A video showing a woman's feet in an alarming shade of purple at a beach club in Mexico has gone viral.
The video, posted by Mariana Jimenez (@marianarubyy), who is a 26-year-old teacher in Austin, Texas, has garnered over 966,000 views since it was shared on August 22. The footage shows Mariana's younger sister, Karla Jimenez, sitting with her legs outstretched, displaying feet and ankles that appear swollen and tinted purple.
A message overlaid on the video reads "Her feet turning purple at the beach club was not in the plans."
While the situation may have seemed shocking, Mariana later assured viewers that her sister was doing fine. Speaking to Newsweek, she said: "Her feet are fine now."
According to a follow-up video posted by Mariana, the incident took place in May at the Majahuitas Beach Club in Puerto Vallarta. Initially, the sisters believed Karla had just suffered a sunburn.
In a later comment, her sister Karla chimed in, saying "It was an allergic reaction, I'm good now!!"
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns: "Allergic reactions can interrupt vacations and activities. Some allergic reactions may require emergency medical care during your trip."
The CDC advises packing a travel health kit with any medicines or other items you might need, "especially those items that may be difficult to find at your destination."
The federal health body also advises travelers to be careful with what they eat, because contaminated food or drinks can cause diarrhea and other diseases.
"Generally, foods served hot are usually safe to eat as well as dry and packaged foods. Bottled, canned, and hot drinks are usually safe to drink," the CDC says.
Travelers should also be aware of the signs of a severe allergic reaction, which can include the following, as outlined by the CDC, and may require the use of an epinephrine auto-injector to treat certain conditions.
- Skin rashes, itching or hives
- Swelling of the lips, tongue or throat
- Shortness of breath, trouble breathing or wheezing (whistling sound during breathing)
- Dizziness and/or fainting
- Stomach pain, bloating, vomiting, or diarrhea
- Uterine cramps
- Feeling like something awful is about to happen
'We All Kind of Freaked Out'
Mariana explained in the later video: "This was in May. She's [her sister] alive, she's well with both feet. It was just an adventure for sure. So, the first day, we thought it was just a sunburn, everything was gonna be fine."
"But this were her feet after 'the sunburn,'" Mariana added, pointing to a photo of Karla's feet, which had turned a deep red.
The situation worsened when Karla, unable to walk, had to use a wheelchair. Mariana explained: "We took Karla to the pharmacy in Mexico and there are doctors there. They gave her some creams. So, we were like, it's gonna be ok, she rested the whole day and wasn't in the sun." A picture of Karla in a wheelchair inside an elevator was shown as Mariana recounted the experience.
Thinking Karla's condition had improved after some rest, the sisters decided to go ahead with their beach plans. "The day after, her sunburn went down, the swelling went down. So, we were like, 'it'll be okay, you'll be okay. Let's go to this beach club.' We already had everything booked, so we take her [there]," Mariana said.
However, once at the beach club, Karla's feet turned purple, much to the alarm of everyone present. "But at the beach club, her feet started turning purple, like this...horrible. Both feet looked like that," Mariana said, showing a photo of her sister's swollen, purple feet. The situation escalated quickly, prompting the staff to call for paramedics.
"We all kind of freaked out and the paramedics came to help her. She was keeping her chill," Mariana said, praising her sister for remaining calm despite the bizarre turn of events.
To complicate matters, the beach club was on an island, requiring the sisters to take a boat back to the mainland. Although they had a boat scheduled, Karla needed an emergency transport. "We already had booked one [boat]. But she needed an emergency one," Mariana explained.
Once they returned, Karla was taken to a doctor, who determined that it was likely an allergic reaction. Mariana said "We took her to the doctor and I guess it was just an allergy, it could have been to anything, to the sun, to the chemicals in the water, to something she ate, I don't know. It could have been an allergy to anything."
Fortunately, after receiving treatment that included a shot and antibiotics, the swelling subsided, and Karla made a full recovery. "She's alive...she's good," Mariana assured viewers.
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