EastEnders star details nightmare turbulence on flight after travel hell while battling with chronic illness symptoms
The actress - who used to play Lucy Beale in the BBC soap - was diagnosed with small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) after experiencing "horrible nausea" in 2023.
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And it has had a huge impact in her life - which makes her family holidays and quality time all the more precious.
But today she has revealed that she had the journey from hell home - undoing the good the holiday did.
Taking to Instagram, Melissa wrote: 'I've been a bit quiet because life has been a LOT. The trip away was so restorative but honestly the act of getting home undid it
'The ship didn't make it into the final port of my trip due to very bad weather, but obviously my flight was booked from there!
'So booked a flight home from the next available port very last minute, which was a midnight flight, which was delayed by 2 hours because of weather again, and then the ENTIRE 3 hour flight was mad turbulence and lightning out the window I s*** you not.
'I'm not a nervous flyer but I was on that flight.
'Honestly, not a fun experience, followed by only 4 hours of sleep and then a 3 hour train journey home with River and all my luggage.
'On the list of things I simply do not need in my life, this experience was a high ranking one.'
Melissa added: 'Not aided by the fact that towards the end of the trip, my symptoms started getting worse.
'I think the combination of not eating anything other than steak and potatoes, as well as the stress of making a new very last minute plan and the childcare and everything that went along with that is probably what did it.
Former EastEnders star has had '40 doctors appointments' and spent 'over five figures' amid gruelling health condition
'Also my period always makes everything worse- I've actually just had a test arrive that looks at your DNA and hormones to see if I can pin point anything I'm missing.
'But anyway, I am home now safe and sound, I have done all the washing, I've got full control over my diet again, and I've got my boy back. But I am feeling rough in a way that I haven't in a while, so l'm focusing all my energy on resting.
What is SIBO?
SIBO is also known as Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth.
Melissa experiences nausea, reflux, constipation, and other symptoms like her hair falling out and suffering from dry skin.
According to the Mayo Clinic, the condition occurs "when there is an abnormal increase in the overall bacterial population in the small intestine — particularly types of bacteria not commonly found in that part of the digestive tract."
Symptoms are listed as a loss of appetite, abdominal pain, nausea, bloating, an uncomfortable feeling of fullness after eating, diarrhea, unintentional weight loss, and malnutrition.
'I've got a really busy week next week too, so I've really got to try and get back on top of things quickly tbh. But when your nervous system is frazzled, that time limit way of thinking is completely counter productive.'
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