A traveler named Ella Rhian revealed that eating some bad food abroad left her with a chronic disease that has no cure.
She had been in Vietnam for a friend's wedding when she decided to top for some street food. She got herself a banh mi sandwich. A few days later she started to feel the effects.
She explained, "I started having stomach pains, which I never have... It kept me up all night. The context is, I've never had a bad stomach in my life. Even when I have food poisoning, it goes so quickly."
But the symptoms didn't go away for the traveler. For four months, she developed fatigue, fevers, bloating, and even blood in her stool. Finally, she went to the doctor who diagnosed her with ulcerative colitis (UC). Madison Reeder, a registered dietitian and director of clinical operations at ModifyHealth, spoke with Newsweek about the disorder.
"Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a type of chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that causes inflammation and ulcers in the lining of the colon and rectum," Reeder said. "It's an autoimmune condition where the immune system mistakenly attacks the gut lining, leading to long-term inflammation."
Traveler Gets Disorder
"UC isn't caused by food poisoning or eating a specific food," Reeder continued. "However, an illness or infections, or certain foods, can trigger or worsen symptoms in individuals who already have UC. The exact cause isn't fully understood, but is believed to involve a combination of genetic predisposition, immune system dysfunction, and environmental factors."
Despite her disorder, the traveler said that she didn't regret the trip. She explained, "I was traveling 10 years prior to that, I've been to multiple countries, I've eaten street food... I don't regret anything. It hasn't put me off traveling."
The traveler said that she went into remission for six months and has been managing her symptoms with both medication and dieting. She tries to eat anti-inflammatory foods and avoid gluten.
"It has changed my life, but I believe it would've happened to me at some point due to genetics, and you can't live your life in fear of something bad happening. I had the best trip and don't regret anything," Rhian said.
The traveler also added, "I think it's so important to raise awareness for autoimmune conditions and also signs and symptoms of bowel cancer. I have a family history of bowel cancer so it was really key for me to get the message out that blood in your stool is not normal and to see a doctor."
