07/22/2026
The Summer I Almost Lost EverythingโIncluding My Business
You've probably seen the headlines.
๐ฆ Cyclospora is making the news again.
Every time I hear it mentioned, I stop for a moment because, in the summer of 2024, before Cyclospora was widely being discussed, I experienced firsthand how devastating this infection can be.
๐ It almost changed the course of my life.
๐ It almost cost me my health.
๐ It almost cost me my business.
For eight long weeks, I searched for answers while my healthโand my ability to functionโslowly slipped away.
During those eight weeks, I saw:
โข 2 primary care physicians
โข 1 urgent care provider
โข 1 surgeon
โข 1 gastroenterologist
โข 2 rounds of blood work
โข 3 stool tests
โข A CT scan of my abdomen
โข A gallbladder ultrasound
Everything came back "normal."
But I wasn't.
I knew something was terribly wrong.
I was eventually told it was probably post-infectious IBS and that I should go home and wait another six months.
โณ Six months.
Everything inside me said that wasn't the answer.
So I kept advocating for myself.
I kept asking questions.
I refused to believe this was simply my "new normal."
As both a registered dietitian and licensed professional counselor, I knew there were additional ways to look for answers when my symptoms weren't matching my test results.
I decided to run a GI-MAP stool analysis as part of my search for answers. (Diagnostic Solutions Laboratory)
That testing, combined with continued medical evaluation and advocacy, helped identify the culprit:
๐ฆ Cyclospora.
At the time, there wasn't a recognized outbreak, so it wasn't even on most providers' radar.
Even after identifying the parasite, I still had to advocate for myself to receive the appropriate treatment.
๐ By the end of that summer, I had been through six rounds of antibiotics between treating pneumonia earlier that year and finally treating the Cyclospora infection.
