Out of the Blue - The Podcast: Finding the Way Forward
Out of the Blue-the Podcast features interviews with inspirational survivors of traumatic out of the blue events who have overcome unimaginable challenges, sharing their stories of resilience and triumph. By sharing these stories, "Out of the Blue" aims to create a community where others who have faced similar hardships can find solace and strength as together, we find the way forward.
Out of the Blue - The Podcast: Finding the Way Forward
Finding Joy After Flagyl Toxicity with Taylor Downs
What happens when a routine antibiotic prescription turns your life upside down? Taylor Downs never imagined that taking Flagyl (metronidazole) would lead to a harrowing journey of neurological symptoms that would persist for years. Her story is both a warning and a testament to human resilience.
After several rounds of antibiotics failed to clear an infection in 2022, Taylor was prescribed Flagyl. Within hours of her first dose, she experienced terrifying symptoms – blurry vision, neuropathy in her extremities, and complete dissociation from her body. Despite immediately stopping the medication, these symptoms didn't disappear. Two and a half years later, she still battles the aftereffects of nervous system damage.
Through her ordeal, Taylor discovered she wasn't alone. A support group revealed thousands of people suffering similar symptoms after taking this commonly prescribed antibiotic. What makes her story particularly troubling is how rarely patients are informed about these potential side effects.
The experience transformed Taylor's life in unexpected ways. She became a certified health coach through the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, turning her trauma into a mission to help others navigate health challenges. More profoundly, she discovered a capacity for joy and gratitude she'd never known before.
Taylor's journey reminds us of the importance of informed consent in healthcare and the need to advocate for ourselves. It also demonstrates how life's most devastating challenges can become catalysts for growth and purpose. If you've taken antibiotics and experienced unusual symptoms, or simply want to understand how to protect yourself, this conversation might just change your perspective on health, healing, and finding meaning through adversity.
Metronidazole (Flagyl) Toxicity Support Group: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1G2HmziB4F
Health Coaching by Taylor: https://www.instagram.com/tldhealthcoaching
Out Of The Blue:
For more: outoftheblue-thepodcast.org
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Welcome to the ninth episode of Out of the Blue the podcast, a platform dedicated to celebrating inspirational stories of people overcoming life-changing experiences, who have found their way forward. I'm your host, vernon West, and my co-host for today's episode is my daughter, jackie West, who, along with being a social media and marketing manager, is a professional musician and Reiki healer. And I want to especially thank you, our listeners, for joining us here today, giving us your precious time and attention, because we know just how valuable that is. We know just how valuable that is In today's episode. We're honored to have Taylor Downs of Detroit, michigan, here today to tell us all about her journey, dealing with her very traumatic experience of being harmed by flagel metronazole to becoming a certified health coach to support others heal from this very nightmare. Hi, taylor, and welcome to Out of the Blue the podcast.
Speaker 2:Hi, how are you?
Speaker 1:And welcome to Out of the Blue.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much, I really appreciate it.
Speaker 1:Okay, so anyway, we basically like to start off with you know, tell us you know, what really is your biggest Out of the blue experience with fragile toxicity? I would imagine that would be it. So how did it happen? Tell us all about it. We're totally in need of curious to know everything about it. I'm sure our listeners are too.
Speaker 2:Yeah, of course, where to begin? I think the best place to start is when I started having my symptoms. So back in the summer of 2022, specifically July and August, I had an infection that was, you know, standard. I had had it before. It wasn't. The idea was a bladder infection and, you know, my entire life I had taken antibiotics, had no issues, if anything, some stomach upset or something, but other than that it was pretty standard. So went into my doctor, got the antibiotics and unfortunately, these were like the other antibiotics. This was not flagile. Yet at this point, nothing was really working for some reason to clear this infection.
Speaker 2:So I did about seven or eight rounds of antibiotics over the course of two and a half months before they found another issue that needed Flagyl. So I had taken Macrobid Bactrim, ciproflaxacin, which is another really crazy antibiotic that a lot of people have horrible symptoms from. So I had taken all of these and then, ultimately, I was given Flagyl. I was told to take a seven day course, so it would have been two days or two times a day. For seven days, 14 pills total. I had to drive myself to the ER. Ultimately, my symptoms were I mean, with the podcast, it's out of the blue. I had never had these symptoms before. It was terrifying. It was anywhere from blurry vision to neuropathy in my arms and my hands, my legs. I just didn't feel real is the best way to explain it. I felt like I was completely dissociated and I was like seeing myself from an outside perspective. I remember looking down at my arms and not recognizing my own body.
Speaker 1:Wow.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was absolutely terrifying and I was just like working from home that day like casual. I had taken the morning dose and I was just like working from home that day, like casual, I had taken the morning dose and then a couple hours later is when it had hit me. So, yeah, and I'm a type one diabetic as well and I think you know my entire life I've pretty much always said if I had symptoms it was probably completely look to something else as the problem. And that was really hard for someone that's been so focused on one illness their entire life. So went to the ER, told them what had happened and I was very lucky that none of them denied that it was the flagell.
