“Death was knocking”: Woman reveals horrific story of being stuck in United airplane bathroom with food poisoning—and delaying the flight afterwards
A TikToker’s bathroom breakdown on a United Airlines flight ended in a canceled flight and a viral lesson in self-acceptance.
TikToker Meghan Reinertsen (@meghanreinertsen) recently shared a two-part story about how a bout of food poisoning spiraled into a mid-air bathroom saga that led to a canceled United flight. Her brutally honest and hilarious retelling, now with over 8.7 million views, has the internet in stitches.
The ordeal began after Meghan took a multi-leg journey from Portugal to Indianapolis, hoping to make it to the premiere of her first SAG film. Unfortunately, 30 minutes before landing in Newark, she woke up with "a disturbance deep, deep within [her] bowels."
Though she powered through customs and gate changes in agony, the final flight was her breaking point. "I was just full-body sweating and crying," she said. "I can only imagine that’s what a contraction feels like."
Despite the seatbelt sign, she eventually rushed to the bathroom and stayed there for the next 90 minutes, battling violent waves of diarrhea and vomiting. "With every gag, death [was] knocking at the doors of my butthole," she said. When she realized the trash-can-sized sink wasn’t built for vomiting, she panicked and flung the bathroom door open, yelling, "I need help!"
@meghanreinertsen Part 1 of how I personally got a United flight cancelled #storytime #airplane #diarrhea @United Airlines ♬ original sound - Meghan Reinertsen
A flight attendant shoved a barf bag into her hands and pushed her back into the tiny space. The crew checked on her repeatedly, even offering ginger ale and comforting words. By the time the plane began its descent, Meghan was still in the bathroom. The flight attendant radioed the cockpit: Meghan would land while crouched over the tiny toilet.
After the airplane emptied, a flight attendant gently informed her that the next flight had been canceled. She thought, "What a gorgeous coincidence."—Until she was told a hazmat team was coming to clean the lavatory. "You canceled that flight because of me," she laughed. "I am a biohazard."
@meghanreinertsen Part 2 of how I personally got a United flight cancelled #storytime #airplane #diarrhea @United Airlines ♬ original sound - Meghan Reinertsen
"I make it to the to the premiere; I look f*cking snatched. Let me tell you. Never looked so good in my life. I'm glowing," she said.
TikTok reactions to Meghan's story
While many would hide from the humiliation, Meghan took the opposite approach: she posted the whole story online and celebrated it. "I’ve been laughing about it since it was happening," she said in a follow-up video. "If I had any ounce of embarrassment about this story, I would not have posted it on the internet."
Her TikTok viewers were quick to praise her openness. "The storytelling was IMMACULATE," one viewer wrote. Others thanked her for turning a nightmare into comedy.
A nervous flyer told her, "as someone who is scared of being in these situations, your whole attitude and shamelessness really inspired me. i certainly hope it never happens to me, but i’ll know to not be ashamed and ask for help ????"
"First she unleashed her bowels and now we pray she unleashes the arsenal of stories," said another TikToker.
Meghan, an actor and writer, has since embraced her newfound platform. "Some of us are just f*cking weird. I don't know what to tell you."
@meghanreinertsen did not respond immediately to the Daily Dot’s request for comment via Instagram DM.
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