and loss of function); or if you participate in regular physical activity. Tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are taking oral or injectable steroids such as dexamethasone, methylprednisolone (Medrol), or prednisone (Rayos). If you experience any of the following symptoms of tendinitis, stop taking ciprofloxacin, rest, and call your doctor immediately: pain, swelling, tenderness, stiffness, or difficulty in moving a muscle. If you experience any of the following symptoms of tendon rupture, stop taking ciprofloxacin and get emergency medical treatment: hearing or feeling a snap or pop in a tendon area, bruising after an injury to a tendon area, or inability to move or to bear weight on an affected area.
After reading that, I decided the best thing to do was to call a doctor, so I dialled 111 and within three hours I was seeing a young local doctor in his surgery.
He decided to be prudent and changed the antibiotics.
I have since found out from this page on celiac.com, that not all Ciprofloxacin is gluten-free. Mine was from a company called Torrent.
People With Coeliac Disease Are At Higher Risk For Cataracts
The title of this post is the same as that of this page on Ocli Vision.
This is a paragraph from the article.
In a recent study published by the American Journal of Epidemiology, researchers found that people who suffer from celiac disease are at a much higher risk of developing cataracts than those who are not diagnosed with the disease.
On Monday, Boots identified that my cataracts had got worse and signed me up to a private hospital that could do them free on the NHS.
It was an offer I couldn’t refuse.
Is There Anybody Out There, Who’d Like To Share a Beef Bourguignon?
Recently, Marks and Spencer introduced a range of meat dishes, one of which was Beef Bourguignon.
So I bought one today.
- There is a range of about six dishes.
- All of the range seems to be gluten-free and is marked as such.
- As they don’t look gluten-free from the picture, they would be ideal for serving at a mixed meal, where some diners were gluten-free and others were not!
- They seem to be simple to cook.
- The Use-By date is the 27th October.
If I have a quibble, it is that they are only for two and they also say Do Not Reheat on the box, which means that coeliacs like me, who live alone have a problem.
Perhaps they need a single portion.
But to solve my problem, if there is anybody reading this, who is close to Dalston and would like to test the Beef Bourguignon, then get in touch before the 27th!
I’m Glad I’m Getting Pfizer As My Booster
In Hay Fever, Coeliac Disease And The AstraZeneca Covid-19 Vaccine, I summarised the battle going on in my body over the last few months, between hay fever and the AstraZeneca vaccine.
I wonder what my strong immune system will make of the Pfizer vaccine. I must admit, I’m tempted to just continue with my gluten-free diet and let my immune system sort out the squabble on its own!
Denmark Hill Station – 4th September 2021
The article on Rail Technology Magazine is entitled Denmark Hill Station First To Use Innovative Solar Technology In Europe.
The first two paragraphs describe the technology.
Denmark Hill station has become the first train station in Europe to have BIPVco’s Flextron thin film technology installed, on top of other upgrades, following a £7.5m extension.
The sophisticated and flexible solar panels are different from traditional ‘glass like’ panels, requiring no additional weight support, and will be used across other stations going forward.
Note.
- In the application of the technology at Denmark Hill station, a surplus of electricity is returned to the grid.
- BIPVco is a company based in South Wales, that evolved from research by Tata Steel and Swansea University, with the backing of the Welsh Government.
- The panels are lightweight, flexible, durable and self-cleaning.
Many years ago, I put up a barn based on timber beams, which had a sheet steel roof. These panels would be ideal for many agricultural buildings, like the one I commissioned.
These are pictures I took at Denmark Hill station, this morning.
Note.
- The original station was designed by Charles Henry Driver.
- The new entrance displays a high degree of craftsmanship, especially in the brickwork.
- The coffee and gluten-free cake I had in FCB Coffee were excellent.
- The station has its own pub; The Phoenix.
According to Network Rail, it has already been nominated for two architectural awards.
Increased Risk Of Atrial Fibrillation In Patients With Coeliac Disease: A Nationwide Cohort Study
I was looking for something else and found this medical paper on the web site of Professor Joe West at Nottingham University.
As I am coeliac, have atrial fibrillation and had a severe stroke from which have made a good recovery. I thought I would post the link, so that others might read what is said.