Speaker 2:Yeah, a lot of people have the experience of doctors saying that's not the case. They love to say it's anxiety and in that case they told me you need to take a Benadryl, let it get out of your system. It absolutely is the flagell. So I was very fortunate in that and I immediately did stop. It went home and I was fine for the night. Um, but then that was just the beginning, truthfully way.
Speaker 1:You mean you're telling me these effects were long lasting.
Speaker 2:I mean, they didn't go away when you stopped it no, I still have them two and a half years later oh my, I'm sorry, that's that's.
Speaker 1:That's a head spinner, right I?
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And all from an antibiotic or something being used to kill an infection.
Speaker 2:Yes, yeah.
Speaker 1:I've had Bactrim before. I've had that and I've had other antibiotics. Even when I had come home from the hospital, I had an antibiotic that I had to put in a port. It was strong, but I never got any symptoms like that. I think it was still more had to put in the port. It was strong, but I didn't have any symptoms like that. I think it was still more or less like Bactrim. It wasn't pretty, it was innocuous in a way, but this sounds like staggeringly wow, I mean. And Thomas Talsmore.
Speaker 2:Yeah and yeah, bactrim. I had some symptoms on Bactrim as well and they're all horrible, but this was something that I never in a million years thought could happen with an antibiotic.
Speaker 2:I was completely caught off guard and just in total disbelief. I didn't know what I thought, to be honest. But I was very lucky in the fact that I feel like every time I've gone to the ER I've presented pretty normal. I'm like, hi, I'm having these symptoms. Even in that moment, I was calm, I was collected. I think I've just having chronic illness. My entire life has trained me to be pretty calm.
Speaker 1:I get that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and it took a long time to see me, but in that time that I was sitting there, blurry vision going in and out, as I'm sitting there, I'm Googling what was going on. I'm like what, what could happen? How does this happen? And I'm so grateful that I found the flagell toxicity support group on Facebook.
Speaker 2:Yeah there are thousands of people in there and ultimately I immediately joined it. I can't remember if I was approved right away or if it took a minute, but I was already going down the rabbit hole at this point and it was, I mean, sure enough. It confirmed everything for me. There are a lot of theories out there about what exactly happens after you take it and why it causes these symptoms, but ultimately, for me, it damaged my nervous system, is what it did.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it sounds like it would. That's exactly what's affecting your nervous system. All those preliminary vision and stuff like that. Yep, those are terrifying things, I mean.
Speaker 3:Oh, it affects people differently. Have you learned through the community in? In what ways?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so for some people you know, a lot of people are primarily everybody seems to have digestive issues. That seems like right off the bat. It's like you have some diarrhea or constipation. Something is off.
Speaker 1:That's kind of typical for antibiotics. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, people think it's normal. Yeah.
Speaker 2:They're like, oh, this is totally fine, until all of a sudden they're having extreme panic, like symptoms, and it's just doom and gloom. It's like your heart is racing, insomnia, um, just like you have like sudden like food intolerances, which I experienced, um, and so a lot of people they can seem to once. A lot of people have the experience that they had really, really bad, bad symptoms while on it and then a couple of days off of it, they seem to have gotten better. So it's a mystery as to why some people you know have these long-term effects and others have the short-term effects. But there's the other theory of that.
Speaker 2:It causes B1 or thiamine deficiency which if you look at like the symptoms of it, it very, very similar. And I actually went down that path. Initially. I did not find out about the nervous system damage until months later, after I was just reading and reading and reading and trying to figure out what was going on, especially with the peripheral neuropathy. That was where I was like this just doesn't make sense, like this can't just be from a vitamin deficiency, right? But yeah, a lot of people they decide to take B1. I did do that.
Speaker 2:Unfortunately, the support group they're amazing. They talk you through everything they tell you, hey, you're probably going to have an adverse reaction to the B1 as well, because basically your body's just absolutely depleted of it now. So you're having like a paradoxical reaction is what it's called. So there was a lot of, you know, guessing for a lot of people.
Speaker 2:I mean posting constantly and it's it's so difficult because you're basically reading your trauma over and over and over again in someone else's experience, your trauma over and over and over again in someone else's experience, which you know, for people like me who already have a history of CPTSD, it's kind of a trauma response to just continuously talk and talk and talk and talk about it or read about it. So I knew that I needed to just take some time and figure out what was going on, stop reading and trying to solve people's problems, take some time and figure out what was going on, stop reading and trying to solve people's problems. And, yeah, I ultimately I took a break from the support group for a little bit just to kind of work with my doctor, my functional medicine doctor, who I am so grateful for and just try to figure out how are we going to tackle this, because this is not anything I've ever had to deal with in my entire life.
Speaker 1:Wow. So the support group, there's so many people and I'm almost thinking I'm echoing your question, jackie how many, what range of other symptoms you know? Because I think one of the best things we can do with this is put that out there. So somebody's experiencing that. So what would you say? The range of give us some idea of all the different things you've heard? So it would you say the range of give us some, some idea of all the different things you've heard.
