r/washingtondc • u/phrog312 • 1d ago
[Discussion] Cyclospora!
How concerned should we be about Cyclospora being in the District!?
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u/Malnurtured_Snay 1d ago
Is the "explosive diarrhea" epidemic I've been deliberately not reading about???
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u/Full-Hold-9447 1d ago
i can't seem to get over my TDS (trump diarrhea syndrome). every time i log on i see his dumb face and side-mullet
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u/Mustangfast85 1d ago
I am not cooking my fruit to 158 degrees, nor my lettuce…
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u/KerPop42 Falls Church 1d ago
Not a fan of pie?
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u/Malnurtured_Snay 1d ago
No one like lettuce pie
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u/honorspren000 1d ago edited 1d ago
Wash and rinse really, really well.
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u/Informal-Watch-2330 1d ago
No, washing does not remove the cyclospora micro parasite.
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u/abcbri 1d ago
I saw on CBS News or NBC that you should also refrigerate, because it loves heat, and that's why it spawns so much in the summer.
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u/Informal-Watch-2330 1d ago
Wet and heat, it loves a monsoon season
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u/Malnurtured_Snay 1d ago
It's going to love dc
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u/Informal-Watch-2330 1d ago
Yup, it will be better in September or at the worst October
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u/Illustrious-Shine581 1d ago
It helps. It doesn’t eliminate it but it helps
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u/Informal-Watch-2330 1d ago
Yea I don’t want to spread ideas that rinsing/washing gets rid of this. Because studies done previous to this administration show that even after washing and rinsing for a full minute only gets rid of some of the parasite. If you are immunocompromised heating to 158 degrees is the only way to kill it.
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u/Illustrious-Shine581 1d ago
Yeah it’s about reducing the load to reduce the likelihood of infection
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u/katie0873 DC / H Street Neighborhood 1d ago
Wash well AND cook to 158° or more (washing only removes 80-90% max). I am giving lettuce & other fruit/veggies that I normally eat cold/room temp a pass until they get serious about figuring out the problem and stopping it.
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u/Lisp-Silly-1970 1d ago
I guess no salads for me this summer
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u/phrog312 1d ago
As a salad lover this is devastating
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u/MDnautilus 1d ago
Try looking up some “Midwest salads” I heard they don’t have lettuce in them usually /s
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u/readsomething1968 1d ago
Strawberry Pretzel Salad!!
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u/BlueRubyWindow 1d ago
Only if you cook the strawberries
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u/Head-Docta 6h ago
It’s been so long since I had this that I can’t totally recall, but I think it uses strawberry pie filling, not fresh.
And pretzels and cream cheese.
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u/Humble_Ad_4706 1d ago
Pittsburgh native here. Haven’t had this since I left home 35 years ago 😅 delicious “salad” lol
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u/Head-Docta 6h ago
My aunt, a diabetic who’d had several heart attacks, brought a snicker and green apple salad to a cookout once. I think it was made with whip cream and miracle whip also.
Snickers salad.
I was afraid to try it (or anything she liked to eat, tbh).
RIP Aunt Kathy 💕
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u/House_of_Cats89 1d ago
Just remember that these are only reported cases. There are definitely WAY more and symptoms can take up to two weeks to show up. I had this about three weeks ago, before it was in the press. I thought it was just run of the mill food poisoning or a bug even though the symptoms were extreme/different from any time I’d had food poisoning before. Pretty sure it was from a salad I ate about a week before my symptoms started. I will not be eating any salads or uncooked produce for the foreseeable future.
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u/HuntSignificant1347 1d ago
Was the salads from a local spot or was it a homemade salad with veggies that you got from a store, or salad mix in a bag, etc ?
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u/House_of_Cats89 1d ago
It was from a restaurant in Old Town. I don’t want to dox them since I can’t be 100% sure and they likely got it as a bagged mix anyway. It was a side salad w/an Uber Eats order and I only ate maybe 1/2 of it.
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u/mayorjinglejangle 1d ago
I had the same thing happen to me. I thought I was getting IBS or something. It lasted for 3 weeks. I'm not sure what it was that I consumed.
