Salmonella Poisoning!!

Hello Fellow Board Members.
Firstly, I need to say that I do not want any back and forth comments on what I am about to post. I am only posting this information in the hopes to prevent anyone else having to go thu what we have just. So, take it for what it is worth....................

My hubby and I are very healthy people, mid 50s - lived full time here for 2yrs.
Tuesday we were out doing a bunch of errands and we hungry - went to "edited" and each ordered the "fish sandwhich and ice tea.
After my first bite, I said to my hubby - Gee, this seems to have a little bit of a bitter taste to it. But it did not taste bad and we ate the sandwiches. This was at about 1 pm.

We ate nothing else that entire day and were both woken up at approx midnight with severe stomach cramps and diaherrea and throwing up. This lasted the entire night and well into the next day.

The second day I felt better while my hubby did not. To make a long story shorter.....................last night hubby spent the entire night hugging the bowl - he was the sickest I've ever seen him in 25 years. So much so that I called our doctor on his cell phone well before daylight and arranged to take DH to the doc office............. Blood tests reveled severe saminillia posioning and hubby was put on IV fluids and antibiotics. Many weeks of anti-biotics to follow in order to clear this up and ensure Tyhpoid Fever does not develop - this strain of Smam is the leading cause of the Thyoid Fever!
My Hubby is a healthy 58 yr old man who is so very sick...............
Be careful guys, this is serious stuff!

I am sorry for your experience and hope that you are both feeling better.
The ONLY way to diagnose a definitive case of Salmonella of any kind (or any other type of intestinal bacterial infection) is by a STOOL CULTURE.
Please google "Widal Blood Test"...it is OLD, it is non conclusive and very inaccurate.

We got typhoid and salmonella several times in the last few years. It can be really nasty but there is no way you can know for sure when you got it and you cannot taste it either.
I was told by several doctors that people have a tendency to blame the last meal they had but that it is probably incorrect as it can take a little time to show up. You have to look up what you ate up to 3 days before you got sick and even that is not foolproof as you can get small doses of it and be asymptomatic for a while.

There is a vaccine for typhoid but unfortunately you can get different strains of paratyphoid so you are not protected accross the board.

...and the vaccine for typhoid is one of the things that will make a Widal blood test for Salmonella POSITIVE for life.l

I have rarely eaten at "edited" but each time i did, i enjoyed the food immensley.....but within 3 to 4 hours

sick to my stomache. Im no Doctor but ive given up on eating there, wish things were different.

schraderone wrote:I have rarely eaten at "edited" but each time i did, i enjoyed the food immensley.....but within 3 to 4 hours

sick to my stomache. Im no Doctor but ive given up on eating there, wish things were different.

That should tell everyone here something. You should never feel any kind of stomach distress after eating at a restaurant.

To the OP: Figure out where you ate out in restaurants 12 - 72 hours before your outbreak of Salmonella. If you only ate at "edited", now you have your answer where you got it.

I have edited out the name of this restaurant. If you wish to know the name or discuss it by name please use the PM function.

Gracias

Hmmm, two people eat at the same restaurant, order the same thing, and both of them get sick. This does sound like some form of food poisoning, however Ferret has clarified the testing methods used here, and a stool sample is the only sure fire method of determining exactly which organism is involved.


Tips to avoid food poisoning

1. Only eat at restaurants which have a proven track record. For example Roberto's, Panino's and quite a few others. I am quite familiar with these two and have been informed of their exact procedures regarding food preparation.
2. Never eat at a street vendor's stand. No hot water, and in many cases no water at all.
3. Disinfect all produce which is to be eaten raw, lettuce should soak for a minimum of 20 minutes in a bactericidal solution, after separating every single leaf so that the solution is in contact with all surfaces. Iodine or Silver based solutions are easily available here. Fruits and vegetables should be peeled by you.
4. Avoid processed meat products, such as cold cuts unless you are very certain of the manufacturer.
5. Avoid unpasteurized cheese or dairy products.
6. At home sterilize all cloths, sponges or other items used to clean counters or cooking utensils. For dishes, if you don't have a dishwasher, a quick soak in water with 5% chlorine bleach added should be sufficient. You can sterilize dishwashing cloths etc. in the microwave. Put them in wet and set the microwave on high for about 2 minutes.
7. Use antimicrobial solution for cleaning countertops. Lysol, or other.
8. Never eat salad at a restaurant unless you know that the requirements for disinfection of the lettuce and other ingredients have been met.