Speaker 2:So it's funny because when I first joined the group, symptoms that I didn't even realize I was having were from that, and there's actually a video that I had watched that had created by the Facebook creator. Her name was Erin Jensen. She's absolutely amazing. She created all these YouTube videos and I was just screenshotting every single slide that had all the symptoms and I think I counted I had 24 symptoms and there are many.
Speaker 2:So one of the biggest ones is dysautonomia, which, for those that don't know what that is, it's essentially dysregulated autonomic nervous system. So it dysregulated autonomic nervous system, so it's essentially your autonomic nervous system is having all these different reactions to things. It's an overdrive. One of those things can be like sensitivity to lights and to sounds. It can also be sensitivity to touch, mood swings, headaches, migraines. It can be like even eye issues. So it's very like all encompassing of a lot of different issues and in and of that is also the digestive issues.
Speaker 2:So everyone pretty much had the digestive issues, but then there was people that were popping in with the neuropathy. Some people had lost of like movement in one side of their face, so almost like stroke-like symptoms, yeah, and there were people that couldn't talk. There were people that couldn't walk. Those were the extreme ones, of course, but absolutely terrifying nonetheless. I mean just completely terrifying. And a lot of other people had dizziness, the food intolerances as I mentioned. There was also for me. I had a very it was just like extreme, extreme fatigue, to the point that I couldn't even do basic things without needing to go sit down, relax. So I had no way of relaxing really, even though my body was needing it. Sleep would cause me to have extreme nightmares, or I would wake up with a heart racing and I would be out of breath, gasping for air. Yeah, it was, there's. There's so many symptoms I can't even tell you.
Speaker 1:That's, you know, very concerning, of course, and I really think a bit. I mean, I know of people who, on Facebook for example, who come on and talk about some symptoms like that, and I bet you wonder, you know, if they've been exposed to it, if they have been offered that kind of antibiotic.
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 1:I wonder how many people are out there that are experiencing this and just think it's them. Like you know, I'm having bad dreams and all the symptoms you say. You could probably write off and say other things, but if you start noticing all these other people getting those exact symptoms from this medicine, I mean that would be like a bell ringing for a lot of people. Maybe I think it could take a weight off them in a way, be something to relieve this concern about something greater going on.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so it's probably really good to get this out there. For that reason, what would you say we should do? What can be done, do you think? I mean, as far as weight of course, raising awareness, what is the group consensus? What are they all saying should be done? I mean, is the medical community being counseled about this? Are they being someone? Yeah can you tell us about that, I mean?
Speaker 2:yeah, absolutely. I think the biggest overall consensus in the group is that, first and foremost, informed consent when it comes to being given medication. None of us not a single person in that group was told of the severe side effects, of what can happen, and Flagyl is just like Cipro, another antibiotic has a black box warning on it, which indicates that there's also just severe side effects along with it, and they always like to pass it off by saying they're rare. They're obviously not that rare. So the informed consent part is what so many of us wish that we would have just had, and how important that is for doctors to be completely transparent about what you are putting into your body, because if you don't know, you can't give your informed consent, you can't give your consent ultimately.
Speaker 1:Right, exactly. I mean I know that I went through myself a lot of medical conditions through getting leukemia and I remember Cipro being on the table at one point because one of the biggest dangers when you're dealing with leukemia you have very little to no immune system after you get a transplant. So they had me on all kinds of antibiotics so I definitely went through some of that with even the strong stuff they gave me. I don't know if I ever got so far and I think it was on the table, but I seem to recall my oncologist saying I don't think I want you to do that. He knew about that black box warning. I can't imagine why a doctor wouldn't bring that to his patient's attention.
Speaker 2:I don't know. It's so unfortunate too, because I have many friends that are given it. It's predominantly given for women in cases of BV, which is extremely common, but there's so many other different antibiotics that can be given that don't have that particular black box warning on it. Exactly, I mean it's their first line of defense, for some reason. What?
Speaker 1:is that? I mean, that's incredible. You have to want. I mean, of course, what comes to my mind is it's a money thing, maybe you know. I hope not.
Speaker 2:I mean we don't want to say it we hope.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we don't want to think that it's, you know, doctors being told, being pushed in a way to push it. Yeah, we don't want to think that we want to give them the benefit of the doubt in that regard.
Speaker 3:And I've known plenty of though, from another podcaster that he used to work in pharmacy as a pharmacist and he said that in the past there was a lot, of, a lot of conversation between pharmacists to, you know, really talk about the ethics of what they're giving people and what products are good and what products are less good and bad. There was just more of a discussion and he said now it's really really hard to have a back and forth because there's, yeah, for for whatever reason, like dialogue is not encouraged.
