MrBallen’s Medical Mysteries - Ep. 64 | No Reservations/The Bitter End

Episode Date: December 24, 2024

No Reservations:A Spanish marathon runner develops a mysterious obsession with gourmet food. But what seems like an innocent new passion may be more dangerous than he thinks.The Game:After going through her normal morning routine, an otherwise healthy woman finds herself at death’s door. In a mad rush to save the woman’s life, her doctors try to understand why her body is suddenly shutting down with no explanation.Follow MrBallen's Medical Mysteries on Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes publish for free every Tuesday. Prime members can binge episodes 57-64 early and ad-free on Amazon Music. Wondery+ subscribers can listen ad-free--join Wondery+ in the Wondery App or on Apple Podcasts.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hey Prime members, you can binge episodes 57 through 64 right now and add free on Amazon Music. Download the app today. A man in his 40s was sitting in a cafe munching on a ham and cheese sandwich for lunch. Now, usually the man had more lavish lunches, but today he was in a hurry to get back to work and this was all the cafe offered. But then the most wonderful smell filled the air. The man inhaled deeply, enjoying the heavenly aroma of whatever this food was. It smelled like this incredible hot dish. He looked around to see which table the smell was coming from, but as he scanned the restaurant,

all he saw were other patrons eating basically simple sandwiches just like him. And then he remembered, this cafe didn't even serve hot meals. But at the same time, he realized he knew that scent from his childhood. It was the smell of the delicious Spanish fried eggs that his mother used to make, called huevos rotos. This was not the man's first phantom smell. A few weeks ago, his apartment had filled with the amazing aroma of his mother's cooking, completely out of nowhere. But now, in this cafe, just like that time in his apartment, the sweet smell suddenly turned sour.

The man could taste something metallic in his mouth, and the foul odor of sour milk lingered in the air, making him gag. And so suddenly suddenly a wave of panic crept over the man. He didn't know why he kept smelling things that weren't there. Kill List is a true story of how I ended up in a race against time to warn those who lives were in danger. Follow Kill List wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to Kill List and more exhibit C true crumb shows like morbid, early and ad free right now by joining Wandry Plus.

Each morning, it's a new opportunity, a chance to start fresh. Up First from NPR makes each morning an opportunity to learn and to understand. Choose to join the world every morning with Up First, a podcast that hands you everything going on across the globe and down the street, all in 15 minutes or less.

Start your day informed and anew with Up First by subscribing wherever you get your podcasts. From Ballen Studios in Wondry, I'm Mr. Ballen, and this is Mr. Ballen's Medical Mysteries, where every week we will explore a new baffling mystery originating from the one place we all can't escape, our own bodies. If you liked today's story, ask the follow button to go on a long hike with you, but before you go, superglue a tiny pebble inside one of their shoes. It's common wisdom that diet and exercise are the best ways to maintain your health.

As they say, an apple a day keeps the doctor away. But sometimes, no matter how fanatical you are about counting calories and getting daily exercise, there's just nothing you can do to keep certain illnesses at bay. And on this episode, we have two stories about extremely healthy people who find themselves fighting off strange strange deadly conditions. The first story is about a marathon runner who suddenly goes through a drastic lifestyle change with no explanation. And the second and final story is about an active older woman who unexpectedly finds herself in the hospital, with doctors struggling to figure out what's wrong with her before it's too late.

with doctors struggling to figure out what's wrong with her before it's too late. And now here's our first story called No Reservations. On a sunny morning in 1993, 42-year-old Roberto Núñez was on his daily run through his hometown of Granada, Spain. And as usual, along this route, he ran past delivery trucks parked outside of restaurants, and kitchen workers carried crates of food from these trucks into the back of the restaurants to prepare for the day's meals. Now, Roberto had never really paid these restaurants much attention. You know, he was an athlete, and to him, food was just fuel, not some delicacy.

