[slubu]

Warning - if you are squeamish you may want to skip the third paragraph. Since we all travel a lot I thought I should post this on here. During travel sometimes we get sick, have diarrhea and what not, but don't think much of it. I know my biggest concerns traveling is some sort of STD but again they are curable for the most part. Something like this however, at least initially to me prior to realizing it is not that serious was shocking to me. Essentially, I had no idea whatsoever I had a tapeworm growing inside me, for really who knows what period of time.

About a week ago I started having some stomach pains and nausea, but no diarrhea or vomiting or other effects. It was a cramping, knotting feeling that would come and go at random times. I constantly had the feeling I wanted to throw up, including a watery mouth but never did. The best way I can describe it is if you have ever been really hungover after a day of drinking, and then vomited, how you feel AFTER you vomit is what I felt like, again on and off.

Skip this if squeamish!!! Fast forward to yesterday, and after lunch I get a weird urgent diarrhea feeling. I go take a shit, and when I'm done I start to wipe and notice a foot long string or noodle hanging out of my asshole. What the fuck I think. I try to wipe it out and it is stuck. I think I may have ingested some rope or maybe some noodle from the night before as I had pad thai? So I pull it, and it keeps coming. And coming. It's fucking endless and it is the weirdest feeling pulling something out of your asshole. Then I realize...it's a fucking tapeworm! I keep pulling and get about 4-5 feet out (I'm not exaggerating), start sweating out of nervousness and call a relative who is in med school and my doctor. They calm me down and say it sounds just like a tapeworm. I finally pull it to a point where it breaks and I clean up and exit the bathroom, saving a piece of the tapeworm (about a foot's length) to take into the doc.

Eventually I get the doc on the phone and am told not to worry too much, to bring in the tapeworm sample, and given it's description it is likely from eating undercooked or raw fish from Scandanavia, the Baltics or Western Russia. When I do google research the tapeworm that came out of me matches the fish kind and coincides with those regions. Well I was just in Estonia in August...

But then I realized I have had a hard time putting on any weight whatsoever in a few years. How long have I had this thing??? I was in Russia the year before and in Scandinavia and Russia the year before that. I just pulled 4+ feet out of myself before it broke off, so who knows how much more is in there and thus how long and big the tapeworm actually is.

Went to the doc today and they took stool samples to confirm, but looking at it they were almost certain it was the fish kind from the areas mentioned. Prescribed me the drug you take in one dose, said it will kill it all and you will shit it out, and it may be uncomfortable for a few days. Lovely. Overall though, not a big deal since it doesn't seem to have any long lasting effects going forward...now that I found out about it.

I'll keep you guys updated, but just wanted to give you guys a heads up. This is hardly anything to really worry about, but at the same time should not be glanced over. If you've been traveling and have had stomach issues, keep this in mind. Was waiting to see what the doc said today before posting and letting others know. So now I let my buddies know that I was traveling with, in case they want to get checked out since I we at least had some of the same meals together.

Oh, and of course this will not in the slightest sense ever stop me from traveling again.