A British graduate suffers from a parasitic infection after immersing in the picturesque Fiji Falls on a once-in-a-lifetime volunteer trip.
Isabelle Lythgow, 23, traveled to the village of Nairukuruku, a remote village in Fiji as part of a six-week location – but her tropical adventure quickly turned into a nightmare when she became violently ill for hours after swimming with locals.
The Salford University graduate, who now works as a mental health nurse, said she began to feel dizzy, pain in her lower back and tingling limbs after attending a village bonfire that night.
Isabelle suffers from severe vomiting phobia and then becomes ill every 30 minutes overnight, with symptoms lasting more than 12 hours.
When she finally took a taxi to the hospital, the medical staff immediately attracted her to an IV and told her she should come in early.
Doctors later confirmed that she probably had picked up the parasite that had been sent to water, a common infection for tourists and volunteers in the area.
Despite the ordeal of “traumatic” in August 2023 and struggling to recover her weight for months, Isabel said that this did not prevent her from traveling to an abnormal destination.
Isabelle Lythgow, 23, travels to Nairukurukuku, a remote village in Fiji as a six-week placement
Isabelle
After attending a village campfire that night, she began to experience dizziness, lower back pain and tingling limbs
Isabelle of Bury, Greater Manchester, said: “I’m very scared of getting sick, I have homophobia. It’s my biggest fear before I move forward.
“I warn everyone that if this happens, it will be easy for me and it will be traumatic. That night, we went to the campfire and I felt a little out of place, but I didn’t think too much about it.
“I went to bed, woke up late at night, felt really disgusting, and then every 30 minutes since then.
“If I don’t lie on my back, it will be longer, but if I stand up, it’s on the point, about 12 hours every 30 minutes.
“I couldn’t even put the water down and I had to pick up the smallest water.
“This is really bad, we are in the middle of the wilderness, so it’s hard to get a taxi to the hospital. I’m really dizzy
“I ended up driving a taxi and had to stop twice and get sick. I went to the hospital and was immediately seen and placed on the IV.
“The doctor asked me why I didn’t come early, but I wanted to enjoy the trip.
“I was panicked because it was really painful. I deliberately avoided water and brushed my teeth with bottled water with water so I was really careful.
Doctors later confirmed that she may have picked up water-borne parasites – a common infection by tourists and volunteers in the area
When she finally took a taxi to the hospital, the medical staff immediately attracted her to an IV and told her that she should come in early
Despite the “traumatic” ordeal in August 2023 and struggling for months to recover from her weight loss, Isabel said it did not take her to travel to an abnormal destination
Isabelle said she was discharged after four hours of intravenous injection and was told to drink only bottled water.
The volunteer said her belly shrank and it took her time to recover her lost weight and muscles while she was “anxious” for the rest of her trip.
Despite being hospitalized, Isabel said she would do it again and advised other travelers not to be afraid to try new experiences.
“My belly shrinks, it took me a long time to recover my muscles, and I lost a lot of weight,” Isabelle said.
“The next few days I was really panicked and anxious, but I went through it anyway.
“I’m not scared, I absolutely love waterfalls and I don’t think that will stop me from getting these experiences.
“But you really can’t pay for your life experiences and travel. I would never say don’t do something because you’re afraid of getting bad, you can get bad anytime.
“Life is too short, if you worry that you will never experience something new. I’ll do it a million more times. ”