But that morning, right after passing by the restaurant and smelling the smells of the food, he happened to run past a local bookshop. And for whatever reason, something in that bookshop caught his eye. It was a fine dining cookbook, beautifully displayed in the front window. And for some reason, Roberto stopped his run and just stared at this cookbook. Something about the meal on the cover just looked irresistible. He was so drawn to it, he could almost taste the food in his mouth.

Moments later, Roberto found himself inside the bookstore, asking for a copy of that book. As the shopkeeper went to go get a copy of this book, Roberto wandered toward the culinary section of the store and began flipping through the other cookbooks. By the time the shopkeeper returned, Roberto had a whole pile of them in his arms. When Roberto left the bookshop, he couldn't run anymore because of how heavy all these books were he'd just bought, and so he walked his way home.

And then when he got home, he lined up all of his beautiful new cookbooks on his kitchen counter and just stared for a second, marveling at all the food on the covers. Then he went to his refrigerator to grab a container of yogurt, his usual breakfast. kitchen counter and just stared for a second, marveling at all the food on the covers. Then he went to his refrigerator to grab a container of yogurt, his usual breakfast. But now, as he stared down at the cup of plain, unflavored goop, his tongue seemed to recoil inside of his mouth. He felt like he could almost taste the plastic container and metal spoon before he even took a bite.

Suddenly, Roberto's everyday breakfast seemed totally unappealing. And so for the first time in his entire adult life, Roberto decided to take himself out for breakfast. He walked to the nearest open cafe and read their extensive menu. And all the items sounded delicious. Unable to choose, he just asked the server to bring him the most popular dish and one of every side dish on the menu. Twenty minutes later, Roberto's little café table was so full of plates he could barely find a spot to set down his espresso mug. Roberto stuck his fork into a potato omelette seasoned with chives and garlic.

He took a bite, and it felt like his tongue was exploding with pleasure. He'd had all these foods before, but they had never triggered a response like this. He felt a rush of joy as he leaned over his cafe table and devoured every bit of food his stomach could fit. A few weeks later, Roberto was pacing in his kitchen on the phone, making reservations at one of the most exclusive restaurants in Granada. For the past couple of weeks, he and his wife had been eating out for almost every meal. Roberto didn't know what had come over him. He'd never been a food person, but now he was spending nearly all his time researching the best restaurants in Granada and then making plans to dine at each of them.

Meanwhile, his running shoes sat abandoned in his closet. In fact, he hadn't gone running even once this week. Roberto was a marathon runner, but his heart just was not in running anymore. He totally stopped counting calories and monitoring his carbohydrate and protein intake. His only long-term goal at the moment was a grand European road trip so he could try all the famous restaurants he'd been reading about. In fact, calling a travel agent was the next item on his to-do list. He intended to eat at every single Michelin rated restaurant in the entire world.

Roberto finalized another restaurant reservation and then hung up, marking the appointment on his calendar, and then he called the next restaurant on his list. Four years later, Roberto sat at his computer typing up a restaurant review. By this point, his entire life now revolved around food. Every free second was spent eating, planning to eat, or traveling to the best restaurants all over the world so that he could write about them. Roberto looked a lot different now too.

Roberto had really not been running at all over the past few years, and between that and his sedentary lifestyle and new love of gourmet food, he'd gained a good 60 pounds. He'd had to buy a completely new wardrobe, but Roberto didn't mind. He'd actually never had so much fun in his life as he had now being a foodie. The passion he now felt for food rivaled the sense of accomplishment he used to feel at the end of marathons. It was like he had finally found his real life's purpose. Roberto sat back in his home office chair and closed his eyes, trying to remember the subtlety of a glaze he tasted at lunch. He breathed in deeply, then sat up looking around. He breathed in again, and a warm savory scent filled his nostrils. His entire apartment was suddenly filled with his heavenly aroma, even though he wasn't

cooking anything at all. It took him a minute to place this wonderful smell, and then he had it. It was his mother's cooking, a spicy potato dish she used to make him when he was a kid. Confused, Roberto went to the kitchen, wondering if maybe his wife had come home and started making dinner without him noticing. But no, the kitchen was dark and empty. So Roberto wandered the house, running scenarios through his mind

