There might be few things worse (in the normal course of events) than getting sick in a place you can’t leave. The ultimate inescapable spot? An airplane at 30,000 feet in the sky.
Elena Fliszary recently discovered, to her total unhappiness, that first class isn’t so great when you literally “feel like you might die.” On an international flight that ended with a trip to the hospital, Fliszary (@elenafliszary) tried fruitlessly to get comfortable.
In a series of images posted to TikTok and viewed 2.7 million times, the traveler is clearly feeling wretched. She’s got her head down on the tray table, and on-screen text reads, “Getting severe stomach flue on a 10 hour flight is not for the weak.”
It appears she’s in economy in these first shots.
Meanwhile, in the background, Charli XCX’s “House” is playing gloomily in the background. It’s a whole mood. And the mood is misery.
What Would Carrie Bradshaw Do?
Heightening the scene of misery is a still image of Sarah Jessica Parker as her famously glamorous character, Carrie Bradshaw, on the seat-back screen.
The sick passenger later appears in first class. It would seem she got upgraded to give both her and the passengers around her some space.
The next slide is touching. In an attempt to offer comfort, Fliszary’s travel companion places a gentle hand on her head.
It’s easy to imagine her friend is saying, “We’re almost there,” and that things will get better. But in a subsequent photo, Fliszary is being helped off the plane in a wheelchair. Things aren’t quite better yet.
Next, she’s taken to a hospital where they’re giving her fluids and presumably getting her back on her feet.
As for how the flight itself went, she’s feeling bad enough to apologize to the entire plane. “My deepest apologies for to all those in first class whose experience I ruined,” she writes in the caption.
Unclaim The Energy
In addition to sympathy and shared stories of claustrophobic anxiety, there’s a barrage of users virtually shouting, “Unclaimed negative energy.”
It’s a way, explains Reddit, to protect against negative energy or bad luck. Though it’s more often seen in the cases of videos featuring paranormal events. “So cool that demonic creatures from the nether realm with inexplicable abilities are polite enough to follow the rules and go away if you tell them they are not allowed to come around,” joked u/ComeOverDownThere.
But though the stomach flu might feel demonic, science explains that it is actually an intestinal infection, viral gastroenteritis. It’s highly contagious and “easy to confuse with diarrhea caused by bacteria, such as Clostridioides difficile, salmonella and Escherichia coli, or parasites, such as giardia.”
Elena responded, “Guys no need to unclaim anything I promise ur not gonna get sick from watching this im crying.”
Others felt like they accidentally stumbled onto the greatest travel hack of all time. “All i’m seeing is free first class,” one said.
“At least they put you in business. I had a 19 hour flight from Bali on a economy seat in the back with massive turbulence,” another wrote.
When In Rome
But the real measure of her trip is her most recent post. It’s everything she bought in Europe and why she’s on a “shopping ban” for the foreseeable future. Among her purchases: a pink embossed passport cover, a Nomination charm bracelet, complete with a Duomo charm to mark her time in Florence. While there, she also snagged a Gucci wallet and a Zara black leather jacket.
Then, as a special keepsake, she and her friends each got a permanent bracelet. It is giving Carrie Bradshaw.
BroBible reached out to Elena Fliszary via TikTok direct message and with a comment on her post. We will update this if she responds.