Ryan Sutter’s Mystery Illness Explained & It Isn’t That Uncommon

Getty Ryan Sutter and Trista Rehn of The Bachelorette.

Ryan Sutter finally has answers on the mystery illness he has been battling for months.  “The Bachelorette” alum, who married original series star Trista Rehn in 2003, has been vocal about the unknown illness he has been dealing with since last year.

Last December, Ryan posted to Instagram to reveal that he had “flu-like symptoms” and took multiple COVID-19 tests but never tested positive for the virus at that time. Ryan noted that he had been ill for five months and was feeling worse than ever. He described his symptoms as “fatigue, deep body and muscle aches, fevers, night sweats, full-body itching with no rash, headaches, neck and throat swelling, congestion, lightheadedness, nausea, and just general all-around not feeling good” and he revealed that he had been through a battery of blood tests as well as a CT scan.

“I don’t believe I have anything contagious as no one else in my family has been sick nor has anyone I have worked with or associated with been sick,” he wrote at the time.

After a Year-Long Battle, Ryan Sutter Finally Got Answers on His Illness

Nearly a year after first falling ill, Ryan opened up about his health in a recent episode of his wife Trista’s Better Etc. podcast. On the podcast, Ryan revealed that he has Lyme disease, which is something doctors had looked into earlier in his health battle.  But the highly common tick-borne illness may have been triggered due to a weakened immune system from high levels of mold toxins in the longtime firefighter’s body.

“It seems to be that what happened is that my immune system was weakened through exposures to toxins and especially to mold,” Ryan said on the podcast. “There are other people in the fire academy that probably had the same exposures who aren’t dealing with these exposures because their genetics are stronger, they’re able to get rid of the toxins easier.”

Ryan revealed that in addition to Lyme disease and mold, he also tested positive for COVID-19 and Epstein-Barr virus. He explained that in addition to his mold exposure, he had long days as a firefighter and suffered from exhaustion and dehydration which also weakened his immune system and made it difficult to suppress or fight off infections.

“I now essentially have Lyme disease,” he said. “It seems like something that I will always have, it’s just that now I know, and I will try to build back my immune system to fight it off. And Epstein-Barr — I showed that virus, and this weakened immune system may have allowed that to come back in.”

Ryan revealed that doctors previously thought he could have lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and even lymphoma. After his body scan was clear of cancer, Ryan admitted it was “weird” because his relief over not getting that diagnosis was offset by his concern over what mystery illness he did have.

Ryan also revealed that in lieu of heavy medications, he has decided to make dietary changes to help with his health issues.

“What I’m doing is avoiding, as best I can, gluten, dairy, and refined sugars,”  the dad of two said. “I’ve added a ton more fruits and vegetables to my diet, things that are easily digestible … I’ve gone on specific diets and things to try to alleviate a lot of those things so my internal organs can function more efficiently and begin to fight back some of these viruses and bacteria that they were able to hold back prior to going through this last year.”

He added that he believes he is finally on the right path and that “things are looking up.”

Last Fall, Trista Sutter Opened Up About Her Husband’s Mystery Illness In an Emotional Social Media Post

Last November, Trista first opened up to her social media followers to reveal that her husband had been “struggling for months” with his health.

“I know I should be thankful, but I don’t want to be fake,” she wrote at the time. “And, I’m struggling. This guy…my rock, my best friend, my hero, my love…is struggling. …We’ve been struggling for months. Struggling to get answers.”

Trista noted that they “found out that Ryan doesn’t have cancer,” but said doctors had yet to diagnosis him. While she admitted that “it could be worse,” Trista said she just hoped to find answers for her husband.

“We are young-ish and blessed, but not immune,” she wrote. “We lived a fairy tale on TV and have a great life for all intents and purposes, but answers would be nice.”  The former ‘Bachelorette” star also asked fans to pray for her husband.

Once the couple finally got the answers they had been looking for, Trista posted to Instagram to thank all of their supporters and the doctors who helped her husband of 17 years.

“He has a way to go to heal, but we are hopeful that he is on a path of healing,“ the ABC reality star wrote.

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