that might explain the smell. At first he thought, you know, maybe a window was open and outside smells were coming in. But when that wasn't true, he began to wonder, like, did somebody break in and were they eating inside of his house? Now he knew that made no sense. But the more he wandered the house,

the stronger the smell of his mother's cooking became, but there was no reason for it to be in his apartment. It just made no sense. Roberta was feeling freaked out, especially when, moments later, the smell changed from delicious to sour. He stopped and covered his nose as a chemical-like odor filled the apartment, but even with his nose covered, he could still smell it. Worse, he could taste it on his tongue. He gagged a little, then went to the kitchen to spit in the sink. He flung a window open, trying to air out the smell, and then as quickly as the smell had come on, it disappeared.

Roberto stood in his living room, feeling very unnerved, trying to tell himself that there had to be some rational explanation here. He told himself that it must have been a neighbor cooking a familiar recipe and accidentally burning it on the stove. But despite his best efforts to convince himself that that really happened, he still felt very unsettled as he went back to his computer to finish his review. A month later, Roberto was at a local cafe enjoying one of his favorite breakfasts, a potato and chorizo omelette with a side of fruit and some bread. He'd just finished slathering the bread with some butter when his nose caught a whiff of that same savory scent he had smelled inside of his apartment.

The smell was his mother's cooking, specifically her huevos rotos, a traditional Spanish breakfast she used to make when he was a kid. Roberto looked around, wondering if the smell was coming from a neighboring table, but he was the only one with a plate of food. Roberto picked up his espresso and breathed in deeply, knowing the smell of coffee beans can clear your palate. But when he set the cup down again, that smell was still there. Roberto told himself not to panic, but he was worried.

He decided that perhaps it was time to see a doctor about all these phantom smells. A few days later, Roberto was at a neurologist's office explaining how he was smelling all these things that weren't actually there, and he was concerned that he was losing his mind. Now, the neurologist didn't want Roberto to panic, but he did think Roberto might be experiencing smell hallucinations, and they're rare, but very real, and they can be the sign of something dangerous. The doctor explained that smell hallucinations can be caused by head injuries, upper respiratory infections, and in some cases, brain tumors or Parkinson's disease. Roberto did his best to stay calm.

He didn't know what he'd been expecting when he got here today, but certainly not being told he could have a brain tumor or Parkinson's disease. Roberto did his best to stay calm. He didn't know what he'd been expecting when he got here today, but certainly not being told he could have a brain tumor or Parkinson's disease. The neurologist could clearly read the fear in Roberto's eyes, because he immediately told him, you know, don't worry, they'd run some tests and narrow down the possibilities, then figure out what was going on. They'd start by ordering an MRI. Roberto nodded, still feeling very uneasy. And a few hours later, his unease quickly turned to fear as the neurologist showed Roberto his MRI scan and pointed to a long slender tumor on his right temporal lobe of his brain.

Roberto felt petrified as the neurologist explained that the tumor was called a fibroblastic meningioma. It was putting pressure on Roberto's brain and causing him to have these smell hallucinations. The doctor explained that they'd have to surgically remove this tumor. Roberto felt a surge of adrenaline as he imagined himself undergoing brain surgery. He was going to be sick. He bent over, his arms on his knees, trying to catch his breath. And at the same time, the neurologist assured him that they would take very good care of him. The doctor said he would be with Roberto every step of the way.

