Vacation Meal Triggers Uncurable Autoimmune Disease

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Ella Rhian, a world-traveling Londoner, has gone viral after sharing her battle with a bad bout of food poison that awakened a chronic disease with no cure.

The 30-year-old was in the best physical shape of her life before she was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that can case debilitating symptoms.

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 pain, something I rarely encounter... This persisted throughout the night."

'The situation is, I've never experienced an upset stomach before. Even when I have food poisoning, it passes very rapidly.'

She endured a range of symptoms For approximately four months — extreme exhaustion, blood in her stools, intermittent fevers, and persistent bloating. Not until the start of the New Year did she decide that she could no longer ignore these symptoms.

She visited the physician, who discovered through tests that she had contracted ulcerative colitis (UC) in January 2024.

UC is a form of inflammatory bowel disease that leads to inflammation and sores in the large intestine and rectum. It affects the entire colon and often results in uncomfortable symptoms. autoimmune condition This happens when the body’s immune system incorrectly assaults healthy tissues in the colon, resulting in the formation of ulcers.

Nevertheless, Ms. Rhian has no regrets about her journey or the food she consumed, sharing this with her many followers. TikTok Followers: 'I had traveled extensively for about a decade before that time, visiting numerous countries and enjoying street food. I have no regrets and it hasn't deterred my love for travel.'

Mrs. 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 my 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 anti-inflammatory foods into her diet such as leafy greens, ginger and turmeric juice, green tea and black tea, bone broth, and additional 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 pay attention to her diet so meticulously.

She mentioned that she has visited numerous countries and although she experienced food poisoning from street food before, nothing comparable to this incident had occurred.

Nevertheless, she mentioned that she has a tendency towards developing autoimmune disorders and thinks that the food poisoning triggered her ulcerative colitis.

While food poisoning doesn't lead to ulcerative colitis, it has the potential to initiate symptoms in those who may already have the condition.

HOW MANY INDIVIDUALS SUFFER FROM ULCERATIVE COLITIS?

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 intense response from the immune system against the invading pathogens.

Food poisoning can also throw the gut microbiome - balance of healthy bacteria in the body - out of balance. The gut is naturally populated with beneficial bacteria, but when invaded by the types that cause harm, the protective bacteria die out while the harmful ones replicate.

Doctors are still unclear about what exactly causes UC, but they are confident it results from the body’s attack on itself.

Genetics also come into play. The Crohn's and Colitis Foundation estimates that up to 30 percent of people with a close family member will develop the condition.

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 diseases are common in the US, with one estimate showing an estimated one in 100 has one. UC specifically affects more than 1.2 million Americans.

Her family members may also have genes that increase the risk of developing the condition but they've never been activated by outside triggers, such as food poisoning, taking antibiotics, eating too little fiber and too many processed foods, and an imbalance of gut bacteria.

Members of her family have been stricken with colorectal cancer in middle age, however, ‘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,’ she told Newsweek .

She chalks the ordeal up to bad luck, telling her thousands of followers that, given her globe-trotting, adventurous appetite, and genetic makeup, ‘it was going to happen at some point in my life.’

‘Don’t avoid traveling,’ she said. ‘It didn’t put me off anything. I went to Costa Rica in December. It obviously makes it a little more tricky with my symptoms… but I’m ok.’

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