Speaker 1:it's very like tyrannical yeah, yeah I believe it oh boy, so we got a definite, um hard road to go. I mean we have to. We have to raise awareness and and hopefully, um, the people out there who are calling the shots about these things will have a awakening about it and maybe realize that people's lives are in their hands. I mean it's hard to imagine that people dealing out medicines to help people wouldn't have that ethical base. But I mean, then again, just because it's hard to imagine doesn't mean it's not true.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's really. It's frustrating because I know a lot of doctors. They're very by the book. You know they're going to believe whatever they've read in school and they I don't blame them for that necessarily that's what they were taught, but I think there's. I don't know if it's necessarily advancements or if it's just catching up to what we're dealing with now in society. There has to be a reason why this is happening so often to people and so severely. But also just the base. Stop treating patients like they're just a number, you know. Go by each individual, look at their exact case, look at their health history. For me, as a type one diabetic, there is no way I should have been given an antibiotic that could cause nerve damage. There is no way I should have been given an antibiotic that could cause nerve damage Absolutely none. And I was given two of them. And that's where it's so frustrating, where it's like these doctors have known me for years and they just threw it at me and of course, I trusted them. Why wouldn't I?
Speaker 1:Right, oh man. Yeah, that's a moral issue, isn't it? It really is.
Speaker 3:So you're dealing with this, the symptoms of this, every day, isn't it? It really is.
Speaker 2:So you're dealing with this, the symptoms of this, every day, every day. Yeah, it's definitely. It's a lot. It's a lot better I would be lying if I said it wasn't better and I had some days, even like shortly afterward, that were fine, but it's so greatly impacted by my blood sugars, for example, which I don't have control the way that a non diabetic does, and so it's been really really difficult healing and finding ways of not just absolutely losing my mind from trying to chase these symptoms and not really knowing what's going on. Is it blood sugars? Is it this? Is it that it's? Yeah, it's been a battle for two and a half years, for sure.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so that's a long time of your life to have to be dealing with something like that. I mean, even even you know, I mean I know what's even a day isn't really something you should have to deal with, but to have it that long length of a time really, it's basically beyond. Yeah, it, yeah, it's an issue, it's something that has to be faced and dealt with, and I think you guys in that group are doing a really good thing. What kind of inspirational things do you think came out of that? You yourself, I noticed in some of your story you found yourself wanting to get involved with healthcare yourself. That's kind of an out of the blue thing. And my book, you know, it's kind of this, this thing happens to you, it's it's, it's traumatic, and then somehow you've you found a way forward, and that way forward is you're now doing. Tell us what you're doing.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So I actually decided a year after getting all these symptoms taking Flagyl, I decided to get my health coaching certification. It was a year-long program through the Integrative Nutrition Institute and it was extremely eye-opening and extremely important for me, I think, to do that because I felt like my health was just failing and I felt completely helpless, so to then take charge, take control again and do something with it to where I can help people. You know, going through what I'm going through, but also other things that I can help them with. I had to look at that as the silver lining, because if I didn't, I would have just been the silver lining.
Speaker 1:That's the thing. So tell us what's the name of that thing you did.
Speaker 2:The course you repeat it again yeah, it's the institute of integrative nutrition and you've got to.
Speaker 1:You learned about what you're. What are you now?
Speaker 2:yeah, I'm a certified health coach, um, so I don't have any. I can't like, um, you know I can't diagnose, I can't treat technically. But I can't like. You know I can't diagnose, I can't treat technically, but I like to describe myself as kind of like your best friend in health. I like to be, I can be there alongside you, helping you navigate your health journey, holding you accountable. A lot of people need that. I know I personally need that and, yeah, I've learned a lot about gut health and hormone health a lot of different things.
Speaker 1:So when you have say I was one of your clients and what would you tell me, Like dietary suggestions, tell me what you would tell a typical client.
Speaker 2:Health coaches. We are really designed to help you empower yourself. So it sounds kind of funny. It's like, why do I have to find if I have somebody help me empower myself? But I think a lot of people, like I was, um are drowning in their health symptoms and they don't know where to start. So something that I can do is I ask questions that can really help you get on a path of figuring out what works for you. What has you know? What are the silver linings again in your life right now that you can lean on? What are things that fill you with joy? What, again in your life right now that you can lean on, what are things that fill you with joy? What are things that give you movement in your day-to-day life? What are things that bring you happiness, like in your relationships, your jobs? I hope you kind of look at the big circle, the big picture, which is ultimately the circle that we call it.
Speaker 1:That's pretty holistic yeah.
Speaker 2:Yes, yeah, and I think that's another part of it too is I have this unique perspective of being somebody that's been harmed by conventional medicine, but I'm also a type 1 diabetic and I have to take conventional medicine, so I'm one of those people that have a unique perspective. I've been through a lot. A lot of people that are health coaches have been through this themselves, and we're just ultimately looking to be there for you and to help you, as we all wanted ourselves and our journey.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, that's good for anybody, right, jackie, which is, I think that's something everybody could use. That, yeah, jackie's been my um, my counselor, she, she, she actually got me drinking kombucha. She actually got me drinking kombucha.
Speaker 2:Oh.
Speaker 1:And an interesting story about that. I was actually in the hospital dealing with leukemia and I had a case of it that I had got on Amazon. It was in my room and the doctor came in and he sees the kombucha and he goes oh good, good, you're drinking that. I said why. I said I make my family drink four ounces a day each. Because I said why. What's good about it? He says it's good for your gut health. He says the problem with western diet a lot of it is that it creates little micro perforations in your intestines and that kombucha helps heal them. Yeah, so, and all it is really is a fermented black tea. Yeah, I mean, but it's a natural thing, all natural, and I've been drinking it since for years now and I love it. I actually love it, and I'm good kombucha.