Roberto stood up and nodded. He knew he needed to call his wife and break the terrible news. But then after that he would call his favorite restaurant to get takeout for dinner. He was in the mood for some comfort food. A few weeks later, Roberto was at home on his couch watching his favorite cooking show on TV. His head was still bandaged from his 14-hour brain surgery, which his neurologist said had been a success, and Roberto had been making slow but steady progress in his recovery. As he flipped through the channels, the mouth-watering smell of roasted chicken suddenly filled the room, and for a

second, Roberto was terrified. Was this another smell hallucination? Did the surgery not work? But then he looked up and saw his wife enter the living room carrying two plates of roasted chicken. His dinner. His stomach rumbled and he thanked his wife as she set his plate down on the coffee table and helped him sit upright. Roberto had not had a single smell hallucination since his surgery and he was hoping that that meant he was cured. And so feeling like he had a new lease on

life, Roberto looked forward to getting back to his food blog and the long list of restaurants he still wanted to try. Twelve years later, on March 3rd, 2010, Roberto, who was now 58 years old, stood on the scale at his neurologist's office for a routine follow-up. Even though it had been over a decade since his brain surgery, he still had to get regular MRI scans to make sure there was no new tumors in his brain. The nurse took note of Roberto's weight.

By this point, Roberto had gained approximately 110 pounds since he first took an interest in food. But this just didn't really bother him. He knew he'd been gaining weight steadily over the years, because after all, he ate rich and decadent foods for almost every meal, something he just loved to do. And besides, you know, his career in food had really become quite incredible. Roberto was now a widely recognized and respected food critic. He wrote for prestigious magazines and gastronomy

guides and had been featured in a few newspapers. After that day's scan, Roberto waited inside of his neurologist's office, expecting the same results he got after every other appointment, all clear and good to go. Except this afternoon, his neurologist did not look too happy when he came through the door. He told Roberto that the MRI today showed a growing lesion and mild damage in the same areas where his tumor had been, and he believed that the lesion was likely left over from his surgery a decade ago. Roberto was shocked and asked the doctor if this meant more brain surgery. But the neurologist assured Roberto that this lesion was small. So small, in fact,

they could very likely manage it without having to resort to surgery. Instead, they would do something called radiosurgery, which is when very focused beams of radiation are used to treat cancer cells and other tissue without any incision. Roberto liked the sound of that and scheduled the radiosurgery for later that week. A month later, Roberto parked his car along a street in Granada and adjusted his tie. Then he opened the passenger door for his wife, and the two of them began walking up the sidewalk on their way to a restaurant opening. And as they strolled along the boulevard, Roberto told his wife the good news. He'd had a follow-up doctor's appointment at his neurologist that afternoon.

He'd completed his radio surgery appointments at the start of the month, and now his neurologist told him that his lesion had shrunk by more than 25% and was no longer pressing on his temporal lobe. His neurologist felt optimistic that the lesion would soon be gone and Roberto would be in full remission. As they neared the restaurant, Roberto's wife gave him a kiss and told him this was fantastic news. She was so relieved. Then the hostess led Roberto and his wife to their table and removed the shiny gold reserved placard as they sat down. The new restaurant was buzzing with anticipation. It was chock full of well-dressed diners,

all clearly looking forward to an excellent night of food. A server came out to pour wine, and moments later, Roberto's first course was set down in front of him. But for some reason, it didn't look appetizing. He stared down at the food, trying to conjure some of the excitement he'd been feeling just moments ago, but he couldn't have been less interested. In fact, he kind of just wanted to leave and go home and get a good night's sleep. But Roberto was a professional, so he made himself eat every course they brought out to him. However, later that night, when he was working on the review, Roberto had to admit that his

heart just wasn't in it. And so for the first time in more than 15 years, food just didn't really interest him. And the next time Roberto saw his neurologist, he learned why. It would turn out the tumor and lingering lesion pressing on Roberto's temporal lobe, known as the amygdala, was what had caused not only his hallucinatory smells, but his extreme interest in food. The pressure from the tumor created a brain injury, which in very rare cases can trigger a bizarre brain and eating disorder called Gourmand Syndrome. People who suffer from this condition can literally become completely obsessed with

fine dining. They become preoccupied with food and sometimes become compulsive eaters even if they had formerly been very health conscious. And that's exactly what happened to Roberto. Once Roberto's tumor was removed and the lesion was finally reduced, Roberto's love for food basically completely faded. However, despite that, Roberto did not give up on his career. He kept working as a food critic, even if his job was not nearly as enjoyable as it was before.

