A Tennessee-based social media food critic revealed she recently came down with a \u201cmiserable\u201d bout of cyclosporiasis that lasted nearly a month and left her afraid to venture too far from the bathroom. <\/p>\n
Christina Hart, 29, host of \u201cThe Locally Owned Series\u201d TikTok<\/a> series, shared with her nearly 160,000 followers that she initially thought she had food poisoning or a stomach virus \u2014 but ended up testing positive for the \u201cexplosive diarrhea\u201d parasite. <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s really the best word to sum it all up, was miserable,\u201d Hart told USA Today.<\/a><\/p>\n TikTok food critic Christina Hart, 29, said her experience of contracting the \u201cexplosive diarrhea\u201d parasite was \u201cmiserable\u201d. Tiktok\/thechristinahart<\/p>\n After suffering through a week of stomach-churning symptoms, Hart decided to go to the doctor for a diagnosis. <\/p>\n \u201cI got tested. I saw the headlines of cyclosporiasis and I\u2019m like: \u2018I\u2019m having those symptoms. I need to make sure I ask for that testing.\u2019 Came back positive,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cI was sick for three weeks with it. And then around the three-and-a-half-week mark, I started feeling better.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite seeing the headlines about the \u201cdiarrhea parasite\u201d exploding across the US<\/a>, sickening over 22,000 people<\/a>, Hart was unaware of how severe the illness could be.<\/p>\n \u201cThe timestamps in between having to go (to the bathroom) was just a little extreme for me,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cThat kind of stopped me from just living my everyday life because I was scared to go out in public.\u201d<\/p>\n Over 22,000 Americans have been sickened by this summer\u2019s cyclosporiasis outbreak. Gado via Getty Images<\/p>\n Hart explained that during her bout of the parasitic illness, she was \u201cscared to go out in public,\u201d because \u201cyou lose complete control\u201d over your bodily functions.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not a fun experience\u2026you will need to be near a restroom if you have it,\u201d she quipped.<\/p>\n After battling with cyclosporiasis for almost a month, Hart now feels \u201cfantastic\u201d and \u201ccompletely normal,\u201d but stressed that the food-borne illness that is believed to have stemmed from tainted iceberg lettuce is \u201cvery uncomfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n She explained that despite not eating much throughout the ordeal, she dealt with severe bloating and lost 17 pounds.<\/p>\n Hart said she was \u201cscared to go out in public\u201d while she had the \u201cexplosive diarrhea\u201d parasite. Tiktok\/thechristinahart<\/p>\n The TikTok food critic initially thought her \u201cexplosive diarrhea\u201d diagnosis would impact her social-media career as she had to put her social media show on pause, which was \u201ckind of depressing.\u201d<\/p>\n However, the cyclosporiasis battle ended up launching her toward more \u201csuccess,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The \u201cwhole parasite thing flipped everything upside down and then launched it into even more success,\u201d the influencer said, adding that a lot of her viewers initially reached out wondering where she went when she stopped posting.<\/p>\n The TikTok food critic is \u201cgrateful\u201d for the experience, however, which launched her social media into more \u201csuccess.\u201d Tiktok\/thechristinahart<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not the most pleasant thing to be like, \u2018Well, I\u2019m stuck in the bathroom,\u201d she told the outlet.<\/p>\n But \u201ca lot of doors kind of opened unexpectedly through this miserable experience, so I\u2019m grateful for it,\u201d Hart added.<\/p>\n \u201cI hated the whole experience, but now I\u2019m finding the blessing in (it).\u201d<\/p>\n The Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed more than 10,000 lab-tested cases of cyclosporiasis across the US, which has claimed the lives of two Michigan residents.<\/a><\/p>\n The total number of cases throughout the US, however, is much higher \u2014 with many states, including the hardest-hit Wolverine State<\/a>, using different testing protocols that have indicated much higher figures of the foodborne illness.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t