Sick! (TMI)

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

After a year in the PNW I’ve finally gotten sick.

Yesterday I was sick of wearing jeans all the time. I figured my day would be spent polishing an estimate and CAD drawing, testing cameras, etc. The phone rang as I was about to leave. I was needed at a job site. On go the jeans and battered boots.

I had to find some asphalt sealer, so I had a bit of driving to do. I decided to have ‘brunch’ in the form of a Jack-in-the-Box burger and a couple of tacos around 10:00. (Entirely too much food, BTW!) I got to the job site and found out I’d be cutting asphalt for vehicle detection loops. Cold, wet work. We ran out of sealant, and I was sent to fetch more from Oak Harbor. Oh, and by the way, bring back four Jack-in-the-Box tacos. I got myself two 20 oz. black teas with a sugar and a dash of milk in each. I was freezing when I got back to the site, but was soon perspiring digging a trench in the rocky ground. I finally made it home to Birch Bay around 5:30 PM.

Now, you may think that those two J-i-t-B tacos I had earlier in the day would have had a deliterious effect on my system; but I had a normal bowel movement around 6:00. Now, I was becoming a bit peckish; but my cupboards are not well stocked at the moment. Nothing in the fridge, either. I decided to open a tin of Rosarita Refried Beans (it was either that, or Juanita’s Menudo). Of course, I’m out of cheese. Wait! Here’s some left-over salsa. Okay, it’s been in it little plastic cup in the fridge for a couple/three weeks; but I needed to spice up the beans. I ate half the tin of beans, with the salsa mixed in.

7:30 PM. (Here comes the TMI part.) That odd feeling can only mean one thing: Explosive Diarrhea. Oh, it was a gusher! Oh, well. With any luck I’ve gotten rid of it and I’ll be okay in the morning.

No such luck. I was awakened about every 90 minutes with an urgent need. It was aweful! Completely liquid, like a light tan beef stock. When morning came, I called in sick to work.

I had a couple large cups of coffee. Now I realised that I was a little hungry-like; but I A) didn’t have anything to eat, and B) didn’t think I could keep it down anyway. I settled on a piece of dry whole-grain toast. A little later I had another one. So far, so good. But I was exhausted. The next times I went to the toilet things were still liquid, but not as bad as before. I’ve been trying to drink water, and am currently working on my third or fourth 12-oz. glass. This afternoon, I managed two pieces of whole-grain toast spread with some marmalade. I’ve just had a small bowl of (stale-tasting) Grape Nuts with milk.

I’ve slept most of the day, keeping warm under two comforters and on top of an electric blanket. Having slept all day, will I be able to sleep tonight?

I think the old salsa may have given me a touch of food poisoning. Do you think this is so? If I had/have food poisoning (as opposed to something else caused by the alternating hot and cold in the wet weather), how long will it last? It seems to be getting better (I hope!), but I still feel a bit rocky.

2

Dude, let me be the first to say: At least you didn’t puke.

Keep hydrated and don’t overexert yourself for a while.

3

Food poisoning generally lasts a day or two (unless you got into some really bad e. coli, but the symptoms would include bloody explosive diarrhea and a trip to the emergency room). Your body is doing its best to get the bad stuff out.

Rest, eat light, gentle food. Get some gatorade or other moderately sweet/salty drink to restore hydration and electrolytes. Hope you feel better.

4

I experienced an illness just like this about a year ago, and the distress stopped after 24 hours. I felt tired for a couple more days. Try drinking bouillon–this is what it was invented for (I think).

5

Uh… thanks for, um, sharing

That said - most food poisoning, in my experience, is 24 hours of pyrotechnics followed by 24 hours of feeling weak and shakey.

Fluid, fluid, fluid.

Eat clear-broth soup and jello when you get tired of water - both have a very high water content.

Reintroduce solid food slowly (which it sounds like you’re doing)

Keep warm. (No, I don’t think the hot/cold cycle caused this, but while you’re recovering your body doesn’t need additional physical stress)

6

My sympathy. One other thing to avoid is dairy (I assume you had the grape nuts w/ milk). The capacity to digest dairy can get cleaned out of your system for a while after a bout like that.