Harvard is the oldest and richest university in America. But when a social media-fueled fight over Harvard and its new president broke out last fall, that was no protection. Claudine Gay is now gone. We've exposed the DEI regime and there's much more to come. This is The Harvard Plan, a special series from the Boston Globe and WNYC's On The Media. To listen, subscribe to On The Media wherever you get your podcasts. Hello ladies and germs, boys and girls. The Grinch is back again to ruin your Christmas season with his The Grinch holiday podcast. After last year, he's learned a thing or two about hosting

and he's ready to rant against Christmas cheer and roast his celebrity guests like chestnuts on an open fire. You can listen with the whole family as guest stars like Jon Hamm, Brittany Broski and Danny DeVito try to persuade the mean old Grinch that there's a lot to love about the insufferable holiday season. But that's not all.

Somebody stole all the children of Whoville's letters to Santa, and everybody thinks the Grinch is responsible. It's a real Whoville whodunit. Can Cindy, Lou, and Max help clear the Grinch's name? Grab your hot cocoa and cozy slippers to find out. Follow Tis the Grinch Holiday Podcast on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. Unlock weekly Christmas Mystery Bonus content and listen to every episode ad free by joining And now here is our second and final story of today's episode called The Bitter End. One morning in 2022, a 64-year-old woman named Beth shuffled into her kitchen in

Ontario, Canada. It was early and so Beth was still wearing her pajamas. She opened up her kitchen window to let fresh air blow inside and as she did she took in a deep breath and smiled. Beth always reminded herself not to take life's small pleasures like a cool summer breeze for granted. She grabbed a loaf of whole wheat bread off the counter and put two slices in the toaster. not to take life's small pleasures like a cool summer breeze for granted. She grabbed a loaf of whole wheat bread off the counter and put two slices in the toaster. Then she opened her fridge and pulled out a container of green juice and a couple of organic eggs. Beth was extremely health and diet conscious and usually had this same breakfast every

morning. She drank two glasses of juice while her toast cooked and she scrambled her eggs. Then she sat at the kitchen table to eat. When she finished, she put her dishes in the sink and walked back to her room to get dressed for her morning jog. But as she was trying to decide what shirt to wear, Beth felt this dull pain in her lower abdomen. At first, she was able to ignore it, but then the pain got sharper and Beth suddenly was clutching her stomach. And then she felt weak and a wave of nausea made her rush from her closet to her bathroom

where she vomited and then had diarrhea. Beth shakily walked to the sink and drank a few sips of water from the tap. When she looked in the mirror, she saw that her face was beet red. She could feel her heartbeat thudding in her throat and so she brought two fingers up to her neck and began to count her pulse. And she found her heart was absolutely racing, and it really scared her because she had high blood pressure. And so she knew, you know, at any point, something could go wrong with her heart. And so suddenly, Beth feared she might be having a heart attack. She stumbled back to her kitchen, she grabbed her landline phone off the counter, and she dialed 911.

Less than half an hour later, Dr. Jacob Adams heard a siren blaring as an ambulance pulled up outside of the University of Ottawa's Monfort Hospital. A paramedic hopped out of the back of the vehicle and rushed into the emergency room, shouting to the doctor that, hey, we have a patient who's in shock here. And so Dr. Adams immediately ran with the paramedic out towards the ambulance, knowing he had a very sick patient on his hands. Shock occurs when a person doesn't have enough blood circulating throughout their body and left untreated, it can rapidly lead to organ damage or even death.

And this patient, Beth, was already in bad shape. The paramedic said that she was vomiting, she had diarrhea, and her blood pressure was dangerously high. Another paramedic followed closely behind the first, and together, they brought Beth into the emergency room on a gurney. Dr. Adams saw how pale and confused she looked, and knew there was no time to waste. He directed the EMT to wheel Beth into the nearest exam room while the other paramedic briefed him on Beth's medical history.