Speaker 2:It's definitely not everyone likes it, so it's good that you like it yeah, it's an acquired taste for sure absolutely but, um, I really love it and I get this company, this brand.
Speaker 1:This is not an advertisement. I'm not getting paid. I should probably.
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 1:It's called Remedy Remedy. They make a sugarless variety, which is I get the ginger lemon and it's beautiful, it's wonderful and I drink it all the time and it definitely has. I think it helped my immune system. It really did. Good, yeah, and ginger is also definitely, definitely has. I think it make make help my immune system.
Speaker 2:It really did good, yeah, and ginger is also very, very good for your gut, so that makes sense why it's also good for your gut, yeah, good. Well, that's good, jackie. I'm glad you did that oh, thanks.
Speaker 3:Um, probably was just feeling really cool like a teenager. Um, I heard I somehow like repeat this myth or maybe I read about it um, that antibiotics are, can be found in soil and in trees and in the Amazon, and like in in just so much nature and like in just so much nature. That's where essentially they come from. And then you know, in the process of processing those've only looked at antibiotics as kind of like stripping us away of our natural things. Yeah, but we need them at times to deal with Absolutely.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I definitely. Every time I've had to take an antibiotic you know it's always got a side effect, some kind. Take an antibiotic, it's you know it's always got a side effect some kind of whether it's usually the main one was, you know, the intestinal, the lower, you know the lower part of your digestion, and they always told me that's because the antibiotics kill your good bacteria while they're killing the bad stuff they just kill everything yeah, it just wipes it out.
Speaker 1:That makes me think. You know the stuff that they're finding in the Amazon, the natural sources of these things. When the pharmaceutical people get a hold of it and their R&D, they isolate those components and then they make them supercharged, you know. So that becomes very unnatural to the body. It may get like results quicker, but is that always the best thing? It may get like results quicker, but is that always the best thing, maybe? I mean, I guess, when you're dealing with something like sepsis or something that could kill you quickly.
Speaker 1:If you don't deal with it, then I suppose you yeah, you take out the big guns, but but I think that they're being overused. And I have to say personally I actually had that happen in my life when I had gone into the doctor and he said oh you just look, it's like you have a cold this year. I'm not going to give you antibiotics because you don't. I don't want to give you those all the time because you get immune to them. And he was a good doctor, you know. So I mean that's, I've had that experience, so I do know that it's a strong. Antibiotics are strong and somewhat, you know, manufactured. I mean I don't know if I trust that so much.
Speaker 1:You know I can name other instances, like there's things like fentanyl that's killing people all the time. It's sort of heroin. You know it's doing something that an opiate does sort of naturally, and if you ate real opiate from the nature, it would not have such a drastic effect on you. It might help your pain. I mean they used to use it in pain remedies many, many hundreds of years ago. Then, as soon as they got a hold of it and started refining it, then they produced things like heroin which could kill you.
Speaker 1:You can overdose so easily from it. And then fentanyl, which is another step further now, and I heard one of our podcast guests was saying that out in the streets now, the people that are into drugs and stuff they don't even get the fun part of heroin which is you feel good for a little bit and then you got to worry. But with fentanyl you just push you out. You know it's like you don't even get that warm fuzzy feeling that they get from the opiate when they're on you know using them. So I mean that's interesting. I thought because it's another example of like refined sugar, for example, if you eat a sugar cane it's not going to be as bad as eating some really refined sugar. That stuff goes in your body and talk about glucose readings, yeah.
Speaker 2:Oh, I know, Absolutely yeah.
Speaker 1:So I mean like a friend of mine, my cousin, who's really like a brother to me, also a type 1 diabetic and I'm on type 2. I'm on insulin after taking steroids for a long time during my days of leukemia.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And I got to tell you, though, that he taught me a lot. I got a book called about, a book he recommended, and there's ways to, you know, enjoy sweet things without killing your sugar readings. There's plenty, plenty of ways. You know, applesauce he uses applesauce to sweeten his um uh, yogurt yeah I've been trying that lately and I really like it. It's a good good, yeah, I've actually not tried that. His little sneaky trick is he takes dark chocolate and shaves a little bit in there, so it's like chocolate chip almost.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Mixed with the yogurt and the applesauce, and I've got to tell you it's my favorite dessert.
Speaker 2:Wow, that actually sounds very good yeah.
Speaker 1:It is good and it's really good, I love that Dark chocolate's very good for you too.
Speaker 2:It's full of antioxidants as well that's what you told.
Speaker 1:I'm so, I'm told yes I believe it. One of my favorites is dark chocolate. I do love it good, good.
Speaker 2:I feel like that's also another required taste. People are either milk or dark.
Speaker 1:There's no in between but the milk of course, is a lot of high sugar.
Speaker 2:You know, oh yeah, yeah. Fortunately that's my kryptonite, sadly.