If there are repeated reports from others about a certain restaurant, avoid it, or discuss your concerns with the owner.

CanuckBob wrote:I have edited out the name of this restaurant. If you wish to know the name or discuss it by name please use the PM function.

Gracias

What's the point of editing the name of where we got so sick? We're not making this up and I think it's important for people to know. We KNOW we got sick from eating there. Just didn't want anyone else to have to go thru what we are now having to do! The meds (antibiotics) will need to be taken for 14 days along with a series of other meds. Not pleasant to say the least.
Bob, if you want to delete my post althogether no problem. Doesn't make any sense to keep it here when you delete the restaurant name.

Sorry Guiness, I can't allow a local business to be discussed in this sort of negative light. There are a number of reasons why, up to and including possible legal action against my forum. I don't see a problem with people PMing you if they want to know where this occurred however it is your call if you want it deleted entirely.

Makes sense to me, Bob. Nobody wants a lawsuit and PM works for those who want to know.
It's one thing to say you hated the food, the owner, the waitstaff or the chairs, but quite another to say you were poisoned there (even when you're sure you were).

Since the incubation period for Salmonella is lengthy, it is not fair to point a finger at a particular restaurant as being the carrier or contaminant for the disease without a full exam of their cutting boards, counters, employees, and food prep procedures.

Food poisoning is a whole other issue, but you've been definitively diagnosed with the Salmonella bacteria. I believe. PM'ing is a good suggestion and deleting the name of the restaurant is a wise decision. imho

I'm sorry this happened to you both, Guiness, and hope you both recover rapidly and completely.

Ahhhh, thank you.

I second Trailrunner: once we went for an annual check up and my husband salmonella count was very high, he had no symptoms. It was a question of time before he got sick and we would have looked at the last couple of places we would have been to and it would have been very unfair to the restaurants.
Yes the blood test for salmonella is positive after vaccination but the count is low and the doctors discount it as" memory".

E-raq wrote:Hmmm, two people eat at the same restaurant, order the same thing, and both of them get sick. This does sound like some form of food poisoning, however Ferret has clarified the testing methods used here, and a stool sample is the only sure fire method of determining exactly which organism is involved.


Tips to avoid food poisoning

1. Only eat at restaurants which have a proven track record. For example Roberto's, Panino's and quite a few others. I am quite familiar with these two and have been informed of their exact procedures regarding food preparation.
2. Never eat at a street vendor's stand. No hot water, and in many cases no water at all.
3. Disinfect all produce which is to be eaten raw, lettuce should soak for a minimum of 20 minutes in a bactericidal solution, after separating every single leaf so that the solution is in contact with all surfaces. Iodine or Silver based solutions are easily available here. Fruits and vegetables should be peeled by you.
4. Avoid processed meat products, such as cold cuts unless you are very certain of the manufacturer.
5. Avoid unpasteurized cheese or dairy products.

With all due respect Eraq those measures seem a bit extreme,I've eaten plenty of street vendor food over the last 8 years and have only gotten sick once.

Your point is taken,Brigitte, about "memory" but it only means something if you have something to compare it with. There are too many variables involved and not everyone's immune system functions in exactly the same way. Like me...the surgeon who removed my appendix said it was the most rotten intact appendix he'd ever seen and it is STILL floating in formalin at the hospital where I worked as a shining example of that...white blood cell count was absolutely normal...which ain't normal.
Many people who have had some type of Salmonella infection in the past, will harbour the bacteria in the gall bladder. When things, in your body, get out of whack, that bacteria will pay a surprise visit...complete with all the previous systems. But, you didn't GET it from anywhere...you produced it yourself.
Like I said, the Widal blood test is ancient and not reliable...it wasn't reliable in 1973 either. Why they're still using it is beyond me.
IF they can make a test for Salmonella which would distinguish the IGM antibodies (new infection) from the IGG antibodies (memory of old infections), then it might be a very useful tool.

