Ryan Sutter Details Symptoms While Battling Mystery Illness: ‘Some Days I Can Barely Get Out Of Bed’
Ryan Sutter is breaking his silence on his challenging health struggle.
The firefighter and former “Bachelorette” star, who met now-wife Trista Sutter on the show’s first season, shared a series of Instagram posts detailing his months-long battle with a mysterious illness.
Ryan told fans that he first noticed a change in his health back in February when he started an 18-week fire academy with the Denver Fire Department.
“Towards the end of that process I felt more and more worn out and began feeling occasional ‘flu-like’ symptoms,” he recalled.
Ryan said he was tested for COVID-19 multiple times, but it always came back negative. He finished his time in the academy with the hope that he’d start to feel better, but that didn’t end up being the case.
“It’s been five months now and, if anything, I feel worse,” he wrote. “Though I am functional and continue to work my regular fire schedule, I am experiencing a battery of symptoms which include: fatigue – sometimes almost paralyzing, 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.”
“I am not taking any medications, maintain a healthy diet and am doing my best to get rest,” he added. “Most days I feel about 70%. Some days I feel a bit better and some days I can barely get out of bed. 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.”
Ryan said that through this difficult experience, he’s realized he’s nowhere near alone.
“The number of people who share a similar story to mine is incredible. The struggle to find answers in the medical world and support through the insurance industry is frustrating and lacking. One must truly and persistently advocate for himself/herself if they hope to find answers or, at the very least, rule out possibilities,” he wrote.
Ryan concluded his posts by assuring fans that he would persevere through wherever this journey takes him.
“I have spent the better part of my life challenging my personal limits. As a result, I feel well prepared to take on my current health situation. I have a strong support group and the best wife in the world,” he wrote. “Please don’t worry about me. I will be fine. If you must worry, worry about each other. Support each other. Be there for each other.”
“The outpouring of support I have received has been humbling and therapeutic,” he added. “I could not be more grateful. I cannot imagine the healing power that amount of love and caring would have on the world should we all choose to apply it? Maybe let’s find out…”
Ryan’s posts come three days after Trista first broke the news about his health battle on her own Instagram account.
“I know I should be thankful, but I don’t want to be fake,” she wrote in part over Thanksgiving weekend. “And, I’m struggling. This guy…my rock, my best friend, my hero, my love…is struggling. Not every day, and not to the point that he can’t work or cook or exercise or be with family, but enough. We’ve been struggling for months. Struggling to get answers.”
Trista revealed that Ryan was able to get one good piece of news: despite exhibiting symptoms similar to those with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, doctors found out that the former reality star does not have cancer.
“[It’s] A HUGE relief…without a doubt, especially after fighting to find a doctor to take symptoms that lined up with lymphoma seriously and advocating for the scans to rule it out,” Trista wrote. “But part of us was wanting a diagnosis. Wanting to be able to fight for him to be cured instead of fighting for an answer. How messed up is that? Don’t worry, I know. It’s messed up. But, that’s where we are. In a holding pattern of not knowing. And believe me… I know it could be worse, so for that, I am thankful.”
Trista ended her emotional post by sharing that she is still hopeful.
“We lived a fairy tale on TV and have a great life for all intents and purposes, but answers would be nice,” she wrote. “So, I’m going to keep praying for answers and am hopeful that if you are the praying type, that you’ll think of Ryan when the time comes to send up a message.”
WATCH: Trista & Ryan Sutter React To Clare Crawley’s ‘Bachelorette’ Shakeup