They told the doctor that Beth had been relatively healthy until today, but she had been taking medications for two conditions, high blood pressure and a thyroid deficiency that can leave patients feeling tired and looking pale. Otherwise, she was taking no other drugs. She didn't even take vitamins or over-the-counter supplements.

The paramedics said Beth had deteriorated right before their eyes. When they first arrived at Beth's house, she was able to talk to them about her fear that she was maybe having a heart attack. But since then, she had gotten so much sicker that now she could barely talk. Dr. Adams nodded and thanked the paramedics for bringing her in. Then he watched as the ER nurses went to work on their very unstable patient. One nurse checked Beth's temperature, another inserted an IV needle, and a third wrapped a blood pressure monitor around her arm. At first it showed that Beth's blood pressure was elevated, but suddenly, it plummeted a

hundred points. Beth's arms went limp and she looked like she was struggling to breathe. And so within seconds, Beth's blood pressure had gone from being dangerously high to being so low that she could lose consciousness any second. Dr. Adams took one of Beth's hands and squeezed her fingers, making her skin turn white. He waited for the color where he squeezed to come back, but it took an unusually long time. To Dr. Adams, this was extremely worrying. It meant Beth's blood circulation had become dangerously sluggish.

Before they could do anything else, Dr. Adams knew he would need to stabilize Beth's condition. He asked a nurse to start her on an IV fluid drip, and almost as soon as the fluids entered Beth's bloodstream, her blood pressure started rising and her breathing returned to normal. After a few minutes, Beth began to speak, albeit in a strained voice, saying that her stomach was killing her. She said she kept getting these horrible sharp cramps in her lower abdomen. Dr. Adams assured Beth they would figure out what was going on, but they had to perform a lot of different tests as quickly as possible to do that.

And so he told her the best thing she could do was try to stay calm and just focus on her breathing. Beth looked scared, but nodded her head in agreement. Then Dr. Adams called in three different medical technicians who all surrounded Beth. One of them took files of her blood, another examined her abdomen with an ultrasound machine, while the third performed an EKG to test her heart function. Meanwhile, Dr. Adams stood off to the side and considered all of his patient's symptoms, and he began to think about a couple of different things that could have caused her to go into

shock. Maybe she was having an allergic reaction, or maybe she swallowed some kind of poison, or maybe she was fighting a severe infection. Now the first two, allergic reaction and poison, were tough to address right now, but the severe infection could be treated right away. So Dr. Adams called for a nurse to start Beth on broad spectrum antibiotics, hoping this would stop a potential infection in its tracks. While a nurse gave Beth a dose of antibiotics through her IV tube, one of the medical technicians finished taking Beth's blood. Dr. Adams told him to have the blood tested for signs of infection and also to run an

emergency toxicology test to see if there were any traces of poison inside of Beth's body. At almost the same time, the ultrasound technician pulled up traces of poison inside of Beth's body. At almost the same time, the ultrasound technician pulled up black and white images of Beth's digestive system onto a computer screen and told Dr. Adams that they didn't see anything out of the ordinary, like fluid buildup or a bowel obstruction. However, the technician who was doing the EKG had much more ominous news. They said the left side of Beth's heart was working much harder than it should have been, a sign that her heart was not functioning correctly.

It could mean that the right side of her heart was failing, and so as a result, the left side was trying to make up for it, which Dr. Adams knew could easily put Beth's life in danger. But alarming as the EKG results were, they didn't help Dr. Adams determine what was actually causing Beth's intense distress.

He needed to get a better understanding of how all of her internal organs were functioning, so he decided to bring her into the radiology department for a CT scan, which would take pictures of the inside of her body. The scan only took about 15 minutes, but it revealed that Beth's problems went beyond her heart. Dr. Adams saw that her small intestine showed signs of inflammation or even a possible obstruction. Though the earlier ultrasound of her abdomen had looked normal, the doctor no longer believed that was accurate. He could tell from the more detailed CT scan that something was wrong after all, and suddenly Dr. Adams had an alarming thought.