Speaker 1:Well, who hasn't? With Easter coming?
Speaker 2:who hasn't got a?
Speaker 1:chocolate bunny.
Speaker 2:Everywhere. Yeah, get yourself a giant one like a six-foot one, why not?
Speaker 1:Yeah, Jackie used to eat the ears right away. We knew it was Jackie.
Speaker 2:I did too. That's so funny.
Speaker 1:What other would you say um tell us more about your journey now that you've got into um helping a life coach. Really, it's what essentially it is yeah have you had some good experiences that have come into your experience from that yeah, I, so I've not quite taken on any clients yet.
Speaker 2:I just graduated in November of this last November and kind of got a little sidetracked because my dad unfortunately ended up passing away. So it was very yeah, there was a lot going on, so that was sidetracked a little bit, but I'm very, very grateful that it happened before he passed. He was very excited for me and after a couple of months I had just the fire lit underneath me again and I was like I want to get this started. So I started my social media account for it. I've started getting, like you know, word of mouth out to people about it and, yeah, I just actually got my photos taken for my brand, which was really exciting, my first time like getting a branding shoot done, and I've just really tried to, you know, focus on who and what. Like my focus is for people like who do I want to help? And I think I'm kind of narrowed it down. I do believe I want to help, you know, women that are between the ages of 18 to 40, and anyone really doesn't have to be in my area in Metro Detroit. It can be, you know, virtual. So just really trying to find that select audience that I think I can really ultimately help. So it's been great. I've truly.
Speaker 2:I feel like as much as it's hard some days. I don't want to sit here and say like I see why it had to happen to me, why I had to go through it. I don't always have those days. I have days where I am very, very sad and I'm resentful about it. But I have to lean into the why, which is not even just the why. But what can I do now? This happened, you can't change it. What can I do now? And if that is to help even just one person, that's I mean, that's all I can ask for. And I remember telling my boyfriend about that too. When we were on our first date, I was telling him about all these things that happened to me and he's just looking like shocked and I'm like you know. But I have to ask myself, like people always say why did this happen to me? Why did it happen to me? I like to ask why not me? Because there's no reason why somebody else should have had to have gone through this and not me. So it's.
Speaker 1:That's one of those things about out of the blue that I find so mystifying. And yet it's a phenomenon of vast proportions, because something like this happens to you and you've been able to say that. You know why? Not me? Because you're taking it and turning it into something. It's a real positive what you're doing. You, yeah, you're reaching out to. You're going to be reaching out to help other people. Like you say, if you help one person, it's worth everything. But you're going to. You know I'm going to feel until you're going to help more than one person thank you.
Speaker 2:I hope so.
Speaker 1:Thank you you've got the passion, I mean. I mean I'm so sorry about your dad, I mean thank you. I lost my dad when I was 17 and I, you know, it still bothers me and I'm a lot older than that, but, um, but you know, you know, but you have to think. I'm so grateful for what I had when I had him, you know, and he blessed my life in many ways and I'm, I'm sure your dad too. It sounds like he did.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he was the person. I mean I called him. Oh, the first night that I had all the symptoms, he was the first person I would call. Yeah, he was truly. He's the person that also, when I was diagnosed with type one diabetes, I passed out when I was seven years old and I just remember waking up in my dad's arms and he was running me out to the car to take me to the ER. So I mean, I miss him dearly. I love my dad. He was my best friend, but I I know that he's still here with me, he's still guiding me and I still have that, that drive and that strength that he had and I'm I'm very grateful that I have that.
Speaker 1:So Well, that's really beautiful. I mean, no one you know that's about as good a story as you can have. As far as dealing with all things, including the loss of your father, which is devastating, I mean, I have to say that part of the thing that my healing of beating cancer has all to do with my family and the love that comes from that, and I see that's what I think you know I can say. Is it kind of a? I want to ask a question what kind of thread do you think you see running through things that come out of the blue and their reaction to them? And it definitely I don't want to answer it for you, but what kind of thread do you see? What, what the continuity in that you know life comes from these things. I mean, you said your dad, you said you got this, this, this new, this purpose you're doing for to help people.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I see a thread, but I want to hear what you think.
Speaker 2:You know, for me, like I said it was, I have those days where I'm just I'm so resentful and I have a lot of negativity brewing in me. But truthfully, it has taught me profound joy. I have not felt this kind of joy. I never felt it prior. I took a lot for granted and I really did not appreciate all the things that I had in my life. And now I look at each moment, even as I'm a nanny, for example, I even just coloring with the kids that I nanny for. I really just sit there now and I'm like this is amazing that I get paid to do this, like this is so cool that I get to be creative and hang out with little people, that I get to just like help raise and teach. And I never had that perspective before. I never had the perspective of how lucky I am to have the health that I do, despite the other challenges that I have with it, even as a type one diabetic.