@ferret, many thanks for the clarification of testing methods. It's great to have a true expert on board here.

@Viajero, well it's all up to each person to decide their own comfort level. I prefer to be very careful rather than risk further infection. The above recommendations are for people who may be far more sensitive than others.

Mexicans, for example are highly accustomed to these bacteria, since they have been exposed to them even prenatally, whereas gringos are not. Even moving from one community to another in Canada for example you will be exposed to bacteria and viruses to which you are not accustomed.

To All - Keep eating at street food vendors and I GUARANTEE you WILL get sick. They have no means of keeping their hands clean. They handle the money with same hands as the food and have no running HOT water to wash hands in.

I stick to my Doctors advice. Don't eat street food. He also said don't eat salads, but at some places I know, I do eat salads.

Viajero: Depends on your stomach and your resistance to bugs. Some people can eat anywhere and never ever get problems. Some get everything, even at the best maintained restaurants. I'm one of 'em.

You're lucky if you're the other variety, but that's just you and others like you, so you can't generalize from your personal experience. For instance, I and some others in my family can walk through poison oak and without ill effects, but I would never recommend anyone else trying it.

gringal wrote:Viajero: Depends on your stomach and your resistance to bugs. Some people can eat anywhere and never ever get problems. Some get everything, even at the best maintained restaurants. I'm one of 'em.

You're lucky if you're the other variety, but that's just you and others like you, so you can't generalize from your personal experience. For instance, I and some others in my family can walk through poison oak and without ill effects, but I would never recommend anyone else trying it.

Gringal I agree,I must have a strong constitution.
John,your good street food vendors usually have one employee who handles the money and not the food stuff.

johns right. i told my doctor here (mexican) that i bought cooked beans. he made a shocked face, said never do this again. as the bacteria contributed to throat infections & ecoli. for the name of the resturant, i would be surprised if anyone would spend 3cents on a lawsuit. but the name IS available, PM the poster. as for samonella, there are different strains. not all require medication, some clear up in 2 days. how can anyone eat raw salad anywhere? even 5 star? even vegatables.

viajero wrote:

gringal wrote:Viajero: Depends on your stomach and your resistance to bugs. Some people can eat anywhere and never ever get problems. Some get everything, even at the best maintained restaurants. I'm one of 'em.

You're lucky if you're the other variety, but that's just you and others like you, so you can't generalize from your personal experience. For instance, I and some others in my family can walk through poison oak and without ill effects, but I would never recommend anyone else trying it.

Gringal I agree,I must have a strong constitution.
John,your good street food vendors usually have one employee who handles the money and not the food stuff.

Good street vendors! Joke of the year. I'll stick with my Doctor's advice.

We only eat at the safest restaurants in Ajijic and even then it's possible to get sick.

only well done grilled food & baked potato, thats it for me. not even bread, they touch it. never drink water from a glass, they touch it, never ice, its in bacteria filled freezer. the rule applies everywhere. dont care if its $400 usd for 2, dont care if its fourseasons. no one touches my food. i bring my own water. leave as fast as i can if in this area, as they sweep floors wash floors when you are there. gross. my dr. agrees!

WHO is your doc?

rosie&sam wrote:only well done grilled food & baked potato, thats it for me. not even bread, they touch it. never drink water from a glass, they touch it, never ice, its in bacteria filled freezer. the rule applies everywhere. dont care if its $400 usd for 2, dont care if its fourseasons. no one touches my food. i bring my own water. leave as fast as i can if in this area, as they sweep floors wash floors when you are there. gross. my dr. agrees!

What a way to live one's life.