Many people  remember their exes with happy memories or photos, but one American woman has gone viral for a strange and unlucky reason. Christine Connell says her ex-boyfriend gave her a sinus infection that lasted seven years. She shared her story on TikTok, and the video got over 400,000 views. For years, Christine had a stubborn sinus infection that doctors couldn’t figure out. Finally, a recent test showed the cause was E. coli bacteria, which usually comes from poop.

Christine explained, “E. coli is from poop.” What surprised people even more was how she said she got the infection. She believes it started when her ex-boyfriend farted near her. She was lying in bed after ankle surgery in a hotel room. Her boyfriend, standing between the beds, passed gas right towards her. She said she had never smelled anything so bad.

According to the CDC, E. coli bacteria usually live in the intestines of humans and animals. Most types are harmless, but some can cause serious illnesses like diarrhoea, urinary tract infections, pneumonia, and in rare cases like Connell’s, a sinus infection. The bacteria usually enter the body through the mouth by eating or drinking contaminated food or water, or by touching dirty surfaces.

Connell said, “I don’t think it is common. It can happen, it has happened before, but it’s rare.”She thinks her weak immune system after ankle surgery made her more likely to get the infection. “I was recovering from surgery, so my immune system was focused on healing that,” she said. “Maybe if I had been healthy, it wouldn’t have happened.”
A sinus infection, or sinusitis, happens when the sinuses get swollen and filled with fluid. It is common in the US and is usually treated with antibiotics and nasal sprays. But Connell’s infection did not get better with regular treatments, which confused doctors for many years.