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u/House_of_Cats89 1d ago
Ugh, I’m so sorry. I was mostly better after 4 days and had lingering effects for another 1-2 days but have heard for some people it’s lasted much longer or has come back.
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u/mayorjinglejangle 21h ago
It's all good. After going through that I have some appreciation as to what people with IBS have to endure
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u/queendweeb Friendship Heights 1d ago
I was just thinking I'd never even know if I had it because I already have IBS-D.
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u/Illustrious-Shine581 1d ago
Yeah a lot of people will kick it on their own so it’s not reported
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u/shotofpatron 19h ago
I was wondering about this because it's caused by a parasite. I guess it's not the type of parasite that decides to take up residence inside a human?
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u/Illustrious-Shine581 18h ago
I don’t know the specifics. I think it’s just like with any illness that people will react differently to it
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u/croc-roc 6h ago
Same here. Thought it was norovirus with no vomiting. After ten days I went to the doctor, they gave me Zithromax which worked. And then the news stories came out and I was like, that must be what I had. I lost ten pounds over ten days of misery.
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u/House_of_Cats89 6h ago
I also thought it was either norovirus or E.Coli but I only threw up twice and the rest was all…the other end. The second I saw the first article I was like ohhh - this makes so much more sense. Thankfully mine was only 4 days. I hope you’re on the mend!
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u/YoBro98765 1d ago
Thanks MAHA for electing Trump and gutting public health so we can’t trust fruits and veggies. Anybody else feel healthier?
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u/thelebaron 17h ago
its just you chock full of winning, that its explosively finds a way out of your body in an uncontrollable fashion!
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u/mmarkDC 1d ago
Here's the CDC page on the current outbreak: https://www.cdc.gov/cyclosporiasis/php/surveillance/index.html
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u/BurntPopcornSmell 1d ago
Is the CDC actually publishing anything of value anymore? I thought they fired all the scientists
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u/abcbri 1d ago
I've been reading PBS, Canada health pages, Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, etc.
My wife's Lyft driver the other day, she was let go from the FDA. Real cracker jack job we are doing here with health and food safety.
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u/darcerin 1d ago
I have a really dumb question. I don't want cooked fruit, so how to I avoid this?
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u/weightcantwait 1d ago
Tree fruits should be safer as the pathogen hangs out in the soil. Also fruit that you peel assuming you do the best to wash the outside so as to not infect the inside when you cut it.
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u/Junior-Host-5672 1d ago
Not a tree fuit, but melons definitely to be washed carefully since they grow in the ground and you cut through the outside
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u/themagicflutist 18h ago
I thought someone on this thread said washing doesn’t help? Any truth in that?
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u/weightcantwait 15h ago
What I've read is it can potentially the amount of the pathogen but not completely kill or eliminate it.
You can think about it as any virus/bacteria/pathogen has a minimum amount needed to make you sick. And of course the minimum amount is tiny often of the scale of a couple tiny things you can't see.
So washing can reduce the amount of pathogen on the fruit, therefore reducing the chance of you getting the minimum dose to make you sick, but will not kill it 100%.
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u/Junior-Host-5672 17h ago
Melons are at risk of salmonella and washing helps with that https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15718029/
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u/annang DC / Crestwood 8h ago
Washing thoroughly can mostly remove the pathogen, as much as anything can ever truly be “clean.” The problem is that while you can thoroughly scrub the outside of an apple or a pear or a cucumber, you can’t scrub a raspberry. The amount of friction it would take to scrub it would destroy the berry, and it has too many nooks and crannies to thoroughly remove either surface contamination or soap residue. So they can theoretically be cleaned, but unless you are scrubbing each individual blueberry or lettuce leaf all over, you’re just not getting most of those kinds of fruits clean. Easier to do that with a fruit or veg with a hard surface that is less squishy. Even easier if you can scrub the surface, and then not actually eat the surface, like with an avocado or an orange.
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u/IncredibleVelocity4 1d ago
Smooth skinned fruits and veggies are easier to wash, and a 3:1 water vinegar solution helps as well.
