A TikToker and seven-year sinus infection sufferer suspects she originally developed the issue from a heinous fart courtesy of her ex. According to traveler Christine Connell, the man unleashed the nightmare gas right in her face when she was recovering from surgery. Not long after that, she developed a nasal infection.
As her story spread, health experts cast doubt upon the idea that anyone could get a sinus infection from a fart, no matter how bad it smelled. But it sure makes for a funny joke.
Woman says her 7-year sinus infection started with her ex’s fart
On April 30, TikTok user @christinexploring shared her story about the worst fart ever after finding out that her seven-year infection is the result of E. Coli—a bacteria that thrives in fecal matter.
According to Connell, she and her ex were staying in a hotel room as she recovered from ankle surgery. While getting ready for bed, and fully disrobed, her then-boyfriend turned away from her, putting his backside toward her face as she lay on the bed, and let it rip.
@christinexploring I wish I were joking
♬ original sound – Christine Connell
“I couldn’t breathe,” she said.
She believes this was an accident, but days later, the sinus infection started. After years of failed attempts with antibiotics, doctors decided to take a culture to figure out exactly what’s causing the problem.
“It is E. Coil,” she revealed in the video. “You usually don’t get E. Coli in you sinuses because E. Coli is from poop.”
“How does that get in your sinuses unless you have a boyfriend who farts disgustingly and you are forced to inhale it because you are immobile after ankle surgery?”
As her story went viral and she started getting comments from purported experts on E. Coli, Connell revealed that this is not the first time she’s come down with a malady shortly after a fart to her face. In a response to another TikTok user casting doubt on the E. Coli link, she said she developed pink eye after a friend did that to her as a joke.
@christinexploring Replying to @Greg Lee ♬ 5 Minutes of Silence – Silenzio
According to the CDC, bacteria is a common cause of pink eye. “Maybe I’m just susceptible to E. Coil,” Connell theorized.
Can you get a sinus infection from a fart?
There’s a question we never thought we’d have to answer, but sure, let’s talk about this. According to professor and physician Dr. Franklin Joseph, this scenario is “extremely unlikely.”
“E. coli is a type of bacteria that lives naturally in the gut and is commonly passed through contaminated food, water or direct faecal contact – but not through air in the way flatulence works,” he said. “The gas itself doesn’t carry bacteria.”
“Ultimately, while this story has gone viral for its shock value, it’s not something the average person should be concerned about.”
Commenters on Connell’s original video proposed that the E. Coli could have come from the hospital, the hotel room, or poor hand washing habits. The advice popped up in between joke comments telling her to “press charges” or suggesting we should all keep secrets more.
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