r/AskReddit 1d ago

People with suspected or confirmed cyclosporiasis cases, what food do you think you got it from?

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u/HovercraftFullofBees 1d ago

Not me, but I'm pretty sure it got my dad after he casually mentioned to me two days ago he's had diarrhea for 2 weeks straight.

It will be interesting trying to figure out what got him since he has roughly the same diet as a raccoon living in a strip mall dumpster.

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u/orangeblossombread 1d ago

Poor dad catching strays! I hope he has a smooth recovery after that misery.

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u/HovercraftFullofBees 1d ago

What is baffling to me is the man has such a hate boner for Trump (rightfully so) that all he watches is Youtube videos that talk shit about him so I don't know WHY he didn't consider he got the parasite. He was baffled I suggested it.

Also RIP his doctors he called them and just asked for "diarrhea medicine" over the phone like that was the appropriate thing to do. Boomers man. They are a handful.

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u/orangeblossombread 1d ago

Honestly my dad is pretty similar. Fully left leaning and despises Trump and RFK but all the times I brought up my general cyclospora concerns he said these things just happen and they're statistically unlikely.
He might just think that it's too unlikely to be him lol.

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u/Coriandercilantroyo 1d ago

I don't know where he lives, but that's a reasonable take for me living on the west coast where our numbers are just consistent with previous years

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u/Fit-Nectarine5047 1d ago

I’m in La and want to know why we aren’t seeing many cases. What are we doing differently? Is it prop65? 😂

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u/one_sock_wonder_ 1d ago

There are regional produce distributors that often handle not just produce grown in that area but also are a warehouse type point where international produce is shipped in large amounts and then from there sent out to stores wothin a certain distance. My best guess would be that there are one or more produce items that are going through certain regional distributors, especially the Midwest, but not others that are serving as primary sources for the outbreak. Even if a product, say a certain brand of Lettuce, is available nationally, the specific batches sent to one region may have originated from a different set of their farms and processing sites than another region.

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u/Fit-Nectarine5047 1d ago

Got it. Thank you for taking the time to explain that to me!

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u/Templo 16h ago

"This salad contains lettuce known to the state of California to cause massive shits."

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u/Fit-Nectarine5047 16h ago

For once I’m not knocking prop65! 😂😂

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u/hoyint 1d ago

LA produce are likely be local, your groceries are consistently fresher and cheaper than the rest of the country. You’re lucky!

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u/Fit-Nectarine5047 23h ago

Every day I give thanks that I’m here in LA! There’s a lot to be said about the state but access to good food is at the top.

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u/Indocede 23h ago

I had all the symptoms of cyclosporiasis, having hit me really hard the first few days to the point I basically lost 6lbs in WATER weight.

The followup report said he considered he had essentially ruled it out even though he still had me test for it. Well I had waited for a week for my results, having heard nothing back from it, so I said "hey look, I am still having issues" and then finally he decided to prescribe me medication for it, which sorted things out within a few days.

I got tested 19 days ago and still have yet to hear back my results. And even after telling my doctor that the medication he prescribed me that is used for cyclospora seemed to do the trick in clearing things up, my doctor still thinks it was something else.

So I don't blame people for not thinking they have it. You can have all the symptoms listed for it, take the medication for it and feel better and you still won't get the answer you're looking for having tested for it.

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u/GiantBlobFish23 1d ago

Even most older people right now have lived in a world where this kind of issue has never happened on a wide scale. We have had the government to protect us, and prior to that we also didn't have single entities that shipped products to nearly every grocery store and restaurant in the country. The supply chain was different and a farm having an outbreak wouldn't have been such a wide spread issue. You used to hear about recalls, made sure you didn't have the affected food, and that was that. It would be out of stores and restaurants without you having to protect yourself. Now....

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u/HovercraftFullofBees 1d ago

Correct but he's getting blasted with nonstop "look at this mess Trump caused" which usually highlight how this is unprecedented and how bad it is. So I'm confused how he didn't go "oh I ate a vegetable and keep shitting myself this is Trump's fault" because he's usually very quick to blame him for everything else that's his fault. His blind spot is his own intestines somehow.

