A social media food critic from Tennessee experienced a “miserable” case of cyclosporiasis that lasted nearly a month, keeping her close to the bathroom.
Christina Hart, 29, the host of the TikTok series “The Locally Owned Series,” informed her nearly 160,000 followers that she initially thought she had food poisoning or a stomach virus. However, she tested positive for the “explosive diarrhea” parasite.
“Miserable” is how Hart described her experience to USA Today.
After enduring a week of intense symptoms, Hart sought medical attention to get a proper diagnosis.
“I got tested. I saw the headlines of cyclosporiasis and I’m like: ‘I’m having those symptoms. I need to make sure I ask for that testing.’ Came back positive,” she revealed.
“I was sick for three weeks with it. And then around the three-and-a-half-week mark, I started feeling better.”
Although she had read about the “diarrhea parasite” affecting over 22,000 people in the U.S., Hart did not realize the severity of the illness.
“The timestamps in between having to go (to the bathroom) was just a little extreme for me,” she noted.
“That kind of stopped me from just living my everyday life because I was scared to go out in public.”
Hart explained that during her illness, she was apprehensive about going out in public because of the loss of control over bodily functions.
“It’s not a fun experience…you will need to be near a restroom if you have it,” she quipped.
After nearly a month of battling cyclosporiasis, Hart now feels “fantastic” and “completely normal.” She emphasized that the food-borne illness, believed to have originated from tainted iceberg lettuce, is “very uncomfortable.”
Despite eating little during the ordeal, she experienced severe bloating and lost 17 pounds.
Initially, Hart feared her diagnosis would negatively impact her social media career, as she had to pause her show, which she found quite depressing.
However, the battle with cyclosporiasis unexpectedly propelled her to greater success.
The experience “flipped everything upside down and then launched it into even more success,” she said, noting that many viewers reached out to her, wondering about her absence from posting.
“It’s not the most pleasant thing to be like, ‘Well, I’m stuck in the bathroom,” she told the outlet.
Still, “a lot of doors kind of opened unexpectedly through this miserable experience, so I’m grateful for it,” Hart added.
“I hated the whole experience, but now I’m finding the blessing in (it).”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed over 10,000 lab-tested cases of cyclosporiasis across the U.S., which has resulted in the deaths of two residents in Michigan.
The total number of cases nationwide is much higher, as many states, including Michigan, the hardest hit, use different testing protocols indicating more widespread foodborne illness.
