20-year-old hockey player Carson Meyer, who plays for the Columbus Blue Jackets NHL team, experienced general weakness and malaise for almost a year. He was often drowsy, suffered from loss of appetite, and lost weight. The guy went to the doctors, but for some reason they could not establish the cause of his illness.
His family and friends were already beginning to suspect that Meyer might have severe depression, mononucleosis, or even cancer. But in February 2018, the guy went to the toilet as usual and a long parasite worm came out of him. It turned out to be a 25-inch (63-centimeter) worm called diphyllobothrium latum.
This worm can be contracted by eating raw or undercooked meat or raw fish. Moreover, Meyer can still be said to be "lucky", because a wide tapeworm can grow up to several meters in length (even 9-meter tapeworms have been reported).
The presence of the parasite also affected the performance of the young hockey player. If in the 2016-2017 season he earned 26 points in 32 games, then in the new season he had only 10 points in 36 games.
In December 2017, Meyer came to a psychiatrist for a session, thinking that he had prolonged depression, and also consulted about mononucleosis, but nothing was found with him. The truth was revealed only in February 2018, after the hockey player visited the toilet.
After the hockey player showed the worm to the doctors, he was relieved to finally find the cause of his illness. The doctors found out that it was a broad tapeworm and that the infection most likely occurred through raw meat or fish. After months of treatment, Meyer said he was feeling much better. In the future, he still has to be examined, which will reveal whether the eggs of the parasite have remained in his body.
Interestingly, according to Meyer, some did not believe his words and said that he had not an illness, but a professional decline. In response, Meyer's teammates widely disseminated information about the parasite worm and even gave him the nickname "Teddy".