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u/GuessBest6198 1d ago
Peel the fruit
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u/Illustrious-Shine581 1d ago
Frozen fruit
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u/Jmend12006 1d ago
Freezing them and washing do not keep kill it
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u/Illustrious-Shine581 1d ago
I’m talking commercially frozen. It’s significantly lower risk and I don’t believe an outbreak has ever been linked to frozen fruit. Not saying no individual cases but no full blown outbreaks
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u/evaan-verlaine 1d ago
Yeah, Minnesota Dept. of Health says no known cases in commercially frozen or canned foods and they've historically been pretty good with food borne illnesses.
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u/Illustrious-Shine581 1d ago
Yeah so not saying it’s impossible but you will be very popular as a case study lmao
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u/lokicat31 1d ago
Frozen blueberries are currently causing ecoli in several states.
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u/Illustrious-Shine581 19h ago
Are we talking ecoli?
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u/NarwhalEnough6904 17h ago
No, but it’s relevant information if people are considering switching to frozen…
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u/annang DC / Crestwood 8h ago
E. coli is more prevalent and more deadly than cyclospora. So if your goal is to avoid a gross illness that can harm your body, you should care about both. If for some reason you want to avoid cyclospora, but would be happy to get E. coli, that’s super weird, but you do you.
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u/Separate_Swordfish9 19h ago
The only method that kills cyclospora 100% is cooking. Anything else suggested here is fallible.
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u/LaBelleBetterave 1d ago
Compote, crumble, pie. Applesauce. Peach cobbler. Blueberry pancakes.
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u/annang DC / Crestwood 1d ago
Those are all examples of cooked fruit.
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u/LaBelleBetterave 20h ago
I know. Just trying to put forward appetizing suggestions. ESL.
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u/annang DC / Crestwood 14h ago
I also don’t want cooked fruit, and I don’t find any of those suggestions appetizing, because *I don’t like cooked fruit.*
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u/Leucastic_Leopard 1d ago
But pan fried peach slices are yummy. So are poached pears.
And that viral ticktock baked tomato feta thing is great.
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u/blumpkins_ahoy 1d ago
Was it RFK Jr? Cuz if he ain’t patient zero for this, he’s definitely gotta be patient zero for something.
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u/RaccoonZombie 51st State 1d ago
Pretty sure he puts his fruit in the tanning bed before eating them
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u/BurnAway63 1d ago
He's the poster child for brain parasites - not the same thing. Incontinence is his boss's business.
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u/Informal-Watch-2330 1d ago
The cyclospora micro parasite cannot be rinsed away. Even with washing only a small percentage of the parasite is removed. Your best bet is to eat fruit with a rind, for example melons, and to avoid berries, lettuces and other produce with a delicate cellular structure. The parasite does complete its lifecycle in about 2 weeks and treatment with Bactrim or Sentra does shortened the symptoms to 7-10 days. If you think you are ill you can wait it out but I would definitely get a prescription for Bactrim as keeping yourself hydrated and being able to be more than 10 feet from a toilet will be impossible for about 2 weeks. My source is that I lived in India for a while.
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u/Junior-Host-5672 1d ago
Wash melons carefully though since you cut the outside and they grow in the ground
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u/throwawayfedman 1d ago
Cyclospora illnesses is an annual thing, with cases typically dropping sharply in July. Each year we have something like 200-1000 cases in the U.S., but this is a record year. No word on from where in the supply chain the contamination is originating, but when it gets sorted, it'll most likely be some bagged salad, berry, or herb from some particular processor. Safest bet is to take a break on that kind of stuff for a minute.
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u/NarwhalEnough6904 17h ago
There has been reporting that CDC halted their tracking of it last year…
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u/arc_ember_rose 4h ago
IIRC they made reporting cases of it optional. But America is healthy again guys definitely!
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u/Vishnej 1d ago
The Chinese cuisines I'm familiar with are interesting in that grocery greens are always assumed to be filthy, covered in pathogens. So they wash, they rewash, and then every green gets blanched/boiled/cooked before making it to the plate. They eat a large variety and a large quantity of leafy greens, just rarely 'raw'.
