An Austin woman got cyclospora. Here's what she wants others to know.

An Austin woman who documented her monthlong battle with Cyclospora in a viral Reddit AMA is sharing what the gut parasite felt like as Texas reports a sharp increase in cases this summer.

The 32-year-old Austin woman described her illness in a Reddit "Ask Me Anything" post after testing positive for the parasite. She said she initially dismissed the symptoms as an ordinary travel-related stomach bug after attending a Florida bachelorette trip.

Then the symptoms changed.

"I felt like I had to poop and it was legitimately straight liquid," she wrote. "I have never experienced a sensation like that."

The woman said the diarrhea became urgent, occurring every few hours during the early days of the illness. Unlike many stomach illnesses, she experienced little pain or cramping.

"The craziest part of the whole ordeal is that I'm literally not in pain," she wrote. "There is very little cramping or regular diarrhea pain. I just feel like I have to go and it's very urgent."

She switched to bland foods and mostly liquids, lost about 10 pounds and struggled to produce the stool sample needed for testing because she was eating so little solid food. By the time she received a positive result and a seven-day prescription for Bactrim, her symptoms had already begun to improve.

She suspects bagged lettuce served during a private hibachi dinner on the trip may have caused the illness but said she has no way to confirm that. No one else on the trip reported testing positive, making it impossible to connect the meal to her infection.

How many cases of Cyclospora are there in Texas?

Her story comes as Texas has confirmed 98 Cyclospora cases this year through July 20, more than double the 43 cases reported by the same date last year, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. Fifteen patients have been hospitalized, though no deaths have been reported.

State health officials say investigators have not identified a common source for this year's illnesses. They also say there is no laboratory or epidemiological evidence linking Texas cases to a separate five-state Cyclospora outbreak tied to shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell restaurants. Although recalled lettuce products were distributed in Texas, no illnesses in the state have been linked to that outbreak.

Cyclospora is a microscopic parasite that infects the small intestine. Symptoms usually begin about a week after consuming contaminated food or water and can last more than a month without treatment. Because routine stool tests do not always screen for the parasite, doctors sometimes must specifically request testing. The preferred treatment is trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, commonly sold as Bactrim.

Read this story on statesman.com