Speaker 2:You know, I grew up always thinking you know why me Like no one. I was the only one in my school that had type one diabetes and I felt completely alone and really just like something was wrong with me and then, as I like went through this experience. It was really just like a full circle moment where I just thought I'm so lucky that I get to experience this, because I know that I'm not alone. But I'm just in where I'm at. I might be, but out there in the world it's such a big world there are people going through the exact same thing, and community and love and joy and support is what I've truly found the most in all of this.
Speaker 1:Oh, I just had a big aha moment and I think I think your very first out of the blue experience was that.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and just the way you told us, just the way you narrated what you did, it's almost exactly the same thing as what you did dealing with flagellal toxicity. It's almost exactly the same thing as what you did, dealing with flagellal toxicity. Yeah, yeah, you formed a sort of way of navigation to go forward from when life gets lifey.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's a good way of saying it.
Speaker 1:And when something comes out of the blue and your whole life seems to change fundamentally, like you said, you felt why me, I'm so different than everybody else. That's a fundamental change at any age. It doesn't matter if you're eight or 20 or 50 or a hundred. That will change your view of life completely Really. That's the essence of really what we want to hear from, what I love to hear. I mean, I don't, I don't, I try not to. I try to go into these, these, these experiences with our interviews, with just an open mind. I don't try to get you know intentionally, I want to script anything.
Speaker 2:Of course yeah.
Speaker 1:When I heard you say all that, I said I couldn't have written it any better.
Speaker 2:Well, I'm glad to hear that.
Speaker 1:You really came through something at your earliest age that you know how much younger could you be to have an out of the blue moment and then have that really amazing turnaround that you're able to. The key elements to me appreciation level. Yeah, your appreciation level goes up. And once your appreciation goes up, I said last week in another podcast. I said appreciation means making something. What a diamond appreciates, it becomes more valuable. When you appreciate the moment with your nanny, your child, that's making that moment more valuable. I really think that's what it's all about Making these making our life appreciation, appreciation. I think you've done it, taylor. I think you're doing it now.
Speaker 2:Thank you.
Speaker 1:I think that the takeaway for anybody to tune in here if, yes, you should be aware of flagellate toxicity and if you're feeling any of those symptoms, you should talk to your doctor and tell them maybe you don't want that you get off that stuff and then get in touch with Taylor and walk you through it Well, how to eat right and do stuff like that and then maybe get on, get on the get on that group. Now, what's the name of that group?
Speaker 2:again we're going to put it on it's metronidazole slash or, in parentheses, flagell toxicity support group.
Speaker 1:Oh boy, that's a mouthful though.
Speaker 2:I know Metronidazole is like the long name for I don't know the correct term of saying that, the long version of flagell.
Speaker 1:But if you type in flagell F-L-A-G-Y-L, that will pop up support group It'll pop up. So we've got to make sure anybody out there experiencing any symptoms that come close to what we've you've heard today check it out.
Speaker 2:We will welcome you with open arms, sad arms, but we'll be there for you.
Speaker 3:I think I like have definitely taken that.
Speaker 2:You probably have. I I've actually. I took it before as well and I remember I'd had. It was 10 years prior and even like in the midst of all the chaos, the very beginning, I called like my old doctor's office and was like, can you tell me? I know I had this back then. Can you tell me what I took? And I remember I had had like I was crying and I couldn't explain why and I called my mom and I was like I don't know why I'm crying, but I'm crying and I couldn't stop and it was metronidazole. So that was a 10 year surprise. I'm not surprised. You probably have it's given for tooth infections. I mean so many different things I can't even begin to explain.
Speaker 3:Whoa, I'm going to look into it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I know it's also. I think it's the number one thing that they give for diverticulitis as well, which is crazy to me, because you're already experiencing GI issues severe and they're going to give you something that's also going to cause you severe GI issues.
Speaker 1:Oh, my goodness, oh, that's a big one. I definitely know Anybody out there listening. You know who you are.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Yeah, I probably know you too, yeah no-transcript telltale sign that it's not working for you. It's causing some issues and this isn't just like your typical like you know nervous, biting your nail, anxiety this is. You feel like you're going to die. You feel like this is absolutely terrible and just just nothing is like matters anymore. It's. It was really really bad.
Speaker 1:Oh, my God, that is so I was just going to. I was going to ask you what is the? What do you would say is the most common red flag, and I think you just said it. I mean that pretty much, is it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think a lot of people. They you know cause. The thing is like the doctors, the one thing that they tell people not to do on metronidazole, if they do tell you they'll say don't drink on it, they say don't have alcohol, blah, blah, blah. And a lot of people still will. I have some friends that even did and I'm just like please don't do it If, if not for yourself, do it for me. And they say you'll just get really bad GI upset or whatever. You'll have a bad reaction. But if you have any sort of, of course, the neuropathy, that's the biggest red flag, I would say, because that is the number one thing that unfortunately in the group people a lot of times don't see relief from with time Some people do. I, unfortunately, am somebody that did not. I still have it on and off two and a half years in. But the anxiety, the fatigue, the migraines, the insomnia, I'd say those four are the most common that I saw in there.
Speaker 1:And I just noticed that you said some of your friends were doing it. It's that commonly prescribed, then?