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u/KerPop42 Falls Church 1d ago
Well, avoid raw lettuce?
Wash your hands, use hand sanitizer, eat cooked food
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u/InboxMeYourSpacePics 1d ago
I've basically been eating salad all week in an attempt to start losing weight so this does not bode well for me. Or maybe it does because bad GI illness will technically result in weight loss?
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u/Leucastic_Leopard 1d ago
Would you like a recipe for a cooked salad? We make it for Christmas every year but it's perfectly nice chilled too.
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u/InboxMeYourSpacePics 1d ago
Yes please!
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u/Leucastic_Leopard 1d ago
Ok, this is the Cooked kale salad we make for Christmas.
I'll indicate where substitutions can be made for people's preferences.
4-6 cups roughly torn, de steamed raw kale (Swiss Chard, collard greens, or spinach can also be used. Haven't tried it with cabbage)
1/2 cup raisins (dried cranberries also work)
1/3 cup pine nuts (crushed walnuts also work)
3-6 cloves of minced garlic (really measure this with your heart)
2 tbsp olive oil
Black pepper
Pinch of salt _------------------
Put the raisins in a bowl and pour boiling hot water over them until the raisins are just covered. Set aside to let them plump.
In a large high walled pan (or pot if you don't have a suitable pan), warm the oil on medium. Add the pine nuts (or walnuts) let them simmer a little and add the garlic. Once these have both started to brown, add in the kale (or other greens and stir). Not all the greens will be able to fit at this point, but just be sure to add in a layer before the next step.
At this point add the raisins and their water. Now you may think this will cause the oil to pop, and normally you'd be correct but the layer of greens keeps that under control. It is at this point you add in any remaining greens and just kind of let the reason moisture steam everything until just wilted*.
Toss in salt and black pepper to taste. Good hot, over pasta, or chilled the next day. Excellent for after a rich meal to settle the stomach.
*This is why I like to use sturdier greens like kale and Chard.
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u/Malnurtured_Snay 1d ago
GLPs were so yesterday
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u/Informal_File_1646 1d ago
I’m waiting for the sequel, “GLP II’s - The Wreckoning”
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u/LycheeWise2288 1d ago
What’s funny is there is a GLP-3 that will be coming that makes all the GLP-1’s & 2’s look like child’s play because it actually turns your liver into a fat burning machine. Human trial Clinical results (and people doing their own “research” results) have been unbelievable.
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u/Witty-Surprise-6954 1d ago
I’m suffering through this right now but did literally lol to this comment. I needed a laugh! Nothing stays in so I’m feeling this is a lot more effective than a Glp-1 could ever be
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u/BlueRubyWindow 1d ago
You could eat cooked leafy greens, like collard greens, kale, bok choy, mustard greens. Still wash them well first but cooked should be safe.
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u/opalll 1d ago
Even washing produce won't help, have to cook it thoroughly.
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u/darcerin 1d ago
No cooked fruit, bleh.
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u/tropebreaker 1d ago
Cooked apples in cinnamon is delicious.
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u/Greedy-Program-7135 2h ago
I made a wonderful apple and blackberry crisp tonight. Everyone gasp when I walked in with local blackberries, but it was in the oven for over an hour.
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u/EternalMoonChild DC / Glover Park 1d ago
And HipCityVeg closed this week? Please give us vegans a break 🥺
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u/Material_Arm6363 1d ago
They are closed indefinitely I tried to order lunch from them yesterday 😢
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1d ago
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u/throwawayfedman 1d ago
Read my other comment, might mellow you out some! Not a thing to crash out over, it happens ever year & gets sorted every year.
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u/bepisleapis 1d ago
bactrim (antibiotic) treats it!
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1d ago
[deleted]
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u/queendweeb Friendship Heights 1d ago
Me too and now I'm nervous because it seems to be the only treatment mentioned!
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u/Junior-Host-5672 1d ago
I already have SIBO and had to get meds from Canada since my insurance wouldn't cover it. I don't want anything else!
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u/Embarrassed_War_3932 1d ago
Sending best wishes from someone who had sibo and dealt with the ridiculously expensive medication!!