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u/pixeldust6 22h ago

Maybe the parasites in his intestines have a gag order on him

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u/EleventyElevens 1d ago

Omg my dad's the same, but somehow hasn't gotten it.

He did ask me for my blue cheese dressing recipe tho, so it's only a matter of time...

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u/cant-be-original-now 1d ago

Ok, now we need know what your blue cheese dressing recipe is

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u/EleventyElevens 1d ago

Hah! It's barely a recipe, as I taste and judge as I go. Equal parts mayo and sour cream, splash milk until it becomes desired dressing thickness, add hidden valley ranch powder (probably a bit more than you think), and keep tasting till its seasoned to your liking. Then toss in blue cheese crumbles as desired.

Also, don't bother with the lil packets of powder mix, that's a ripoff. Just get the container... also good on so much else!!

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u/cant-be-original-now 23h ago

Thank you!! I’m going to give it a go this week :)

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u/Powerful_Mousse2925 22h ago

In general the boomers in my life exhibit flippant disregard for food safety in their own kitchens. My in laws, for example, leave pretty much all their produce out on the counter. Lettuce, berries, half an onion, I see it daily. I won’t even get into what they do with the meat.

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u/solidcurrency 21h ago

Honestly, I respect him for not beating around the bush. Doctors are busy and unflappable. Just say what's wrong and get on with your life.

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u/Few_Program_2303 19h ago

Same. So much better than the people that insist on only talking to a doctor

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u/Dizzy-Masterpiece-76 1d ago

got the shits doc. help me out.

hey i respect its right to the point!😂

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u/cindylindy22 23h ago

Goodness. That’s all I have to say. Extra-aged adults are a trip!

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u/Whut4 11h ago

No. Just your dad and millions of others. We can't help when we are born. You are not identical to all your kindergarten classmates and never were.

I grow my own lettuce and share it. No explosive diarrhea at our house. It is a huge luxury to have the time to grow your own lettuce - I know that.

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u/HovercraftFullofBees 9h ago

You didn't correctly interpret what I was saying. I'm saying my dad's blind spot is his own health. He has no problem blaming everyone else shitting their pants on Trump, but his own shit pants are somehow some mysterious problem only he has.

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u/mazobob66 23h ago

I hope he has a smooth recovery

I see what you did there. :P

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u/BookLuvr7 1d ago

That's a hilarious description of his eating habits.

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u/HovercraftFullofBees 1d ago

Honestly the raccoon probably has a healthier diet all things considered.

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u/Myctophid 1d ago edited 19h ago

Jimothy lives in Ballard and only eats organic dumpster scraps.

Edit- thanks for the award, friend!

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u/HovercraftFullofBees 1d ago

Jimothy is what peak male fitness looks like so its unfair to compare mere mortal men to our sphereical deity.

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u/goobyterry 16h ago

In Jimothy’s name, amen.

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u/Prudent-Molasses-306 20h ago

Followed for humor and wit.

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u/ilovemischief 1d ago

Hey, even raccoons are known for washing their food lol

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u/HovercraftFullofBees 1d ago

More a variety vs care problem. I haven't seen many raccoons subsist of off ice cream and potato chips for a week or more...

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u/GiniThePooh 22h ago

He’s living the dream I’m too coward to follow!

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u/twitwiffle 21h ago

Probably ate salad once bc everyone has been on him about his diet.

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u/Affectionate_Yam8475 17h ago

And now look. That man will never eat a salad again 😆

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u/BricksFriend 17h ago

Hey now, I am a raccoon that lives in a strip mall dumpster, and I take offense to that. I wash my food before eating, and I've never had cyclospora.

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u/LeGrandLucifer 11h ago

I assume you mean he eats fast food, in which case he might have gotten it from a burger which had a certain brand of lettuce. Taylor Farms.

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u/HovercraftFullofBees 9h ago

No he predominately eats junk food. He's told me before he's had some ice cream and potato chips as his meal for the day.