Each week we comb through science journals to explore a baffling medical issue.
It was August 2017 when Meyer, who was still riding high from the draft, began to realize something was wrong. “I was exhausted all the time and couldn’t keep food down,” the sixth-round draft pick told. “I knew the whole time I had the ability to do things, I just didn’t have the energy to do them.”
“I was so grateful they drafted me, then I turn around and have that season,” Meyer said. “I was embarrassed at times, coming out of the locker room to talk to Clark after a game. I was like ‘I’m a better player than this. I’m just not showing that to you.’ They believed in me, never said anything negative. It was unbelievably helpful.”
While most infections of this nature are asymptomatic, abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting and weight loss can occur. Diagnosis usually comes after doctors identify eggs, or parts of the tapeworm itself, in the stool of an infected patient. The infection is easily addressed with medication but doctors recommend raising the internal temperature of any fish meant for human consumption to at least 145 degrees F to ensure treatment is never needed.