White rice and unseasoned roasted chicken is a good meal to ease into.

7

I went to bed at 8:30 last night. I woke up about one in the morning, damp with sweat. Apparently, the fever broke. (I never took my temperature, but I knew I had a fever.) I feel fine now, except for muscle aches. Part of the aching might be left over from heaving around the heavy asphalt cutter on a slope on Thursday, but I think most of it is from being horizontal for too long.

I think I’ve learned my lesson: Keep food around, and don’t eat stuff that’s been sitting around too long.

Broomstick and Sattua: Bullion and broth are like drinking hot salt water. I can deal with them when I’m feeling all right, but last night they would have made me vomit. (I do have a tin of veggie broth in the cupboard.)

I can’t tell you how glad I am that I bought an electric blanket last week!

8

.

This happens to me every week or so. :frowning:

I doubt it was the salsa. It happened too quickly. But, I am not a food poisoning expert.

9

Well… I thought I was done with this thing. I was feeling okay yesterday, and had a piece of toast with marmalade and three cups of coffee. I went to the store and bought some cube steak. I ate one, with no ill effects.

A friend called, and we talked for a couple of hours. I noticed I was getting chilled. Why? I hadn’t changed the heat. I was also a bit peckish, so I cooked some more meat. That was a mistake. It came back up spectacularly. Maybe I used too much garlic salt and pepper, but I think that I just ate too much.

I’ve been trying to drink water. It seems I’m putting it in, but it’s not coming out. I must really be dehydrated. I drank water when I woke up in the night, and I’m on my second glass this morning. I can feel a sheen of perspiration on my forehead. Maybe I’m paying back the water deficit?

The real pisser is that I’m flying to Phoenix on Wednesday. Mom’s in poor health. My sister says she’s skin and bones. (She’s a little under 5’ 1" and weighs 91 pounds.) It means a lot to her that I come down for Thanksgiving. I have a sick feeling that she’s not going to be around much longer. Since her husband died, she’s been on the decline. My sister will stay on after Thanksgiving and help her move to San Diego, which is a good thing. I don’t want to get her sick, but I have to go. I hope I’m over this thing by Wednesday. :frowning:

10

I swear that’s a bug that’s going around the country, not food poisoning. I had it last weekend myself, about 12 hours of miserable diarrhea and then another 36 hours or so of feeling absolutely wretched. And at the exact same time, Papa Tiger, a thousand miles away, had the exact same thing.

Anyway, lots of rest and fluids, and feel better soon!

11

Stop by the supermarket or drugstore. Get a bottle of PediaLyte. Cherry, whatever. It’s flavored. It’s used to replace lost electrolytes for babies with dehydration. Forget Gatorade, this is the real deal.

Feel better !

Cartooniverse

12

If veggie broth makes you happy by all means go to it.

For that matter, I’ve got a decent vegan variation of dashi that’s pretty good, too, if you like severely Japanese cooking.

But, whatever the form, keep pushing those fluids!

13

Sorry you are feeling puny (or “peckish” I liked that term - thanks for it) …

Rest and drink fluids. A good way to introduce food to your gut after a GI upset is the BRAT diet. It gives you a nice mix of easy fiber without roughage and some electrolyes, etc. Has always worked for my family.

B= bananas (gets the K back in you)
R= rice, a good soild ‘first fiber’
A= applesauce, fiber again but easy on the digestion
T= toast, must be toast and not bread so you get the tannins

My daughter’s pediatritian gave me this diet for her when she was little and we still do it and it works…If you have GI distress when it’s time to eat again you get BRATTED :slight_smile:

Good luck!

14

Oh and I meant to second this suggestion. Best fluid for you right now.

15

me again :smack:

I hope you do get to make it to see your mom. That might just be “the ticket” to making you feel all better. And her too.

16

Coffee is a bowel stimulant. Not wise to ingest it when your bowels are already hyperactive. Immodium is what I used when I had a horrible bout. It puts the bowel to sleep. I tend to use a half dose and everything is much better.

Keep hydrated and good luck.