Maybe Beth was bleeding internally inside of her digestive system. Severe internal bleeding could explain a lot of Beth's symptoms, including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and her sudden drop in blood pressure. But this would be a terrifying diagnosis. If Dr. Adams didn't locate and stop the bleeding right away, Beth could bleed to death.

If Dr. Adams didn't locate and stop the bleeding right away, Beth could bleed to death. A few minutes later, Dr. Adams received the results of Beth's blood work. Her toxicology report came back normal, meaning technicians had not found any poison in her system, but on the other hand, the results showed she did have elevated levels of a protein found in red blood cells, which did seem to indicate she did have internal bleeding. And just as the doctors set her test results aside, Beth's blood pressure suddenly plummeted again. She went pale and her breathing became labored. Dr. Adams looked up and noticed her IV fluid bag was empty, so he quickly replaced it with a full one, and as soon as the fluids flowed into her system, just like the last time, her blood pressure immediately stabilized.

But to Dr. Adams, this was not a good sign. If Beth was rapidly bleeding internally, IV fluids would keep her going for a while, but eventually it would not be enough, and so she needed a blood transfusion as quickly as possible. And at this point, Beth looked sicker than ever. She groaned in pain and then leaned over the side of her hospital bed and vomited up blood. Now, Dr. Adams was certain that she was bleeding internally into her stomach, which was why she was throwing up the blood. He immediately called in a nurse who began giving Beth a blood transfusion.

He also continued giving her IV fluids and started her on drugs that would keep her blood pressure up and reduce acid in the stomach to hopefully slow the bleeding. After all that, Dr. Adams transferred Beth to the intensive care unit where they met with a gastro intestinal specialist named Dr. Christina King. Dr. King said she needed to insert a tiny camera down Beth's throat and into her abdomen. That way she could see firsthand where the blood was coming from. Dr. King turned to Beth, whose face was scrunched up in pain, and explained the procedure. Beth would be put under light anesthesia for about 30 minutes, and during that time, Dr.

King would insert a tube with the camera on one end into Beth's esophagus and down into her stomach. Beth looked uneasy, but she was so sick that a tube going down her throat seemed like a small price to pay for some answers. She said okay, and the doctors got to work prepping her for the procedure. About 15 minutes later, Beth had been put under anesthesia and was lying on her side on a bed in her ICU room. Dr. King stood beside her and carefully inserted the long thin tube down her throat.

Dr. King could see the inside of Beth's esophagus on a screen right beside her bed. Dr. King moved the tube further down Beth's digestive system and as soon as the camera entered Beth's stomach, Dr. King saw that her stomach lining was swollen, red, and bleeding. The bleeding was not severe, but the doctor knew that was only thanks to the drugs that Dr. Adams had given Beth. Later that afternoon, Dr. King sat in the ICU with Beth, who was still sedated from her procedure. Beth did look much better than she had just a few hours ago, and Dr. King was glad that the treatment she and Dr. Adams had come up with seemed to be working. Her internal bleeding had largely stopped, at least for now,

and so for the time being, Dr. King could really focus on why Beth was bleeding internally. Dr. King was starting to think that Beth's illness had been caused by something that she might have eaten rather than by poison or an infection. And so once Beth woke up from her procedure, Dr. King asked her if she'd eaten anything out of the ordinary that morning before she'd gotten sick. Beth initially said no, she'd had the same breakfast she ate every single morning, whole wheat toast, organic eggs, and homemade green juice. However, Beth said, you know, now that she thought about it, her juice had tasted a bit more bitter than usual.

