- EXPLORE FURTHER: Puzzling reason behind young girl's ailment ought to alarm parents
Ella Rhian, who travels around the globe from London, gained widespread attention online when she shared her struggle against severe food poisoning that triggered a chronic illness without a known cure.
Before being diagnosed with an autoimmune condition that could lead to severe symptoms, the woman, who was 30 years old, had never been fitter physically.
She had traveled to Vietnam for a friend’s wedding. Much as she has many times across continents, she indulged in street food - a banh mi sandwich. A few days later she ate a grilled lobster.
Ms Rhian stated, "I began experiencing abdominal discomfort, something I rarely encounter... This persisted throughout the night."
The situation is such that I've never experienced an upset stomach before. Even when I had food poisoning, it was over very fast.
She endured a range of symptoms for about four months – severe fatigue, blood in her stool, recurring fevers, and constant bloating. It wasn’t until the new year that she decided she could no longer avoid the symptoms.
She visited the physician, who diagnosed her with ulcerative colitis (UC) after tests confirmed the condition in January 2024.
UC is a form of inflammatory bowel disease that leads to swelling and sores in the large intestine and rectum. It is also referred to as UC. autoimmune condition This happens when the body’s immune system incorrectly assaults healthy tissues in the colon, resulting in sores.
Nevertheless, Ms Rhian has no regrets about her journey or what she consumed, sharing this with her multitude of followers. TikTok Followers: 'I had traveled extensively for about a decade before that time; I visited numerous countries and enjoyed eating street food... I have no regrets. This experience has not deterred my love for travel.'
Ms. Rhian has been in remission from ulcerative colitis for half a year now, indicating that the swelling in her colon is managed, her abdominal pain has subsided, and she no longer experiences bloody stools.
She said In a TikTok: “Thanks to medication along with a healthy diet and taking care of myself, I’m feeling much improved.”
To maintain her UC effectively, Ms. Rhian incorporates inflammation-fighting foods into her meals, such as leafy greens, ginger and turmeric juice, green tea and black tea, bone broth, and more ginger.
She steers clear of gluten as well, since it sets off an immune reaction leading to swelling in the small intestine.
Before going to Vietnam, she didn't have to be concerned with her diet so meticulously.
She mentioned that she has visited numerous countries and although she experienced food poisoning related to street cuisine before, nothing comparable to this incident had occurred.
Nevertheless, she mentioned that she has a tendency towards autoimmune disorders and thinks that the food poisoning triggered her ulcerative colitis.
Food poisoning doesn’t lead to UC, but it has the potential to set off the condition.
HOW MANY INDIVIDUALS SUFFER FROM UC?
Bacterial infections from organisms like salmonella and E. coli can harm the intestinal lining, enabling these microbes to penetrate the gut wall. This exposure triggers an aggressive response from the immune system against the influx of detrimental bacteria.
Food poisoning can disrupt the equilibrium of the gut microbiome—the community of healthy bacteria within your body. Normally, the digestive tract hosts helpful microorganisms, yet an invasion by pathogens leads these protective microbes to perish as the detrimental ones multiply.
The exact cause of ulcerative colitis remains unknown to doctors; however, they firmly believe it stems from an autoimmune response within the body.
Genetics also factor into this. According to the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation, as much as 30 percent of individuals who have a close relative with the disease may end up developing it themselves.
While Ms Rhian does not have a history of UC in her family, she can still carry the genes that trigger it. Irritable bowel diseases such as UC involve hundreds of gene variants, each contributing to some risk.
Irritable bowel disorders are widespread in the United States, with some estimates indicating that approximately one person out of every hundred suffers from such conditions. Ulcerative colitis alone impacts over 1.2 million individuals across America.
Members of her family might possess genes that heighten the likelihood of contracting this ailment; however, these genetic components haven’t been triggered externally—factors like foodborne illnesses, consuming antibiotics, insufficient intake of dietary fibers coupled with excessive consumption of processed meals, and disruptions in intestinal microflora could all play roles here.
Her relatives have suffered from colorectal cancer at a young age, so she felt it was crucial to spread the word that blood in one’s stool is abnormal and warrants a visit to the doctor, as she explained. Newsweek .
She attributes the misfortune to poor luck, informing her numerous supporters that considering her travels around the world, her daring nature, and her genetic predisposition, 'it was bound to occur sometime during my lifetime.'
Don't shy away from travel," she advised. "It hasn't deterred me from doing anything. In December, I visited Costa Rica. Obviously, my symptoms make things somewhat more challenging... but I manage.
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