For years, TikToker Josephine (@josephinesgarden) thought she had a chronic illness. She constantly felt unwell, and there never seemed to be a clear medical explanation.
She did not consider that the person she was married to might have been harming her.
But after putting two and two together, she realized that her now ex-husband had been poisoning her during their marriage. It took her years to figure out what was really going on, but it helped her finally be able to leave the toxic relationship.
Looking back, there were three major moments in her life that made things click for her. The first was that her doctor pointed out that she was always sick on a Friday.
It was an odd pattern, but she initially chalked it up to anxiety. Still, the observation lingered in the back of her mind.
Second, she went away on a trip and wasn’t around her ex-husband for a whole month. During that time, she accidentally ingested some molasses and got extremely sick.
Her reaction was identical to the way she felt sick at home. The molasses contained a sugar alcohol known as maltitol, which she is allergic to.
The third and final instance was the most chilling. They went to therapy, and her ex-husband revealed that he fantasized about poisoning her.
At the time, he was just saying it out loud as a possibility, but he was actually describing something that was happening.

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Recognizing the patterns and leaving the marriage saved her life. She is now urging others to trust their instincts and pay attention to patterns.
Even if you’re not physically being poisoned, being in a toxic relationship can cause health issues to emerge, whether it’s nausea/vomiting or indigestion. It’s your body reacting to a bad situation and telling you to get out of it.
“So, if you’re in a marriage or a long-term relationship, or in a relationship and there’s any kind of pattern to your illness, consider you’re being poisoned,” concluded Josephine.
Several TikTok users saw themselves in her experience and shared their own stories about being poisoned by those they trusted.
“I literally always wondered why my husband was bringing me coffee at work and home before I got sick,” commented one user.
“My ex overdosed me on pain meds after surgery when I was completely out of it. He also neglected my grandson, who subsequently drowned in his pool. Police never did anything,” wrote another.
“I was poisoned for years. Had seizures the whole time. Could never prove it. Never had one since,” shared a third.
“Had a friend who got very sick and privately got detailed bloodwork. Results showed rare poisoning from drugs only available to MDs. Her husband was an MD!” added someone else.