I ate too many Brussels sprouts

Monday, May 11, 2026

I had no strength to go to work today. I texted my clients and moved everything to Wednesday.

Last night I had such bad stomach pain I thought I might die. I ate too many Brussels sprouts — I didn’t even know what they’re called in Thai. They look like tiny cabbages. I checked online and saw the Thai name is “กะหล่ำดาว (star cabbage).” My stomach was twisting so badly I couldn’t sit still. I was shaking, weak, sweating all over, breathing uncomfortably. I kept sniffing herbal balm and drinking water. While leaning my head against the toilet tank, I felt the balm liquid run back into my mouth. Oh my god. What a horrible night.

I walked in and out of the bathroom many times. Only a little came out each time. I even thought about going to the ER, but I couldn’t get myself there. And if I arrived and suddenly needed the bathroom, what would I do?

I ended up sitting on the toilet, sniffing balm, drinking water, wanting to lie on the floor but I couldn’t because the pain kept coming and nothing was coming out. I leaned back against the tank, tilted my head on the lid. It didn’t help. I just wanted to lie down properly, but the pain wouldn’t stop.

I’m usually careful with food, but things still happen. When I was a teenager, I had severe food poisoning for the first time. I couldn’t sleep, stomach pain, needing the bathroom, wanting to vomit but nothing came out either way. Sweating, no strength, and I didn’t tell anyone. I was lying downstairs. My mom came down to use the bathroom and saw me. She rushed me to a clinic nearby. I remember riding on the back of a motorcycle — my stepdad drove because we didn’t have a car yet. The doctor said I was lucky. If I had been a small child, I would have had seizures already. My body was cold, and my temperature was over 40°C.

Living in America, I’m very careful with food, but I still get sick like this two or three times. Maybe my stomach is weaker now.

Last night I even wondered if I was bleeding inside. Did the vegetable injure my intestines? Because I saw blood in the toilet. I was in the bathroom all night until I moved to sleep in the computer room, closer to the bathroom I always use. The bedroom has a bathroom too, but the other one feels more convenient. Around 4 or 5 a.m., my husband opened the computer room door and asked if I was sleeping there. I told him it was because it’s close to the bathroom.

The bleeding was from hemorrhoids. The little lump probably came out from straining too hard. It didn’t hurt. It usually heals in two or three days. I’ve had this once or twice before.

After getting up to prepare things for my husband to go to work, I lay down for a moment and suddenly heard Bucky scratching at the glass. Well, Bucky doesn’t really scratch — he panics when it’s time to come out of his little pen. I dragged myself out of bed to take care of him. I walked down the stairs feeling so weak, and the smell of Bucky’s poop hit me right away. When I got closer, I saw poop stuck all over his two back legs. Oh god. I wanted to lie down so badly, but I had to take care of Bucky first.

I put a plastic tub on the back porch and filled it halfway with warm water. I placed Bucky inside and poured more warm water over him until he was covered. I let him soak for a while. When I checked his legs, the poop was gone. I dried him off and let him back into the house.

Then I dragged myself upstairs, went to the bathroom two more times, and finally lay down on the bed. It felt so comfortable, but I didn’t want to fall asleep. I decided to get up and take a shower instead.

Now it’s 11 a.m. I showered and got dressed to feel fresh, but I’m still weak. I want to lie down but don’t want to sleep. My stomach still hurts, but not as bad as last night. I cooked plain rice porridge and ate one bowl. It should help.

I looked online and saw that this vegetable has a lot of vitamin K and fiber. Eating too much can upset the stomach, cause cramping, and make everything feel like an explosion. The picture in this post is from the internet, not mine — I threw away all my sprouts. I had eaten a little bit the day before with no problem. But yesterday I cooked the whole bag and ate half of it. If I had eaten the whole thing, I might have died.

It tastes good. I really like it. I didn’t know it could hit me this hard. It reminds me of the time I made mung bean milk, thinking it was like soy milk. I drank it in the evening and later that night I was in terrible pain. Not the kind of pain you forget. But I always look up information after the disaster happens.