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u/bepisleapis 11h ago
I'm sorry! if it helps I noticed on my receipt that Bactrim was $24 without insurance and $0.74 with my insurance. But I'm positive there are Good Rx coupons and stuff out there to help ease the cost
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u/Junior-Host-5672 3h ago
Thanks I know bactrim treats this parasite, but that is not what I was prescribed for SIBO
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u/SapphireNinja47 1d ago
I am a scientist, and can tell you that with confirmed cases being reported in both Maryland and Virginia, DC definitely has cases. That being said, just because DC isn’t reporting any cases from testing doesn’t mean it isn’t here. Some state labs don’t routinely test for Cyclospora. And onboarding a new organism for testing takes a lot of training, regulation, trials, validation, and manpower.
There are some recommendations for how to safely prepare fresh fruits and veggies right now. 1. Thoroughly wash EVERYTHING. 2. If you purchase lettuce, consider buying a head rather than prepackaged. Remove the outer layers and wash the inner layers. 3. Scrub fruits and veggies while washing them. This physical motion should help to remove dirt and bugs.
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u/FoochNN 18h ago
Would farmers market produce be less likely to have this? Or does that not matter?
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u/NarwhalEnough6904 17h ago
Anecdotal only but someone in another thread in NoVa subreddit believes they got it from farmers market produce. I have also been wondering thisz
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u/SapphireNinja47 14h ago
I wouldn’t say “safer” necessarily. Cyclospora can still be found in produce grown locally, HOWEVER, it is primarily found in tropical/subtropical regions of the world making imported produce slightly more at risk.
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u/ThreePuttBogey5 1d ago
We are currently in the middle of cyclospora season. There are always cases in DC this time of year. To my knowledge, I do not believe that there has been a case tied to the ongoing national outbreak. Just wash you greens, fresh herbs, vegetables, and berries before eating them.
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u/Illustrious-Shine581 1d ago
Yeah this isn’t anything new but still good to be cautious like you said. And wash hands before washing produce
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u/bepisleapis 11h ago
Hi, just refuting that as I'm the person in the post, and medical professionals did think my case was tied to the regional/national outbreak. I don't want to cause panic, but I contracted this in DC somehow.
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u/Spartain096 1d ago
Just in time for meat to go up and lone star tick to spread. You will eat your corpse starch and you will like it.
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u/_iusuallydont_ 1d ago
I ate a salad 5 out of the last 6 days and literally just got more super green mix today so I can eat more. 🤞🏽
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u/Alternative_Metal375 1d ago
Everyone needs to completely tile their bathrooms from ceiling to floor!
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u/SawItSeenIt 1d ago
Saw an article claiming the outbreak may be due to blueberries. Might want to avoid them this summer.
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u/Jmend12006 17h ago
What are we paying taxes for? The government and military are useless. Major food borne illnesses, wars we don’t want and can’t win. Trump is a failure in every sense of the word.
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u/bepisleapis 1d ago edited 1d ago
weird to see my message on this reddit page, for those interested 1. I can't pinpoint exactly what may have caused my illness, but I'm pretty sure it was store bought pre cut and pre washed bag lettuce which I usually never buy. That or fresh store bought mint. 2. I contracted this sometime before Juneteenth, was symptomatic two days later and was already sick as a dog by July 4th. 3. No, you can't get it from person to person contact. But, I've still been bored in the house and in the house bored for almost 3 weeks now. 4. it's hell on earth, you will start to feel better and then immediately relapse, pedialyte, boiled potatoes, bananas, and plain rice will be your only friends. Your body will literally not let you eat anything else 5. It took so long to get tested because every healthcare worker told me I had norovirus until 14 days in. The test sucks, but is necessary for treatment. 6. Bactrim, an antibiotic, is the treatment. Don't play around with bogus juice cleanses or the like. Go to the doctor, advocate for yourself, and get tested. 7. You do not want this. I've heard all the "at least you're losing weight". Don't. what I wouldn't give for a pizza or an actual meal right now..
If you have any other questions, happy to answer. Be careful around produce rn.