Dr. King asked what kind of juice it was, and Beth said, you know, she made it herself from a type of green squash called bottle gourds that she had bought at the store. She'd heard that bottle gourds were a really great health food, and so for the last several years, she'd been pureeing the vegetables into a juice that she would drink every morning. Dr. King just stared at Beth because suddenly she knew what was going on with Beth, and it made perfect sense. Beth had given herself a nearly fatal case of Toxic Squash Syndrome. It's a very rare condition that results from eating poisonous chemicals sometimes found in squashes and gourds. These toxins are called Q. curbitassens,

and they taste very bitter. Over hundreds of years, people have bred squashes to have only trace levels of these toxins. But sometimes, the plants can still develop high amounts of Q. curbitassens as they grow, and people who eat a lot of those types of vegetables can get dangerously ill. Beth went to her local grocery store and unknowingly bought bottle gourds that did contain a dangerous amount of these toxins. Then she pureed the vegetables and drank the juice, and the only thing she noticed was a slightly bitter taste, until just minutes after breakfast, the toxins caused her stomach lining to start bleeding, and Beth went into shock. Her case was the first of its kind

ever reported in Canada. After five days in the ICU, Beth was finally healthy enough to return home. Two weeks later, her doctors called to check on her condition, and she told them that she was feeling fine, except for one symptom. In the past few days, her hair had begun falling out. Her doctors told her that this was actually normal, delayed onset hair loss had been reported in a number of cases of Toxic Squash Syndrome. Despite her hair loss, which was actually only temporary, Beth would go on to make a full recovery and go back to her normal life. Though she found another kind of juice to drink at breakfast. Mr. Ballin's Medical Mysteries ad free. Join Wondry Plus today. Before you go, tell us about yourself

by completing a short survey at listenersurvey.com. From Ballin Studios and Wondry, this is Mr. Ballin's Medical Mysteries, hosted by me, Mr. Ballin. A quick note about our stories, we do sometimes use aliases because we don't know the names of the real people involved and also in most cases

We can't know exactly what was said in these stories But everything is based on research and also a reminder the content in this episode is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice Diagnosis or treatment this episode was written by Aaron Lan and Pash-Cooper. Our editor is Heather Dundas. Sound design is by Andre Pluss. Our senior managing producer is Nick Ryan. And our coordinating producer is Taylor Sniffin. Our senior producer is Alex Benedon.

Our associate producers and researchers are Sarah Vytak and Tasia Palaconda. Fact checking was done by Sheila Patterson. For Ballin Studios, our head of production is Zach Levitt. Script editing by Scott Allen and Evan Allen. Our coordinating producer is Samantha Collins. Production support by Avery Siegel. Executive producers are myself, Mr. Ballin, and also Nick Witters. For Wondry, our head of sound is Marcelino Villapondo.

Senior producers are Laura Donna Palavota and Dave Schilling. Senior managing producer is Ryan Lohr. Our executive producers are Aaron O'Flaherty and Marshall Louis for Wondry. Donna Palavoda and Dave Schilling. Senior Managing Producer is Ryan Lohr. Our Executive Producers are Aaron O'Flaherty and Marshall Lewy for Wondery. Hey, it's Dan Teperski. And my team and I are excited to share that our series, Hysterical, has been named Apple Podcast's Show of the Year for 2024. From Wondery and Pineapple Street Studios, Hysterical dies into one of the most shocking outbreaks in American history, a medical mystery that had

ripple effects well beyond the tight-knit community where it began. In 2011, the girls at one high school in upstate New York began exhibiting a bizarre mix of neurological symptoms. Ticks and twitches and strange outbursts. Question is, why? Was it mold in the school buildings? Was it a contaminated water source? Or what if the cause of the contagion wasn't coming from their physical environment at all? As their symptoms got worse, their search for answers brought a media firestorm down upon their small town, and soon enough the entire nation was trying to solve the medical mystery. From Dr. Drew to Aaron Brockovich. Believed by some to be

the most severe case of mass hysteria since the Salem witch trials, Hysterical is a podcast about the desire to be believed, and what happens when the world tells you, it's all in your head. Follow Hysterical on the Wondery app, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can binge all episodes of Hysterical ad-free right now by joining Wondery Plus.