Clinton Township resident Karl Hercula and his wife, Gina, are still anxious about what they eat weeks after being infected by the Cyclospora parasite earlier this summer, an illness so intense that they’re both still experiencing brain fog from it.
When they go to the grocery store, the couple said they now check product labels to see where the food comes from. They also have avoided chain restaurants and are cooking a lot at home.
“I haven’t eaten any lettuce ever since then,” Karl Hercula said. “I haven’t touched it.”
The Herculas, who are now suing Taco Bell and Taylor Farms over their illness, are among 12,485 people in Michigan who’ve been infected with cyclosporiasis since the state’s largest-ever outbreak of the parasitic illness started in late June. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services last week said data now suggests new infections are slowing and has lifted its guidance against consuming bagged lettuce.
Hercula, a field manager for a construction company, said he had symptoms such as nausea and diarrhea while he was ill. He and his wife, Gina Hercula, are still experiencing “brain fog,” he said.
The Herculas’ attorney, William Marler, said he hopes their lawsuit will lead to compensation for his clients, but will also reveal “how the outbreak happened and what can be done to prevent it from happening again.”
“It was the worst, worst, worst symptoms I’ve ever had, and worst, worst time I ever had, and worst birthday I ever had ― for my 43rd birthday,” said Hercula, whose birthday coincided with the worst day of his illness.
Hercula said he and his wife rarely go out to eat at Taco Bell, but they decided to go to a location on Gratiot Avenue in Clinton Township on June 21.
He said his wife got two Cheesy Gordita Crunches, and he ordered two soft tacos. Both of their orders included lettuce.
He said they “felt fine” for a couple of weeks, but around July 6, Gina Hercula started getting “really bad” stomach aches at work and experiencing other symptoms. Hercula took time off work to care for her.
While his wife was sick, she went to the emergency room, but they didn’t test for Cyclospora, Hercula said. She later went to urgent care, which tested her for the parasite and prescribed her Bactrim, an antibiotic used to treat cyclosporiasis.
Hercula said that while his wife was ill, he started experiencing symptoms. He had nausea, brain fog and gastrointestinal symptoms so intense that he didn’t sleep in the couple’s bedroom because he feared soiling furniture. Instead, he slept on the floor of his garage.
Monday, July 13, was “the absolute, absolute worst,” he said.
While he was sick, the dehydration also “was bad,” he said. He bought Liquid IV and Gatorade.
“I was … just thirsty all the time and not hungry at all,” Hercula said. “I couldn’t sleep.”
Hercula said he missed about a week and a half of work during their illnesses, which included the time he took off work to care for his wife. She missed about a week of work.
Hercula started taking Bactrim on July 13, which gradually made him feel better.
He said he’s doing well now and has gained back the weight he lost.
“I’m still in this brain fog … where I don’t feel like I used to,” said Hercula, who is also still experiencing fatigue.
He said he and his wife also still worry that food could cause them to have to go to the hospital or urgent care later on.
Hercula said he hopes that “more farms are getting regular checks” and that improvements are made to national food safety.
“I hope that I can start trusting food again,” he said.
asnabes@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Clinton Township man on cyclosporiasis: It was the ‘worst, worst, worst’
Reporting by Anne Snabes, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Anne Snabes, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