If my GP or myself had known of the link, my life would probably have been very different.
Brutal Third Wave Or Harmless Ripple? The Scientists Aren’t Yet Sure
The title of this post, is the same as that is the same as that of this article on The Times.
The scientists nay not be sure, whether with two jabs, you are safe from the Indian or Delta variant.
But how about me?
- I have had my two AstraZeneca jabs.
- I am also coeliac and have stuck tightly to my long-term gluten-free diet.
- Despite possibly being challenged by a group of Chinese students, that I wrote about in Did I Have A Close Brush With Covid-19?, I have not knowingly had the covids.
- I’ve only had one test for the virus and that was negative.
For various reasons, I believe that coeliacs on a long-term gluten-free diet have a very strong immune system, that could help to protect them from the covids.
- Personally, my health was transformed, when I went gluten-free in 1997.
- I am sure, my immune system gave the first dose of the vaccine a good kicking.
- I rarely, suffer from colds and sniffles, although I do have flu jabs.
- Research by Joe West at Nottingham University, has shown that as a group, we’re 25 % less likely to suffer from cancer.
So could these points prove my hypothesis?
In addition, I ask people, if they have any coeliac friends. These personal tales have yet to reveal any coeliacs on long-term gluten-free diets, who’ve had a serious dose of the covids.
I’ve also talked to intensive care doctors, who have said they can’t remember caring for a coeliac with a serious dose of the covids.
So I shall be Keeping Calm And Carrying On!
What Does Novak Djorkovic Tell Us About The Covids?
If you search the Internet for “coeliac disease and Novac Djokovic, you get a lot of posts linking to gluten-free diet and some to coeliac disease.
Some say he is coeliac and others say he is just gluten-free.
There are also reports on the Internet of Novac Djokovic having Covid-19.
So does that tell us anything about gluten-free diets, coeliac disease and Covid-19?
As there are no reports of him spending a long time in hospital, it doesn’t disprove my theory, that coeliacs on a gluten-free diet don’t get serious doses of the Covids!
I’d love to hear more stories of coeliacs on a gluten-free diet, who have caught Covid-19.
My INR Readings Before And After My Second AstraZeneca Jab
I am on long-term Warfarin after a serious stroke.
I also measure my own INR using a simple hand-held meter.
So with all the fuss about the AstraZeneca vaccine and blood clots, I thought I’d do an experiment around my second dose of the vaccine.
I maintained a constant Warfarin dose of 3.5 mg, which is the daily dose, I have agreed with my GP.
I maintained a reasonably constant diet. That is fairly easy if you’re coeliac and on a long-term gluten-free diet, as I am.
I measured my INR every morning.
These are my results.
- April 12th – 2.3
- April 13th – 2.8
- April 14th – 2.8
- April 15th – 2.9
- April 16th – 2.5
- April 17th – 2.3
- April 18th – 2.3
- April 19th – 2.4 – 2nd Jab
- April 20th – 2.2
- April 21st – 2.2
- April 22nd – 2.6
- April 23rd – 2.5
- April 24th – 2.4
- April 25th – 2.7
- April 26th – 3.0
- April 27th – 2.7
- April 28th – 2,5
- April 29th – 3.0
- April 30th – 3.1
- May 1st – 2.9
- May 2nd – No Data
- May 3rd – 2.8
It would appear that the results have been less stable since the second jab.
I am a Control Engineer with a B. Eng. from Liverpool University and I’m not surprised at these results.
It’s just like the bounce you get when the wheel of your car hits a pothole.
I would suggest that more research needs to be done.
Serial Cooking – Twelve Minute Fish
I’ve used this recipe for years, since I discovered it in the sadly-missed Dinner Tonight daily recipe in The Times, that was contributed by Lyndsey Bareham.
Note.
- I used haddock, but it generally works with any white fish trawled from the depths of the freezer.
- I always keep little pots of frozen peas and runner beans for one in my freezer.
- I have lots of pots and always split frozen peas up when I buy them.
- I usually cook it for one or two, but have cooked it for four.
- I’m a bit worried about getting the Carluccio’s olive oil with lemon. But I suspect someone else will supply something similar.
It can’t be too bad, as two friends have asked for the recipe. And they’re still friends.
The Anonymous Widower 