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, yeah, I mean, I was also. I can't tell you the amount of times that I've gone to doctors who know that I list this now as an allergy and they still try to give it to me.
Speaker 1:Wow, yeah, metronidazole. How do you say that? Because that sounds like I could remember that Metronidazole.
Speaker 2:Metronidazole. How do you?
Speaker 1:say that Because that sounds like I could remember that Metronidazole. Metronidazole, yes, oh, that's easy. Metronidazole, yeah, yeah, I think. Oh, my goodness, I'm going to have to look at my medical record. I may have heard that one in my history.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's extremely commonly prescribed. And it's funny too, because one of my previous nanny families the dad he was a doctor and I had very insightful conversations with him. He didn't deny any of it. I was very, very fortunate, like I said, to have had the doctors that I did, because they didn't deny my experience, at least not when I first had it. I definitely had some along the ways who said it was probably anxiety, but we just never talked to them again. But that's it's really. That's the biggest thing is that doctors it's so commonly heard of, it's so commonly prescribed. Not everybody has reactions like this, but it's happening. And it's happening what seems to be at a greater scale, and not to mention my cats. I actually just took one in for some gi upset and they wanted to prescribe it to my cat that was only seven months old.
Speaker 3:Oh, my goodness yeah bizarre right yeah so, then, this seems like we need to watch out yeah, absolutely yes yeah, so that's going to be probably a one of the main takeaways, too, is that you need to.
Speaker 1:This is I mean. When I started, when you started talking about this, I didn't really it didn't sound as um, you know, far-reaching. But now I'm thinking, wait a minute yeah this is something that's much more far-reaching it's, it's everywhere. Yeah, unfortunately, yeah so we're gonna gonna get people to go to your support that's a website on the support group, I mean on Facebook, and I guess they could talk to their doctors and say this stuff is not making me feel funny, I don't want it.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:At least start that. You've got to advocate for yourself. Yes, and if you're hearing any of these symptoms that Taylor is sharing with us and you're on any kind of antibiotic, check the name. Make sure it isn't metronidazole or flagyl, yes, whatever it says on there, yeah, whatever it may say on the label yeah, is flagyl like a one of the things they usually write in the label of it, or is it?
Speaker 2:I think they just write metronidazole that's what I think, yeah yeah, I think so I'm not sure. Flagyl might just be what's on, like the pamphlet. If they give you a pamphlet ever um, which they don't, that's the thing it's not like. It's like a birth control pack, it's like it's a antibiotic they just give you in a little bottle. So yeah, I would say it's probably metronidazole written on there yep, okay.
Speaker 1:So take, take that into consideration. People out there if you're listening, I hope you're listening and, yes, listening with with your ears peeled, because it's your welfare that this is all about, where we care about you. We don't want anyone to have to go through that, and there's people like Taylor out here who are out here out of the blue, who have been there and back and thankfully she had the. You did have the tools to turn it into a positive and I think that's a wonderful example right there. So, yeah, that's a high point of this episode is that you know you really came through to a point where you're saying up your appreciation, yeah, all those things. I mean say it one more time, what did you say came out of it all?
Speaker 2:The immense amount of joy. That's the biggest thing, and there's actually quite a few people health coaches and doctors that say joy is truly like one of the biggest ways to heal is focusing on joy, and I didn't have this immense amount of joy prior. I took a lot of things for granted. The gratitude that I have now for what I do have and what I've been through even the bad is not something I experienced prior. So who I am now, I'm not who I was then and I'm very grateful for that, because, as much as I have love for that version of me, she wasn't very self-aware. She wasn't very. She wasn't taking care of herself the way that she should have, even though she thought she was. But if this had to be a wake up call for me, as intense as it was, I'll look at it as that and I yeah, I think, just being appreciative that I went through this so that I can now help other people.
Speaker 1:Well, I cannot think of a better place to end our show today. Joy is definitely so powerful. I am so much on that same wavelength. I've written dreams about joy. Joy is the most powerful thing on earth that we can experience. It is definitely a healer.
Speaker 2:Absolutely.
Speaker 1:And thank you very much, taylor, for sharing your incredible and wonderful, terrifying but true story. I think it's going to do a lot of good and I thank you so much for being here with us, taylor. We really, really, really appreciate you.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much. I appreciate you guys in this podcast. The topic of this is absolutely amazing, so I'm so grateful that you've created this.
Speaker 1:Thank you very much and welcome to the Ozablu family, Taylor.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much. I'm so grateful to be here, so thank you.
Speaker 1:It's a forever thing, you know. Oh, I'm good.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's good with me.
Speaker 1:All right, see you later.
Speaker 2:See ya, thank you.
Speaker 1:Bye everybody. Thanks for joining us.
Speaker 2:Bye.
Speaker 1:Out of the Blue, the podcast hosted by me, Vernon West, co-hosted by Jacqueline West, Edited by Joe Gallo Music and logo by Vernon West III. Outoftheblue-thepodcastorg. Subscribe to Out of the Blue on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts, and on our website, outoftheblue-thepodcastorg. You can also check us out on Patreon for exclusive content.